quiet friday nights

friday nights as a college student. not that long ago in my life. late nights, out with friends, sleeping until noon with no guilt. yet, here i am, on a friday night, starting a blog.  i'm currently sitting at my dining room table, drinking a woodchuck hard cider, hovering over my laptop.  i'm completely content.  i'm not quite sure when this change occurred.  when did i stop planning out every minute of my weekends?  or when, exactly, was the last phone call from an intoxicated friend that i received in the middle of the night?  i'm not sure. awhile.  its not that i miss those bits of being a young whipper snapper, i just wonder when i out grew these events.  nonetheless, i'm happy.  very happy in fact.  at this very moment, i have 3 out of 4 of my favorite men sitting on my sofa.  my brother, isaac, my husband, loren, and my bulldog, hank are all cozied in for the night.  my dad, i'm guessing, is having a similar night up in roseau.

its been a fairly dreamy winter this year.  2011-2012, my favorite winter.  abnormally warm weather.  so warm, in fact, that we don't have snow.  duluth minnesota has no snow in january.  madness.  until today that it.  i scoffed at the weather man today when he predicted 2" of snow.  twenty minutes later it was snowing giant, beautiful, cotton balls.  even someone that dislikes snow becomes awed by a good, slow snowfall.  i was able to take the peanut, aka hank, for trot through our new surroundings after work.  we both loved it.  later, loren shoveled sidewalks and  i made amazing zuppa toscana per isaac's request.  good choice, isaac.  we mixed a bit of mexican in with our italian.  we pregamed with homemade guacamole and salsa.

this was a phenomenal friday night.

here's the recipe for the soup i made tonight.  enjoy!

1 pound ground spicy italian sausage
5-6 small potatoes
49 oz chicken broth
2 cups kale
1 pint half and half
1 2/3 tbs crushed red pepper

i use one pot to cook everything.  brown the italian sausage.  add chicken broth, sliced potatoes ( i used reds), crushed red pepper.  cook until potatoes are soft.  add kale and half and half.  eat.