Confetti Breakfast Muffins, Confetti Tortellini Soup and One Hour Bread

I let you in on a secret... Confetti is a code word when I am cooking. It means "everything but the kitchen sink". As in; the refrigerator is full of things needing to be cooked, or things that have been cooked and need to be eaten immediately (leftovers). So rather than telling my family that I have no idea what I am doing, I just need to use up everything in some manner - I call it confetti. It sounds better than "Everything but the kitchen sink muffins" anyway. More festive.

So, I started these breakfast muffins with a dozen eggs, about 1/4 cup of milk, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. The rest is optional and just depends on what you need to use up. These have a generous cup of shredded cheddar cheese (generous as in it was probably more like a cup and a half). Then I had some veggies leftover from an appetizer I made (I threw the leftovers in the freezer)- bell peppers, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower. So I thawed those out and added them. I also had 1/2 of a grilled pork chop and 1/2 of a piece of steak. Those got chopped and added as well. I thought I had some bacon bits in the fridge, but couldn't find them so stuck with what I already had. This was all mixed together and divided into 20 muffin tins. 

Be sure to spray your tins with non-stick spray, no liners! Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until everything is set and browned.

Two makes for a satisfying breakfast. They freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave. I like mine topped with green chili sauce. Yum

Confetti Tortellini Soup

This recipe started because I had a pound of Italian sausage and a refrigerator in desperate need of clearing out (I'm seeing a pattern here!) The peppers and onions were pretty much a given. I browned the sausage in some olive oil, drained it leaving just enough oil/grease for the peppers and onions. I added a some fresh garlic as well. Then I went searching... a bit of kale, a few mushrooms, roma tomatoes, some leftover chicken and roasted cauliflower, fresh oregano that was looking pretty dodgy ... it all was then thrown into the pot. I started thinking of using it as a pasta sauce, but another look through the fridge and I had about 1/4 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of chicken broth that was getting ready to expire. Oh, and a package of fresh spinach. I started thinking of Italian wedding soup which has rice in it. I went searching for rice but came up with a small bag of cheese tortellini noodles. Perfect. Those were cooked up and tossed in with a bit of herbs from the cabinet (some basil, thyme, onion salt, bay leaf, parsley). It smells good and everything is coming together nicely.

At this point Brian comes in to see what I am doing. I was about to admit I had no idea and then I exclaimed it was "Confetti Tortellini Soup". He did a quick taste test and it was deemed a success! Until he asked me about the bread.... he knows I don't make soup without bread! I pulled out a one hour bread recipe and went to town. Everything was done just in time to pick up the kiddo from school and then pack up the Hubby and send him off to work. Whew. 

One Hour Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

5 1/4 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons quick-rise yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons oil
2 cups warm water

I use my kitchen aid to mix, but a bread machine on dough cycle or by hand would work too. Mix all the dry ingredients together until blended. Incorporate the liquids. I slowly pour them into my mixer while it is going on a low speed. At medium speed blend together for 5 minutes. Pull out the dough and form into two large loaves. Let rise on greased baking sheet for 25 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. After bread has risen, cut in slits and then bake for 25 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Hope you enjoy! What kind of "Confetti" recipes have you tried?