Cremona's Kitchen

Remember picture day back in high school?  It was such a big ordeal.  Picking out the perfect outfit, applying gobs of makeup, and finding a hair-style that’s just right.  Yes, very similar to Goldilock’s adventure.  Unfortunately for me, every year my pictures turned out the same.  Eyes mid-blink.  Uncomfortable smile. Messy hair.

Today, we had picture day at work.  Well, kinda.  See, our firm hired two new employees who needed photos for our website.  Since the photographer was already going to be around taking their pictures, I thought, “hey, this is a great opportunity for me to get a better picture.” Maybe I can just sneak in and get a new pic.  [no worries. I got the thumbs up from our marketing coordinator].

Why did I need a new picture you ask?  Yeah–I’m not the most photographic of individuals.  It wasn’t my best work.  Meaning I’m that girl who has been complaining about her work picture ever since it was taken.

Today was the third time I’ve had my picture professionally taken for work.  Move over, Beyonce.  There’s a new diva running this town.  But, channeling my inner celebrity paid off.  I got to look at my new work pictures, and while I won’t be auditioning for America’s Next Top Model anytime soon, I no longer looked frazzled.

Photographing soup has always been a bit of a challenge for me.  If it isn’t full of chunky ingredients, a creamy soup looks bland.  What I should do is buy some cute, unique bowls from Goodwill to jazz it up.  But its so easy to get lazy when it comes laying out colorful and eye-catching backdrops for my website.  Thankfully, this recipe is full of delicious chunky ingredients, so my fiestaware bowls sufficed.  This spicy soup was delicious, easy to make, and can be ready in twenty minutes.  The perfect meal after a long day of work! 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Italian Sausage, rolled into 1/4 teaspoon size balls
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cans vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped spinach
• 2 cups cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage, keeping the sausages in little balls.  It should take around 5 minutes.  Remove sausage from pan and pat with paper towel, removing excess grease.  Set aside.

2. In large sauce pan, heat olive oil.  Add onions and cook til soft.  Add peppers, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes.  Cook til soft.

3. Pour in broth, tomatoes, spinach, and tortellini.  Cook until tortellini is tender–approximately 6 minutes.  Stir in basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Stir in sausages and heat til warm.  Serve in big bowls.   I’ve always believed its good luck to be the one who gets the bay leaf in their bowl.   Enjoy!

Modified from: Two Peas and Their Pod