Marilynne's World

People who know me well, know I don’t like to cook.  More than that, I usually don’t cook.  I am a retired woman.  I worked hard and deserve to relax now.  Right?  I remember visiting my mother-in-law at her apartment in a retirement home, and hearing her say with pleasure ” I don’t cook now.”  Add a satisfied look to her face.  After years and years of cooking, beginning as a girl whose mother had died, and ending with her husband in a rest home, she finally didn’t have to cook.

I’m not that bad off.  I’ve been pretty tricky getting out of cooking, and my husband conspired with me by working away from home through much of our marriage.  Cooking for kids is different.

Today was different.  I shopped for groceries and then I cooked supper.  In determining what to cook, I had to keep in mind that my husband’s garden is supplying us abundantly with tomatoes and zucchini.  I’m watching my diet.

TA DAH!  Here comes a home-grown recipe for veggie tortellini.  Keep in mind that I’m not a vegetarian.  I just like to add lots of vegetables to my meals.

Veggie Tortellini

Instructions

• 1/2 large onion, chopped

• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped small

• The fat end from a fat zucchini, seeded, cut thin and chopped

Heat a little oil in the bottom of the skillet and gently saute these vegetables until the zucchini has disappeared and the onions are transparent.

Add

• 6 fat ripe tomatoes from the garden, chopped in big chunks

• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (from a jar in my refrigerator)

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups low-fat chicken broth

While that simmers itself into perfection, cook

• about 10 ounces pesto tortellini in about

• 1 1/2 quarts of salted water.  Cook until tender.

Simmer veggie sauce while the tortellini cooks.  When tortellini is done, drain it and add it to the sauce.  Allow the tortellini to sit in the warm sauce about 10 minutes.

Check sauce to be sure it’s seasoned to your taste.  Adjust if necessary (I didn’t) and serve.

Should serve 4 adults.

Believe it or not, I served this with quartered, boiled zucchini and turkey breast patties.

Eat up!

Marilynne