LIGHTENED UP ZUPPA TOSCANA

On weekends Derek is on call, I like to have easy and hearty meals for him to eat in the few moments he is able to come home between cases and his pager going off. This past weekend, I made one of his favorite soups, along with some pumpkin muffins, while listening to General Conference on Saturday morning. I so enjoyed being busy in the kitchen, while hearing uplifting messages echoing in my kitchen and hearing the trees rustling outside from the open windows. This soup is traditionally made with heavy whipping cream, which is so decadent, but often too heavy on our stomachs. This version is lighter, not only by using half & half, but also by taking the time to remove the spicy sausage to drain (when you see the paper towel after it drains, you will want to faint). This is one of my favorites for the Fall/Winter season, and is a major crowd pleaser, especially with hungry missionaries. After a busy weekend, this soup was a welcome meal for Derek on Sunday evening served with some crusty bread & a muffin before crawling into a deep slumber.

HOME TOUR: FALL DECOR

Last week we had a lovely break from our late summer heat and gladly welcomed overcast skies, raindrops, and cool breezes. With this change in the weather, the fall decor came out from storage, chili & cornbread was on the menu, and our first batch of pumpkin muffins were baked. Each year I love pulling out my holiday decorations, and adding a few things each year to my stash. A trip to the pumpkin patch next month will get us some big pumpkins to adorn the fireplace & the front porch, and then we will be ready to enjoy my most favorite time of the year!

NAAN FLATBREAD PIZZA

This summer, Derek and I have become slightly obsessed with Naan bread. I have always had a fond taste for it, but it wasn't until this last year or so when I converted Derek to the pro hummus team (he previously would make fun of me for eating hummus, and now he begs for me to put it on the grocery list each week!) that his interested peaked. This flat, oven baked bread hails from India and is so versatile! You can dip it in hummus or curry, or use it as a bread for sandwiches. The other night, we used Naan to create individualized flat bread pizzas and they were delicious! This was the perfect easy dinner to enjoy during this last summer month, with the doors and windows finally wide open & enjoying the breeze.

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Although still very much summer, the weather is cooling down in the evenings and making it much more enjoyable to be outside! Last Friday we gathered things up for a picnic at the park down the street from us. Dark clouds started to roll in, giving us the perfect hazy evening on the grass. I think it's safe to say that the upcoming Fall months will find us at the park more often and enjoying the already cooler temperatures and changing leaves. 

CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL MUSEUM

One Saturday morning, we woke up with with sun, and headed out to the Tower Cafe for breakfast (the cornmeal blueberry pancake was amazing!) and then to tour the CA State Capitol. We live about 15 minutes from Downtown, so we are fairly close to the capitol and all of the other state and government buildings in the area. We admired the beautifully restored dome to it's 1907 Art Deco' area and the mint condition hallways reconstructed in the 1940's. We learned about past CA Governors in the portrait hallway, went to "lobby row", and the assembly hall. We had two older couples in our tour group, one from Iowa & another from England. They were so sweet and asked such great questions during the tour! The couple from Iowa (a retired school teacher & librarian) had visited 40 state capitols while driving and touring cross country in their RV. It was a really fun morning and we enjoyed exploring the building on our own afterwards. There are SO many exhibits, we will definitely be back!

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

I have fond memories of homemade ice cream as a child. It always involved pulling out our old ice cream maker from the fridge, setting it up on the back patio, and making sure the extremely salty rock salt pieces stayed on top of the mixture while it churned. That creamy and cold treat is the epitome of summer in my eyes. Since we don't have an ice cream maker, I settled with this no churn recipe I found online, and jazzed it up with some fresh strawberries and a hint of sea salt, to keep with my childhood memories. Served on a cone & topped with sprinkles, this was the perfect way to cool down after an extremely hot weekend here in Sacramento.