Wednesday, January 26, 2011

refreshed

Guilty. Guilty of not noticing all the changes that were now available to edit everything with my blog.  But I discovered them, made changes, and am officially putting a sign up at my desk that simply says "BLOG" to remind me to take some time every day to vent, write, babble, etc.

Sunshine is coming through my office window and I couldn't be happier.  Yesterday's dreariness wore on me terribly.  I have spring fever like it's nobody's business.  I am ready to read chapter upon chapter in my hammock, throw dinner on the grill every other night, enjoy afternoons at the dog park, and hang out until the sun goes down on our patio...gosh, how I miss hanging out on our patio.  The few times we are actually outside lately, we are in layers of clothing, and gloves & standing oh so close to the patio heater waiting for Jasper to find that perfect spot to make his mark.

In the spring and summer, Skye and I spend countless hours in the afternoons and on the weekends in our lawn chairs at the dog park.  We talk about anything and everything and laugh about pretty much everything as we watch our dogs run around as if they've never been off a leash before...and in that moment I'm convinced they are the happiest 4-legged friends on this planet.

I love walking to places downtown to grab lunch while I am at work, but I refuse to do so in this bitterly cold weather.  I can't seem to get enough of Subway sandwiches during the warmer weather and often can't tell myself not to stop by this little corner restaurant for soft serve ice cream.

"People-watching" from the patios of downtown restaurants with an ice cold drink and good company is one of my absolute favorites.  Those are the times when the servers practically know us by name and 9 times out of 10, already know what we want to order.  We don't seem to have a care in the world except for maybe where we'll make room for the next chair to be pulled up.  The ever so comfortable maxi dresses, sunglasses, Lookouts games, flip flops, oh how I want it all right now!

Until then I'll simply just push back the cover to my sunroof as opposed to opening it all the way and anxiously await all that sunshine!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

soup lovers

I'm a loud & proud soup lover.  We could probably eat it 5 out of 7 days a week.  I gave this a shot last night and it was absolutely amazing.  There's nothing I love more on a cold & rainy night than being in my favorite sweatshirt and pj pants, having a hearty soup on the stove, and laughing with my hubby to the right of me while my big puppy dog cuddles with the left of me.




Homemade Sausage Potato Soup

1 pound of sausage
4 potatoes
1 32 oz. box of chicken broth
1 can of corn
3 carrots
1 clove garlic, minced (we always have a jar of minced garlic, so I used one tsp.)
1/2 tsp onion powder (if you don't have any, I suggest getting some and not leaving it out...gives GREAT flavor)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup of shredded cheese

In a pan, brown the sausage. While the sausage is cooking, or even beforehand, peel and dice the potatoes and carrots. Remember that the smaller the dicing, the faster it will cook, so if you are pressed for time, cut up the veggies smaller and it won't have to boil for as long. Drain the sausage and set aside for later.
In a stock pot, combine the chicken broth, potatoes, celery, carrots and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender - 20 minutes or so. Now at this point, I add the corn. I find it gets a little mushy if I add it with the other veggies. Then I add the milk, cheese and sausage. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.








Tuesday, January 11, 2011

some serious catching up to do...

but here's an overview until then....