Zuppa Toscana

My mom and I are slightly obsessed with the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, so when I saw a copy cat recipe on pinterest I knew I had to try it while she was in town. The recipe is really easy and the soup tastes a lot like the real thing!

 

 

Zuppa Toscana

Make about 10 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, torn into bite size pieces
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned (you might want to attempt to make the chunks of sausage a little large, mine were tiny and while it was still yummy, I think larger bites of meat would have improved the soup). Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for one minute. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Here is where the recipe I found said to cook for twenty minutes and serve but I think that would be a mistake. At this point I transfered the soup to my slow cooker and allowed it to cook on low for a few hours.

3. When ready to eat, stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

 

Things I learned from this recipe:

- The soup taste even better heheated the next day.

- Do not be tempted to put more heavy cream. It makes it a little too strong.

- I added extra kale because I love it. It didn't change the taste of the soup.

 

Time Well Spent

I dropped my mom off at the airport last night.
It didn't really hit me that she was gone until this morning.
It was only a week but I got used to having her here to talk over coffee each morning.
Needless to say, this morning was a sad one for me.

We didn't do a lot of touristy things this time around.
I think she got that out of her system during her first trip.
We took walks, watched movies, cooked dinners, drank coffee, ate chocolate, Thundered up, talked about life, played with Zach and enjoyed the beauty of Hawaii.
It was the vacation with my mom I have always wanted.

The past year has been a tremendous year of change for my mom.
I feel like I have "my mom" back.
The one that I remember from my early teenage years.
I knew she was still there, she just needed to find the courage to make her way back to the surface.
And now she has.
I am so proud of the changes she has made.
She has found her independence and she has taken her life back.
Seeing her with Zach this past week was so heartwarming.
I will carry those memories with my for the rest of my life.

She is a great example that it is never too late to turn it all around.
And while I recognize that she is never going to be "perfect" (as she reminded me repeatedly) she is trying to be the best version of herself.
I think that is what counts.

It is so nice to hear her talk about her goals, friends, Church, and new hobbies.
There was a long period when I wasn't sure if she would have those things again.

Welcome back, Mom.

Reflection

As I type this, a man that has meant so much to our family is being remembered at his funeral in Oklahoma.
I wish that we could be there to pay our respects and to share with others what his kindness meant to us this past year.
On Feb. 11, I received a call from my aunt letting me know that Dave had been killed in a car accident.
As it always does, death seems unreal, unfair and ill-timed.

Dave was the attorney who handled our adoption.
He and I spent countless days calling each other back and forth, trying to resolve the newest issue that had popped up with finalizing our adoption.
I don't believe our adoption was particularly difficult but these things are just very emotional.
And it is no small feat to adopt a baby.
Over the months it took us to finalize, David worked tirelessly to make things easier for Ryan and I.
Staying up late to send things to Ryan in Afghanistan, letting me vent about things beyond his control and always being honest with us even when he knew we would be upset.
He always had our best interest in mind and he often told me to let him be the "bad guy".
I think he should have earned some sort of title as therapist for the amount of counseling he provided me during those trying times.
How many attorneys allow you to cry and scream and then give your encouragement in return?
He was one of a kind.
He was thoughtful, smart, funny and honest.
And I only knew him for a few short months.
I can only imagine what richness he brought to the lives of those who were fortunate enough to know him for years.

Thank you for everything you were and everything you did for us, Dave.


 

Curry Chicken Salad Goodness

Janette taunted me on Facebook yesterday by telling me she was having Curry Chicken Salad for lunch.
So today I decided to treat myself with some of my own.
I. Love. This. Stuff.
And it's so easy and you can really make it however you like it, it's impossible to mess up.
And so I thought I would share my recipe with anyone who hasn't had it before.

1. Boil chicken breast for 15-20 minutes or until completely cooked through.
2. Remove chicken from water and allow to cool.
3. Shred chicken with a fork or by hand.
    This is what mine looks like when I'm done, you can make it chunkier or finer.

 



4. Sprinkle enough curry powder to coat the chicken.
5. Add mayo and stir, again it's up to you how much you like.
6. Add craisins! I add lots and lots.
7. Add chopped celery, chopped pineapple, diced apple or nuts.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper. ( I usually skip the salt).
9. Give it a good stir and add more of whatever you like most.

TADA! Easy Peasy.

 



 



I usually make enough for at least two servings because it is just as yummy the next day.

I eat mine as is but it makes a great sandwich too :)



 

Six Months of Sweetness :)

Our little man is six months old today.

It's hard to believe babies can change as much as they do in such a short period of time.

ZBob has gone from napping all day and depending on mom for every need.

Now he is a mobile little independent boy.

He is such a blessing. He fills every day with smiles and such joy.

This month he has transformed into a little ball of movement and curiousity.

He has started crawling backwards and rolling across the floor.

He can sit up and control his hands.

He plays in the pool and loves to yell at Murphy.

He has screams of happiness and screams of anger.

He smiles and frowns and every emotion between.

We are convinced we have a little dare devil on our hands.

The kid has no fear, he just wants to go!

 

So Happy 1/2 Birthday to the most precious little boy in the world!

 

 

 

Ryan AKA Amelia Bedelia

When we moved from Hawaii for the deployment we decided to sell Ryan's Jeep.
Since we have been back, we have gone back and forth about whether or not to buy another vehicle.
For now, we are a single car family.
This works out fine since Ryan hasn't been working much and Z and I just hang around the house.

With that being said, I sometimes ask Ryan to run errands while he is on post.
Yesterday I sent him to work with a shopping list.

In my mind, when I wrote "4 large carrots", it meant that I did not want baby carrots.
However, Ryan took that as a challenge to find the largest carrot on the island.
And his mission was a success. Seriously, look at the size of this carrot!

When I emptied the grocery bags and pulled that jewel out I couldn't help but laugh.
It made me think of the childrens books about Amelia Bedelia.
While I know it wasn't exactly an Amelia moment, it brought to mind how much enjoyed those books as a kid.
So now I am determined to share silly laughs over Amelia with Z when he gets a bit older.
Amazon, here I come!

 

An Update

It seems like time is moving so quickly now that we are back in Hawaii.
Waiting for Ryan to get home from Afghanistan seemed to add at least 20 extra hours to each day.
Now they just fly by.
Zach will be six months old this week!
He has blossomed into such a funny, adventurous little boy.
We think we have a future dare devil on our hands, they baby knows no fear.

Ryan's battalion is on block leave until the end of the month so he has not been working much.
We have been spending our free time at the pool and walking down to the lagoons.
Z is becoming quite the water baby.
If you haven't seen his swimming video on Shutterfly, it's a must.
I had to make Ryan watch a documentary about babies and their reflex to hold their breath before Ryan approved that experiment but it turned out to be really fun.
We also have found a new favorite place to eat, Monkeypod Kitchen.
They have live music everyday from 3-5:30 and all appetizers and pizzas are half-price.
As they say on the islands, "it's so ono" (delicious).

Ryan just started his last semester at Embry-Riddle.
He is going to walk across the stage June 22nd!!
I am so proud of him and what an achievement.

My mom is coming for a visit in exactly one week.
Janette and Marc will be here in April.
Natalie and Tyler and baby V will be here in April.
and hopefully my grandparents and my sweet cousin T will be here this summer.

Ryan and I are going to his battalions ball next week to celebrate their homecoming.
I am pretty excited about my new dress, pictures to come!

Hopefully in the next few weeks Ryan will be getting orders to our next duty station.
We think we know where it will be but I won't dare put it in writing until we get the official word.

Lots of good stuff to come.
Love you all!