Farewell February

1.  It's not that I don't love you February, but it's time to say goodbye.  Your snow storms, frigid temperatures and ice have worn me down and ate up all of my snow days and probably my Easter break too.  There were a few things I liked about you including the color red, hearts, cooking, baking and snow shoeing.   But that's about it February - good riddance.  

2.  Digging my new combat boots this week.  Working in a high school makes you want all the cool teenage trends even if it's 40th anniversary of my 16th birthday.

 3.  Sancerre is my favorite white wine.  Sancerre is a place, a village in the Loire Valley of France.  It's also a wine made from the Sauvignon Blanc Grape.  I first tried it while in Paris and fell in love with it's crisp elegant taste.  It's always my go to white wine.

4.  Love making pizza at the end of the week- the recipe -Trader Joe's Pizza dough, empty refrigerator of all leftovers, add cheese.

5.  For my 365 day photography challenge I try to take a picture early in the morning in case the day gets crazy and I don't have an opportunity to take another picture.  Today while getting ready for work I looked down and saw this still life.  Since my bathroom is vintage I gave this capture an Instagram feel.  Thanks Kim Klassen for the recipe from her Beyond Layers class.  

Well that's about it for my Friday Finds and Random Five - stop by and check out Kim and Nancy's blogs.  

Have a great weekend and say HELLO to March!

xox
Margie












Linked to:  Boogie Board Cottage, Alderberry Hill, Dwellings, Rain on a Tin Roof, The Chicken Chick, A Stroll thru Life, My uncommon Slice of Suburia, Savvy Southern Style, Gingerly Made, Live laugh Rowe, Farm House Porch, Domestic Super Hero, Jennifer Rizzo, Costal Charm, Cedar Hill Ranch, Lamberts Lately, Textured Tuesday, Friday Finds, Quotography

Potato Leek Soup

Not being a huge fan of frozen vegetables there are a few that I always have on hand to make soup and frozen leeks is one of them.  Looking around the pantry this rainy Saturday morning, I found some left over potatoes from the week and vegetables always in the fridge (carrots, onions and celery).  Sometimes potato leek soup can be bland, but not this one. Wow, this soup is just packed with flavor! Using a whole 16 oz. bag Trader Joe's of frozen sliced leeks did the trick. If you find you make a lot of soup, an emulsion blender is a great investment. You don't have to spend a fortune on one either because mine was purchased for about $10 and works beautifully.

So if you are looking for a quick savory low-fat soup to make for the week this is the one. One downfall is that you can't freeze it, potatoes become grainy when frozen, so plan to eat it up or share it with friends. 

Potato Leek Soup - about six cups.

1 16 oz bag of frozen sliced leeks (Trader Joe's)
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 peeled carrot cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups chicken broth, low-fat and low salt
1 tablespoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk (1% worked for me)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour

In a large pot, melt butter and add flour stirring until it comes together, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, leeks, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, salt and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes until potatoes are just tender. With an emulsion blender blend until smooth (do not over blend).  Stir in 1/2 cup of milk. Serve garnished with fresh parsley.


Linked to:  Boogie Board Cottage, Alderberry Hill, Dwellings, Rain on a Tin Roof, The Chicken Chick, A Stroll thru Life, My uncommon Slice of Suburia, Savvy Southern Style, Gingerly Made, Live laugh Rowe, Farm House Porch, Domestic Super Hero, Jennifer Rizzo, Costal Charm, Cedar Hill Ranch, Lamberts Lately, Textured Tuesday, Friday Finds, Quotography, Simple Things Sunday

Friday Finds - Gerber Daisies

This Friday Find was a mandatory purchase from Trader Joe's.  I cannot deny myself flowers this time of year and made a special trip just for a bundle of instant happiness.  

This capture was used for Kim Klassen's "Day 17" Beyond Layers assignment "Whisper".  This class is blowing my mind with processing knowledge and enjoyment.

Well where did the week go?  Feel I'm finally back into the groove after the holidays and getting things done and working on "balance".    I'm so looking forward to the weekend and a special birthday dinner for my friend Susan.  Stay warm and enjoy!

Margie

Linked to:  Boogie Board Cottage, Alderberry Hill, Dwellings, Rain on a Tin Roof, The Chicken Chick, A Stroll thru Life, My uncommon Slice of Suburia, Savvy Southern Style, Gingerly Made, Live laugh Rowe, Farm House Porch, Domestic Super Hero, Jennifer Rizzo, Costal Charm, Cedar Hill Ranch, Lamberts Lately, Textured Tuesday, Friday Finds, Quotography, Simple Things Sunday

Tulips

I found the most beautiful tulips at Trader Joe's today.  With this morning's temperature of 30 degrees, I'm trying very hard to think Spring.