Becky's Day At The Zoo

You know how different friends enhance different parts of your personality? For example, I think everybody has a friend that brings out their crazy side, another who brings out their quiet side, a friend who brings out their gossipy side, and yet another friend who brings out their giggly side.

This is Becky.

She brings out my happy side. She's a crazy ball of energy who goes through life seeing things to be happy about. In other words, she's a very good friend to have when things are a bit crappy because she will slap that crappy right out of you and shove all kinds of good stuff in your face.

So when she suggested a trip to the zoo without kids, I said, "I'M COMING!"

And here's the thing--I had no idea that the Pittsburgh Zoo in January is a REALLY, REALLY good idea. We went on a rainy weekday. Most of the animals were out, but the people weren't. SCORE.

I am not exaggerating even a little bit when I say there were *maybe* ten people at the zoo. Considering I was part of a group of four, that means we ran into maybe SIX people total. In the entire zoo. It was GLORIOUS.

I got to take as many photographs of the animals as I wanted without anyone yelling, "Momma! Momma! Momma!" or glaring at me or standing in my way or ANYTHING. I even managed to stand two inches from that tiger and take a photo of it as it watched some zoo workers through a window. Usually if I try to stand by that window, it's with a little fear because there are normally so many kids crawling around there that I'm afraid of an uprising from the sippy cup sect.

We got to watch that gorgeous girl pace around.

We looked on as the elephants got baths.

(An aside: we heard the zookeeper say, "Lift your ear" and watched as the ELEPHANT DID IT. Why is it that elephants are better at listening than kids?)

We even had the penguin room all to ourselves. NEENER NEENER.

Which is all to say, get yourself a Becky and go to the zoo for a day.

It's a guaranteed good time.

Promise.

White Bean and Spinach Soup

There aren't many signs of winter around right now, but I'm still busy making my favorite cold weather soups for dinner a couple of nights per week. They are an easy way to cram a lot of nutrition into a simple belly-filling meal. And, bonus! Since we're eating all of those healthy meals, we're clear to keep snacking on those leftover Christmas cookies in the freezer!

That's how it works, right? Balance and such?

Anyway, this is a simple soup that leaves a lot of room for improvisation. Want less vegetables? Fine. Want to toss some acini de pepe in? Go ahead. Feel like adding some ground turkey, sausage, or chicken? I won't stop you.

Soup is supposed to make people happy. So, do what makes you happy.

White Bean and Spinach Soup

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups broth (vegetable is my preferred broth, but chicken would also work)
2 cans Great Northern Beans
12-14 ounces fresh spinach (I use a bag of prewashed spinach, which I wash again because I'm paranoid)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt
black pepper

1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the red pepper and garlic and sauté lightly for 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for another 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the broth, beans, rosemary, thyme, and basil to the pot and simmer on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Add the spinach. It will look like it's entirely too much spinach, but hold tight. It only takes a few minutes for it to shrink considerably.

4. Continue to simmer until the spinach wilts completely, approximately 5 minutes.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this soup immediately or leave it on low heat for as long as you need to. It holds up REALLY well.

An aside: If you decide to add acini de pepe, do it after the spinach has wilted and cook according to the instructions on the box. If you add it too soon, it turns mushy.

Life Keeps Going