I believe in being slow to judge, and quick to forgive.
I believe that chocolate milk always makes homework easier.
I believe in hugs and kisses.
I believe in saying you're sorry when you are wrong, and meaning it.
I believe in a Sunday morning playlist: Eva Cassidy, Marc Cohn, and Shaun Colvin.. to name a few.
I believe in growing your own, composting, recycling and appreciating everything we have.
I believe I would always rather laugh than cry, but that sometimes a good cry is healing.
I believe in taking the time to do something to make someone else's life easier.
I believe in dancing: in the livingroom, in the kitchen, with your kids, at work, in the grocerystore...
Oh, and I believe I'll have another glass of wine!
Little Black Dress
Pinot Noir
$9.99
Easy, drinkable, and fun!
Sometimes I have thought about what to open that night before 8am...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Today's Forecast
This weekend was beautiful: bright clear sun, 45 degrees... it felt like spring. Today? Well, it is suppose to be snowing in less than an hour. I guess that is one of the joys of living in New England. You never know what the day will bring!
When it feels like snow, I immediately want to make soup. Warm up the house, warm up the tummies! I am currently obsessed with one soup in particular. It is called Golden Winter Soup and it comes from Cooking Light. I swear by Cooking Light. I read the magazine cover to cover every month, and I troll the website when I am looking for specific things. Their food is delicious, and HEALTHY! It is a great resource for feeding your family, making dinner for two, or when you are entertaining.
Back to the soup. The Golden Winter Soup is 9 ingredients, takes about 30 minutes to assemble, and tastes like you spent the day slaving over the hot stove.
Golden Winter Soup
Cooking Light Magazine
January 2008
2 tbsp butter
5 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs)
2 cups cubed peeled russet potato (about 12oz)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 cups sliced leeks (about 2 medium)
4 cups vegetable broth *
1 cup half and half
chopped chives for garnish
Melt butter in a large Dutch Oven. Add squash, potato, salt and pepper to pan. Saute 3 minutes. Add leek saute 1 minute. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally.**
Place half of potato mixture into a blender.*** Remove the center piece, put a clean towel over the top, and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Repeat the procedure with second half of potato mixture. Stir in half and half. Cover and keep warm.
* The recipe calls for Chicken Broth, but if a recipe has the potential for being vegetarian, I always convert to vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. Your soup will still be as flavorful, just less chicken-y.
** Over time we all learn certain tricks to make recipes even better. With this recipe I always rest the potato mixture for 5-10 minutes before blending. It gives it a chance to thicken and results in a creamier soup.
*** I use a stick blender to puree my soup. It makes less dishes, which always makes me happy!
I serve this soup in bowls garnished with more cracked black pepper and chopped chives. A piece of crusty bread will finish it off.
Since this soup is a take on a traditional French Potage, I am pouring French wine. I came across the Saint Cosme, Cotes du Rhone for $12.99, and whisked it into my basket. It is 100% Syrah. Too me it was big wine, with black current flavors, and a slight spiciness. I have had a thing for Cotes du Rhone lately. They are becoming much more available in our area, and they are a very sophisticated tasting wine, for a very small price tag!
So that is my plan for the evening. I have sent my husband to get wood. And tonight, we will be snuggling by the fire warming ourselves with its glow, watching our Saint Cosme sparkle its ruby color through our glasses, and eating our delicious Golden Winter Soup. I guess there is a lot to love about winter in New England after all!
When it feels like snow, I immediately want to make soup. Warm up the house, warm up the tummies! I am currently obsessed with one soup in particular. It is called Golden Winter Soup and it comes from Cooking Light. I swear by Cooking Light. I read the magazine cover to cover every month, and I troll the website when I am looking for specific things. Their food is delicious, and HEALTHY! It is a great resource for feeding your family, making dinner for two, or when you are entertaining.
Back to the soup. The Golden Winter Soup is 9 ingredients, takes about 30 minutes to assemble, and tastes like you spent the day slaving over the hot stove.
Golden Winter Soup
Cooking Light Magazine
January 2008
2 tbsp butter
5 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs)
2 cups cubed peeled russet potato (about 12oz)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 cups sliced leeks (about 2 medium)
4 cups vegetable broth *
1 cup half and half
chopped chives for garnish
Melt butter in a large Dutch Oven. Add squash, potato, salt and pepper to pan. Saute 3 minutes. Add leek saute 1 minute. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally.**
Place half of potato mixture into a blender.*** Remove the center piece, put a clean towel over the top, and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Repeat the procedure with second half of potato mixture. Stir in half and half. Cover and keep warm.
* The recipe calls for Chicken Broth, but if a recipe has the potential for being vegetarian, I always convert to vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. Your soup will still be as flavorful, just less chicken-y.
** Over time we all learn certain tricks to make recipes even better. With this recipe I always rest the potato mixture for 5-10 minutes before blending. It gives it a chance to thicken and results in a creamier soup.
*** I use a stick blender to puree my soup. It makes less dishes, which always makes me happy!
I serve this soup in bowls garnished with more cracked black pepper and chopped chives. A piece of crusty bread will finish it off.
Since this soup is a take on a traditional French Potage, I am pouring French wine. I came across the Saint Cosme, Cotes du Rhone for $12.99, and whisked it into my basket. It is 100% Syrah. Too me it was big wine, with black current flavors, and a slight spiciness. I have had a thing for Cotes du Rhone lately. They are becoming much more available in our area, and they are a very sophisticated tasting wine, for a very small price tag!
So that is my plan for the evening. I have sent my husband to get wood. And tonight, we will be snuggling by the fire warming ourselves with its glow, watching our Saint Cosme sparkle its ruby color through our glasses, and eating our delicious Golden Winter Soup. I guess there is a lot to love about winter in New England after all!
Friday, February 19, 2010
I get by with a little help from my friends
Those days. We've all had them. Trust me when I tell you, this one was a doozy. Just a snap shot:
I have come to the conclusion that we are living in a time where young adults have no manners. No table manners, no cell phone manners, and certainly no common courtesy. There is no please and thank you. There is no patience to wait until someone can help you, everything is right now, and on my terms. For example..
Arrogant Twenty-something Metro-Sexual, "I'll have a water. With lemon." (while holding cell phone to ear.)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets water)
A.T.M., "chips and salsa." (still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets chips)
A.T.M., "honey-chipotle crispers" (yep, still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, (pause. pause. pause) "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"
A.T.M., "um, yes. (pause) I'll have the honey-chipotle crispers."
Deadly Zin (pause......)
A.T.M., (puts down cell) "Please."
That was at 11:15a.m. By noon, it was a whole other picture..
And since I believe laughter is the best way to deal with life, we will just skip the 3 nut jobs that I am pretty sure were imbibing things other than fajitas and ritas in the bathroom. There is no laughing about them.
By 5:15 p.m. I was home, finally. Let the dogs out, let the dogs in, give them dinner, let the dogs out again, let the dogs in, get a phone call from an amazing friend offering to make dinner for me and the Goose. Sweet.
Run downstairs in time to see #2 dog (the boy, of course the girl is #1) throwing up his dinner ... wait for it... on my bed. Super.
Clean it up, grab wine and green beans (she was a little short on vegetables), and head down the block.
At which point she fixed me. Not with Eggplant (which was delicious), or wine (which was scrumptious), but with friendship... because that is what we do for each other. As women: we listen, we cry, we laugh, and we certainly heal each other's bad days.
"Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece." - Author Unknown
Oh and in case you wonder what we were drinking:
La Chase du Pape
Cotes du Rhone
Prestige
2008
I would describe it as full bodied, on the drier side, and lightly spicy. Oh, and worth $11.99, definitely.
I have come to the conclusion that we are living in a time where young adults have no manners. No table manners, no cell phone manners, and certainly no common courtesy. There is no please and thank you. There is no patience to wait until someone can help you, everything is right now, and on my terms. For example..
Arrogant Twenty-something Metro-Sexual, "I'll have a water. With lemon." (while holding cell phone to ear.)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets water)
A.T.M., "chips and salsa." (still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets chips)
A.T.M., "honey-chipotle crispers" (yep, still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, (pause. pause. pause) "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"
A.T.M., "um, yes. (pause) I'll have the honey-chipotle crispers."
Deadly Zin (pause......)
A.T.M., (puts down cell) "Please."
That was at 11:15a.m. By noon, it was a whole other picture..
And since I believe laughter is the best way to deal with life, we will just skip the 3 nut jobs that I am pretty sure were imbibing things other than fajitas and ritas in the bathroom. There is no laughing about them.
By 5:15 p.m. I was home, finally. Let the dogs out, let the dogs in, give them dinner, let the dogs out again, let the dogs in, get a phone call from an amazing friend offering to make dinner for me and the Goose. Sweet.
Run downstairs in time to see #2 dog (the boy, of course the girl is #1) throwing up his dinner ... wait for it... on my bed. Super.
Clean it up, grab wine and green beans (she was a little short on vegetables), and head down the block.
At which point she fixed me. Not with Eggplant (which was delicious), or wine (which was scrumptious), but with friendship... because that is what we do for each other. As women: we listen, we cry, we laugh, and we certainly heal each other's bad days.
"Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece." - Author Unknown
Oh and in case you wonder what we were drinking:
La Chase du Pape
Cotes du Rhone
Prestige
2008
I would describe it as full bodied, on the drier side, and lightly spicy. Oh, and worth $11.99, definitely.
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