Julia Shmooliah

BAKED POTATO SOUP


Due to the HUNDREDS of requests for my Baked Potato Soup recipe (and by HUNDREDS I mean 12), I have finally succumbed to the pressure to reveal this little gem. It's a goodie, for certain. People LOVE this soup. They just do!



Find it HERE

A few tips:

*I've used boiled potatoes and baked potatoes. The BAKED POTATOES are far superior. Actually, truth be told, I soften them in the microwave for a few minutes and then throw them in the oven to bake. I'm a busy, busy, sought after woman. I don't have all blasted day to bake potatoes. (right).

*Double this recipe, if not triple or more. It really doesn't make that much and it's just as good (even better?) the next day. Just be careful with the hot pepper sauce. It gets hotter the longer it sits in your fridge. I don't use the full amount. But, let the record state that I am a heat wuss. I eat cinnamon bears one little tiny foot at a time. Just a heads up.

*I double (tripple?) the bacon and DON'T ADD IT beforehand. It is MUCH better/crispier when you let people add it as a garnish instead of letting it cook in the soup. Just make sure you save some of the bacon grease for your onions and garlic. It's kick-A.

*I double the garlic. You can never have to much garlic. Unless you are my friend Jen who sweats garlic for a week after any amount of consumption. So, double the garlic-excepting Jen.


Side note:
This IS indeed the recipe that nearly brought the house down last Christmas Eve. I forgot about the bacon and got on the computer. BAD BAD BAD!! 2 lbs. of bacon up in smoke. BAD NEWS. The horror. The SMELL. I then started a small kitchen fire by letting the printed recipe get too close to the open flame whilst cooking the bacon (the 2nd batch). So, don't be an idiot and your soup and house should be OFF THE CHAIN.

BAKED ZITI WITH SPINACH, TOMATOS + SAUSAGE

While I'm in the sharing mood, this is another AWESOME recipe I tried a few weeks ago. It is seriously KICK A.


Find it HERE

(image via stephmodo)

I used ALL of her suggestions and wouldn't have changed ONE DARN THING. Oh, I used all MILD sausage (see my aversion to SPICY above) and maybe added a bit more than it called for. Jeff LOVED it. The kids LOVED it, and it was stupendous the next day as well.

Good day.

Tidbits

*random photo for a random post*

*Be careful whilst typing "titbits". This here blog became X-rated quicker than you can shout POLE!!

*I'm on the hunt for the worlds most perfect bra.
I understand that the feat of engineering I'm expecting it to undertake is mind blowing, but I pray there exists some wondrous combination of hooks and industrial fabric that is up to the task.

*My mouth tastes like old cheese. (because I ate a piece of cheese 20 minutes ago, not because I'm disgusting (mostly).

*I've enjoyed not having to prepare a lesson for YW for the past 3 weeks FAR. TOO. MUCH.

*I wept the day I had to pull out my crusty frozen grape tomato plant. That day was Saturday and it sucked. ( a word I reserve only for extreme situations...that's how verclempt I am).

*I am happy that I had the good sense to NOT PURCHASE a few items of clothing last week that I thought made me look like a desperate 34 yr. old woman trying in vain to grasp the lasts strands of her fading youth.

*I can't decide whether I really HATE leggings on grown women or really LIKE leggings on grown women.

* I do know that I am in love with skinny jeans.

*I'm P.O.'ed that Zupas forgot my bread and strawberries TWICE in the last month. TWICE. It's got me all worked up. REAL BAD.

*I can't decide what to do with MY HAIR. Bangs? No bangs? Color? I hate decisions. I cheated on my hair girl and I'm afraid I may need to cheat again. I feel so dirty. Mostly because of the cheese taste in my mouth.

*I created an etsy account and purchased something today. For the first time. EVER. That probably only makes me half-female.

*David Letterman is a tool. And a loser. My adoration has officially faded and died.

* Sue's "Dear Journal" segment on GLEE last week was the best piece of comedy I'VE seen on T.V. in FOR-EV-ER. I actually paused it to write down a few gut-busting lines while catching up last night.
"Scab-eating-mouth-breathers"? Seriously? Well done Glee insult writers. I'm envious of your talent.

*be careful typing "gut-busting". (but-gusting?...seriously?)

good day!

Daddy-O

To the man I love above all others,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!



If you know Jeff, you know just how much there is to appreciate about this man.

I love you babe.

And just to prove my adoration I will NOT spoil this lovely tribute to him with a naked cruise/teletubbie/speedo picture. Besides, if you REALLY know Jeff, you've already seen enough of him in his infamous speedo to last a lifetime.

I love you THAT much.

And more.

If you see the birthday boy soon make sure you give him giant hug and a kiss on the cheek (either "cheek" will do). He really loves people invading his personal space:).

HAPPY 35th babe! Hope the next 35 are equally as fulfilling and entertaining as the the first 35.

I love you.

Heaven HELP ME

Today I finished ANOTHER super book.

Two enthusiastic THUMBS WAY UP!

It is completely deserving of the FIVE gold shiny stars ***** I gave it on GOODREADS.

I actually put off finishing because I did NOT want it to end. EVER.

It's one of those, or at least it was for me.




I believe that sums it up.

*available at Costco, naturally. Barnes & Noble will bend you over and ROB YOU...which is of course where I purchased my copy*

Baby Mine

Wow. Today was going to be a pretty low key day for me. I'd been thinking and looking forward to today knowing that for the first time in weeks there was nary a kids activity on the books. hooray. Well, cavities appear, schedules change, and mothers adapt:

Will's first cavity filled 7:00 am
*The hygienist thought he needed gas for his nerves. I acquiesced...after all, his father has been known to beg, cry, and curse in that torture chair...as an adult. Dental fear is inherited.

Flew home, fed kids and shewed them out the door to school.

Detailed the kitchen.
Wiped down cabinets, vacuumed drawers, vents, and base boards, de-germed sinks, counter-tops, and chairs, vacuumed floor and rugs, polished appliances, and mopped.

Currently on the 4th batch of laundry (washed, not folded...I'm only human).

Sorted Libby's new clothes/old clothes.

Gave potty training another valiant effort.

I figured that while I was toiling away in the kitchen, it would be a super time to throw some dora underwear on Libby and let her watch her shows in the family room with her books and her potty.



I had to take 4 shots before she'd quit flashing her little lady bits for the camera. That is not an inherited trait.

She DID keep her dora underwears dry for a few hours...but no amount of book reading, bribes of chocolate donuts and reeses, or trips to Target could elicit a single tinkle.

She begged and BEGGED to finally put her diaper back on, even though I warned her that diapers are only for babies, and certainly SHE is a big girl, and WON'T YOU BE SAD TO NOT GET THE DONUT OR THE CHOCOLATE OR THE TOYS?

I made her wait a few minutes longer and ran outside to pick some tomatoes.
When I came back in I found Libby waiting for me with a diaper in hand.
Since it was close to nap time I gave in and put back on the diaper.

Shortly thereafter I found this...



What is that? Well, THAT is her bribery treat bowl. It contained ONE chocolate donut and ONE wrapped reeses peanut butter cup BEFORE I went outside. It NOW contains ONE chocolate covered donut, and ONE reeses peanut butter cup WRAPPER, and ONE reeses stacked carefully on top of the donut.

Now THAT melts my heart. I'd like to think she chose to not eat the candy because she loves and wants to please her sweet, kind, patient mother, not because she's afraid her Nazi mother would EAT the donut AND the reeses while she looked on in horror JUST TO PROVE A POINT.

I'll take it, either way.

She's not ready. And you know what? It's okay. It's OKAY. We'll try again in a week or so. She's my baby. My baby. Who is finally entered a stage I don't want her to leave. I've probably NEVER said that before. About any child. I just could not manage to enjoy the moment enough. Always anxious and excited to see what came next. Wanted them to be more independent. But now I watch these big, busy, mess-making kids and wish they'd need me a little more.
(for something not related to housekeeping or taxi service)

So what if her poopy diapers are worse than that of a full grown nasty man, and that she waited all of 3 minutes after I put her diaper on to lay some cable. I am cherishing this time we have alone together during the day. She entertains me. She aggravates me at time, but I love her.

I'm feeling it...

I am. It's true. I think I may be back in the "mode" . What mode is that, you ask? The blogging mode. I'll make no apologies, because when I'm not feeling it, I'm SOOOOO not feeling it. I lost that loving feeling, if you will, albeit temporarily.

What HAS the D family been DOING all of this time? Well, pretty much the same shiz we we've always been doing. Eating food. Lazing around. Making fun of each other...only we've been doing it...ON WATER!! That's right. We bought a boat. A BOAT I SAY!

This I can tell you for certain. If you want to feel every single year of your 34 years buy a boat. And then ski/tube/knee board/wake board with the wild abandon of youth. I trust you"ll not be able to relieve yourself comfortably when nature calls for 3 days. Minimum.



We are having a freaking BLAST. It's officially kicking our butts, but I'm not opposed to a little healthy butt kicking for a good cause.

Now that the kids are back in school and Libby has learned to not graffiti any and all surfaces when left unattended temporarily, I hope my blogging mojo will stick around for awhile! I do miss it.

By the by...CATCHING FIRE (from my post below) is tremendous, if not ANNOYING. The ending barely constitutes an ENDING. The cliffhanger is unREAL!!. I may have liked #2 even a TEEENSY bit better than #1. March on out and get both books in this series and have yourself a fabulous reading binge.

OOOOOOOH YEEEEAAAAAHHHH

Wanna know what's even better than stocking up on winder cleaner, paper towels, beef jerky, 3 cases of water and world famous Cosctocookthemupyourself tortillas?

Finding a LOOONG anticipated sequel calling my name!!! It hadn't even been put on the shelf yet and you better believe I SNATCHED it up and hid it under my strawberries next to the frozen Kirkland chicken and paper towels just in case it isn't kosher to take things off the cart.




RUN over to your favorite bulk warehouse COSCTO and do yourself a solid by picking up this diddy for less than 10 BUCKS! (seriously). If I were you I'd also get some miralax and a churro, but that's probably just me.

*If this books STINKS don't blame me. I'm basing my pre-reading recommendation solidly on how kick-A the first book was. *