Fall Minestrone

Fall is definitely in the air! And as I listen to a cold front move into the area, I thought I would share a recipe that Jim made last week that was very, well, Fall-ish (and really good!)

Fall Minestrone (Rachel Ray: 365 No Repeats)

2 tbsp. EVOO

1/4 lb. bacon

4 garlic cloves

3 portobello mushroom caps

2 med. onions chopped

2 med. carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 stems fresh rosemary

8 fresh sage leaves

1 med. zucchini, diced

15 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained

14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 qt. chicken stock or broth

2 cups vegetable stock or broth

1 cup ditalini pasta

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat and add the EVOO. Add the bacon and brown for two minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the rosemary and sage. Add the zucchini and chopped greens and stir until all the greens wilt, 2-3 minutes.

Add the beans, tomatoes, and stocks. Place a lid on the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Uncover and add the pasta. Cook for 7-8 minutes at a rolling simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente, with a bite to it. Remove the pot from the heat. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Officially a One Car Family

So Jim and I made the big jump and are officially a one car family.

We had been experimenting with only having one car since the beginning of July, and it worked great! So, we decided to make the plunge. Which car did we get rid? Obviously it was going to be Jim's because his was a little older and didn't have air conditioning. Even though we had a payment on mine, it got better gas mileage, was newer, and had four doors.

But we didn't choose Jim's. Or mine...

Instead, we are now owners of a Cube Mobile Device.

I know- it's different, but hear me out.

We were going to look and just see if we were in a place to purchase a little bit bigger car because in making the jump to one car, it was going to be the one that lasted us until we began to expand our family, something that would last 5 years or so. We went looking at Toyota Rav 4's and Nissan Rogue's. We quickly learned those were just over our price range. After going back to Nissan to see if they could cut us a deal, our salesman said you should really look at the Cube to which Jim said, "I think those are the ugliest cars ever." Our salesman said they are very roomy and that most are surprised so we should at least give it a shot. And, well it we did, and it was awesome. Jim has at least 6 (or more, I haven't actually measured) of head room ABOVE his head (which never happens in a car) and it gets 28 mpg in the city, it has an iPod and Auxiliary input so it makes listening to the iPod or iPhone (which has the Ranger Radio Broadcast app) a BREEZE! We love it! We test drove it overnight, fell more in love with, got the numbers all together, and bargained away (Jim did this- I said nothing and let him make the deal and he did an excellent job!) and got the car Tuesday! We picked it up Thursday!!

So we own a cube and it's our only car!

And the only thing that I was disappointed in: after spending all that money on a car, they don't give you floormats! Really?

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 2)

Seven things that have nothing to do with each other, but that I want to tell you (whether you want to hear/read them or not).

ONE ONE ONE ONE

Let me reintroduce myself- my name is Sarah Johnson. I've been MIA for a bit because life in the non-blog world has been slightly overwhelming. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say that today I got this beautiful vase of flowers from my bosses today with some awesome hand written cards (can we say "Words of Affirmation" is my love language) and it completely made all of the teary days of almost misery worth it, knowing that I am appreciated. Thanks!

TWO TWO TWO TWO

In an attempt to be more content with my place of residence, I took on a "home improvement" project: re-caulking my tub. It took a weekend (because you have to strip the old caulking, bleach the cracks, let it dry, caulk, let it dry 12 hours, and I added another layer, which then had to set for 24 hours) and I would just like to say that caulking is a LOT harder than it appears. But, I got it finished to a satisfactory level, and we're good to go.

THREE THREE THREE THREE

We had dumpster fire #6 this morning- not a bad one, mostly smoking ashes, but a pain in the you know what, nonetheless. The fire department said they put a camera up to try and catch the person doing it (I think it's our neighbor's grandkids who are usually up to no good anyway (for instance, we've randomly found two tennis balls in our driveway) and they're always banging on things and just look like they're trouble makers) but I'm not really sure I can believe the Fire Department at this point.

FOUR FOUR FOUR FOUR

Current shows I'm DVR'ing- Project Runway & Design Star; Future shows I'm looking forward to DVRing- Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance.

FIVE FIVE FIVE FIVE

I've been playing a lot of Mario Kart on my Wii in the past week- I'm not sure why. I've just kind of been addicted to it. And Since I completely caught up at work finally, I've just wanted to play Mario Kart.

SIX SIX SIX SIX

I am so looking forward to having a three day weekend. I hope I can get a lot done and caught up on my housework.

SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN

Jim and I start our first Sunday as small group leaders at our church this Sunday. We are leading a small group of co-ed college students as we go through the book of James. We're really excited but are needing an icebreaker for Sunday. Any ideas?

Behold the goodness!

I think I may have found the one food that makes everything better (for me anyway). GOAT CHEESE!

I have been a fan of goat cheese since I was introduced to it by Veronica (whose blog you can check out here) in Austin three years ago. It is, in fact, the one food I get the most grief over from the Missus. We had been married for about two weeks when I received a package from New Mexico. Marital bliss having no room for secrets, she asked me what it was because I was obviously bursting with excitement. Sheepishly I informed her "Ummm...I ordered goat cheese."

The look I got was one of bemused astonishment.

"You ordered goat cheese?"
"Yeah, I love it! You should try some."
(Crickets chirping)
"From NEW MEXICO?!"

"Umm...yeah, it's organic and the goats are free-range goats!"

Thankfully, the vows had been exchanged at this point because knowing that her future husband was willing to order goat cheese from New Mexico might have been enough to keep that "future" tag on there indefinitely.

Anyway, after throwing some goat cheese on week-old pasta leftovers for lunch today and warming it up so it was a gooey, cheesy, mess, I can tell you with certainty that goat cheese made these leftovers not only palatable but DELICIOUS! And, you can put them on just about any type of cuisine...Tex-Mex, Italian, American, Indian...whatever. I'm pretty sure goat cheese will make it better.

Life-changing this stuff is...

Update on 101 in 1001

So here is an update on how things are going on completing my list:

19. Give the dogs frontline and interceptor on time every month (2/34)

I did this yesterday, and so I continue to stay on track!!

22. Apply to a show on HGTV

I actually did some research on this and you have to live in LA to apply to the shows they are taking applications for. But I have a couple of months, so maybe a new one will come out and they'll let people in Wichita Falls apply.

39. Read the first Harry Potter book

I only have 3 chapters left to read. I like it, but I'm not sure I love it enough to continue reading the series.

50. Do a “Wayback Wednesday” post each week.

So, this is officially the first item I will be unable to complete. It was a lofty goal, I suppose, and I dropped the ball this week. $10 to a charity.

81. Get the Johnson calendar up and look at once a week

I love our calendar. It's so awesome! I love writing on it, and it's been a big help in scheduling.

82. Buy dishwasher

We did some research on getting one and I'm just unsure it's going to fit in our old house cabinets. And, the money we were saving to purchase one now has to go toward paying for school. Oh well...

86. Have a garage sale

As of right now, plans for the garage sale have been tentatively made for Saturday, September 12th.

91. Take 10 road trips more than hour away (1/10)

• Visited Lumberton, Tx July 24-27, 2009
• SPIM (Summer Party in Mansfield) August 15-16, 2009

We spent last weekend in Plano/Mansfield and it was so fun. We were introduced to the game Quelf, and we actually just purchased it for our own game collection. We went and saw Time Traveler's Wife, and just had a really great time! Shout out to the GFED!

94. Dress appropriately for work for an entire week 4 times (1/4)

So, this entire week, I dressed appropriately. Tomorrow is my FAVORITE DAY! JEANS AND T-SHIRT Day!

So, that's all I got. I am still completely swamped at work, but good news is that the new youth minister has hired an assistant and it is awesome!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.