Is it Spring yet?

What I've been up to....

Wow....six months, just like that!!!  A bit like the precooked, sugary, waffle that I just threw down my throat just now and then it was gone, just like that!!

Last week was soup week at my house, because everyone, and I do mean everyone, got sick.  Except me, but I don't count because I'm the mom and I don't get sick.  Even if I do get sick, being mom sick means I show no signs of illness.

Would love to share the pics of the soups with you, but I didn't take any.  But, I will share the recipes, this week, but not right now.  This is just a teaser post to see if anyone in blogosphere is listening, watching or wondering....."why don't she write?"  (Wow....did you know blogosphere is actually a word?  It didn't pop up with those red dashes underneath it.  Amazing.)

This is what my cat does all winter, tries to hide behind the door and spy on the birds outside.  Or, he might be doing what I'm doing....looking for signs of spring.  No....I am pretty sure it is the birds he's obsessed with, because zoo boy always dumps a pile of birdseed on the back door step, just so he "can see the birds up close".  The bird feeder is apparently, too far away.  All those birds so up close and personal torments the poor cat, but the birds are fun to watch.  Their beaks are amazingly effective; how quickly they crack open seeds.  Very clever and useful tool that beak, but I think I will stick with my opposable thumbs.  They are pretty cool too.

Accepting the fact, he's never going to get through the glass

I love the ears in this one.  

Hiking....

Hiking is working out and meditating at the same time.  We've set a goal to hike more as a family.  Zoo boy has been hiking like a crazy man, getting ready for his 50 miler.  He did 20 miles the other day.  I anxiously awaited his arrival home.  After nearly 12 hours, he bounded in the house and said..."that was fun!".  20 miles, up and down a large hill, fun?  Yes...I was thrilled.  All those years of hiking him around Madeira apparently have paid off.  The boy practically grew up on various trails, sidewalks, and hills either in a backpack, a stroller, or hand in hand with a parent.  I'm thrilled he loves to hike, and why?  I love to hike too!  It is bliss for me and I'm really excited about our family goal of going hiking once a week.  We started off yesterday on a beautiful hike called Tibble Fork loop.  A bit muddy because of all the spring rain, but so green, lush and as zoo boy observed..."it just smells different up here".  He later asked me for a year pass to the National Parks for his birthday.  Mtn goat, as we like to call her, has it in her, she just doesn't know it yet! ;)

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spicy Hearty Stew

I wanted to share the recipe for this soup, but the picture will have to come later.  We've been eating a  great deal of soup this year.  Cheap to make, goes a long way and I just feel like soup is good for the body during the winter.  This soup has a spicy kick and hearty texture. The original recipe came from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog, but I changed it to fit the ingredients I had in the house.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Spicy Italian Sausage
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 slices Turkey Bacon, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole Medium Potatoes
• 1 quart Water
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
• 1/2 bunch Swiss Chard, Roughly Chopped
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Crumble sausage into a dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Chop onions and dice bacon; add to the dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Add warm water, bouillon and potatoes and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add remaining ingredients and return sausage to pot and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Serve with a wonderful crusty bread.


Note:  You could replace water with chicken broth and omit the bouillon or use beef bouillon instead.  There is so much flavor in the sausage, a great deal of bouillon for flavor isn't really necessary.

Green....

No, this isn't a post about green global awareness, it's about juice.  Green juice.  You know, it really doesn't taste very good.  This one is cabbage, ginger, cucumber, celery, and a bit of green apple and ...the mother of all de-toxers, kale. I decided at the last minute to forgo the piece of garlic.  It's a hold your nose and go for it kind of drink with the garlic.  Without the garlic...well, I almost drank it all.

It's resolution time so let's reminisce about the good ole days.

So...my holidays went something like this...eat with reckless abandon for two weeks and forget the rest.  Especially really fatty food and foods full of sugar and chocolate.  (Wait...I think that "forget the rest" slogan is actually part of the grueling P90X program...oh well.)  When I offered my son a chunk of fudge and then said..."here, want another?"  He asked..."Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"  Of course, this was the day after making Pioneer Women's Fancy Macaroni and cheese, which is basically a Carbonara pasta dish cooked like mac and cheese.  Clever, and very tasty!!  Seriously...try this one, as a side dish, or main dish.  We had it as a side dish with some very tasty turkey, cranberry, cream cheese, avocado and provolone panini's and a mixed green salad with pear, toasted walnuts, pomegranate and balsamic vinaigrette.  It was a delicious meal, and ridiculously satisfying!  Here's the mac and cheese recipe, courtesy of the pioneer woman.  If you haven't checked out her blog...I highly recommend it!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/


Fancy Macaroni

As the pioneer woman says... "Dish it up and dig in! It’ll make you smile, moan, groan, cry, gasp, faint, and sayahhhh…all at the same time."

Ingredients

• 4 cups Macaroni
• 8 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
• 10 slices Regular Bacon
• 1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
• ½ cups Half & Half
• 2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• ½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
• ½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese
• ½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
• 4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.

Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot. Serve with red meat or a green salad.

I actually followed the recipe completely, except I didn't have macaroni, I used a different kind of noodle.  Use your noodle and enjoy this delicious recipe in about 3 weeks, when the resolutions fly out the window..or hey..Valentine's day.  Isn't the way to a man's heart through his stomach?  Try this one...it will be a winner! :)

Sniff

My cat loves to sit on the patio and sniff the morning air, especially when the sun is out.

He turns his beautiful head toward the sun and looks so one with the world, it makes me happy.