Snow Day = Soup Day

Just when I thought SPRING had arrived in Green Bay...

Mother Nature said, "NOT SO FAST!"

And, decided to dump 12 inches on the area.

But, the one thing to make a snow day better... is a big pot of soup!

So, I decided to whip up some "Three Cheese Tortellini Chicken Soup"

Ingredients

- 1 pkg of totellini

- 3 chicken breasts

- 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

- 1 cup (each) chopped celery, carrots and onion

- 5 cups of chicken stock

- Salt/pepper

- 1 bay leaf

Season the chicken breasts with salt/pepper, and cook on each side for 6 minutes.

Chop up carrots, celery and onion.

Add veggies to 5 cups of chicken stock.

Also throw in 1 dried bay leaf, and a teaspoon of salt/pepper.

Cook for 30 minutes.

Then, add the diced tomatoes.

I like the "Roasted Garlic" flavor best... but use whatever you like.

Cut up your cooked chicken breasts, and add to the pot.

Let the tomatoes and chicken cook in the soup for about 20 minutes.

Then, add 3/4 of the package of tortellini, and cook for an extra 8-10 minutes.

(You can put the rest in a Ziploc bag, and store in the freezer for another snow day.)

Serve up!

The cheese tortellini, combined with the roasted garlic flavor of the tomatoes...

... is so YUMMY.

St. Patty's Day Surprise

So, there are several things I miss about Omaha...

1.) My family

2.) My friends

3.) Having more than one shopping mall within a 20 mile radius

4.) Sushi from "Hiro" in the Old Market

and...

5.) Coffee from "A Hill of Beans"

So, imagine my surprise this St. Patty's Day, when I get home from work to find this!

Yes... COFFEE from "A Hill of Beans"... so excited!!!

Opening up the box, and taking out the 16 oz. bags... was just magical.

The SMELL = OMG

Of course, it contained my FAVORITE flavor - "Heavenly Delight."

This flavor makes waking up at 12:10 AM every morning for work... 

SO WORTH IT.

Not to mention "English Toffee."

If you're a fan of toffee, you will LOVE this flavor.

And... "Vanilla Buttercream" reminds me of a delicious cupcake.

It smells AMAZZZZZZZZZING.

Just like dessert in a cup.

But, really... (let's be honest) ANY of the flavors rock my socks.

You may ask, "Why is this coffee so good?"

It's all in the BEANS!

They are freshly roasted EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I get the whole beans, and then grind them up in my coffee grinder.

And, since it is St. Patrick's Day...

... I got out my green mug to celebrate!

Finally, my green "coffee basket" is full again... 

and my coffee machine is ready to brew!

(A delicious beverage that reminds me of home.)

After all...

Life REALLY IS "too short to drink bad coffee."

So, check out "A Hill of Beans"...

... tell them I sent ya.

You won't be disappointed!

Souper Idea!

I don't know if you remember my post from last September...

 Souper Sunday Dinner 

It's my recipe for homemade tomato soup.

It requires you to roast about a dozen

tomatoes in the oven, then stew them on the top of the stove.

Once they're stewed, you need to ladle them into a blender, 

and mix until the soup is smooth and silky.

BUT...

It can sometimes be a pain to ladle the stewed tomatoes into the mixer.

(Not to mention messy, and hot!)

Which is why I AM SO EXCITED to have found this!!!

Slip-On Pour Spout 

from thekitchenoutlet.com

It only costs $5!!!!

I am buying mine today.

But, then I went on to find a few other things I need.

Like...

this strawberry slicer!

Only $5.99!

And...

this can pump-n-pour gadget!

Keeps your soda fresh!

Only $4.50!

These heart measuring spoons have also... captured my heart.

A cute $14.99 purchase.

And, you can't forget their brother and sisters!

The heart measuring cups.

$25.99

Grandma Knows Best

So, the other day I was getting a drink of juice...

... out of a special glass that was from my grandma and grandpa's house.

Every single time I use the glass, it takes me back 20 years (when I was a little girl) 

enjoying breakfast at their house.

Which then got me thinking...

I have a lot of things around my place, that remind me of my grandparents!

(Jake & Tillie)

As strange as it may sound...

Growing up, I always thought these BLUE GLASSES were super, duper fancy.

(Grandma only let the grown-ups use them.)

Now, every time I use one...

I think I'm super fancy :)

Something that reminds me of my OTHER grandma (my mom's mom)...

... is my collection of Ball jars.

(If there was a fire at my apartment, I'd probably grab them and run.)

My Grandma Pauline used them for canning, but I use them for decorating.

Love to pieces.

But, this lamp is probably my all-time favorite, when it comes to items

acquired from my grandparents. 

After my Grandpa Jake died, we moved my Grandma Tillie into a nursing home.

All the kids/grandkids got to pick things out from the house...

... and I ALWAYS knew that I wanted this lamp.

But, when I inherited the lamp, it didn't TURN ON... 

OR have a lamp shade.

(It sat on top of my grandpa's bedroom dresser for YEARS, 

and I never once saw him use it.)

Luckily, my dad (who can fix anything) got it to work!

And, I found the lamp shade on clearance at Target for $5.

When I asked my dad where my grandpa got the lamp, 

he told me that he won it at BINGO years and years ago!!!

He probably got the entire thing for $5, and now-a-days, it would cost me at least $40!

(That is another item I'd probably grab first, if I was in a fire.)

Another item I took, when we were picking things out of the house,

was my grandma's leather foot stool.

Growing up, it was always by her chair in the living room.

So, now it sits by my chair, in my living room...

... reminding me of her all the time.

Finally, the other item in my place that reminds me of my grandparents,

is this mirror.

Growing up, it was on the wall in the "wash room" - where my grandpa would

wash his hands after spending the day working outside in the yard.

Now, it hangs in my bedroom.

And, is just as cute as I remember it.

What items do you have, that remind you of your grandparents?