"A laugh's the wisest, easiest answer to all that queer. . . I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I will go to it laughing." ~Stubb in Hermann Melville's Moby Dick
Today is my Dude of Honor's birthday! This quote reminds me of how Steve's outlook on life and his sense of humor have helped me through so many things. Steve is in New Mexico and I miss him a lot. He and I had some crazy times together - potato guns, tattoos- TWICE, too much Pledge, giant sparklers on Canada Day, and. . . Just thinking about all those times brings a smile to my face.
The "J Girls" (a crazy group of my friends who all decided to change our names to names that started with J. . . don't ask the reason - there is none) are each picking a different blog topic each Friday. This Friday was my choice and I choose "my favorite cold weather recipe." This was actually pretty hard for me since I have several soup recipes I like to make. Here is one of my favs - it's really similar to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. Enjoy! I can't wait to see everyone else's recipes!
Potato-Sausage Soup
½ lb. ground pork sausage or Italian sausage
4 cups frozen hash browns
1 large onion, chopped
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
2 cups water
1 10 ¾ -ounce can of cream of celery soup
1 10 ¾ -ounce can of cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
Brown sausage and drain. Return to pan.
Add hash browns and next 3 ingredients, bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in soups and milk; cook stirring often until thoroughly heated.
Garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese. Serve with garlic bread.
Every person, all the elements of your life
Are there because you have drawn them there.
What you choose to do with them is up to you.
~Richard Bach
Damn! We looked good that night!
1. My name - Britta - comes from James Mitchner's The Drifters. It was a book my Dad read and then gave to my mom to read when they were discussing names. The book is a about defiance, coming of age, sex and drugs. My Dad gave me a copy of it when I turned 21. I used to hate my name - it was too unusual, I got made fun of a lot and I couldn't find anything with my name on it. I got called Bratta Tye-my-shoe in elementary school. If you don't have Britta added to your dictionary, spellcheck will suggest "brat." But I love my name now. I think it's unique and classy without being too weird. Also, my initials were BLT - Britta Lynnae Tye - before I got married.
2. I have chauffered Herbie Hancock, Orel Herschiser, Molly Ivins and Hank Blaylock around Lubbock. Some was when I worked for Student Activities at Tech and some was helping out with the Heckler First Pitch luncheon. Amazingly, I don't have any of their autographs.
3. I am obsessive-compulsive about weird things. The volume on the TV has to be on an even number or a multiple of 5. I can't set the volume for any level ending in 1, 3, 7 or 9. I don't know why, it just bugs. Also, I have to have the placemats on our kitchen table perfectly square. I re-align then every time I walk by. If I use a pen with a lid, the lid has to line up with any words that are on the pen. I re-write to-do lists after I have crossed to many items off. I also rewrite grocery lists to match the layout of the store.
LATE ADDITION. . . 4. One more thing I am VERY proud of. . . I graduated with my master's in Higher Education Administration with a 4.0 while working full-time, planning a wedding and having a baby/infant. Sometimes I don't feel as if the degree is actually paying off, but I am pretty proud of myself for this accomplishment.
