Sonia and Long Dog Love

For the Canine Kitty Gift Exchange the Danes were gifted lots of fun things, see here!, including 2 "Long Dogs".

I don't know what it is about this one, but Sonia sure does love it! Baxter pulled the majority of the stuffing and squeakers out of the red one, but Sonia just snuggles this one all day long!

Italian Wedding Soup (Take 2!)

Last time I posted the recipe for Italian Wedding Soup, I had forgotten to take pictures. I made it again last night, with a few tweaks, but had my camera in hand and my husband to assist when my hands were covered in meatball mixture! You can find my tweaks and the original recipe here, in an easy-to-read form!

Carrots & Onions. Chop them SMALL so they cook faster (especially the carrots!). I made a large amount of soup so I cut up a whole large onion and 3 large carrots.

Make the meatballs! Use whatever you feel like adding - I like to mix it up a little each time for different flavors! Last night's had: 1.5lb ground beef, 1 egg, a few shakes of grated parm, a few shakes of italian breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a few scallions I had in the fridge.

Mix it all up! Have someone else take a picture because your hands will be gross!

Make a LOT of small meatballs. I've been making them the size of  a quarter, but next time I'll try about half that size. It's time consuming but I like when they're really small! Set them aside, they'll cook in the soup.

Saute the onions and carrots in a smidge of olive oil until the onions are clear. Add chicken broth (I used 4 32oz containers this time), dried basil, spinach, salt, pepper, & LOTS of garlic (I pressed 6 cloves into this version). When the broth is boiling (or nearly there if you're impatient like me!) add the pasta and meatballs. 

The meatballs will float when they're done. I simmered mine for about 30 minutes - I like to do it a little longer than that, but we were hungry!

I had about a cup of Chardonnay left in the fridge that wasn't going to be used so I threw that in for good measure!

When it's all simmered, ladle it into bowls, LET IT COOL if you want to avoid the burnt roof of your mouth later, sprinkle some grated parm on top and ENJOY! (Also, the meatballs were not that pink in real life, they were a light shade of gray, definitely cooked!)