My Birthday & Tex Mex Tortellini and Enchilada Sauce

I cannot believe that I am 42! 😂

I don’t feel 42! I don’t think I look 42 😂 well, the grey doesn’t help but I’ve had that for 20 years so I don’t think it makes me look… 42!

I don’t know why but 42 seems so much older than 41. I welcomed 40, I was excited for 41, but 42 just sounds… Older 😆.

Birthdays overwhelm me. People message me all day, family wants to FaceTime, & I have to open gifts in front of people 😆. Now, once I say all that out loud I realize that I sound ridiculous. People sending me greetings and reaching out with love is not some thing that should give me anxiety, but it does. By 9:30 AM I was already flooded with beautiful greetings on Facebook and text. I had to stop looking because it was just so overwhelming. I have so much gratitude that words can’t express how I feel, so I say nothing. I know there has to be a better way and I’m going to work on it for next year.

Thank you to all my friends and family that reached out! Thank you for the wonderful wishes! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to let me know you were thinking of me. I didn’t reply to everybody but I felt the love and I feel so grateful to know each and everyone of you.

Thank you to Ninja 💓! This was my second Covid birthday and as we all know, organizing a special day under these circumstances is hard but he makes it look easy! He cooked, baked, took the kids shopping, decorated, found a way to include my Dad, J and his parents! It was such a great weekend! I feel so lucky.

Ninja let me sleep in and then him and the Girls planned a brunch socially distanced on the patio at my favourite restaurant, The Nest. We had an amazing brunch where the owner celebrated my birthday by giving me a bottle of Hillside Gewurztraminer and a 4 pack of Bad Tattoo Juice Bomb New England IPA! After we dropped the Girls off at home to “get ready” Ninja surprised me with a 9-hole round of golf at St. Andrews By The Lake with his parents! I was so happily surprised when we pulled up and saw them! I played terribly 😆 but boy did I have a great time out in the sunshine doing something that I love with people that I love!

When we got home the Girls had decorated the whole house and set up a slideshow that they had made for me! Ninja made me a drink while he prepared my favourite dinner, Chicken Parmesan with Caesar Salad! We opened a delicious bottle of The Judge from Hester Creek and then went down to Dad’s patio to have homemade cherry cheesecake with Dad and J! It was so nice to see them! We continued enjoying each other’s company by the fire as I opened up gifts. So many gifts! I got spoiled! I got the book I asked for, Imagine It! A handbook for a happier planet, body cream, a gorgeous linen dress, a new golf shirt, a gift card for Chapters, a gift card for Bali Kiss (a local store), a curated box of edible treats from Green and Green – Gifts with Flair, an iced coffee brewer and Ninja got me a web designer to help me re-design my blog!

Whaaaat?!?! I know! I am so lucky! I’ve had so many dreams for this blog and finally I can see all of those dreams becoming a reality! I’m so excited!

Thank you Ninja. Thank you HoneyBear and SydneyBean! Thank you Dad, J, MIL & FIL! Thank you Sis for the pictures, cards, and gift, thank you Bro for the special FaceTime with PrettyP and thank you to all my friends and family for making me feel so goddamn special! I don’t know if I deserve it but I sure do appreciate it 💛!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #220: They Say It’s Your Birthday HERE! This week it’s my birthday! Topics: repercussions, radio contests, B-day, COVID, Jake Tapper, blog, kids & gifts, age, & burning down the house.

 

 

As you all know I love Mexican food! I especially love enchiladas! Am I going to give you the very best enchilada recipe of all time? No, no I am not 😂 but I am going to give you the very best Tex-Mex tortellini dish you have ever had using homemade enchilada sauce!

Did that scare you? I know it scared me! I had no idea making my own enchilada sauce was so easy! Actually, it is super hard to find enchilada sauce here in town so making my own was actually easier than searching every store to find a can of a enchilada sauce 😂. Not only that but it taste SO much better!

I love this recipe for so many reasons, I love tortellini and this is a perfect way to use it, with a twist! I love the spices that are used in this recipe! The hint of cinnamon is perfect and it’s got a hint of spice but not enough to make my children not ask for seconds 😂. I also love that this recipe is meatless but fills you up. Sometimes, I find when we have meatless dinners I’m hungry later but not after this one, it was wonderful!

 

Tex Mex Tortellini
Adapted from Soup Addict

9 ounces refrigerated tortellini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeño pepper, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can corn
2 cups red enchilada sauce (SEE RECIPE BELOW)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

Enchilada Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Make Enchilada Sauce…

 

Measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and cinnamon) into a small bowl.

Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat, pour in the flour and spice mixture and whisk constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in colour, about 1 minute.

 

Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.

 

Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.

 

Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it.

 

 

Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary

 

Tortellini Continued…

 

Prepare the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onions & peppers and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.

 

Move the vegetables to one side of the pan, and add the remaining olive oil to the cleared side of the pan. Sprinkle the paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt over the oil, and stir to make a paste. Mix into the vegetables.

 

 

Add corn and black beans and mix.

 

Pour in the enchilada sauce. Heat just until bubbles begin forming in the enchilada sauce. Reduce heat to low, and fold in the tortellini, coating with the enchilada sauce.

 

Serve in bowls, and top with green onions and cilantro.

 

 

 

 

 

Our week started off great! Selfies and sunshine! The weather has been phenomenal and it  has really been needed! We had some yummy dinners, delicious drinks and I finally got to go to HBear’s school to pick her up for her orthodontist appointment! It was so nice to be there again! I had a PAC meeting and I walked by a house that reminded me that we are all in this together 💛. Ninja brought me home some gorgeous spring birthday flowers and SBean helped Daddy make my very favourite cherry cheesecake 🍒. I went up to have a chat with my Mommies and to enjoy the sunshine and the view and then I went and got a much needed haircut! I feel like 42 is going to be a great year 💛.