Mom's Home Cooking

I've been terrible with my food blog posts!! Sorry. If you read my earlier blog, you'll understand that I've lost my head, mind...whatever.

Karl and I went and saw my mommy for Mother's Day back in Roscoe (yes, home of Danica Patrick, Miss Illinois Nicole Manske and Jump Rope for Heart American Champs 1980-something...sorry couldn't find a link for that). It was a very special day and like the wonderful mother she is, she cooked.

I know what you're thinking.

But she's just that great. So I thought in honor of her I'd feature one of our favorite foods she makes when we visit. This is like one of the simpliest meals, but there's just something about it. Love you Mom!!!

Tortellini Soup
serves how many you'd like...maybe 6 or 8?
(recipe found in her neighbor's church cookbook)

1 lb of Italian sausage (she boils first)
3-4 cans of Minestrone Soup (she uses Progresso because it has penne in it and/or Wolfgang Puck but says it's impossible to find in the grocery stores anymore)
1-2 cans of petite diced tomatoes (Red Gold)
1-2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 lb packaged tortellinis (cheese, chicken, beef stuffed...whatever you want)

1. Boil sausage and cut into pieces.
2. Put soup cans, tomatoes, broth in large sauce pan and stir. Add pieces of sausage.
3. Boil tortellinis separate and add to soup.
4. Mix together and simmer

You can add tons of veggies: spinach, zucchini, chick peas, whatever. This soup is just so good!!!

Top with cheese and serve with crusty bread. It is oh so delicious!!!

Karl's reaction: "Amazing Cindy!!! This is why I come and see you guys! Ahhhh!"

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Spring is here....or maybe summer

Nothing like a 85+ degree weather day in early May...in Minnesota.

YEAH! I love it. Our thermostat shows 77 degrees right now. Oh, wait, it just jumped to 78. (This is the perfect temperature for me, not so good for Karl.) I refuse to turn the air on for fear it could snow tomorrow.

The buds are bursting with life on trees. The grass is greener every day. Birds are singing sweet music. I'm allowed to drive with my sun roof rolled back, windows down, gangsta tunes blaring on my way to work. (I seriously can't get enough of Usher and my girl J. Lo right now.) It's light out by the time I roll out of bed and all the way until 8:45 p.m. I have that extra bounce in my step, usually more so around 4:30 p.m. ... The flowers are blooming and it smells delicious out! I say, "yeah, for a short month of spring in Minnesota!"

But I'm not gonna lie. My head fell off weeks ago and I really need to attach it again. Trying to find balance and learning to let go is such a battle. It's always so hard to do! We're trying to clean out our town home in Burnsville (and keep up with the one we currently live in). We're also slowly working on learning all the steps behind pulling a last minute garage sale together, oh, and must (did I say STAT?) put the one town home up for sale.

However, two weekends ago we were in Kansas City visiting family. Last weekend we were in Roscoe, Illinois for wedding number one. This weekend it's Milwaukee for wedding number two. Next weekend is wedding number three. All these consisted of, or will consist of, driving more than eight hours round trip. Not a lot can be accomplished sitting in a car. Okay, I wont say that because I did type the first three chapters of my next book on our way back from Kansas.

We both have full time jobs and I kind of have a bazillion freelance jobs going at once. Throw in revising a manuscript, working with a trainer to manage and control my jelly bean and wine obsession/addiction, trying to host a dinner for church and our new young(er) adults group and the other tasks wives are supposed to keep up with...cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc., and seriously, my head is about to roll far away, never to be found again. Then I ask myself, "But how can it when I don't even have kids? Who am I to complain?"

But anywho, getting back to the point of my quick blog post that has turned out longer than I thought (a much needed therapy session with myself)...thunderstorms seem to calm me. It's weird, I know. But I feel like a kid again.

Fearless.

We all need to feel that now and again.
 
Maybe it's because instead of going in the basement as kids, my brothers and I stood outside in the driveway and watched the clouds grow and felt the wind whip through our hair, and watched our dad climb on the roof and clean out the gutters in a mad rush, dodging lightning bolts.
In my eyes there's something peaceful about storms. I don't know what is is... But in honor of storms and spring and all that good stuff I mentioned above, I've posted some pretty "spring-like" pictures!

Hope you enjoy. Oh, and don't let your head fall off and roll away like mine. Take a deep breath and attach it back on. But this time...be fearless. You can "weather" any storm that comes your way. There's a rainbow waiting for you.

So I say bring it!

Oh, and force yourself to take a long look at the beauty all around you. Cuz it's neat!

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