Hi, I haven't been here in a while...I figured I'd post my Tortellini soup recipe here instead of at the KT.. 2 cans chicken broth 1 can beef broth 1/2# bulk italian sausage 1/2 a bag of frozen mixed vegetables 1/2 a bag of frozen cheese tortellini (i use the whole bag) 1 small jar Spaghetti sauce (Ragu, Prego, what you like) combine broths in soup pan, bring slowly to boil. meanwhile, brown sausage, breaking up. when broth comes to boil, add veggies, simmer 8 minutes. Then add Tortellini and DRAINED sausage; simmer 10 minutes. Add Spaghetti sauce and heat thru...sprinkle with Parmasean, serve with bread...salad...quick and good!

Put some ham or turkey into a grilled cheese sandwich. Hamburger (or ground pork or sausage or a mixture) makes chili, sloppy joes, spaghetti, tater tot hotdish, tacos and a myriad of other things. Pork chops in cream soup/milk mixture makes its own gravy. Submarine sandwiches. Meatball subs using frozen meatballs & canned marinars sauce, topped with cheese, onion, green pepper or whatever you like. A plain old sandwich with good deli meats and cheeses on a good bread or bun is a treat. Canned and frozen veggies are a good assistant. How about a veggie tray? Chef's salad? Nachos can be hearty if you top it with some cut up cooked turkey, chicken, hamburger or what-have-you. Making lasagna isn't difficult. The pasta package has a good basic recipe and just add what your like. For that matter making a meatloaf isn't complicated. A good quality sausage and some rice or sauerkraut if you like it is easy. Decent hot dogs decked out how you like them. The whole point is you're not going to have YOUR cooking. Hopefully you'll enjoy a change of menu during your recuperation. BTW, putting a turkey in the roaster, or a ham or even a pot roast doesn't have to be that difficult or complicated. Bake some potatoes, salad or frozen/canned veg can be a source of pride for an accomplishment. Do you have any community cookbooks? Church, community or school fundraiser types? They usually have a lot of simple, homestyle recipes and give good detail if needed. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Hand held little pies and "cups" are easy to bake ahead and serve at room temp. This is the kind of snack my two sons liked when they were younger - they probably wouldn't turn their nose up now at age 28 and 32. Barbecue Cups 3/4 lb. lean ground beef 1 TB plus, chopped onion 2 TB brown sugar 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I use Kraft Original) canned biscuits - 2 tubes of 10 biscuits each grated cheddar cheese Brown beef, drain off fat. Add onion and saute lightly. Add brown sugar and sauce, simmer a few minutes. Press biscuits to make a larger circle. Put into regular-sized muffin tin cups. Add meat mixture, top with grated cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then cool on a rack. For pizza cups: add pizza sauce to the browned beef and onion, omit the sugar, top with grated mozzarella cheese. Sausage 'n Cheese Turnovers 1 10oz. can Hungry Jack biscuits (or similar) 1/2 lb. bulk sausage, brown, drain off fat 1/4 t. Italian herbs 4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained, pat dry 4 oz. (1 cup) grated mozzarella cheese 1 egg, beaten 3 TB grated Parmesan cheese Heat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Roll each to a 5-inch circle. Combine sausage, herbs, mushrooms, and mozz cheese in a bowl. Spoon 3 TB of the meat mixture onto the center of the flattened biscuits. Fold over, press edges to seal Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with the Parm cheese. Put on sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp. Tamale Pocket Sandwiches 1 lb. lean ground beef finely chopped onion 2 t. chili powder salt and pepper to taste 1/4 t. garlic powder 8 oz. can tomato sauce 7 oz. can Mexi-corn 2 cans Hungry Jack biscuits (or similar) sliced American Cheese Brown beef, drain fat off. Add rest through the corn, simmer 10-15 minutes or until thick. Separate biscuits, press or roll each to a 5" circle. Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture onto 10 dough circles. Top each with half a slice of cheese. Put other dough circle on top, press edges with a fork to seal. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. All of these will freeze just fine. Egg 'n Bacon Crescent Sandwiches 8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (or turkey bacon) 3 oz. or 3/4 cup grated Swiss or cheddar cheese 1/4 c. finely chopped celery 4 hard cooked eggs, chopped 3 TB mayonnaise 1 TB mustard 1 8 oz. can Pillsbury Crescent rolls mayo to brush on top sesame seeds Mix bacon through mustard in a bowl. Separate dough into 4 rectangles, pressing perforations together. Cut each rectangle in half. Spoon about 1/4 c. egg mixture into center of dough squares. Pull the 4 corners of the dough square to cover the top of the filling. Pinch edges of dough to seal. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each slightly. Brush with a little more mayonnaise and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake at 375 ro 12-18 minutes. Do not freeze these. If your kids like bologna, this is easy to make ahead: Ready-to-Go Bologna Sandwiches 1 lb. bulk bologna 3/4 lb. sharp process cheese 3 (3") dill pickles or sweet pickles if you prefer 1 slice onion or 2 TB chopped green onion 1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip) 1 TB prepared yellow mustard soft butter 16 hot dog buns Grind bologna, cheese, pickle and onion in food chopped or food processor. Stir in salad dressing and mustard. Butter the inside of the split buns evenly, spreading to the edge. Spread with bologna mixture. Put halves together to make 16 sandwiches. Wrap each in foil and freeze. Store 2-3 weeks. Or heat and serve as directed. To heat not frozen sandwiches (not wrapped in foil), heat in a low oven or toaster oven at 250 to 275 for about 30 minutes. To heat frozen sandwiches, unwrap from foil in a hot oven (400) and heat 30-45 minutes.

You really don't need a recipe for salad--like soup, it's just a combo of what you like (or have on hand). I rarely make salad the same way twice. For tortellin salad, I generally use one package of white cheese tortellini and one of tri-color, add some halved cherry or grape tomatoes, some of the tiny fresh mozzarella balls, diced pepper/onion/celery, sliced black olives; Maybe some broccoli florets and/or grated carrot. Then it gets a splash of Italian Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette. Just before serving, I stir in some julienned fresh spinach and some shaved Parmeggiano Reggiano. But you can definitely put together your own favorite vegetables, dressing, pasta, etc. and you won't go wrong.