General Hospital Update

Ok, so we’ve got Michael and we’ve got Dante and Sonny’s stuck in the middle and honestly Michael’s been such a brat for so long that I don’t really care. Oh and he killed someone.  Even if we hated her, letting outofcontrol Michael get away with murder is probably a mistake.  You think?

Also, while I’m all for a little romance, the story line about LuLu and Dante’s inability to find the time to… you know… is starting to make me a little uncomfortable.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

Tomato Soup

When I was a kid, I loved Campbell’s Tomato Soup.  I ate it with grilled cheese sandwiches and as far as I was concerned it was heaven. But kids grow up and sometimes when we revisit a childhood favorite, we’re dismayed to discover that it’s an overly salty, tin can tasting, hot mess.  So what’s a girl to do?  Make her own of course! (You knew I was going to say that didn’t you?)

Here’s what I did:

2 onions peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves chopped
1 jalapeno pepper deseeded, deveined and chopped
8 stalks of celery trimmed and chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 packets of Truvia = 4 teaspoons sugar
2 cups of vegetable broth

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on med/high.  When it’s hot, add the olive oil, as soon as that starts to ribbon, add the onion, garlic, celery and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 10 minutes

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil then lower the heat to low and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

At this point you’ll have to make a decision – Do you want a hearty, chunky soup or a creamy, smooth soup?  I went for the smooth(ish) soup, so I got out my immersion blender (go buy one, you need it if you’re going to be making soup and you can get them on sale for less than $50 – you can get a different brand for under $30 – it’s worth it) You could also do it in batches in a blender, but if you’re clumsy like me, scalding liquid in a blender is just not a good idea. Blend till smooth.

Add the vegetable broth – use my measurements as a guideline only, use what looks right to you, and the rest of the ingredients, stir and cook on low for at least an hour. Ladle into a bowl and eat – it’s delicious.  If that sounds far too healthy for you, go ahead and add a splash of cream, I won’t tell.

Mirra Beauty Products and Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I got the notification that I was chosen to review a new line of beauty products called Mirra,  from the Kroger Stores.  The notification told me that I’d be receiving my samples within the week.  When I received the box, I could not believe what they sent me!  Full size products, beautifully packaged!  I received shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing lotion, hydrating night treatment cream, wrinkle reduction eye cream, body wash and hydrating and detoxifying cleanser.  The first thing I noticed is that the shampoo and conditioner were paraben and fomaldehyde free, the second thing was that they smelled wonderful!  Very light and clean and slightly fruity.  Just yummy.  Aren’t you jealous?  Well there’s no need to be – Kroger has graciously offered to give one of my readers a package similar to the one that I received.  If you’re interested, leave a comment and I’ll choose a winner on Sunday evening, March, 14th.  Tweet the link to this post for an extra entry, but be sure to leave another comment including the link to your tweet!

What did I think of the products?  Well, I’ll tell you.

The shampoo and conditioner were light and clean and although I need a stronger conditioner for my dry, coarse, curly, damaged hair, it was perfect for my daughter’s medium coarse, wavy hair.  The lotion is nice and light, perfect for every day, normal skin care, the facial scrub was just the right amount of friction for a light exfoliant.  My favorite though were the face creams.  Thick, yet not greasy, ultra moisturizing and gentle enough to use every day.  I use them in the morning and at night and they are some of the best face creams I’ve ever used (and I’ve spent some serious money on face creams). I was quite pleased with the products and would definitely purchase them.

From the press release:

mirra products are made with natural ingredients, such as olive oil, aloe leaf juice, and cranberry, bamboo, honey and chicory root extracts.  Proven technologies are used for many of the products too.  For example, the revolutionary oleosome emulsion technology is used in skin care products to deliver long lasting moisture that keeps protecting and nourishing skin long after application.

Click here to read more about these products and to download a $5.00 off coupon and don’t forgot to enter to win your own!

Full Disclosure:  I received the products pictured above at no cost to me.  That, however never colors my review.

Not Just Any Spinach Salad

When I was a kid, there was a restaurant that I used to love to go to.  They had all your “Continental” type cuisines and one of my very favorite things to eat was the Spinach Salad.  I don’t know why, but a couple of days ago while I was lying, sick, in my bed, I started to crave this salad.  Today, being the first time I’ve felt well enough to leave the house, I ran out and picked up the ingredients (or at least what I thought were the ingredients) and I don’t really remember if this is exactly what it tasted like, but I no longer care.  This one was remarkably delicious.

Here’s what I did:
1 bunch of baby spinach, washed and dried and rechilled
1 lb. bacon
1 pint of strawberries cleaned, hulled and sliced
1 block of bleu cheese (don’t buy the crumbled, crumble it yourself, just trust me on this one)
1 c. of balsamic vinegar
1/3 c. of sugar

chop raw bacon and add to skillet, cook on med. heat until completely crispy.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.
Drain bacon fat from pan, except for about 4 Tablespoons – heat it back up and when hot add vinegar and sugar to pan.  Stir and cook allowing the sugar to dissolve.  Lower heat and allow to cook and thicken slightly.

Assemble salad.

Pour warm dressing directly over salad, toss and serve.

I don’t think this would keep well, so eat the whole thing.  If there’s too much, invite your neighbors over.  They’ll be your friends for life, I promise.

Dante or Michael?

So last week we wondered if Dante would lie on the witness stand to protect his father and while he did, in fact lie, it wasn’t the outcome that I was expecting, how about you? Now we’re waiting to see how Dante finds out who killed Claudia.

This week there’s all kinds of fall out with Sonny and his children and I’m just not sure that I care that much. Kristina annoys me, I hate her boyfriend and honestly, I”m two decades past caring about this kind of story line.  And if Elizabeth weren’t sucking all the life out of me, now she’s got Robin there to further annoy the crap out of everyone. And Helena getting all involved and taking care of the outcome of a paternity test?  Haven’t we done this already?  Ad infinitum?  Ok, enough hatin’.

I am enjoying the Lulu/Dante thing and the Johnny/Olivia thing and everything in between and that Johnny sure is cute, isn’t he?

What do you think of what’s going on?

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

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