GTKY: My Favorite Things!

[lennonkdc]

"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad..."

All right ladies, tell me all about your favorite things!

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? 

2) Book you could read over and over again?

3) Place to go when you need perspective? 

4) Place to eat dinner? 

5) Family Recipe? 

[lennonkdc]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? I love to make braised beef short ribs and garlic mashed potatoes. It smells so good and having the oven on all day makes my kitchen all warm and cozy.

2) Book you could read over and over again? To Kill a Mockingbird, and I find new things to love about it every time I read it. I love the book so much I refuse to watch the movie (which I know is also fantastic ) because I love the version of it that exists in my imagination too much.

3) Place to go when you need perspective? I live right on Lake Erie, so when I need to sit and think I go sit a the beach and listen to waves.

4) Place to eat dinner? The restaurant that catered our wedding.

5) Family Recipe? My MIL's perogies. She makes potato, sauerkraut, and cheese, and only once a year. They are so good!

[agpjt413]

These are so great! You rock at GTKYs lennonkdc!!

I'm so sorry I haven't been around much, ladies...last cycle just hit us really hard.

I'll try to be back later to do this GTKY and the holiday one!!!

ETA: and now I want perogies for lunch!!!

[Deleted]

) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Italian bean and pasta soup or in my house we call it "everything but the kitchen sink soup". It's a favorite of mine and the boys

1.5 lbs Ground beef and 1 lb ground Italian sausage *I like hot/spicy
2 cans of cannellini beans (unless you have a day to soak overnight dried beans!)
1 onion chopped fine
3 or 4 carrots chopped
3 or 4 celery stalks chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 Cups chicken stock
1 large can (28oz) Plum tomatoes
Brown the beef and sausage, Season well with salt and pepper, set aside
In pan add olive oil (I'm really not a measurement follower I go by sight/taste)
cook onions, celery, carotts and garlic, saute stirring often.
Add the chicken stock, beans, tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the browned meat, reduce heat and simmer for a long time (hehe/1 hour). Taste and add a little water if you want thinner broth *** Add 2 cups (uncooked) Ditalini or other small noodle, continue to simmer another 15-20minutes
Add zucchini and or favorite green vegetable (I swear by the zucchini but I've used combo of spinach, green beans and squash before it's always yummy!) Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the fresh vegetable is al dente, Sprinkle fresh oregano and parsley, serve.  

2) Book you could read over and over again? A beautifully sad and loving book that helps me when I'm spiritually lost "The Shack" by William Young

3) Place to go when you need perspective? Outside- I prefer to hike/jog/walk outdoors by myself or with a dog on a trail near my house.

4) Place to eat dinner? La Viva a Mexican joint close to my house they have the best fresh guacamole ever!

5) Family Recipe? Easier than anything in the world! shhh
Peach cobbler
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 stick of butter
1 can Comstock Peaches Pie filling (very heavy syrup you can do mixture of 1/2 peaches and blueberries or cherries for a special treat)
Heat oven to 450, basic 13x9 pyrex, melt the butter
Mix sugar, flour and milk pour over melted butter, Pour peaches and syrup over batter. Bake for 45 minutes Top with vanilla bean icecream, yummy!

edit to **add pasta!

[sleepymonkey]

I love GTKY questions!

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? I live in FL so no cold snowy days for us. But on the occasional cold day we have, I love grilled cheese and tomato soup. The grilled cheese has to be made with white bread and my cheese of choice is muenster. And the soup has to be Campbell's condensed tomato soup.

2) Book you could read over and over again? I have ever read a book more than once, though I think I would like to read The Great Gatsby again. I loved that book in high school and am curious whether I would like it as much now.

3) Place to go when you need perspective? The beach after dark. It's so quiet except for the sound of the waves and is a great place to be alone with my thoughts.

4) Place to eat dinner? There is a small local pizza/Italian food place near me that I love. Everyone who works there is nice and very kid-friendly and they have the best eggplant rollatini I have ever had.

5) Family Recipe? My mom's lasagna. She makes her own sauce and the lasagna is very simple but it is delicious. I wish I had a recipe for my grandmother's fried chicken. She was such a great cook but did everything without a recipe so when she passed away, all of her delicious food went with her.

[wannabmama]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Alcatra, it's a Portuguese dish you cook all day. It smells and tastes amazing. It's also the first real meal I made H I think it's how I "got" him

2) Book you could read over and over again? I actually never re-read books. I love to read and love being sucked in but have only re-read a couple in my life. Interesting aside: I never read the last few pages of Under the Tuscan Sun bc I loved her journey so much and it resonated so much with me I literally didn't want it to end, so it didn't (for me).

3) Place to go when you need perspective? The barn or a walk anywhere with my dogs and my thoughts.

4) Place to eat dinner? At the cabin we rent on a lake in Maine every year. H grills and we sit on the deck over the lake and it's heaven.

5) Family Recipe? My mom makes the most amazing lamb in this lemony herb crust. I also love her apple crisp.

[lennonkdc]

@kellbell, that soup sounds awesome, thanks for sharing the recipe.

sleepymonkey, I love grilled cheese and tomato soup, though I'm a cheddar gal.

wannabmama, I love your favorite place to eat sounds very relaxing

[tiresiastheblond]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Spaghetti, or various stews/soups.

2) Book you could read over and over again? I've read every book in the Harry Potter series more than once. I re-read most of my grownup books, too. It's like visiting an old friend or something.

3) Place to go when you need perspective? Hmm. Nowhere, really, which is weird. I need to get outside more!

4) Place to eat dinner? Ed's Potsticker House (a very cool Northern Chinese restaurant that is now unfortunately on the other side of the city).

5) Family Recipe? My mom's macaroni and cheese, and her (and my sister's) chicken noodle soup.

[hoosiermama76]

1. Hot cocoa, grilled cheese, and soup or chili
2. Eat, Pray, Love or The Things They Carried
3. Southwestern Michigan beaches
4. Sushi restaurant near our house (amazing sushi and hibachi)
5. Family recipe for spinach casserole: spinach, sour cream, Lipton onion soup mix, bread crumbs (great side for holidays)

[mugee]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Homemade chicken noodle soup

2) Book you could read over and over again? I also don't re-read books. Probably b/c I have so many of my "to-read" list that I can't imagine going back. I did re-read "Anne of Green Gables".

3) Place to go when you need perspective? A drive in the country.

4) Place to eat dinner? I like little divey joints with really good home cooking. There's a Mennonite restaurant 2 hours from my house but well worth the drive for the best fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

5) Family Recipe? I've finally nailed my Grandma's goulash recipe. Super easy but brings back fantastic memories.

[beachdreamer]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Cinnamon rolls for breakfast, chili later in the day

2) Book you could read over and over again? I don't usually read books again, but I have read The Hunger Games books a couple of times each. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that.

3) Place to go when you need perspective? Outside, usually for a walk. When we lived in California, I always went to the beach.

4) Place to eat dinner? I like local brew pubs.

5) Family Recipe? Sweet potato casserole (Don't think it's really specific to our family; I've just never been to anyone else's holiday dinners that have the same thing)

[agpjt413]

1) Thing to make on a cold snowy day? Definitely hot cocoa and probably a soup of some kind - maybe coupled with a grilled cheese or some sort of hot, toasted or panini'd sandwich

2) Book you could read over and over again? Pride & Prejudice, Tuesdays with Morrie (anything Mitch Albom, really) and The Last Lecture

3) Place to go when you need perspective? A nursery close to where we live or walk the trails to one of the State Parks that is only two lots away from our property (when its not hunting season, that is!)

4) Place to eat dinner? Home

5) Family Recipe? I have so many I want to share...might have to get back to you on that one!