Zuppa Toscana - Italian Sausage Soup

ZUPPA TOSCANA - Italian Sausage Soup
2 spicy Italian sausages (I used the sausage roll)
2 T. olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 c. hot water
2 T. chicken bouillon powder
4 red potatoes, diced
8 slices of cooked bacon
2 c. chopped, fresh spinach
1 c. heavy whipping cream

Cook the sausage, drain and set aside.In a stockpot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add water, chicken bouillon, and potatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Crumble bacon and add to soup. Add sausage, spinach and cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Serves 6.

Oven Pancakes

OVEN PANCAKES
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Blend all ingredients in the blender. Bake them for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top. Use a knife to pry them out. Yield: 24 muffins or a 9×13 baking pan.

Verdict: Cute in the muffin pan, but hard to remove. Will put in Pyrex 9x13 next time.

Movie with the Guys

John wanted to go to a movie, but none of them sounded interesting to me. So I suggested John call up his friend Jon and they could go on a date! They saw Battle: Los Angeles and really enjoyed it. Then they headed to Senor Froggy's for lunch. Wow, dinner and a movie!! : )

RS Birthday Dinner

Audrey and I went to the Relief Society Birthday Dinner tonight. They served stew, salad and homemade rolls. John was one of the waiters so was able to bring over a couple more rolls to the table. After dinner there was a program, "Music and the Written Word". Alicia Mattoon narrated and Mike sang a number on the guitar. I then accompanied the rest of the numbers: Your Song (Tycie Driskill), Hold On (Rachelle Spear), Burn in Me (Jessie & Emma McLaughlin), He is the Way (Susan Clifford) and Greater Love (Tiffani Adamson. All numbers were either Jenny Phillips or Kenneth Cope songs. The program went very smoothly, the musical numbers sounded great and we had a great time.

Menu Board

For the monthly craft night, Angela showed me how to use the Cricut Design Studio which made this menu project much easier. She "stitched" them together so it was really just one piece of vinyl so then the days of the week were already lined up. Then she reversed the words, so I could apply to the back of the glass so they won't peel off later. It was a scrapbook frame so the 12x12 paper can be changed up if the kitchen colors change or even by seasons. You use dry-erase markers to write in the menu choices, and then wipe off at the end of the week or if plans change mid-week.

Now I just have to start using it!!

My Husband Loves Me!!

TMI POST: I've decided you know how much you are loved when you violently throw up for 2 full days and your sweetheart keeps cleaning out your barf-bucket. Poor guy! I have not been that sick for years. I even lost 3 pounds...though it all came back when I started eating again. I was sick all day Saturday and had to miss the symphony with mom. Then I was still miserable on Sunday and had to find a sub for all the things I had committed to doing: Accompany 2 special numbers during Sacrament (thanks Jessie!) and accompany the Stake Easter choir in the evening (thanks Jackie!). Thankfully it was not my turn at the organ this week.

Senior Presentation

Audrey had her Senior Presentation today. This is now a requirement for all seniors in the state, though each school has their own "take" on the project. For WVHS she had to have a binder showing all her best work over the course of her high school career (including awards and achievements and a resume. Then she had to include various writing assignments to answer questions that show how she has changed and grown over her school career. Also had to include her plan for post-high school. Then she had to make a presentation summarizing all of that. Some kids did PowerPoint, some made posters, but Audrey created a movie that was about 5 minutes long with music in the background. It was really cool! We're proud of her!!