Seven Months Later

It's been a little over seven months since DH and I set a new 'course.' He brought it up the other day and so I thought I'd take stock of our progress.

Mentally, I feel like I've made some headway. I'm much more thoughtful when it comes to 'stuff,' both in terms of getting rid of excess possessions and the acquisition of new ones. Yes, I bought four pair of stretchy pants at Target two weeks ago, but that's because I read jeans are bad for your alignment (and, therefore, overall well-being). They also look pretty good and are comfortable as hell for sitting in the floor (also better for you than chairs), playing blocks or trains or reading with my 2-year-old.

I forgot to mention that DD turned two, two weeks ago. That's for another post but I'll just say that "play witt me" are my favorite three words right now.

26#, 9.9oz. of T.R.O.U.B.L.E

I made her an 'Easter bunny' cake. I dyed coconut and then put a chocolate bunny and a couple of peeps to hold the candles on top. It was adorable, as was the look on her face.

Anyway, now that we've moved back home (and twice in 4 months), we've definitely gotten rid of a lot of excess stuff. There's still more but we're down to the potentially interesting/valuable stuff and will sort through and try to sell whatever we decide we can't display. We do have some room in the attic to store stuff but it really needs to be reigned in, as well. If we can keep it to seasonal and necessary, as opposed to mountains of yarn and fabric I'll never make into anything or boxes of old and never 'might need it' computer parts, we'll be able to breathe easier.

Did you notice my new kitchen in the cake photo above?!?

It's so nice to have something, well, nice. It's just a house but hopefully one we'll really get to enjoy, as long as we're here. Then, if and when the time comes to sell, hopefully it will be one that will make a nice return on our investment.

We've talked about some sailing classes but I'm back working part-time and we're just trying to get through the final bit of unpacking and returning to 'normal.'

Working part-time means my parents keep DD and DS, part-time. DS has taken his time getting used to taking a bottle (although he does fine for me and for DH), so it's been a little stressful for my folks. This is only the fourth week, though, so I'm sure things will settle down. DS has the best smile, not to mention the dimples! His eyes are still just barely hazel but are heading toward brown. They're the biggest, brightest, smiling-est eyes. We even had to trim his hair to keep it out of them. He's working on rolling over and makes the most interesting noises. He's a big fan of his hands and feet and he thinks his sister is pretty cool, too.

So that was a bummer...

Yesterday, I mean. To make up for it, I'll share my favorite comfort food recipe!

The recent and extended cold streak we had here in Raleigh was a perfect excuse to make a batch of Potato Soup. More accurately, this is the (in?)famous "Gutter Runner's Potato Soup" of Pirate4x4.com fame. You can google it, if you like. I modify the recipe, although only slightly, because the original calls for celery and I prefer to use chopped greens instead. I am a good Southern girl, after all!

I usually halve the amounts of the original recipe, because it still makes way more than we can eat without giving away or freezing some. So my recipe is for a 'half' batch, which is still 8-12 servings, depending on the audience. Feel free to double the amounts and go back to celery, if you prefer. I think the amount called for is "5 stalks". Oh, I also add a little thyme, along with the basil... maybe a 1/2 teaspoon or so.

1/2 lb of bacon, chopped
3 lbs potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 cup of chopped carrots
3 cups chopped kale
30 oz. chicken broth (or a 15 oz can of broth and then an equal amount of water)
2 tsp salt*
1 tsp pepper*
1 T minced garlic*
2 tsp basil*
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
2-3 tsp hot sauce* (Frank's, Tabasco, Texas Pete... whatever you like)
1/2 stick of salted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

*or season to your taste

Saute chopped bacon in a large stock pot until crispy. Remove to paper towels.
Pour out most of grease, leaving drippings in the pan, but save the grease for later use.**
Add chopped onion to pan, saute until clear.
Add potatoes, carrots, broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Add chopped kale and allow to wilt on top before stirring them in.
Allow to simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting liquid, if needed. This allows the soup to thicken without the aid of flour or cornstarch.

Return bacon to the pot and add butter and heavy whipping cream, simmer an additional 30 minutes.

**In case you do not know to do this, already... you can keep it in the refrigerator and use it to cook eggs, cornbread, fried things, etc., for excellent flavor.

My Friday

Inspired by Pinewood Castle's January Daybook post, this is my Friday morning...

Outside My Window: The parking lot at work, the guys across the street washing cars. Forecast today is a high of 60!

I am hearing: Typing and clicking... and Chatham County Line's "Route 23"

I am wearing: Friday uniform - dark jeans, Clarks (similar to these), camisole and long-sleeve t-shirt.

I am Thankful For: Being alive. A roof over our heads and food in the pantry. Family.

I am Pondering: Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. Philippians 2:2-4

I am Thinking: about lunch :p

I am Reading: Finishing up Prince Caspian, as I make my way through the Chronicles of Narnia in order. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner! and this article DH just sent me...

From the Kitchen: Last weekend was productive, big pots of chili and potato soup... leftovers for lunches this weekend. Last night I made Swedish meatballs with cream sauce, roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner with my brothers and parents. It was a huge hit.

I am Creating: a beret from a pattern I won in a giveaway.

Towards Rhythm: Waking up and going to bed (at the same time each day, eventually), lunch with DH most days.

I am Hoping and Praying: for the people of Haiti.

In the Yard: We finally took up the tomato cages and pulled up dead tomato and pepper plants... everything has been pretty much frozen for weeks now.

Around the House: Took the tree down last weekend, we should probably take the lights off the outside of the house. The wreaths with greenery and berries will stay! We've been repairing drywall, ugh more sanding to do!

On Keeping Home: Weekly, I mean daily, cleaning of dog hair is never ending. Organizing and purging of unnecessary stuff is ongoing. We need some bins to help organize the attic, probably will build more shelves up there, too. I have a potted plant that I brought indoors for winter that's suffering... need to figure that out.

One of My Favorite Things: Two, really. The wagging tails of the very-bad-dogs when I return home from work at the end of the day.

A Few Plans for the Weekend: Lights down, sanding drywall, and CANstruction tomorrow!

Hope it was a Happy Thanksgiving!

DH spent the week hunting with his dad and grandpa, but I stayed home and spent Thanksgiving at my parents' with my brothers, grandmother and my cousin (who I'm proud to say is a US Marine and very happy to say just returned from Afghanistan). I'm thankful for them all!

The boys didn't get too rowdy, although the mischievous look would indicate otherwise. (Yep, Dad is shortest and baby bro is tallest at 6'-8"!)









Turkey, already sliced, baby bro's garlicky mashed potatoes and my broccoli & tomato salad. The dark stuff in the lower right corner is the crunchy topping on the sweet potato casserole my grandmother made.








Green beans & corn, dressing (my mom won't put it in the turkey), ham already sliced, rice for my SC born-and-raised grandmother and gravy still simmering.









I forgot to take photos of the desserts, but along with my classic cheesecake was an apple & cranberry pie with crumbly oatmeal topping that baby bro made. He's an actual pro. chef, so we take his desserts pretty seriously.

Fall-ish Fruits are here!

I've started seeing ripening figs on my neighbor's tree and picked some at my friend's house on Sunday. I had a few for breakfast (warm with honey and toast!) yesterday and just finished snacking on a couple more. There is also a persimmon around the corner that just started dropping fruits. I've been on the lookout for those, but my boy dog found the first one this morning on our walk. I try not to let him eat too many, especially since unripe ones can cause tummy troubles, but the sidewalk will be littered with their squishy orange (!) sweetness. I'm hoping to collect some of both to preserve for the winter!

Ricotta Gnocchi

My baby brother is always inspiring me with his delicious cooking knowledge! He recently graduated from culinary school and works at an awesome restaurant. He's no food snob and enjoys to sit back and let me (or our dad) do the cooking whenever he gets the chance.

So, the gnocchi story... so baby bro stopped by a while back and made us all dinner... pan-seared flounder with roasted potatoes and spinach with fresh cucumber salsa. YUM!

The inspiration part came in when I mentioned I'd picked up a carton of ricotta and didn't know what to do with it all. I will admit, who buys 2 lbs of ricotta cheese if she knows NOT what to do with it? I am a creative and resourceful type and his first recommendation was ravioli. I lamented that I'd have to make my own pasta and that sounded hard. I've seen Mario and Giada and Alton do it, but they have help and better-equipped kitchens. He assured me it wasn't that bad and I know how to make biscuits from scratch, so that's a start.

So I cleaned off my meager counter and dumped out flour, followed by eggs, a pinch of salt and a little bit of olive oil. After it rested, I rolled it out, split it and mixed some of the ricotta with chopped spinach, herbs, an egg and some shredded cheese. I then proceeded to make the cutest little round raviolis. But it didn't end there...

I had leftover dough and leftover filling. In my search for more ways to use the ricotta (there's always lasagna and calzone), I found a recipe on cooks.com for Ricotta Gnocchi. I know these aren't "real" gnocchi because there's no potato, but for a first-timer, why not? So I mixed the remaining fresh dough and filling and a little more flour until I got the consistency right, then rolled them out, sliced and shaped the little pillows of dough. Mmmm... I may never go back to the pasta aisle! Potato gnocchi are for another time.