Monday, February 19, 2018

Frank + Marie's buffalo chicken soup


Here is a quick and tasty soup. Actually, it's a flavor explosion of a soup, with big, sassy flavors. It's spicy, creamy and delicious. Here is how you make it.

Ingredients
1 tsp. oil
2 tsp butter
1 package of Al Fresco brand buffalo chicken sausages (browned and sliced into rounds)
1 medium onion, large dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup of Frank's Hot Sauce (it's gotta be Frank's brand)
1/4 blue cheese dressing (such as Marie's brand)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin rounds
1 stick of celery, cut into half moons
1 can of canellini beans (drained)
salt and pepper to taste

To top, when serving
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 
1/4 cup baby spinach leaves

Directions
In a saucepan, brown the sausages in a dash of the veg. oil and remove. Pull out the sausages and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the saucepan and simmer until clear. Pull out onion garlic mixture and set aside. Add the butter into the saucepan and melt, then add in 2 tsp flour. Stir for about a minute to cook the flour, then add in the the chicken stock. Bring to a low boil and whisk continuously for several minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickened a bit. Add in 1/4 cup of Franks's hot sauce and 1/4 of blue cheese dressing. Whisk again. Add the cooked onions, garlic, chopped carrots, celery, canellini beans and sliced sausages. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Simmer for about ten minutes.

To serve
Ladle into bowls. Top with baby spinach and crumbled blue cheese.

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Thursday, February 8, 2018

Mon dieu—Paris under snow!


Medici garden in the Jardin du Luxembourg 
(our secret magical place)

As if Paris wasn't beautiful enough—imagine Paris under a freshly fallen blanket of snow? Apparently snow is pretty rare in Paris, but this year it's gotten several magical dustings of the white stuff. One of these years Dan and I will travel to Paris in the wintertime, but for now these photos will have to hold us over.


The tree-lined Cours la Reine


Sacré Coeur, looking particularly enchanting


la tour eiffel