Brightening my winter days

I LOVE the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. About two years ago I realized that I was going there mainly for the soup and it was costing us a fortune! Quickly I began my on-line search for a comparable recipe. I struck gold with this one:

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. ground Italian sausage 10 cups water

1 ½ tsp. crushed red peppers 5 cubes chicken bouillon

1 large diced white onion 1 cup heavy cream

4 T bacon pieces 1 lb. sliced russet potatoes (approx. 3 large)

2 tsp. garlic puree ¼ of a bunch of Kale

Saute sausage and pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat and refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients. In the same pan sauté garlic, onions and bacon for approx. 15 minutes or until onions are soft. Mix bouillon and water and then add to pot. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft (about 30 min.) Add onions 15 minutes in. Add heavy cream and cook until heated through. Stir in sausage. Add Kale just before serving.

This was the first recipe I tried and it is spot on. I double this recipe because my husband and I scarf this soup up! It is wonderful whether you are feeling sneezy, wheezy, chilled or in tip-top shape. And the best part: it is inexpensive and VERY easy to make. When I double the recipe I use the whole bunch of Kale (love it!)

What I read in January

"Prize Winner" recommended to: quick-wittedness lovers, burned-out house wives, aspiring writers, those who appreciate hope and love and want to be inspired.






"Shattered Dreams" recommend to: Mormons who want to gain a greater understanding of modern day polygamy, Non-Mormons who want to have a myopic view of the Mormon faith so that they can continue to bash the LDS church. (Please don't, really)





"Swan Thieves" recommended to: time wasters, endurers of boredom for 400+ pages for a somewhat redeeming ending.






"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"
recommended to: Sci-fi geeks, connoisseurs of British humor, readers who enjoy laugh-out-loud moments, people who HAVE NOT seen the movie.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini- (Amanda Lee)

1 lb pasta (angel hair) ½ pound of mushrooms

1 stick of butter 2/3 C flour

1 large onion sliced 2 cloves of garlic

4 C chicken broth 2 C half and half

4 C diced chicken Parmesan cheese to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee mushrooms, garlic and onions 2-3 T of butter. Set aside. In same pan remaining butter and melt until foaming throw in the flour and whisk quickly until it thickens add chicken broth slowly to combine. Keep heat on medium. Once thickened add s&p to taste and you can add garlic powder if desired. Add cream. Add mushroom mixture and chicken into the sauce. Have cooked noodles in a pan (9 ½ x 13 works with angle hair, with larger pasta either use a bigger pan or place a cookie sheet under it since it may boil over) and dump the sauce on top of it. Take noodle spoon and shake the mixture down into the noodles a little but DO NOT mix. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake @ 400 for 20 minutes, or 375 for 30.

This is one of my favorite recipes from my marvelous friend Amanda. She likes to slice her onions and mushrooms so that her kids can pick them out if they want to. My kids throw a fit if they see it so I prefer to chop them up fine. To each his own!

This recipe is great if you are having guests because it makes a ton. I made it while my family was here for the weekend. Everyone loved it (even my dad the picky eater) and there were still leftovers. Luckily it heats up nicely.

Graham Norton Featuring Gareth Mason Performing To The James Bond Theme

Never Say No To Panda!

What I read in December

"Angle of Repose" recommended for: people who love family sagas, no one, it's too personal and you will just read it and find it slow and dated and I will take it personally that you didn't like it because it feels like a piece of me. Sometimes fiction comes to close to truth for comfort.





"The Bourne Identity" recommended for: readers who thrive on constant action, people who don't mind when the book is nothing like the movie, the uneasily offended by a smattering of language, the unmindful of shallow relationships because it's a spy novel.





"In His Steps" recommended for: people who like mantras, the easily inspired, anyone who wonders where the term "what would Jesus do?" came from.






"84, Charing Cross Road" recommended for: fans of the epistolary style, people who feel isolated by our cyber society, typewriter fans, obscure/out of print book lovers.






"Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)" recommended for: Parents of all ages, teenagers (girls in particular), those who want to be reassured by being prepared.





"Ella Minnow Pea" recommended to: those who love the touch, taste, sound, look and feel of words, another one for epistolary style lovers, people who want something clever and original.

Winter is for beauty sleep

I wish. Okay, as much as I would like to sleep my winter away I wouldn't get much done, I don't think my family would appreciate it and I don't think it would really improve my looks.
January 1st is in two days!!! That means that I need to scarf down any yummy foods as quickly as possible before midnight tomorrow. Yeah, I'm not going to do that. Although I may order a pizza tomorrow night... what can I say, Papa John's has a great special going on.
After that I am determined to lose weight. I have a goal of 2 lbs per week. This way I might be okay with getting into a swim suit next summer. I'm going to start keeping a journal of all oral intake and exercise specifics (how long, what type of workout, etc.) I know that if I have to report everything I'm doing I am more likely to actually work out and less likely to reach for a second roll, or whatever. So I really need to get on forming and dividing now that beautifying (which is supposed to come last) is planned, as far as the short game goes. More reports to come!