Vanessa's requests

Vanessa had asked for these two recipes a long time ago--sorry it took me so long to get a round to it.

Tortellini Soup
10 cups water
6-7 chicken bouillon cubes
90z. tortellini, uncooked (I like to use more just because my kids predominately eat the tortellini.)
1lb. baby spinach
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 tsp. dry tarragon leaves
1 red bell pepper, cut up

Optional ingredients
1/2lb mushrooms
2 chicken breasts, cut up uncooked
grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to a boil then add tortellini for 6 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring back to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Garnish with grated Parmesan when serving.

Beef and Broccoli

1lbs. Flank steak, sliced
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sprite, 7-up or mitsuya cider
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup sliced onions
4 to 5 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bunch broccoli

Optional ingredients

Bamboo shoots
Water chestnuts
Mushrooms

Cut beef on an angle. Marinate with soy sauce, cornstarch, sprite and sugar (Alan and I like to double the marinade.) Set aside. Cut broccoli. Pour 2 tablespoons oil in a hot skillet. Add salt. (If bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and mushrooms are used, they should be cooked about one minute before the broccoli.) Add broccoli. Stir constantly-not over 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and spread out on a plate. In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and onion. Stir in the beef mixture and turn constantly until the beef is almost cooked ( about 3 minutes). Add broccoli and mix thoroughly. For crispness, do not overcook. Serve immediately. Serve over rice.

Bananas

Don't throw away brown bananas, throw them in the freezer! They defrost quickly when you're ready for them (about 30 minutes on the kitchen counter) and are perfect for making banana bread, muffins, smoothies, and anything else requiring bananas.