First topic:
For those of you who are interested in the recipe for Sorta Zuppa Toscana, I made it again tonight, and there was no red film this time. I did a couple things differently. First, I used the ground Italian sausage that comes in the flat saran wrapped package like a steak comes in, not the tube-y thing that some comes in. I hope you know what I'm talking about, because I just can't explain it better than that. Also, when we cooked it the first time, we let the soup sit a while before we added the cream because we weren't ready to eat it yet (and I think Mom forgot). I think that's most likely what made the difference. Also, she may have sauteed the sausage in the pot she used for the soup, which is more effective for doing dishes, but probably leaves some extra grease.
The point of that extremely long paragraph: If you use the right sausage, cook it in a separate pan and add the cream right away, the soup comes out as an almost exact replica of the soup at the Olive Garden. Oh, and I used kale this time, which was definitely better than the spinach.
Pictures coming tomorrow, when I get to work and can use my camera card reader I left there.
Second, totally unrelated topic:
I love the show Bones on Fox.
It's probably close to my favorite, although Grey's Anatomy holds a special place in my heart (I'm such a dork). The main character is Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute. She often consults for the FBI, working closely with Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). Booth gave her the nickname "Bones."
Dr. Brennan is flawed. Actually, she has some major issues. Her parents disappeared when she was 15, and she was put into the foster system. This probably explains her obsession with identifying lost victims. One of my favorite scenes is one where Bones passes on a night out with her co-worker and best friend, Angela, to identify one of several sets of remains of unknown soldiers from World War I.
Two of my favorite aspects of the show: One, Brennan is completely out of the loop when it comes to any sort of pop culture. She doesn't watch TV, she doesn't read magazines. Often, when another member of the team makes an allusion to popular culture, she's totally left out of the loop. It cracks me up. Especially since she's managed to write a bestselling novel. Go Brennan!
Two, I love the chemistry between Brennan and Booth. It's a real Mulder/Scully thing (and if you said that to Brennan, she would say, "I don't know what that means."). They have tons of chemistry, both professionally and personally. I keep waiting for them to get together, but I don't think they ever will.
My review? Two thumbs way up. Or on my sister's rating program: Friday Night Full.
P.S. - I know this post is horribly written, and I'm kind of embarrassed, but it's late and I'm tired, but I can't sleep, so I pretty much don't care. But I do apologize.
