Getting used to late night cooking

My two new recipes for this week come early in the week, and thank goodness for it. By Tuesday our normal schedule was thrown into a new routine that will need some getting used to. My boyfriend went to the local college to sign up for classes and as it turns out, they started that day too. Now two nights a week he wont be getting home until 10pm. They also happen to be the two nights I don’t close my store, so two other nights a week I don’t get home til 8.

So really, I’m going to just have to make meals that we can have in the fridge ready for him when he stops home from work for 5 minutes, and when he finally gets home at night. He’s going to be beat once this gets past the introduction classes after working all day so I want yummy, healthy food to be the last thing he has to think about.

Beef with Red Wine Sauce from Myrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, sliced

1 pound fresh mushrooms, halved

1 (1.61-ounce) package brown gravy mix

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef broth

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Hot cooked egg noodles or rice

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Whisk together gravy mix and next 3 ingredients; pour evenly over beef and vegetables. Add bay leaf.

Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish, if desired.

Creamy Tortellini Soup adapted from from bhg.com

Ingredients

1 1.8-ounce envelope white sauce mix ( I used garlic and herb)

4 cups water

1 14-ounce can chicken broth

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 lb spicy ground sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 7- to 8-ounce package dried cheese tortellini (about 2 cups)

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach

Ground black pepper (optional)

Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Brown and crumble sausage in a skillet and add onions to saute.

Place dry white sauce mix in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, sausage, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 30minutes.

Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Now, maybe its the crock pot aspect, but both of these didn’t have a huge amount of flavor even after tweaking from the original recipes. They weren’t bad and I think that a little sour cream added to both could really make a difference.