Recipe: Cheesy Tortellini Casserole

I made this recipe for my bunko group last week.  We all enjoyed it. Give it a try. Super duper easy &
dee-lish.  It cooks itself in a crock pot!

Cheesy Tortellini Casserole
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: low 7 hours, high 3.5 hours plus 15 minutes on Low (using a crock pot)
Stand: 10 minutes

Makes 8 servings

2 15 oz. containers of refrigerated marinara sauce

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with bail, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 12 oz. pkg frozed cooked & crumbled ground meat substitute

1 9 oz. pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz).


1. Lightly coat a 3.5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In the cooker, stir together

marinara sauce, tomatoes, and ground meat substitute.

2. Cover & cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 3.5-4 hours.
3. If using high heat, turn to low-heat and stir in Tortellini. Cover & cook for 15-20 more minutes or until tortellini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand, covered about 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

From the 5-ingredient slow cooking recipe book.

I am loving the printables on so many crafty blogs.  I download them & send to Costco for printing. Easy, inexpensive decorating.

The Valentine Reveal

I'm kind of proud of the Valentine's we made

for the kids to give to their friends this year.

I found the idea on this crafty blog.

Without further ado,

The Hardin Valentines

2011

I love this picture. You can't really see the Valentines but they look so happy!

I found the Keep Calm & Kiss On printablele on another blog. It was in a frame until 1 minute before this picture when Alex knocked it. Frame & glass broken.

Alex with his new Justin Beiber hairdo.

Sassy!



Sleepyhead Campbell modeling her Valentine with the same shirt she wore for the photoshoot.



Guess what these are?

Snow! Beautiful Snow!

Look at the beautiful girl in the beautiful snow.  She was done with it rather quickly & had no interest in going back outside. Too cold for this chick.

Conleigh loved the snow the most! She ate a lot of it today. It was beautiful snow. It was different than what we got last year. This snow was light & fluffy. Real snow in my opinion.  I wish I had a picture or video of it, but these two drove the golf cart up to the golf course hill with a laundry basket, and asledding Conleigh went.  I think it was a great time.  Our big track wheels on the golf cart sure came in handy today.

Proof 1 that she ate a lot of it today.

Doc diagnosed flu yesterday but he hasn't had a lick of fever today & has plenty of energy. He gave sledding a whirl but she wiped out on the first try which made it the only try.

Boo! Peter had planted some of his vegetables already.  Start again.

Our home in a winter wonderland.

And we're down!

Alex has the flu. Type B in case you were wondering. It seems to be the question of the hour around here. Total bummer. He started having chills and then was hot, so I made our fourth doctor's appointment of the year.  Check the date. We are only 3 days into February!  We are going to be done spending our flex health spending account before the end of March at this rate.   He has felt pretty good all day actually.  Good enough to set up an entire army vs three cowboys and indians.  (Blah! Blogger won't let me upload a picture of Alex & his army).

Conleigh & Campbell are hanging tough. We went to swim lessons tonight. I am so thankful Conleigh liked it. When she first put her bathing suit on, she said, "It will feel good to get back in the pool."  That was so nice to hear.  She spent about 2 minutes in the pool and they realized she was way past the level she was starting at, so they zoomed her up to Level 2 right away. I know that made her feel good too.  Campbell worked hard at her station, but I don't think she was promoted to the next station yet. I think they can spend 7 lessons on one station before they step in and take a 'get it done' attitude.

School started two hours late this morning. The reason given was to assist with power conservation. Yesterday there were some rolling power outages in the city. What a lame reason to start late. No power outages today. Now we are starting two hours late tomorrow because of the possibility of snow & ice. I really hope the girls have school. I'm not excited about the kids wanting to play in the skimmings of snow tomorrow.

Conleigh & Peter are set to go to the Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance on Saturday night.  Wash hands. Sanitize, Don't spit on each other. That is the Hardin mantra right now. I really don't want the flu to fly through our house.

Have a good weekend. We'll be staying warm by our fire.

What is going on Wednesday?