Eat, Laugh, Scrap!

RWS just came off a 3 day week-end event, we are exhausted!  It was a blast! 

EAT-----  For those of you that have never come to an RWS event stretchy pants are a must...unless of course you don't mind walking around with your top button popped open!  On Friday we had a potluck, put it this way there where 21 ladies all bringing their favorite comfort food, LOTS O' FOOD, Julia Roberts would be proud!  Then the comfort theme continued with Zuppa Tuscana on Saturday for lunch. Here's the recipe ladies!
       
INGREDIENTS 
        ·         1 Lb. (I like mild) Italian Sausage

·         2 large Russet potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4" slices (I usually add move because I love potatoes).

·         1 large chopped onion
·         1/2 cup bacon bits

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 cups kale, chopped (optional)
·         2 cans chicken broth

·         1 quart water

·         1 cup heavy whipping cream


DIRECTIONS


·         Brown sausage and crumble. Drain and set aside.

·         Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.

·         Add sausage and bacon

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Simmer for another 10 minutes

·         Turn to low heat

·         Add Kale and cream

·         Heat thoroughly and serve

·         Serve with a crusty bread and you have a meal fit for a “Scrap Queen”.

For dinner we had the Granddaddy of comfort dinners---Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, coleslaw and cornbread with honey and melted butter. (not a diet dinner)  For those of you that asked the coleslaw dressing is Hidden Valley in a bottle.

Then for lunch on Sunday we had Spaghetti Carbonara. (recipe as follows)

INGREDIENTS

I 

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/8-inch dice (if you don’t have pancetta regular bacon will work).
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (more if you like it garlicky)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces), plus more for serving
• ¾ cup petite peas (thawed)
• Freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS 

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. 
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, Parmesan and cream. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until crisp, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 1 minute. 
• Add the spaghetti to the skillet (traditional: right into bacon grease!). Cook over low heat, tossing, until coated. Slowly add the reserved pasta cooking water and beaten egg yolks. Toss until coated with a creamy sauce, about 1 minute. Add peas and season with pepper. Transfer to bowls and serve, passing extra Parmesan.

Plus, not to mention we had fabulous deserts. I dream about the chocolate cookies and chocolate silk pie!  Laura is having withdrawals and has found an extra 4lbs. (Thanks Terrie & Kayla)

Laugh---we enjoyed our time together.  It was so nice to spend time with all the ladies and share stories.  Although some were "scary stories"  particularly the ones about stray whiskers!!!

Scrap--I think this week-end was by far one of the most productive events to date.  The ladies just cranked out page after page, book after book.  It's amazing how some industrious lady comes up with a technique or idea that just wows us every time.

You don't have to go around the world like Julia in Eat, Pray, Love just come to Running With Scissors!
That's truly the beauty of scrapbooking!  Enjoy the recipe's.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Independence-OR/Running-With-Scissors/290364680120