About time...

...to break this "blogging break"

Yes, the time is NOW!

Wow, life sure has been a whirl wind of various activities, some of which include, work, shopping, furnishing an apartment, exploring, learning a new language, laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping some more, socializing, relaxing, etc. etc.

Now the holidays are upon us yet again! Life goes on. It get busy. Things need to get done.  <----That's where I tend to fail....I am not very good at "getting things done". Sure, they eventually get done, but on my time, on my schedule, and alas....that schedule does not work in a marriage. Hey, we all need to learn right? I guess this stems from being raised an only child...you know, that "Only Child Syndrome" Yeah, I have some it, not all of it, but some of it. My parents did a great job at it...they really did....but I still have an issue with getting things done in a timely manner.

I will admit that I am a fan of the "I'll do it later" club, as well as the "I don't feel like it". I also shy away from things that are unfamiliar or "scary" whatever that means!

This is my time to kick myself in the rear! I am going to make an active effort to, like Nike says, "JUST DO IT!!" It really is that simple...S.I.M.P.L.E.

"What if I fail?" that little voice asks me...
Well then, you TRIED....that's more than doing nothing....so, so much more!

I once read in a book that you "...Try, fail, try again, fail harder." I would like to add that after you fail the second time, you do....WHAT? TRY AGAIN!! Every time that I am presented with a task that needs to be done, but I feel that little "voice" rise up inside me, I am going to silence that voice and think instead...How soon can I get it done? How can I make it fun? Who else does it effect? Its easy, and you'll learn! Just get it done!

So, so simple, yet for some, like me, so very, very hard!! (fyi = check out all the comma usage in that sentence!)

I am learning a lot, growing a lot, I will fail a lot, but I will get up an try again. Shake off the failure, and MOVE ON!

Whew! Are ya still with me! Thank you, it felt good to get that off my shoulders...

Now, onto a RECIPE!!! I have not posted one it quite some time. This is one that I made for my parents while back home in MN this past October. I wanted to make soup. Something hardy, yet light, filling yet healthy....so I decided on THIS recipe from Ezra Pound Cake for inspiration and slightly modified it to our tastes. It turned out to be wonderful! Just what we were looking for!

~Papa Al Pomodoro~
1/2 c. olive oil

 2 med. yellow onions, chopped
1 med. red onion, chopped

3 lg. carrots, peeled and chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 lg. Ciabatta loaf, crust removed and cubed

2 28oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. dry red wine

1 c. fresh basil, chopped

1/2 c. grated fresh Parmesan

Salt & Pepper

Topping

1 lg. Ciabatta loaf, cubed

4 oz. thick cut pancetta, chopped

20-30 whole basil leaves

5-6 tbsp. olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and galic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 min. until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 min. more.

Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered for 45 min.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F. For the topping, place the ciabatta cubes (2nd loaf), pancetta, and basil in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and toss to coat. Spread on a sheet pan large enough to hold all ingredients in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 min. until all the ingredients are crisp and browned. 

Stir the soup to incorporate all ingredients and stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Add more salt  and/or pepper if necessary. Serve the soup hot. Garnish with the baked bread/pancetta/basil mixture. 

This was a very plesant soup for the evening! I stared it in the late afternoon and used the cooking time to have hor d'oeuvres and mingle/visit. A wonderful caesar salad was also served with this soup and my mother made apple squares for dessert! (Reminder: I need to get that recipe from her!) 

Caramelized Onions w/ Goats Cheese on Naan

ENJOY!!

Its A...

...Family Tradition!! Each nad every year for Thanksgiving since before I can remember my mother, or someone, has ALWAYS made wild rice for the holiday. I like the recipe that my mother uses the best, and I have altered it to make it my own!

I have been in a different state for the past two years for Thanksgiving and I have always offered to make some old school Minnesota Wild Rice to represent!!

Well, consider yourself lucky, here is the recipe that I use most!

~Minnesota Wild Rice~

1 lb. Minnesota Wild Rice, uncooked
4 4oz. cans mushrooms, drained
2 lg. white onions, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, diced
3-4 tbsp. Lawry's seasoning
4 tsp. garlic poweder
8 tbsp. butter, cubed
Optional Ingredients:
Celery, cooked
Carrots, cooked

To cook the wild rice I use the microwave. Place the wild rice into a microwaveable strainer and place the strainer and rice into a larger bowl. Cover the rice with water. (It is okay if it is not all covered) Cover the bowl with a large plate or plastic wrap. There needs to be an opening so that steam can escape. Set microwave for 45 min. One done, leave in the microwave over night or for several hours. In the morning strain the rice and stir to see if all the kernel have burst. If not, replace water and return to the microwave for another 30 min. (mine usually takes two more 30 min. installments to ensure all the kernels have burst)

While the wild rice is cooking, place a saute pan over med. heat. Coat with olive oil and cook the onions until translucent, add in the garlic and mushrooms and heat until warmed through. Once the wild rice is done, strain it and place in a large serving bowl. Stir in the onion, mushroom, and garlic mixture. (and any other ingredients that are used) Add the butter, and season with the Lawry's, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Reheat if needed, server warm and ENJOY!!

This recipe makes a lot of Wild Rice, so there will most likely be leftovers, and the best thing to make with the leftovers is...

~Creamy Wild Rice Soup~

**I thought I had this recipe but I don't. I'll get it to ya though!!

There was a little booklet that came with the package of Wild Rice that I used, and It had some other recipes for the rice that i would someday like to try so I am going to post them here and hopefully be able to update my readers with pictures!

~Wild Rice Pancakes~

1 c. AP flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 egg

1 c. milk, plus extra

2 tbsp. sour cream

2 tbsp. butter, melted to room temp
Cooked Wild Rice

Sift the dry ingredients. Beat egg, milk, and sour cream in another bowl; pour into dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add butter and wild rice. Add more milk until the consistency is right. Drop batter by tbsp. onto a preheated, lightly-greased griddle. Cook until golden brown. ENJOY!!