_This is a delicious recipe that is fairly easy to make and filling enough for dinner.  Yum!  Here's what I learned:

1. I used a mandolin slicer for the potatoes.  Made the job very simple!
2. One pound of sausage would be too much.  12 ounces worked well for me.
3. The potatoes cooked in about 10-12 minutes instead of the 20 listed in the recipe.  Keep an eye on them.  If they go too long you will have potato bits instead of slices.
4. Topped it with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.

_Recipe can be found here:  Zuppa Toscana

_Today was all about family.  And also taking pictures.  Because I had a lot of guinea pigs to practice my photography on.  And the newest member of our family was such a trooper!  Thankful for all of you.  And especially this little love...

_The recipe I have for The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies is super tasty.  Because of how good it is my search for new chocolate chip cookie recipes was over.  That was until a friend mentioned a delicious recipe she found on Pinterest that actually deserved to be written on a recipe card.  Wait, a recipe card?  Time to try it!  And how many times can I use the word "recipe" in one post?  Keep reading!  Here's what I learned:

1. The recipe says bake for 8-10 minutes tops.  And that would be right.  I say even 7 min 30 seconds.
2. They are sooooo soft and delicious!
3. Make them.

_ Recipe can be found here:  Chocolate Chip Cookies

_I've been told to make this again.  So I guess that means you should try it!  Here's what I learned:

1. Cut the potatoes in small bite sized pieces.  I thought I did and it took twice as long to cook them.
2. It would be great with the addition of sausage, chicken, ham, or bacon.
3. Even the kid liked it.

My pictures are suffering because it is now dark outside by the time we eat.  I hope it still looks appetizing!

_Recipe can be found here:  Cheddar Corn Chowder

_I found this recipe during a random search for dinner ideas.  Turned out to be an easy and delicious dinner!  Here's what I learned:

1. Use at least a 1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.  Makes a gigantic difference.
2. Don't overcook your broccoli like I did.  That's a game changer.
3. I cooked the chicken with seasonings (garlic, Italian, crushed red pepper) in a skillet with a bit of EVVO and butter.
4. Served it over fettuccine.
5. Leftovers aren't as good as the sauce does separate.

_Recipe can be found here:  Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

_My very talented coworker made Penelope the most beautiful hat! (THANK YOU LISA!!!)  So we headed outside for a few pictures because I just couldn't resist.

It started off with lots of tears and "no pictures!".  Her tears dried up and then her nose started to run.  Go figure.  And the ding on her chin is courtesy of her mom.  Yes, I still feel great about that one.

This beautiful girl is going to be 2 years old tomorrow.

_I was fortunate to attend a lovely wedding along the North Shore of Lake Superior this past weekend.  One of our friends was asked to do a reading during the ceremony.  We were all holding our breath!  You know that imaginary "line" for what to say/not say that is always there?  Said friend loves to stick his toes (or entire foot) over it!  In the end I was laugh-crying and everyone in the audience gave him a gigantic round of applause.  Who gets applause after a wedding reading?  I present to you a wedding reading, worth reading:


Scientific Romance

If starship travel from our
Earth to some far off
star and back again,
at velocities approaching the speed of light
made you younger than me,
due to the effects of time dilation,
I'd show up on your doorstep hoping
you'd developed a thing for older men,
and I'd ask you to show me
everything you learned to pass the time...
out there in the endless void
of night.

If I became lost in
the multiverse, exploring
infinite parallel dimensions, my
only criterion for settling
down somewhere would be
whether or not I could find you:
and once I did, I'd stay there even
if it was a world ruled by giant overlords,
or one where killer
robots won the Civil War, or even
a world where sandwiches
were never invented...
Because you'd make it the best
of all possible worlds anyway,
and plus
we could get rich off inventing sandwiches.

If alien invaders come,
and we were captives together
in an alien zoo, I'd try to make
the best of it and cultivate a streak
of xeno-exhibitionism, and make jokes
about breeding in captivity.
Because I think our love could be a powerful
argument for the perpetuation
of humanity in general.

If we were the sole survivors
of a zombie apocalypse
and you were bitten and transformed
into a walking terror
I wouldn't even pick up my
karate nun-chucks,
I'd just let you take a bite
out of me, because I'd rather be
undead forever with you,
than alive alone without you.

If I had a time machine, I'd go back
to the days of your youth
to see how you became the someone
I love so much today,
and then I'd return to the moment when we first met
just so I could see my own face when I saw your face for the first time,
and okay,
I'd probably travel to the time
when we were a young couple,
and try to get a threesome
going. I never understood
why more time travelers don't do
that sort of thing.

If digital singularity overcomes,
and we upload our minds into a vast
computer simulation of near-infinite
complexity and perfect resolution,
and become capable of experiencing any
fantasy, exploring worlds bound only
by our enhanced imaginations,
I'd still spend at least a million processing
cycles a month just sitting
on a virtual couch with you,
watching virtual TV,
eating virtual cheese curds,
holding virtual hands,
and wishing
for the real thing.

I would love to give credit to the author. My friend found it in a Google search with no author listed and altered it.

And a few pictures from our trip...