Sunday, October 19, 2008

Quick update: some wedding photos

I'm definitely going to put more of these on flickr, but I thought I'd share a few shots that we got from our semi-professional photographer, Alex Johnson. He's a friend and an awesome photographer, so it was great that he did our photos—and edited them, too. Woo!

Here are a few favorites (so far):










Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Sunday Soup

I've taken to making a big pot of soup on Sundays, so that then S and I can take leftovers with us to work throughout the week. Here's a recipe I invented and have tweaked based on whatever veggies/pasta we have in the fridge/pantry.

Mostly Veggie Italian Pasta Soup

chop up the following into soup-sized bits:
1 cup carrots (optional, or use potatoes)
2 cups potatoes (optional, or use carrots)
1 cup celery (or more if you love it)
2 medium or 3 small onions (note: onions add most of the flavor here, so you NEED these)
other veggie ideas: frozen or fresh spinach, corn, broccoli... to total about 4-5 cups of veggies

Additional advice: if you are feeling especially lazy, and you have a food processor (or even a hand-chopper from the likes of Pampered Chef) then all the chopping can go really, really fast.

Other necessary ingredients:
Chicken soup stock (enough for 8-10 cups)
1/2 lb. cheese-filled small pasta (tortellini or little raviolis work great!)
Italian seasoning (enough for a few tablespoons of this)
Garlic (I love it, so I put in 2-3 cloves worth)
Olive oil for pan
Salt & pepper

Start by putting olive oil and garlic in a big pot, since this is a one-pot recipe that means little clean-up other than soup bowls/spoons. Don't turn on the heat until you're nearly done chopping up your veggies. Throw in the onions and celery first, since they need the most cooking to release flavor. Cook until the onions are shiny and the celery is easily bite-able (test this) but not too soft. Add in other veggies (potatoes, spinach, corn, broccoli, carrots). Cook for a few minutes more--add a bit more olive oil if needed. Add 8 cups of chicken stock if you like a thicker soup. Add 10 cups if you like a more brothy soup, since the pasta soaks up a lot of water. Add Italian seasoning and pasta; cook until done according to package directions (16-20 minutes, usually).

Enjoy with a big piece of bread!

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Haven't been blogging in weeks

Well, that's not actually true. I am just blogging elsewhere! I have my class blog for my Library 2.0 course with Michael Stephens, and it's right over here. Feel free to check in on me there; mainly, I am writing observations about libraries, library 2.0, technology, etc.

I have a bunch of homework this semester, seemingly more than ever before. My reading list for my Young Adult Materials course is 55 books long--seriously. So, I spend pretty much all spare non-work moments doing homework or spending time with my new husband. Blogging here will be sporadic but probably will resume on November 15th or so.

Edited to add: I am also twittering. Enjoy!