Winter Warmers

Minestrone soup

Photography by Steve Brown

Preparation Time

20 minutes

Cooking Time

42 minutes

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 250g pancetta
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 celery sticks
• 6 cups beef consomme
• 1 x 400g can Italian diced Roma tomatoes
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• Sea salt & pepper
• 1 cup shell pasta
• 1 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 zucchini
• 1 x 400g can rinsed cannellini beans
• Parmesan and crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat 1 1/2 tbs olive oil in large saucepan. Cook 250g pancetta, 1 onion, 1 carrot, all chopped, and 2 celery stalks, sliced. Stir and cook for 3 minutes or until onion is soft.

2. Add 6 cups beef consomme, 1 x 400g can Italian diced Roma tomatoes, 2 tbs tomato paste and sea salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, simmer, cover for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.

3. Add 1 cup small shell pasta, 1 cup finely shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup frozen peas and 1 zucchini, chopped. Boil uncovered for 8-10 mins. Stir through 1 x 400g can rinsed cannellini beans. Serve with parmesan and crusty bread.

I love winter as I can warm myself with a lovely hearty warm meal or warm drink. A cup of tea on any day is perfect but on a cold winters day it is pure bliss!!

Here is an idea for one of our winter warmers...now I just need to go and find the ingredients and get started!

Buon appetito!

Family

Today we went to lunch at mum and dads and enjoyed a lovely antipasto fare with Bron's mum Margaret and sister Kirrily. It was a relaxed afternoon with good food, wine and company. A was his beaming self who enjoyed being the centre of attention as usual!

What could be better than an afternoon surrounded by the people we love?!

What will tomorrow bring?

Another Day Another Dollar

Well what a difference a week can make!

I received the dreaded phonecall from day care to say that they had another day available, so I called my boss and told her that yes another day at day care was available so does she have any available hours for me? She rang me back once she had done her figures and....yes, I can do alternative Thursdays and she is looking at me being able to do all Thursdays. Just last week when I warned her I was looking for another day (halfheartedly) she said there would be no shifts....oh well...I know we are doing this extra day for a reason - to get to Italy and of course to offer A more in life....C'est la vie!

!

Splish Splash

I think I have created something! I was bathing A the other day when I accidentally splashed the water around him and from that moment onwards....we have a splishing splashing baby!! The smiles and giggles, yet alone splashes in last night's bath were phenomenal!! Such fun for such a fun boy!

I only work 2 days a week in my paid job...so when my husband asked me the other day if there was a chance I could increase to three days....lets say the reaction wasn't the best on my part.

I am unsure why really as going to work is only 8 hours out of my day (unless of course the surgeon is running late and we have to stayback), apart from the fact I want to spend every moment I can with A as he is growing so quickly!!

As I was sitting at work last night waiting for our final patient to recover, I thought, this is what my life was like last year....working...home....working....home... However last year at work, I was dreaming of what life was going to be like as a mum, thinking of great baby names and being a very caring nurse towards my patients.

Last night, all I could think about was whether W had fed A his meal, bathed him after day care and made him all snuggly and warm. Funny how life can change and the little things in life are the best!

Oh and PS, no extra days available at work anyway....!!

Italia....I love all things Italian

Why do I love Italy so much?! Well I think it's because I have Italian blood in me and whenever I am lucky enough to visit beautiful Italy, it is always a fantastic time!! I love the aroma of coffee brewing in coffee shops and markets as I walk around all rugged up in jeans, jumpers, scarfs and hats. I love the delightful food that is always consumed and the people that treat my family as their family.

We are contemplating travelling there later this year....should we or shouldn't we?! Could I imagine travelling 25 hours with a 15 month old very active bub?! Or should we stay home?! I feel my heart being pulled towards vuluptious Verona. I have been procrastinating lately but really, what is life about?! Having fun and experiencing the best adventure with the ones you love, I am reminded each day of the brutality of the world and well, in Italy....it's all divine, afterall we celebrated our honeymoon in Italia and discovered we were pregnant there too!!

For now I will continue to watch Italian food Safari on SBS on Thursday nights and wander through New Farm deli for the Italian experience until I stop procrastinating and make up my mind...oh and listening to my mum, A's nonna talk to A in Italian....ahh perfection!

Birthday Month for my gorgeous old man...

This month is W's birthday month....apparently when it's your birthday that month, it is "birthday month!" So I asked one old man, (who happens to be my darling husband)

"what happens when mother's day falls in birthday month?"....the response was "birthday's rule"....hmmmm....

So, what to do, what to do?! How does this old man wish to celebrate? What are A and I meant to suprise him with as a gift? Well....thinking caps are on....we have just a few days left to think.... I am working tomorrow and Friday so that leaves Thursday for gift purchasing, pity I am booked up ALL day!! I have asked A for ideas and his ideas appear to be new and improved toys...nope that won't work, after all daddy is 37 this year....a new xyliphone probably won't win him over!

However, I do know that Sunday we will celebrate with my family where one old man will be no doubt spoilt rotten, Monday well it's a working day....so I will cook a lovely wintery dinner for us.... A will spoil daddy with love and giggles.... and mothers day and the joy of my first mothers day is long gone now and I need to get into this birthday month theme....oh for the love of........W!!! Love you gorgeous boy!

What would we do without giggles?

I have my biannual resp tract infection and yesterday I felt awful, but I felt sooo much better after A kept making me giggle at him which in turn made him giggle at me! Isn't life precious?!

I love being a mum and enjoying all the delightful moments that A gives us as a couple and family.

He looks so precious today in his jeans and stripey long sleeve tshirt...we are staying in and staying warm today as the weather cools down. I am looking forward to home made pea and ham soup for lunch and an afternoon on the lounge with a cup of tea and my gorgeous boy.

I love being a mum!

A Perfect Sunday

Yesterday we celebrated a perfect day...my first mothers day. We enjoyed a lazy morning, A allowed me to sleep until 6.30am and then we headed to Scarbrough and Redcliffe for a walk along the water front.

What do I like best about being a mum?....... A's unconditional love, after a long day at work he will always give me a huge smile

A's best feature?.............. everything!!!!!!!!!!

It's family that matters...nothing else!! Thanks A for being such a fantastic little man who hardly cries and is always ready for a giggle with a smile on his face!

xxx

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day to all the girls I know that have adorable cherubs just like me! When I think of the love I have for my son, A and the love that I have for my mother....I feel overwhelmed with love, happiness and total exhileration. There is nothing better than A falling asleep on my when he is totally knackered or seeing his beautiful smile from across the room when I collect him from day care two days a week, his nonstop giggling when he is with his dad or the love that is shared between the three of us.

I love A more than words could describe.... this week my mum and I spent Thursday making baby food from scratch....I have done this before but have now found more interesting ways of making the food. I can't wait to try him on some of our new 'tasty treats'.

Last week, mum and I took A off for a photo shoot in Tenneriffe, it was so much fun to see A work the camera. I can't wait to see the pic we have chosen!!

I want to wish everyone a very happy mothers day!! What could be better than being a mum?!

I love you A from here to eternity and back!