Cruise Countdown: Day 5
63 Days To Go

Monday’s are no good for lunch. I usually don’t have anything to prepare for us so that’s when I take a trip to the Supermarket while I’m starving. We all know how bad going to the supermarket hungry is!

I got the usual: Sliced chicken at the deli; Fontina cheese; Multi-grain sliced loaf of bread; Arugula; a few things for dinner and since I was STARVING I am guilty of getting a frozen mac-n-cheese. It wasn’t even good, it never is. Why do I waste my calories on bad food? I was just so hungry and was craving it so bad! I think I can speak for most of us when I saw we are hardly in our right minds when we are starving. That’s why we have to trick ourselves! If not, then we will just keep feeding our cravings anytime we want and little by little loose our self control… well, I believe most of us somewhere along the line lost the opportunity to developed it or lost it a long time ago. If not, then we wouldn’t be harping about this and crying in front of a mirror wobbling our bellies than now hang over our pantie. And no, I didn’t go for that walk today, unless the block to and from the supermarket mattered at all.

I came home to Robert going on about how hungry he was and luckily I wasn’t ridiculously starving. So I didn’t suggest we go out because I hate Mondays and I was exhausted. Instead I made something nutritious and delicious…and a small portion of it. I would have loved to made a quick video on how to make it but since we had the week straight of rain down here, a leak developed in the bedroom…right over the good laptop we do all our editing on. But here is the recipe for the veggie tortellini I made tonight. It hardly took about 45 min.

Note: This can be customized, I just used what I already had in the house. I made tortellini for 2 and made enough sauce to have more for tomorrow.

Ingredients

• 2 vidalia onions – julienne
• 1 carrot – small dice
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms (that’s one package the supermarket usual’y sells) – cut in half and then sliced
• 1/4 cup peas
• 3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt & Pepper – to taste
• Old Bay Seasoning – about 1/4 teaspoon
• Parmesan cheese – I always say that’s a personal preference and to add that one at the table but tonight I added a couple tablespoons.
• 1 package of tortellini or a few handfuls of the big bag – tonight I used sweet sausage filled

Procedure

1. Heat a saucepan at about medium-high heat
2. Add enough vegetable oil to coat the pan
3. Saute the onions until they get soft and begin to change color while stirring often
4. Add the carrots and let cook for a short while because they take a little longer to cook than the mushrooms
5. This is when you want to put the pot of water on for the tortellini, don’t forget to add the salt to the water and throw the pasta in when the water boils. This should be a decent time to put it in because is should be finished and ready to strain by the time the sauce is done.
6. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft
7. Stir in the garlic and the butter until the butter has melted
8. Mix the flour in and continuously stir. This is what is going to thicken the stock so it’s nice and creamy
9. Lower heat to about medium-low
10. Add the stock a little at a time constantly siring and allowing it to incorporate without clumping before adding more stock
11. Turn the heat to low
12. Stir in the cream and turn off the heat.
13. Finish with salt and pepper to taste
14. Now its time to plate! Dish the pasta in bowls and scoop the sauce over it. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and basil if you like. I didn’t have any basil but would have loved to add some if I remembered to plant some in the yard!

I hope you try this recipe and let me know how you like it.