New Year's Day Dinner

For New Year's Day, we had an Italian Feast and ate each course separately per Marlin's request. We started off with Zuppa Toscana (soup and bread) followed by an Italian salad, lasagna and finally dessert. In this picture, Curt and Joe are having "Wedding Ring Wars". It's kind of like the old paper football game that guys play in Junior High. You can see in this picture that Curt is getting ready to launch his ring on the catapult spoon. While I was up getting the camera, Joe flipped his wedding ring in Julie's soup and soup went spraying everywhere. Marlin says they ruined his BMW t-shirt as you can see, but he was just being dramatic (don't worry it washed out). haha!

For more pics, go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047483&l=1a6cc&id=161502582.

Here is my soup recipe in case anyone wants to try it!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian Sausage
1/2 lb. Smoked bacon, chopped
2 (14.5) cans Chicken Broth
1 Quart Water
4 Large Potatoes (I always add extra, sometimes up to 6-8 depending upon the size)
1 Medium Onlion, chopped
2 Large Garlic Cloves
2 Cups washed & chopped Kale or Swiss Chard
1 Cup Whipping Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Dice potatoes and place in a soup pot with the water, broth, onions, and garlic.
Add salt & pepper. Cook until tender. While potatoes are cooking, cook sausage,
then the bacon. Place in a bowl with paper towel to absorb the grease until ready
to go into the pot. Once potatoes are tender, add the sausage and bacon and simmer
for 10 minutes. Add the Kale and the Cream to the pot. Let cook another 5-10 minutes
until the Kale is tender but not overcooked. Eat and enjoy!