Signs of Spring

While the weather here is still decidedly cold and gray, Puxatony Phil has predicted an earlier spring.  Some recent happenings in our yard are giving us hope!

Back in November, Seth and I planted approximately 150 bulbs (a mix of daffodils, tulips, ranunculus and freesia).  A quick note on mass bulb planting- I highly recommend using an auger to get the job done.

An auger, such as this one, attaches to the end of a drill and does all the work for you.  We tend to use our corded drill for such a job because of the power it supplies.  You should be able to grab an auger from your local home improvement store for around $20.

Enough technical talk...  Here are the baby bulbs pushing their way up.

And in other spring time news, our Park Seed order is on the way!  Pretty soon we'll have lots of little baby plant to share.

Soup: Its like a hug for your insides

Happy Friday!

And what a cold, dreary Friday we are having here.  It seems that most of the country is still firmly entrenched in winter, which means its time to share one of my all time favorite soup recipes.  Sadly, no pictures for this one, but I assure you it is delicious!


Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup
Cooking Light, March 2007

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb. sweet turkey Italian sausage*
2 1/4 pounds coarsely chopped, peeled sweet potatoes
5 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
16 ounces kale
16 ounces canned cannellini beans (or other white beans)

Directions
Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 5 minutes.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; saute 1 minute.  Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan.  Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble.  Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes.  Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender.  Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until heated through.

*While the recipe calls for mild turkey sausage, Seth and I prefer a little more kick and generally use hot sausage.  If we can find hot turkey sausage, we use it, but other wise it is fine to use pork sausage.

Enjoy!

Introducing: My Silly Little Family

To adequately understand my little domestic life, you must first meet my silly little family.

Up First- THE HUSBAND

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This picture is one of my favorites of my husband, Seth.  It was taken on our wedding day, as ee worked to move our home theater surround sound onto the roof so we could have music during the ceremony.  He did a fantastic job and the music was enjoyed by all.

Next- THE 1ST CHILD

Matilda is a 4 1/2 year old beagle/german shepard mix.  Seth and I adopted her from a shelter when we were living in Roanoke, VA.  She sure was a cute puppy.  Her hobbies include barking, chasing squirrels and begging for food.

THE MIDDLE CHILD

Ava is a 1 1/2 year old terror.  To properly tell Ava's story, we have to back up a bit.  While house hunting in late spring, Seth and I came across a lack luster house with a kitten sitting on the front step.  Seth was immediately in love with this skinny little kitten and as all of the neighbor's identified him as a stray, he came home with us.  Mack quickly grew into a big lazy, hilarious cat.  Sadly, in December 2009, Mack went walk-about and never returned. Although we still miss him very much, his absence made us realize how much we loved having a kitty around.

Enter Ava.  We adopted her March 2010 from the Guilford County Animal Shelter.  She is absolutely fearless and loves to be in high places.  She also enjoys knocking things over and chasing her canine siblings.


Lastly- THE BABY

Oliver is truly the baby of the family.  He is a 9 month old pitt-bull/boxer/who knows what mix, who was picked up running around dirty, hungry and wormy in an apartment complex.  I quickly claimed him as mine and he came to live with us the next day.  Oliver is happiest when he is being cuddled.  He also enjoys excessively licking his people and trying to make his sisters play with him.  He's a bundle of energy!

And one last picture because it makes me smile-

Have a happy Thursday!