Best Ribollita Soup...Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

This is sooooooooo good...and takes two days to make. Make sure you buy quality bread. I bought Il Fornaio's Par Baked Bread...I suggest cutting the recipe in half. It is Lidia Matticchio Bastianich's recipe...

Ribollita, Tuscan Twice-Boiled Soup, makes 12 servings
3 cups dried cannellini (white kidney) beans
8 cups cold water
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the soup
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 pound kale, washed and cut into1/2-inch strips (about 8 cups)
4 cups savoy cabbage, cored and cut into '/2-inch strips (about 8 ounces)
1/2 pound Swiss chard leaves washed and cut into1/2-inch strips (about 4 cups)
2 large Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
4 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 2 cups)
2 medium stalks celery, with leaves, chopped (about 1 cup)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces day-old country bread, crusts removed
1 medium red onion, chopped

Dump the beans into a 2- to 3-quart container and pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least 4 inches. Let soak in a cool place at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain thoroughly. (Alternatively you may quick-soak the beans as follows: Place the beans in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to a boil, boil 1 minute, and remove from the heat. Let stand 1 hour, then drain and continue with the recipe.)

Pour 8 cups of cold water into a 4- to 5-quart pot and add the beans. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to simmering, and cook until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Fish out the tender beans from the cooking liquid with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon, and cool them as described on page 91. Put about three-quarters of them into a food-processor bowl or blender. Add a ladle or two of the cooking liquid and process the beans until smooth. Stir the bean puree into the cooking liquid. Set aside the remaining whole beans.

Heat the oil in an 8- to 10-quart stockpot. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir the tomato paste and 1/2 cup water together in a small bowl, and stir into the wilted onions. Pour in the bean puree, then add the kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, potatoes, carrots, and celery. Pour in the beans and their cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to simmering. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook 45 minutes. Let rest at least 30 minutes, or cool completely and refrigerate until the next day.

Stir the bread into the soup. Taste, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Cook until thickened and dense, about 30 minutes, or longer if the soup has been refrigerated. Remove from the heat, stir well, and let stand about 15 minutes before serving.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Sprinkle some of the chopped red onion over each serving and drizzle a little olive oil on top.

To reheat leftover ribollita in the oven: preheat the oven to 400° F. Ladle the soup into individual 10- to 12-ounce ovenproof crocks (French onion-soup crocks work well). Scatter some of the chopped onion over each serving. Drizzle a little olive oil over each, set the crocks on a sturdy baking sheet, and bake until the soup is bubbling around the edges and the onions are golden, about 20 minutes. Let the crocks of soup rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Nike Signs Big Brown

From The Onion...
"Nike signed Kentucky Derby and Preakness
Stakes winner Big Brown to a seven-year, $80 million endorsement contract that included a $10 million signing bonus as well as the creation of a signature horseshoe, the Air Brown."

I don't know if you can see from the photo that the horseshoe is called Air Brown and has the orange Air cushion on it...I was pissed off when I found out that he is given steroids once a month...why are performance drugs still legal in horse racing??? Poor guy.

Wedding Cake Toppers

While looking with my fiance at wedding cake toppers on ebay, we came across this...wow.

There is quite a selection to choose from, everything from Mickey & Minnie Mouse to your own customized bobblehead dressed in wedding attire. Most have a common theme- union between two people displayed with hand holding or a hug...but the cell phone couple is a different story.

I wonder who they are calling...mom? the ex? the life insurance company? maybe a lawyer to make sure the prenup was signed in time...

a costco mattress pad in baghdad...and shrapnel

a former co-worker requested another costco mattress pad. this time it is for his roommate, a 65 year old iraqi, at the embassy in baghdad.

i learned that when you send something to an apo address you are only charged for domestic postage. i'm thinking of a side business.

i can send mattress pads around the world for bunk beds. how much would you pay?

i thought they may want to sleep under the pads since shrapnel is flying into the not-so-green zone. then someone told me that shrapnel cuts through walls so a three inch mattress pad won't save a life.

while googling schrapnel i found the correct spelling- shrapnel...here is some history:

Shrapnel, the best mankiller the Artillery possessed for over a century, was invented by Lieutenant Henry Shrapnel, Royal Artillery. Before its introduction in 1803 the Artillery defeated attacks by Infantry or Cavalry with 'canister' or 'case', a tin container filled with iron balls or bullets varying in weight from 57 to 142 grams each, according to the nature of the gun. When the gun fired the container burst open at the muzzle, releasing the balls which spread out with a shotgun effect. Up to 300 metres it was guaranteed to cause heavy casualties.

this burning man thing...for the princess camper

my roommate just found out that i am not a "camper" after the commitment of a trip to burning man. i don't know what made her think i was. just because i have a backpack from traveling in europe does not make me a camper. just because i like to read her sierra club outings does not make me a camper...

the last time i went camping was new year's eve of 2006 with my boyfriend at the los osos campsite outside of san luis obispo. i faintly remember camping once before that but i was probably under four years old.

during my last camping trip (one of two in my life) my man tried to convince me that there weren't any bears. i had taken enough espanol to know that osos=bears in spanish. why would they name a park "the bears" if there weren't any bears? osos=bears=no bears??? hmmmm...he reassured me that if there were bears, which there weren't, he would protect me...how will a swiss army knife kill a bear- i'm still paranoid.

i survived los osos with little sleep- no bear maulings...but will i survive eight days in the desert without a fridge to keep my roquefort cheese cold? without a long shower? without my man to protect me? without long distance communication? without being able to leave when i want to? without a fine dining experience? without my pillow top mattress? will my prrrrreeeeeeccccious skin get burned? will my taste buds be satisfied with desert food? things that make you go hmmmmmmmm...

craigslist jobs- what reality TV has done for the LA job market

Here are some jobs posted on craigslist:



Over 40? Need a makeover?Take a peek in the mirror right now…are you wearing “mom” jeans? Are you covered from head to toe in the same clothes you were wearing a decade ago?



NBC is looking for potential contestants and members of the MOB.



seeking single men 25 and up that date or are interested in dating a transgendered woman and take part in a TV dating show



Sci Fi Film Needs PETITE Aliens for Thursday Night Shoot

everyone else is doing it, why aren't you?

yeah, i quit my job last friday and it feels soooooooooooo good! one month of vacation pay to live off of and i am not worried at all. why was i so worried about quitting? fear. i don't want to be scared anymore. bye bye paycheck, job security, health insurance, leadership development programs, and full paid part-time mba tuition. hello life. hello you little rebel. how are you doing now?

it feels great to have zero responsibility. not having to worry about finishing up a micro managing exercise over the weekend and every other night. freedom! i wonder if this is how the revolutionists felt.

i am crossing the delaware. drinking a beer in my bikini on a monday is the best feeling on earth.

hey- everyone else is doing it, why aren't you?