What to do?

I may be shifting the focus of this blog away from myself and more on to my interests for the next little while.  I am still up in the air on that, but……it’s a long story and basically I am not going to get into the who’s and what’s on here.   There are way too many people that I know IRL that are not privy to any aspect of my life anymore and I would like to keep it that way.

So, I leave you in the grace of the Almighty with a wonderful soup recipe…..that I am making right now……and I can only begin to tell you how good my kitchen smells…..

It is from the City Tavern in Philadelphia. If you are ever in Old City Philadelphia, you must visit.   I did make a couple noteable changes to the recipe….I doubled the amount of slab bacon and added some liquid smoke.

White Bean and Bacon Soup

Serves 8-10

~Ingredients~

1 pound dried navy beans

2 ½ quarts of chicken stock

4 tbs unsalted butter

2 medium yellow yellow onions

3 garlic cloves, chopped

8 large plum tomatoes (1 pound) seeded and chopped

½ pound slab bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 tsp dried marjoram

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 bunches fresh parsley, finely chopped, (about 12 tbs)

~~~~OVERNIGHT PREPARATION RECOMMENDED~~~~~~

To pre-soak the beans, place them in a colander and rinse thoroughly with water to clean. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with water. Let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and thoroughly rinse the beans. Place them in a large stock pot, add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 1 hour, or until beans are soft.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and sautee for 5 minutes, until light brown. Add the tomatoes, bacon, and marjoram, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes more until the tomatoes begin to dissolve.

Add the tomato mixture to the beans in the stock pot. Simmer the soup for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, stir in the parsley.

(From The City Tavern Cookbook; Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine by Walter Staib)

to exclude “negative” influences in my life (both in real life and online…i.e.facebook)

If I want to be stabbed in the back, I will mount a knife to a door and back into it myself.  I certainly don’t need so-called “friends” lining up to do it.

So I have “blocked” negative influences and I feel better about it.  Several of them know about my blog and if they decide that it is still any of their business to read this, that is on them.  If they are that desperate for rumor fodder….I will just pray for them.  I live in a small town and there is no real practical way to escape from all the small town “bitty hens”.

Sorry, I did not intend for this post to come across as being so negative…..

I must be in one of my moods……

Just because her eyes are just too beautiful……

The winner of the Sweet and Sassy Soap Giveaway is…..

CONGRATULATIONS, SHERI!  I hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day pampering!!!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming……..

You know you want to…..it’s a freebie!  It’s a giveaway….

it requires very little effort or strain……..

Come On…only 5 days left to enter the Sweet & Sassy

February Giveaway……courtesy of Great Cakes Soap Works…..

Just go over to Great Cakes Soap Works and check out all the great stuff Amy has.

Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me which stuff you like.

It’s that  S I M P L E!!!! The winner gets a bar of her Sweet & Sassy soap, a soap and lip butter of their own choosing!!!!

And remember that this is all handmade, all natural good stuff.

I just adore all the products that I have from Great Cakes Soap Works….

I have the Vanilla Hazelnut Shea Butter, the whipped shea butter, the jojoba shea lotion, and 2 lip butters,

PLUS….I also use her Skin Glow facial moisturizer (and it is as good…if not better…than Philosophy “Hope In A Jar” or the L’Occitane stuff).

If you want….you can get extra chances to win by

1) Following me on twitter……amama2twins

2) Following Great Cakes Soap Works on twitter

3) Follow Amy on her Great Cakes Soap Works Blog

4) Subscribe to my blog……

The contest only runs until February 10th………and the winner will be chosen at random.

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 psssstttt……spread the word……. it’s giveaway time again!!!

So…now you are asking yourself

“How can I get in on this giveaway?”

Well…it’s simple!

Head on over to Amy’s website and check out her great products…

(And if you become a preferred customer…you get a voucher coupon for $5 off your first order)

Come back here and comment on your favorite product….

The lucky winner will receive:

A bar of Sweet & Sassy All Natural Handmade Soap

Gorgeous pink and black soap, with textured, sparkly pink top!  The scent is sweet, with a background of sandalwood, carmelized sugar and vanilla, yet top notes consist of lime, orange and pink pepper (whatever that is!) with jasmine and violet as well. Bottom line: it’s very feminine and wonderful!!

Plus

Another soap of your choice….

These fabulous soap cakes are made with vegetable oils & butters and scented with high quality fragrance or essential oils.  They are formulated to last longer than a regular bar of soap if they are allowed to dry between uses.  Use a nylon shower scrubbie to create lots of bubbles!

Plus

A Lip Butter of your choice

Are you “addicted” to your current lip balm?  Does it leave your lips parched, asking for more moisture?  Try our Lip Butter – it melts on your lips, not in your pocket – leaving them hydrated and happy.  Petroleum free.

For extra chances to win…you can

*****Follow Amy on Twitter

*****Follow Amy on her GCSW blog.

*****Follow Me on Twitter (amama2twins)

A WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG ON FEBRUARY 10TH, 2010 IN ORDER TO ALLOW TIME

FOR SHIPMENT AND RECEIPT BY FEBRUARY 14TH……

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