Meet Bennie, our newest member to the family, a.k.a. Bendini. Also known as Benlasimo, Benzini, or Benfasa. The names just keep on coming, thanks to Chris.
He is a cutie. He is also a mastermind escape artist. Or maybe possibly a genius.
See, I'm not big on crates. Bennie roams the apartment at his leisure (under a close watch of course), but for the sake of keeping the wee one safe on the occasion we can't tuck him away with us, he gets put up in his comfy crate. Equipped with an oversized, plush dog bed, this thing is a puppy's dream and safe haven. Bennie loves his "home"...as long as the door is open, that is. Once the crate door gets shut and safely locked, not so much. I figured it would take a few times for him to get comfortable with being left in his crate while we were out. Boy, was he fooling us. Get used to it? More like overcome it!
The other day, when I ran out to get groceries and walked up to a suspiciously quiet front door, I had the feeling something was up. Sure enough, I opened the door just to be greeted by a wagging, black ball of fur. He had escaped!
He has escaped the last three times he's been put in his crate. I'm still stumped. I have NO idea how he does it, especially since it take a certain finesse to even close the thing. Chris and I played and tweaked with the door, trying to figure out how he could manipulate the lock and door to open it on his own. No dice. He's obviously a magician. A very sneaky magician.
Speaking of sneaky. I made this soup the other day when I was craving italian wedding soup. You know the one with the meatballs? I think when I was craving it, I had the one in mind I used to order at Olive Garden back in the day for their endless soup and salad lunch deal. I haven't been to good 'ol Olive Garden in ages, so if you have no clue what I'm talking about, just ignore what I'm writing.
Let's move on.
This soup.
So, when I was craving the heck out of this soup, I decided to take matters in my own hands and improvise. Are you starting to sense a theme with my recipes? Anyways...
Wannabe Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey breast
1 tbsp olive oil (for sautéing)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
64 oz chicken stock/broth
1 cup cooked quinoa
garnish -
parsley, chopped
green onions, sliced
parmesan cheese
Directions:
Quinoa Prep -
If you don't have any cooked quinoa on hand, go ahead and begin preparing your quinoa. I rinsed 1 cup of dried quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, then poured the quinoa into a small/medium sized pot on low/medium heat. Let the quinoa sizzle a bit (~1 minute) to help bring out the natural nutty flavor. Then pour 2 cups of water or broth over the quinoa (2:1 ratio - 2 cups liquid per 1 cup quinoa). Bring to a light boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. After cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
In a medium sized pot or dutch oven, drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium to high heat. Season the ground turkey with salt and pepper, then add to the pot and brown until cooked through (about 7 minutes). Remove cooked turkey from pan onto a separate plate or bowl.
To the same pot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Once heated, add onions. Sauté for a few minutes (~ 5 min) until translucent. Add carrots, celery, garlic and red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add cooked turkey. Season all with salt, pepper, and oregano. Add broth, bring to a light boil. Turn heat down to a simmer. Add the spinach. Simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.
To prepare -
In the serving bowl, add a couple spoonfuls of cooked quinoa, pour soup overtop. Garnish with green onions, chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes:
If you happen to be super on top of your game, and have quinoa and ground turkey made in advance, this soup can be brought together in no time! Great for quick lunches or a quick dinner on those busy weeknights. Just some food for thought. Enjoy!
