Although Fletch did not give up meat for Lent, members of his family did.  So he’s kind of a vegetarian by default these days.  And he’s run through his repertoire of veggie-only dishes.  Enter my Spicy Pepper Potato Soup to save dinner tonight!  Here’s the list of ingredients for a two person serving (just double up for a family of four!)…

2 cups diced potatoes

1 poblano pepper, diced small

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced small (no vein or seeds unless you all like it hot!)

1/2 white onion, diced

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp oil (olive or veg–your choice)

1 14oz can vegetable broth

1 cup milk

1 tbsp flour 

1/2 cup shredded cheese (again, your choice but cheddar rocks)

Toppings–more shredded cheese, chives, green onions, crackers

Heat the oil in your soup pot and add the potatoes, garlic, peppers and onion.  Saute for a few minutes and season with cracked pepper and your spices of choice.  Add the can of broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Take a wooden spoon and smash the diced potatoes against the side of the pot.  This soup is not meant to be pureed; it’s a bit chunky.  Simmer another 30 minutes or so.  Continue seasoning with pepper, garlic and onion powder–whatever floats your boat.  Put your flour in your cup of milk, stir to slightly dissolve.  Slowly add milk and flour mixture to soup.  Simmer another 15-20 minutes, stirring pretty frequently.  Add cheese.  As soon as it melts, serve it up topped with what you like!

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Got spring on the brain with today’s awesome weather…

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     I’ll just take Adam’s word for it.  Of the ten movies nominated for best picture this year, I’ve seen two.  The Quentin Tarantino one, because I’m a huge fan of his (heck, my last dog was named Jackie Brown after his flick of the same name).  And I saw Up, the only animated nominee.  Loved them both but neither are getting the kind of talk, press, airtime that Avatar and The Hurt Locker are generating.   

     Adam, on the other hand, has seen ALL the nominated films and that’s why I defer to his pickin’ tomorrow morning.  He’ll tell us who should win and who will win (’cause sometimes those titles aren’t the same).

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     Jim Carrey is a 48 year old grandfather!  His 22 year old daughter had her first baby last week.  Got me thinking about other young celebrity grandparents…Sarah Palin was a 44 year old grandparent, as was Priscilla Presley and Pierce Brosnan.  James Brolin and Donny Osmond both got their granddad stripes at age 47. 

     But the winner of the youngest celebrity grandparent has to be Whoopi Goldberg.  She became a grandmother for the first time at 34.  Yes, 34.  She was 18 when her daughter was born (who in turn had her first baby at 16).  Whoopi’s oldest granddaughter is 20…so she could become a great-grandmother anytime!

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     What does your wedding date say about your marriage?  Find out here!  My husband and I picked the 28th of March to get married, an Aries wedding date (March 21-April 19).  Turns out that an Aries wedding is an “excellent time to get married because love thrives in the fresh atmosphere of springtime”.  Also noted is the fact that Aries anniversary getaways “show spring blooming in all its glory”–well, we’re headed to the desert (Las Vegas) for a few days later this month.  But I’ll look for blooming slot machines for sure!

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     This weekend, we’re counting down the top 70 songs of the 70s.  And we have 70 reasons to love the 70s here.  When I checked out the list, #15 popped out at me.  “Nancy Drew” mysteries. 

     See, I’m a “Trixie Belden” girl myself.  She’s a little different from Nancy, a bit younger, at 13.  Trixie and her friends Honey Wheeler and Di Lynch (along with Trixie’s brothers and other friends) are in a club they formed called Bob-Whites of the Glen.   There are 39 books in the series and believe me when I tell you I’ve read each one many, many times.  Books 1 through 15 have been reissued–grab ‘em for the girl who loves to read in your life!

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     So, headed to the airport today to pick up my mom and she’s clearly bringing the Florida sun with her.  Now, if we could just work it out to where she brought Florida temperatures with her as well…I don’t know though, it’s been chilly down there lately.  I mean, we’d be wearing short sleeves here if we had temps in the 40s now.  But Floridians are bundled up and complaining.  I do think after a weekend of highs of only near 30, my mom at least won’t be complaining that much anymore!

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     American Idol judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson have both openly admitted to wanting a girl to win this season’s singing competition.  But right now, on a betting site, the odds on favorite is contestant Andrew Garcia at 4 to 1.  

     But I am not a betting woman.  Nope, not me.  I champion contestant Crystal Bowersox.  She is the calmest, coolest, most collected contestant I can ever remember.  And when Simon mouthed off last night that she needed to be more original…Crystal calmly and quickly reminded him contestants can’t sing original songs.  Which just begs the question, how many original songs has she written and when do we get to hear them?!?

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     What an awesome idea!  The only rules — bring cupcakes, share cupcakes, eat cupcakes. All for free.  That’s what happened a few years ago when a group of friends in San Francisco launched the very first Cupcake Camp.  They expected 40 people and 300 showed up!  Now cupcake camps happen all over the world but all with the same spirit. 

     Sounds like something sweet any set of friends could set up and enjoy.  Bring, share and eat indeed!!

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In this quick video, watch singer Adam Lambert ask an audience member to “get off the phone”.  He does it with grace and humor and style.  What could have possibly been so important at that very moment that necessitated screaming into a cell phone during a live concert that was being taped as well for rebroadcast?  I sincerely doubt the offender was a brain surgeon dispensing critical care advice to his team back at the hospital.  But Adam handled it so well…he didn’t freak out or throw a fit.  So many artists have been caught acting like total Divas in these situations, it certainly was nice to see a professional. 

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