Puddle Jumping

         The end of  Wednesday is coming to a close, and I know I haven't been very good at doing a daily post like I wanted. Keep letting life get in the way :) The year is still so new and yet I feel like I am far into spring time heading into Summer,and trust me it is not because of weather! hahaaa... So much has been going on, good stuff but soo much stuff! I realized the other day that I have been doing pin up modeling for almost a 1.5yrs now and in that short amount of time I have been blessed with working with some amazing people!! Met some amazing ladies who model also some seasoned and some brandy new..
         On top of all of that, my life is busy with kids schedules like always! It was a nice treat last week to go on a date with my honey, we got to go see Cirque Du Soleil which was amazing and fun! It was the second time we were able to go to one, this one didn't have as many HUGE shows but it was still good! One good thing about being able to go on a date last week too, was that since our anniversary falls on a Monday this year, and our kids have events that they have to go to over the weekend.. hahaaa Yeap, pretty much that was our early anniversary night :) Maybe I will get a hot date to Cosco and get some hotdogs, churros and frozen yogurt hehee... 13yrs of being together!! I will try to do more posts more frequently!

Soup

For dinner tonight I made Lasagna soup!! It was soo nice to have on a cold Northwest day too! Even my little Geordan devoured it!! Trust me, he is my hardest little critic to eat, and it's not cus the food isn't good. He's just picky as all get out and I have no clue why or where it came from.
This soup though is perfect, cus you get all the lasagna goodness but it's warm and soupy,heheee :) Would have been perfect with a slice of homemade garlic bread, but alas I forgot to grab bread when we were out shopping.. Oh well, it still was all eaten except maybe two bowls worth... I hope you try this recipe and love it as much as we do!

Lasagna Soup
Yield: serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian Sausage ( I used turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
5oz tomato paste
1 28oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
8 oz fusilli pasta or a similar shape
1/2 c finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat a Large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage out of it's casings, stirring to break up into pieces, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook about 6 minutes, or until onions are softened. Stir in the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Cook until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown colour, about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the uncooked pasta and continue to simmer until pasta is al dente. Be careful that the pasta does not get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste. with salt and pepper.

IN a sperate bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper. Place a spoon full of the cheese mixture in each bowl, sprinkle some mozzarella on top, then ladle the hot soup into the bowls. ENJOY!

Kitchen Update

Last weekend, we started demoing my mom's kitchen! Which was really amazing cus she has had nothing to really cook on for pfff like 13yrs. Other than bringing out some food after we tore it all up, my husband and I didn't do much of the building. All the building was my brother in-law, sister, dad and mom and of course Angus the dog, who I am pretty sure ate more sawdust than any dog alive!! hahaa silly dog! Here are a few images of the kitchen being built and it's almost there being finished too!! Still quite a bit to go but compared to before it is heaven!! I know my mom is super happy about the way the kitchen is looking and coming together. Now we just have to wait for the first meal from my mom's kitchen!! This I look forward too!! 

Soup

Brrrrrrr... It's cold outside baby! Soo cold in the Northwest tonight, so I made soup!!! Hmmm and it was such good soup, barely had any left. Everyone had at least two heaping bowl fulls of this goodness!! I do have to say that soup is one of my comfort foods, its a full meal in one and filling, warm, hearty and almost always good for you. So how can you ever go wrong with a good pot of soup boiling away on the stove top.
When I found this recipe, I was Sooo happy!! I love broccoli cheddar soup but it doesn't have a lot of protein, so I end up feeling hungry rather quickly... This is Beefy Broccoli & Cheese soup, like seriously total Yummmm!!
Now when I made it tonight I quadrupled the recipe, mainly cus well ground beef mainly comes in 1lb increments in the store and I don't have a scale.. so I made food to take out to my parents, while my sister and her husband and mom and dad rebuild the kitchen. Food was greatly appreciated!!! Also took all the fudge to them that I made last night, hahaa Sooo forgot to take picts of it all cut up.. Trust me though I can tell you it was fabulously good!!!

Here's the recipe for soup

Beefy Broccoli & Cheddar Soup
Yield: 4servings

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1 package (10oz) frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 lb ground beef
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup (4oz) shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper to taste

*don't use preshredded cheese, as it has a caking agent to keep cheese from sticking to each other. It its all you have it will work, but it won't be super smooth

Instructions:

1. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add broccoli and onion; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef 6 to 8 minutes in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat, if you want. Gradually add milk to flour in a small bowl, mixing until well blended. Add milk mixture and ground beef to broth mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

3. Add cheese and oregano; stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt, black and hot pepper sauce.

Throw some oyster crackers or saltines on the side and Oy soo yum!! And make up some of that fudge for dessert, Fabulous!!!

Have a wonderful New year!!!

Making fudge!

Tonight I figured was a good night for fudge! That and my sister gave me six bags of mini marshmallows and it was make fudge or rice krispies.. fudge is Sooo much better! So first I made peppermint fudge and then I taught my son to make fudge. With him we made rocky road fudge, cus it is manly fudge heheee :) in our rocky road we used pecans instead of walnuts, mainly cus its all I had.. and pecans are Sooo good and yummy!

Foolproof fudge

Yield: makes 24 two inch pieces

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, packed
3 cups semi sweet, dark or white chocolate chips
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

* for peppermint fudge 1 cup crushed peppermint candy, sprinkle half cup on bottom of pan and the rest on top of fudge

* for rocky road fudge 3/4 cup of each nuts and marshmallows, sprinkle both on bottom of pan

Directions:
Line a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with two sheets of waxed or parchment paper in a crisscross manner ( one lengthwise, one crosswise ) so ends overhang sides of pan; coat evenly with cooking spray.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, salt, butter, cream, and marshmallows, stirring, until butter and marshmallows are almost melted, 5 to 6 minutes.
After this the mixture will come to a boil; cook for 5min at this boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Add the chips and vanilla; stir until chips are melted and mixed in well. Pour mixture into lined pan.
Let fudge cool in pan at room temperate, 3hours. Use edges of paper to lift out fudge; place on cutting board, and remove paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters if you want or cut fudge into bars.. enjoy and if you want share :)

I haven't cut mine up yet so I don't have any finished pictures.. once I cut them up, I will share. :) hope you make some fudge and share with friends and loved ones !!

Destruction

Today we are starting demo on my mom's kitchen. For the past 12yrs she has lived with a microwave, electric skillet, table steamer, crock pot and a hot plate hahaa.... Yea not ideal but the stove and oven before would arch, not exactly safe. So this year as her Christmas present, we are demoing the rest and then building it out this weekend..
My husband is starting tearing out everything, so my brother in-law can build in cabinetry this weekend. It will be amazing to have an actual kitchen in my mom's house!!!
I will post images of when its all done, hopefully by the weekend!!! :)

Cupcakes

I was up till 2am making cupcakes for my little girls class for her birthday.. with so many allergies rampant, I figured Snickerdoodle cupcakes we a safe bet. Don't worry I'll post recipe and all later. :) All the cupcakes were eaten and I made extra!!! So I didn't even get to try one :/ Haha guess I will have to make them again, oh bummer.... Heheee