Tortellini Salad

We had this at Emma's birthday party and it was a hit-at least among the people that eat salads or pasta with more than one ingredient ;)

It's great to make ahead and tonight, I didn't have all of the ingredients so I improvised a bit and it was still delish.

6T olive oil
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, minced (I used some minced red onion this time around since I didn't have a shallot)
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb asparagus trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (I had to leave these out this time since I didn't have any :( )
2 9oz pkgs of fresh cheese tortellini (you could probably use dried ?)
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I added extra this time since I didn't have asparagus)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1. whisk oil, basil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper together in the bowl you will make the salad in

2. cook asparagus in boiling, salted water unti ltender (3 min). Transfer to a colander using a slotted spoon (don't dump cooking water) and run under cold water until cooled off. toss with dressing.

3. return water to boil, add tortellini and cook until tender. drain thoroughly and toss while hot with the asparagus and dressing. refrigerate until chilled.

**** if you're making it ahead of time, stop here****

4. just before serving, add pine nuts, tomatoes and parm. (if you made the salad the day before, you might want to freshen it with a bit more oil and lemon juice before serving)

Beef Stroganoff

I forgot how good this is!

1 lb beef -- cut into bite size pieces or use ground beef, season with s&p
1 onion, chopped
8 or so mushrooms, cut (I use Cremini)
2 packages brown gravy (dry)
2 C water
1 C sour cream

Start cooking onions in large pot with some oil, butter or mixture. When they start to turn translucent, add the meat and cook thoroughly. Add mushrooms at any time depending on how soft you like them. I add them when the meat is nearly cooked. Add brown gravy mix and two cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat, cook intil thick and opaque. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Stir in about 8 oz of cooked wide egg noodles.

Very easy, very fast