Things I'm obsessed with...

I'm sure this list will come as no surprise, but my 3 favorite foods on the planet at the moment appear to be:

1. Baked potatoes  (I know...I can just SEE your shocked faceJ)
2. Tina's Everything bagels with scallion cream cheese
3. Anything spinach & artichoke

I'm guessing the later is the most virtuous of the bunch, right?  I said to myself "if I'm cravin somethin, it might as well be spinach."J  And thankfully, I've been able to stay away from the VERYBAD 'restaurant' spinach artichoke varieties by making my own FANTASTIC guilt free dip...anddddddddddd...last nights dinner:



Spinach & Artichoke tortellini!

Made with everything you probably already have hangin around your kitchen...

I got the lovely recipe from this book...

One, for which, I will ALWAYS have a soft spot in my heartJ  I had picked this up RIGHT before Scott and I had moved in together and it was a moment of "I get to plan the meals now and I get to try ALLLL of these things now???  Cool!" J

I can pretty much thank "Express Lane Meals" for us relying on cooking from day 1, rather than falling into the habit of contastly relying on take-out.  It just all seemed so fun...and still does, 5 years later!J 

And one of our favorites from this book has always been the easy & breezy S/A Tortellini....and it has been a HOT MINUTE since I made it last!  (In fact, it was Black Friday about 3 years ago.  I have a freakish memory LIKE THAT!J)

Anyway, you first start by cooking up some onions & garlic in a pan drizzled with olive oil & a tablespoon of butter....

After the onions are translucent, you add in about 2 tablespoons of flour, mix it up with the onions and let it cook for about 3 minutes....

Next, whisk in a cup of chicken broth & a cup of milk.  Girlfriend suggests using 1 cup of HEAVY CREAM, but she's slightly insane on that front!  I used 1% milk and it came out decadent and creamy enough...no need for extra "nonsense,"  ya know?

Finally, you add in a box of DRAINED chopped spinach and a can of drained, diced up artichoke hearts along with some salt, pepper, a couple handfuls of grated cheese & a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer till it all gets nice & thick.  Yum!

While your sauce is working, you can boil up a bag of tortellini or whatever pasta you have on hand.  I like these cheese & spinach ones the best to go along with this dishJ

Once the tortellini are done (7 minutes!) drain your pasta, mix in your sauce and WALLAH...spinach artichoke pasta! 

The sauce is so hearty, flavorful and decadent it feels like such a TREAT along with the cheesy tortellini....but without a whole lotta guilt!  Especially if you take my advice on the 1% milk businessJ hehehehehhehehe....

So it's Friday!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  And an ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS ONE, AT THAT!!!!!!!  I needed a coat AND a pumpkin spice latte on my way to work this morning!  It was just necessaryJ  Now I can't decide if I want to cook or go out to dinner tonight.  Going out sounds appealing...but so does a nice bowl of hot soupJ  Plus we should be having a couple "foodie adventures" this weekend....did you know it's Restaurant Week in Philly??  Now ya do!  Check out some of these INCREDIBLE menus and get down there for some good grub on the cheap (well, at least cheap-ER!)  Bridget Foy's, Farmicia, Chops, Downey's....oh where to go, where to go? J

Hope you guys have some great/relaxing plans!  Have a GREAT FRIDAY!