It was delicious! If you make this, you can certainly purée the potatoes for a creamy texture, but I prefer wholesome chunks of taters and the crunch of green onions on top. Plus, I like to wash the potatoes and keep the skins for the extra fiber and earthy goodness. Enjoy!

Chunky Irish Potato Soup
Yield: 5-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Ready In: 55 Min

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 leeks, sliced (using the tender white and pale green portion of three bulbs)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (cubes) OR 1 lb red skinned potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (cubes)
• 1 ½ cups half n’ half
• 3 green onions, diced
• Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled cooked bacon

Directions:

1. Heat butter in large saucepan. Add onions and leeks, and cook until tender.
2. Add broth, black pepper, and potatoes. Heat to a boil. Then cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every so often. It may not look like enough liquid, but do not fret! As my dear friend April reminded me, the onions, leeks, and potatoes break down to contribute some liquid.
3. Pour in half n’ half and salt, and cook on a low simmer for 15 – 20 more minutes, taking care not to let it stick near the end as it thickens. Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes a little, and leave some potato chunks intact. Pull from heat.
4. Serve in mugs, ramekins, or bowls. Sprinkle top with green onions and dig in!
5. Serve with optional toppings if desired.

The following items will be on my Thanksgiving agenda:

• Cranberry sauce, homemade
• Broccoli cornbread, oh my! It’s tasty and has some cruciferous vegetables in it!
• Mincemeat pie, with a homemade pie crust, of course
• Savory bread/roll of some kind

She had a deep kindness within her and an easy smile. I especially loved making her laugh and laughing with her.  Laughter is contagious, especially when it’s about the little things, and especially when it’s so funny you can hardly catch your breath. And I love how loudly she laughed, how we’d throw back our heads and howl with laughter. Laughter should be uninhibited like that, just pure enjoyment. I loved our late night coffee chats, watching shows, playing cards & Dominoes, discussing school, and discussing love and life.  I miss belting out a good song with her. We both would squint our eyes and faces to hit those high notes, and then laugh at each other. I miss her immeasurably. The worst and the best part is how I’m sometimes blindsided by those memories, stopping me in my tracks. But the one unexpected part of all this is that the most reoccurring image…is her smile.

I’ve loved to read all my life, and I remember going to my mom if I got stuck on a new word, asking “What’s this word?” And I’d pronounce the word, breaking up each syllable. To which she always smiled and said, “Get the dictionary.” “Aww, mom, just tell me” – And her firm reply, “The dictionary.” I’d get the dictionary, sit on the stool in the kitchen, look up the troublesome word, read the definition aloud, and happily sink back into my book. One time I walked into the kitchen, holding a book open and said, “Mom, okay, what’s…..Whores…dee-vores?” Momma whirled around, “What?!? …let me see.” She read it and burst out laughing, turning red in the face and correctly pronouncing it as “Oor – derves”. We had a good laugh, and I asked, “So what does – ” and Mom’s “Get the dictionary.” And again, that smile.

The FiveFinger shoes  force you to run on the ball of your foot, and this piqued my interest. I tried them on in a local store and ran across the back of the store, and I could not put my heel down first. Impact was on the ball of the foot, and I immediately felt my calf and thigh muscles activate. Huzzah, I am a gazelle and queen of running!! …*ahem*…

I’m told that regular running shoes, with all that shock absorbency, put more of an impact on the skeletal system. There are mixed reviews and studies on this, but running in them does make you put your foot down heel-to-toe. Barefoot running apparently impacts your muscular system instead, because you’re utilizing your calf muscles to balance the impact on the ball of your foot.  So I’m going to wear them for a few weeks to let my calf muscles adjust and build up, and then I’ll run a little and see if there’s any knee pain.  If my knee is happy, the training begins!

1. The Warrior Dash! Mud slingin’, rip roarin’, tire jumpin’ fun! It’s basically a 5k meets a mini boot camp.
2. Back-pack camping. Maybe not quite Man Vs Wild, but I’d love to have to trek for a day and find a suitable camp site. The tomboy adventurer in me demands it! As Emerson put it, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
3. Keep on rocking out my grad classes, and I’ll begin the internship program in May! About 1 year 3 months until Masters graduation, internship completion, and the J-O-B.
4. Complete a half-marathon. I’m not disappointed in the 9 miles I finished last year, but I know I can get there again and beyond.
5. Give our Miss Kitty hugs and love, our Angelbird seedling trees and grooming, and our Skittens the Mittens belly scratches. Might I add: Cats are awesome and self-sufficient. They require food and love, and in exchange, they provide entertainment and affectionate head butts.
6. Travel. In my life, I’ve been to at least 26 states and been out of the country 3 times on various family and friend vacations, road trips, and plane flights. There will definitely be a trip to California for the ADA conference as part of the internship! Never been to Cali…
7. Life life deeply and deliberately, as I only get just one.
8. Laugh with Ryan as we play with and work on our house together.
9. Encourage our blueberry bushes to flourish, and build a hydroponics vegetable garden. “Science. It works, – !”
10. Sculpt my body into the healthiest state it’s ever been.
11. Anticipate the healthy delivery of Mark and Kayla’s precious baby. I’ll be that annoying neighbor that begs to babysit and be “Aunt Bo”. Actually, Kayla will surely dub me “Aunt Neeter”!
12. Continue with my hip-swinging Zumba classes, heart-pounding spin classes, and muscle-building weight training! I love the variety, and keeping my body guessing is a good thing.
13. Paintball! I’ve never tried it, and it looks like fun. I envision myself in camo, crouched in full gear behind a tree, sneaking up on Ryan…then SPLAT! Someone will likely have bamboozled me from the side.

At least 20 Things I either learned or was reminded of this year:

1. That “Guacamole” green DOES indeed look awesome for living room walls.
2. That my husband makes my heart flutter, because he’s my best friend and my babycakes. And he’ll tell it to me straight.
3. Losing a parent is one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. It’s thoroughly encompassing, reaching into every aspect of your life.
4. That supportive friends during loss can be just as invaluable as family. My dearest friends bent over backwards for me whether it was to make me laugh, give me space, or just …be. And I’m forever grateful.
5. On an alternate note, there’s absolutely nothing like walking into our own house! haha
6. That training for a half-marathon was an empowering and addicting feeling. And I got up to 9 miles on my long runs before my knee didn’t agree with these sentiments.
7. I’ve learned that making good grades really is the “Good Grades, Enough Sleep, Social Life – Choose TWO” triangle. Ya’ just do whatcha’ gotta’ do.
8. That grad level classes are just as time consuming but far less stressful than undergrad classes.
9. That you never know exactly how much useless crap you have until you move into your first house.
10. That handing out Halloween candy to neighborhood kids could be such simple fun.
11. That Miss Kitty could only be warily coaxed onto the new couch…if a fluffy blanket suddenly appeared for her to make kitty biscuits upon.
12. That our Skittens the Mittens will now come willingly inside and stay a while. He flops on his back for a belly rub and kneads the air with his paws.
13. That you should own your mistakes and successes – it will only promote improvement. Plus, it’s the very definition of accountability.
14. That I miss coffee with ALL the girls!
15. That this was definitely a year of immense change. Some changes were great, some not so much. But I find I’m still a glass-half-full kind of gal.
16. That The Big Bang Theory is a hilarious show! “Hello Oompa Loompas of science”
17. That nothing tastes quite so good and rich as eggnog once per year. Mmmmmmmm, eggs, cream, and sugar – how can this combo be wrong?
18. That I love living near Mark, Kayla, Caden, and the little Beany on the way!
    Caden: “Thanks, Ryan! Also, I love you.” He’s so adorable!!
19. That I think I’d like to write a book one day about a nutritional theory, regardless of whether or not it gets published.
20. That I love spin classes! It’s tough in a hurts-so-good kind of way, and you burn 400-500 calories/class if you push yourself.

Finished my first graduate level class with flying colors! I’ll be starting the Fall semester classes next week, and I’m looking forward to it. I think I’ve had the breather I needed this summer, and in talking with some of the current gals in the internship, I’m getting a good preview of just how intense the program is going to be.

We decided it was time to look for and purchase our first house. Our realtor showed us a house that was about to be on the market, and lo and behold, it was in Mark and Kayla’s neighborhood! We closed on it and are busily making this house our home. It’s cozy, and we find ourselves walking around smiling in satisfaction. I think Miss Kitty is delighted with all the space, and when she isn’t prowling about curiously, she’s lying in the hallway with one sleepy eye on us wherever we are in the house. We took Skittens in with us, but he’s still an outside kitty, faithfully showing up at dinnertime. And Angelbird probably doesn’t know the difference in location so long as he gets to hop out and explore. And we’re filling garage sale boxes with things we don’t need or haven’t laid eyes upon in years!

We bought 2 blueberry bushes (1 Powderblue variety and 1 Brightwell variety) at a Blueberry Festival in June, and I just planted those in our backyard. I tossed together some coffee grounds, grass clippings, dead leaves, and eggshells to mix in with the planting soil. I was delighted to find earthworms, because I know they’ll make a happy home aerating the soil. I poked a hole in the soil and helped one find it’s way back. I hope next year’s fruit brings so many blueberries that we have to give them away!

Ryan began a 6 week weight loss challenge among a few of us local peeps, with a $15 buy-in, and I was glad for the extra motivation. I ate cleanly, lifted weights, and ran, and it wasn’t a chore at all. It did and does feel good to sweat! I lost about 10 lbs over that challenge, but unfortunately, I don’t know how much muscle I gained. I know I built a good bit, but now in addition to pounds and percentage lost, I’ll use a tape measure and calipers for inches lost.

In July, I signed up for the October 30th Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans, and I’ve been following a training guide that I tweaked a little. I’m planning on getting up to the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles two weeks before the big day. Then I’ll start weaning back the mileage as the schedule suggests. I just want to be in the best shape I can, and I’d feel better hitting the 13.1 mile mark before the half marathon. And it just feels good to run!

And we had the usual grillouts, swimming, and family and friends’ fun that we do every summer. Life is good.

My favorite sandwich growing up when we went picnicking or camping: a sliced ham and roast beef. No cheese, just Blue Plate mayo on 2 slices of Roman Meal Wheat Bread. Some of my favorite memories were picnics at the reservoir or other river camping parks with Mom, Dad, Damon, and Parker plus other families. And I have memories of us kids, hot from the summer sun, leaning toward the cooler when it was opened to feel that rush of cool air.

I’m reminded of the comfort of being little, tucked into bed, and soothed to sleep by Momma rubbing Solarcain on my sunburnt shoulders. I can clearly remember the cool air of the fan, the quiet snore of my younger brother, and crickets’ song lilting in through the opened window. Nothing tuckers you out quite like playing hard in the summer sun and water.

I randomly remember our older brother Damon teaching me and Parker how to play Frogger on his Atari! I also remember when Mom and Dad agreed to let me and Parker have a Nintendo and Super Mario Bros. One day, she figured we’d had enough and ordered us outside to get some sunshine. Parker and I were distraught: “But Momma, we’re finally at the castle!” and Mom’s stern: “Out - You need exercise and sunshine!”

A much newer memory involves my nephew Donovan when he was about 5 years old. We were standing in Tonya’s kitchen, and he looked up at his mom and asked for a snack. She said, “No, dinner’s almost ready”, to which Donovan said, “But Momma, I’m starving! Can’t I just have something to tide me over?” Adorable!

I remember when it was a big deal when Parker and I were old enough that Mom and Dad would let us ride our bikes to the “Tote-sum” store to get snacks (the corner grocery or gas station a mile from our house).

One day, my Dad brought home a stray puppy he found that had both front paws covered in bubblegum, which is precisely what we named him. Our tomcat at the time, Hoosey, was not thrilled at all by this new addition to the family and promptly popped his little nose. Years later though, they were inseparable, and one could often find them napping together in the sun.

Finally, my parents were those that stocked the house with lots of fruit for afternoon snacks, which is a good thing. We used to ask for the Hostess snack cakes, because so-and-so who lives one street over has an assortment of StarCrunch/Twinkies/Ho-Hos/Cupcakes. Sometimes we had Oatmeal Pies, but that was likely because it contained oatmeal. Leave it to grandparents though! My Mom’s dad would always keep RC colas and moon pies well stocked over the summer for all the grandkids. My favorite was banana flavored. Good stuff, good memories.