Foodie Fridays: Sausage White Bean Soup

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Life is rather chaotic at our house right now as we continue to unpack moving boxes (we ended up moving over 1,000 items so this could take a while!).  Our Thanksgiving meal was very simple and relied a lot on store-bought prepared foods - I joked to my husband that we would be eating a very retro Thankgiving dinner as the menu included canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, Stovetop stuffing, and his favorite green bean casserole (made with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup of course as he would not have it any other way).  It was still enjoyable, because as my husband said, all the right flavors were there, from the precooked turkey breast with gravy from a jar to the supermarket bakery pumpkin pie with canned whipped cream!

We had our first hard frost here a couple of weeks ago, and I quickly went out to harvest my fall crop of lettuces, spinach, and some surprisingly late season basil before they froze.  I made my favorite pear salad several times with the baby lettuces, and was looking for a recipe that would use up some of the spinach and basil.  This Sausage White Bean Soup recipe caught my eye - it is easy, quick, and hearty, which makes it a great option for colder weather meals.  If you are looking for an alternative to turkey soup, try this one (although in my version I did use turkey sausage!).

Sausage White Bean Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 12-oz. package Italian sausage, casings removed (I used Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Crumbles)
32 oz. chicken stock
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 pinch ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
2 T. red-wine or sherry vinegar

Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium heat.  Sauté the onion until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook one minute longer.

Shape the sausage into bite-sized meatballs and add to the onion mixture (no need to shape sausage crumbles - just toss them into the pot).  Cook until the sausage is browned on the outside, about 6 minutes (or just cook the sausage crumbles until heated through).

Add the chicken stock, beans, red pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Stir in the spinach and simmer until wilted.  Add the vinegar and season with more salt and pepper to taste if needed.  Serves 4-6.

Wish List Wednesdays: Ann Taylor Horse Print Sweaters

I always enjoy finding a good animal print sweater when winter apparel becomes available.  This year's selections have not been as interesting as ones I have found in previous years, but I did find a couple of nice horse print sweaters on the Ann Taylor website.  The Horse Print Sweater ($98, but on sale today for 50% off) above seems a bit pricey for a mostly polyester sweater and may be too short for me as it is only 23 inches long and I am long-waisted, but for 50% off I am willing to order it and see how I like it.  The Horse Print Sweater Tee ($64.99, but on sale today for 50% off) shown below is a more usual 24 inches long and seems like a better deal, as it is all cotton and has two 5-star ratings.  I am hoping that I will like both of them enough to keep, as I love the pattern and find the colors of the long-sleeved sweater to be especially attractive.  I am still on the hunt for a nice patterned Christmas sweater that looks good without verging on ugly Christmas sweater territory - wish me luck!

Weekend Wardrobe: My Version of The Vivienne Files Common Wardrobe

I always enjoy reading The Vivienne Files blog for fresh ideas on how to create a wardrobe suited to individual tastes and preferences.  A case in point is a recent post about putting together a Common Wardrobe of twelve versatile pieces that all work well together.  I decided to see if I could come up with my own Common Wardrobe based on apparel from Coldwater Creek, one of my favorite clothing sites, in colors that suit my warm complexion and casual New Mexico lifestyle.

My color inspiration comes from one of my favorite Georgia O'Keeffe paintings called Rust Red Hills (shown above).  I love the simple abstract shapes and bold colors in this painting, and chose three colors from the painting that I thought suited my tastes well - a denim blue, a creamy white, and of course the rust color that dominates in this image:

Based on these color choices, here is The Vivienne Files-inspired 12-piece Common Wardrobe I came up with for myself:

Clockwise from top left: Vintage Washed Henley in Ranch Blue; Vintage Washed Henley in Copper; My Time Soft Knit Tee in Ivory; Marled V-Neck Sweater in Brown Multi; Vintage-Wash Solid Long-Sleeve Henley in Ranch Blue; Set the Tone Open-Front Cardigan in Midnight Navy; Timeless Denim Shirt in Light Wash; BestCotton Standneck Tee in Ivory; La Joya Burnout Tee in Blue Multi; The Creek Straight-Leg Jeans in Harbor Wash; Hidden Stretch-Waist Chinos in Cider; Denim Anywear ShapeMe Pants in Dark Indigo.

If I were starting my wardrobe from scratch I would most certainly want to start with these items!  While my choices may seem rather colorful for neutrals, I have never really been a fan of the more typical choices.  I find black to be too harsh, and grey does not suit my skin tone.  When the pandemic started I decided to let my hair go grey naturally, and now even the color brown does not seem to work as well with my salt-and-pepper hair color.  However, the above colors still work for me, as does the color olive, which I would add if I decided I needed a fourth color (although I am not sure how well olive works with rust - I may have to look into that!).

I think I will continue to explore options for my new favorite wardrobe colors next week, and perhaps do accessories in the future as well.  My real life wardrobe already has many similar pieces to this Common Wardrobe I created, and I may have to add the few missing pieces and try out the various apparel combinations this winter - who knows, I could become inspired enough to finally edit the rest of my clothing to a more manageable number!

Wish List Wednesdays: Hygge Collection Cozy Fireplace by Olivia Gibbs 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

I normally prefer to buy 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles because I like the challenge, but when I saw the Hygge Collection Cozy Fireplace by Olivia Gibbs 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle from KI Puzzles ($17.99 on Amazon), I just could not resist!  Not only is this cozy image perfect for a chilly autumn day, it even comes with a Wood Sage and Sea Salt scented candle to burn as you set about putting this cozy jigsaw puzzle together.  There are two other puzzles available in this Hygge Collection (both options can be viewed if you check out the link above) which also come with their own unique scented candle.  I can't wait to start working on this puzzle, sipping a hot cup of tea while enjoying the aroma of the scented candle!

Wish List Wednesdays: Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark Dog Mug

We are only just getting started on unpacking our unbelievably huge amount of belongings that arrived not long ago from Georgia after we sold our house there, and I certainly do not need any more mugs, but how could a Dalmatian lover like myself possibly resist the Peppermint Bark Dog Mug ($12.95) from Williams Sonoma featuring their iconic Dalmatian?  The 19-ounce mug made of high-fired porcelain is perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and will probably be about the only holiday décor we will be able to find before Christmas at the relatively slow rate we are unpacking right now!  Somewhere in those piles of boxes are various tins from the Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark collection, including the adorable Peppermint Bark Dog Tin, but for this year these mugs will be our Christmas Dalmatians.  Williams Sonoma has also introduced Dalmatian-shaped Bark Dog Marshmallow Mugtoppers, but I don't think I could bring myself to eat one - they are just too cute!

How could I possibly eat one of these cuties?

Foodie Fridays: Skillet Ricotta Pasta

I happened to have a bag of pumpkin-shaped pasta in my pantry, so I decided to use it to make a recipe for Skillet Ricotta Pasta on Halloween.  I also had the last of my garden zucchini and yellow squash to use up and substituted them for the broccoli in the recipe.  The only other change I made was to stir in some pesto instead of topping each serving with crushed red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan.  This is definitely a comfort food pasta dish, and made a great Halloween dinner.  Next time I will try it with the roasted broccoli, but the summer squash was really good and may actually turn out to be my preference.  And if you can find pumpkin-shaped zucchette pasta, I highly recommend it as the pasta of choice for this dish!

Skillet Ricotta Pasta

3 C. broccoli florets (I used diced summer squash instead)
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. short pasta
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 C. ricotta cheese
1 T. fresh lemon juice
½-¾ C. reserved pasta water
4 T. pesto (I used store-bought)
grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Place the broccoli florets (or summer squash) on a baking sheet and toss with 1 T. oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden and slightly charred.

Cook the pasta according to package directions (remember to reserve some pasta water).

Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to low and stir in the ricotta cheese until it becomes creamy, about 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the lemon juice and ½ C. pasta water until the sauce is smooth and silky, adding more pasta water if needed.  Stir in the pesto.  Taste the ricotta mixture and add more seasoning if needed.

Stir in the pasta and toss well to coat.  Toss in the roasted broccoli (or summer squash).  Top with grated Parmesan if desired and serve.  Serves 2-4.

Wish List Wednesdays: 1,001 Ways to Celebrate Christmas & Create Lasting Traditions Book

If you are looking for a way to get into the Christmas spirit, I highly recommend a little book called 1,001 Ways to Celebrate Christmas & Create Lasting Traditions ($16.95 on Amazon).  As the title states, this book lists 1,001 ways to celebrate Christmas, with ideas ranging from holiday recipes to festive activities to seasonal arts and crafts plus a whole lot more.  Each idea is presented in a short sentence or paragraph, and you can read as few or as many as you want as time and inclination permit.  Read them in order or skip randomly through the book - no matter how you proceed, these ideas are sure to get you in the holiday mood!

Last month was extremely busy for me, and I hope to do an On the Homefront post soon to get caught up on all that has been going on here, but the big news for now is that we sold our Georgia home and my husband has now officially made the move to Santa Fe!  We have a frightful amount of unpacking to do, but the majority of our belongings have arrived, and we can finally settle into becoming New Mexico residents.  Hopefully more information will be coming soon, but I really intend to get back to regular posting now!  I hope you all had a fun Halloween and are looking forward to all of the upcoming holidays.