{Soup and a Song}

when i was in college there was this italian restaurant downtown that had this amaaaazing soup
it was the go to place when parents were in town visiting...and they could pay
or sometimes we would scrounge up enough for just the soup, salad and bread sticks
it came to mind a few years back and dave tried to copy it for me
he did an amazing job!
we have had this soup twice already this fall and it is a favorite for the whole family

here is dave's recipe...in his words...

Chicken Velvet Soup

Ingredients:

·       One whole deli rotisserie chicken (or roast your own)

·       12 C of water

·       3 tbsp. chicken base

·       Salt & Pepper to Taste

·       2 C  1/2&1/2

·       ½ stick of butter

·       1 C dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

·       1 tbsp. dried tarragon

·       3-4 tbsp. corn starch mixed with equivalent amount of water

Directions:

·       Pull all of the white meat off of the chicken, chop finely, and set aside

·       Pull all dark meat, skin and bones apart and put in a large stock pot with water, chicken base and salt & pepper

·       Bring to a simmer and hold for a couple of hours

·       Strain the stock through a fine mesh colander and return to the stock pot

·       Add wine and butter to the stock and return to a simmer

·       Add ½ & ½ , additional salt & pepper to taste and tarragon

·       Mix 3-4 tbsp. of corn starch with an equivalent amount of water until smooth

·       Add slowly until desired thickness is achieved

·       You may need more or less corn starch/water mixture

·       Add the chicken to the soup and simmer covered for 30 minutes

·       Using an immersion blender, puree’ the soup until smooth

·       Adjust the salt, pepper and tarragon seasoning and simmer for 5 additional minutes

·       Serve

*******

i have a favorite song i can not get out of my head
it's not a new song by any means
but i swear i must listen to it at least 5 times a day at home
and when i am in the car alone...forget it....i jam it 10 times in a row at an unbelievable volume :)


just incase you wanted to obsess along with me, here's what i've been listening to nonstop for weeks

don't forget to pause my music down below

i love the musicality of it
the lyrics
the video
the story behind it
everything

do you have an old favorite song you play over an over?

it's friday!
hip hip horray!
big weekend plans?
we are hoping for a trip to the pumpkin patch...

have a happy day and a lovely weekend,

cindy

{Today}

my morning started with some lovely janey snuggles
my middlest is a lover
a cozy-upper who cherishes more then anything the gift of your time
i'm pretty good at giving that to her
most days

last night she was wanting some extra bedtime snuggles and honestly
all i was really thinking about was getting to the sofa with my mug of mint chocolate chip ice-cream and dvr'ed parenthood
(truth be told i am a much better morning and daytime mommy then nighttime mommy...anyone else?)
so i promised i would wake her up early for a special snuggly story time in bed

 bad light...but captured moment

it was so warm and cozy
we snuggled up together and read
she loved it
and it made for a very happy start to our morning

dress up is happening more often around here
we go from pretty, pretty princess

to mighty, mighty pirate pretty quickly

argh

aubrey and i took a drive today

even if we don't go anywhere special...ya know...like target or the mall :)

i like to get out of the house at least once a day

it does wonders for my spirits

we got a coke and an ice-cream cone at mcdonalds

(ya know they will make them itty-bitty size if you tell them it's for a 2 year old)

then we drove through the park and went over the bumpy bridge

if i don't drive fast enough aubrey yells "higher, higher"

i guess she is referring to the bounce....

so we turned around and did it again

twice

then she says...through the giggles..."there ya go...that was higher"

the little old men fishing probably thought we were nuts!:)

we spent the rest of our pre-lunch playtime in the basement

making pies and feeding babies

and we had some fun with the camera too

aubrey thought this was hysterical

at least i got her to look somewhat straight ahead and smile!:)

after school forts

equal happy sisters

little miss riley

 

oh how i love this grown up fourth grader

this year has brought a shift in her sense of humour...

i love it

this girl is funny...and she thinks i'm funny too so that's a bonus

now i am sitting here in the house completely alone...

that hardly ever happens

the girls had dentist appointments and dave took them

all three of them

hello wonderful husband

hello hour or more of silence

ahhhh...this feels good

tonight i am helping at riley's girl scout meeting

i am looking forward to the time with her and her friends

so how was your day?

any bouncy bridges or plastic peas involved?

however you spent it...i hope it was lovely

have a happy day,

cindy

{Today}

aubrey and i went to panera and the library again
are we like the most predictable pair or what??:)
it was fun
and cozy
and snugly
we see the same group of "two-year old lovin grandpas" there every week
they may be there everyday for all we know
i guess they are predictable too

here are some of the books we got at the library
a good day
kitten's first full moon
mr putter and tabby feed the fish (LOVE this series!)
brownie and pearl hit the hay (this series too)
daddy hugs 1 2 3
ten tiny babies
my crayons talk

i have to be careful not to get carried away and check out too many
that little sweetie of mine can sit forever for a good story
and she likes to read every.single.one in the basket...can't leave any for next time!
that's a good problem to have i know

a not so good problem to have is a two year old who is not napping
there are chatters and giggles turning to cries and whines upstairs
that does not make me smile

at least i already speed vacuumed the house and the car and put two loads of laundry away
i had a feeling this might happen
she asked for "lip stuff" as i was putting her down and i gave her some
the slightest break in routine and it's all over ya know!:)

no new pictures for ya
so here are some old ones
from the" recently uploaded to my computer" archives:)

 peanut butter and apples gone VERY wrong!

looks like someone else liked their feet on the table too

hope your tuesday was terrific

have a happy day,

cindy