Five on Friday: SNOW

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This week seemed to be a wash, with two snow days and lots of fun playing outside and enjoying family time. I am ready to get back in some sort of schedule though!

__one__ The girls had a blast in the snow. Caroline remembered the one snow we had last year, but this was Emery's first real experience playing in the snow. They would stay out as long as they could stand it, come in for an hour or so, and get right back out there. All the cold fresh air was great for nighttime and they both fell asleep really early both nights. I was so glad I had bought Caroline some snow pants back in December, and Emery was able to wear Caroline's old snowsuit from a few winters ago.

 

__two__ I made the most delicious soup the first day it snowed, my copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscano. It's one of my family's favorites and it's PERFECT for those bitterly cold winter days.

__three__ I feel like I am so behind on the Instant Pot craze, but does anyone have any experience using one? I see all these delicious looking recipes on Facebook, and being a working mama I love any shortcuts I can get when it comes to getting dinner on the table. I found this one on Amazon, but I'd love to hear what y'all are using or any recipe suggestions you have!

                                      

__four__ We got our Magic Bands in the mail this week, and I can't believe we are THAT close to our Disney vacation. We leave in 3 weeks, and I would love any suggestions y'all have for must see attractions. We will be in Magic Kingdom 2 days, Animal Kingdom 1 day, and Hollywood Studios 1 day. I plan on writing detailed posts about our trip when we get back (including how we survive our first plane ride with both kids). 

                     

A huge question I would love some input on is if I should take two strollers or just our one nice stroller (we have this Britax B-Agile I plan on taking). Should I take an umbrella stroller to be safe, in case both kids don't want to walk at the same time? We took the kids to the zoo back in August, and Caroline did NOT want to be in the stroller at all and I felt like it was a little bit of a waste to lug both of them around. I know Disney is a different animal, but I'm hopeful they can take turns in the stroller (and Emmie can easily ride on Daddy's shoulders).

__five__ I absolutely loved my Rocksbox set this week, and I decided to keep this ring out of the set. If you don't know how Rocksbox works, they send you 3 pieces of jewelry at a time, and you can wear them for as long as you want before sending them back. You can also purchase items from your set at discounted rate. It's rare I keep any of the items, but I've been looking for a good everyday right hand ring that didn't break the bank. You can try Rocksbox for free HERE. 

Zuppa Toscano

My absolute favorite food when it's cold is soup. I have a lot of favorites, like my loaded baked potato soup, vegetable beef, and chicken and rice, but one I absolutely love to make in the winter is Zuppa Toscano. It's a knockoff of the Olive Garden variety, which ironically I've never had, but the homemade version is SO GOOD.

Zuppa Toscano (serves 4-6) 

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 medium sized potatoes, cubed
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 6 slices bacon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

 Cook bacon in dutch oven. Drain grease, and add Italian sausage and chopped onion to pot. Cook, over medium high heat, until sausage is cooked through. Reduce heat to medium, add chopped garlic, and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently.

Add chicken broth and chopped potatoes. Simmer over medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Reduce heat to medium, add cream and kale. Cook until simmering, remove from heat. Garnish with bacon and parmesan cheese.

Y'all - my 2.5 year old even eats this dish. It's a crowd pleaser! Serve with some rolls and you won't be disappointed.