There's No Place Like Home!

Since our wedding just three weeks ago, my husband and I have traveled more than in the rest of our relationship combined!  After our dream honeymoon to the Caribbean, we flew into Detroit, packed up and drove down to Cincinnati, were home for less than a week, then flew out to California for a family wedding!  I love to travel and these were incredible trips, but I also really like being home.  On our way home from the airport (at 1:00 am, ugh!), Alex mentioned in passing that "we could probably just have take-out tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about going to the grocery store."  He was just being thoughtful, which I love.  But he will soon learn that when I come home from vacation, I need to detox from higher than usual amounts of sugar, grease, alcohol, and all sorts of other tasty treats...  I knew I wanted some good home-cooking, but I definitely did not have the energy for anything gourmet, so I grabbed a cookbook we got at a bridal shower from an amazing cook and very good friend and flipped right to the '20 minute meals' section.  Perfect!

After flipping through the section between loads of vacation laundry catch-up (double ugh!), I found a recipe that sounded perfect: smoked turkey and tortellini salad.  I'm usually skeptical of quick and easy meals being as quick and easy as promised.  I've seen Rachel Ray, and there's no way I could create those meals in 30 minutes.  But this one did deliver!  Prepare a package of tortellini according to package directions.  (I substituted whole-wheat tortellini, and we both loved it.)  When done, put the tortellini, 1 cup smoked turkey, some sliced cherry tomatoes, half a chopped green pepper, and some sliced black olives in a bowl.  Mix with 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing and add pepper to taste. 

My kitchen hard at work!

The result is colorful, summery, fresh, and delicious! Detox from decadent vacation delights day #1: successful!