Living on the East coast for a couple years was a fantastic experience for our family. It also opened my eyes and helped me realize some things I'd taken for granted here in the desert.
1--Desert rain is simply the best. It comes so rarely. Even flooding is bearable because you know, like snow, the puddles are going to disappear VERY quickly. While we lived in Virginia, the first huge rainstorms were very welcome and exciting, but after that I was always on high alert for flooding in the basement...
The dogs and I got caught in the rain earlier today, but it wasn't a downpour yet so we just enjoyed it. It also makes for a very relaxed, peaceful morning at home!
2--One upside to having so few trees here is that you have a GREAT view of the sky and the mountains. The East coast was FULL of beautiful, tall trees and green everywhere, but you couldn't see the sky because of it!
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| October 1st Sunrise, Ridgecrest, CA |
Other news:
--we enjoyed General Conference this weekend SO MUCH. It was great to be all together, sustaining the new Apostles, Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Renlund. So many good things shared over the two days--it's hard to choose a favorite!
--Saturday was busy with other things, too. We helped clean the church at 7:00 am, watched Conference, and then Rhiannon was gone from 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm on her first high school band trip to Taft. She had a good time and said judges liked her performance on the mallets. She was VERY happy that the school took 2 buses instead of 1 so they didn't have to fit 3 to a seat, haha!
--Wade visited with Bishop Washburn yesterday for his 12-year interview. When he and Jason came home and walked through the door, he said, "I'm worthy to be a deacon!" Then a few minutes later he said the next thing he was going to prepare for was his mission. This was pretty exciting for me to hear from our sweet boy Wade, who talks a LOT more about football, movies, and video games. :)
--This knock-off Olive Garden soup was a hit yesterday. It popped up on my Facebook feed one day and I had to try it--VERY, VERY good. I think it's the first time I've made a soup in the slow cooker that wasn't a chili-type one. Had to share!
Zuppa Toscana (better than Olive Garden!)
1 lb. Italian sausages (use spicy to get that signature Olive Garden flavor)
4-6 russet potatoes, chopped [I used 4 large ones]
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. REAL bacon pieces (optional) [I was lazy and didn't add this]
2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
32 oz. chicken broth
1 c. kale or Swiss chard, chopped (or spinach) [I used closer to 2 cups of kale]
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices. [I took the sausage out of the casings and browned it that way, like I was cooking ground beef]
2. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft. 30 minutes before serving:
4. Mix flour into cream removing lumps.
5. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir.
6. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.
7. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
Can't wait to have leftovers for lunch!
