last minute

We are now down to about 14 days that we will be home to work on house projects. I am mostly finished packing aside from the essential things we'll need until the last minute. There are always those things that you don't know where to pack and keep avoiding until it's time to pack the truck and then shove them all in a box together. Im trying to avoid that and empty every cabinet and pack as much as possible. We've sold almost everything aside from two bookshelves, the grill, and Ben's old video games. Not too bad! Today Ben is power washing the house and I'm plugging away inside packing, cleaning and putting books on CD on my iPOD. It's been a major challenge for me to organize everything since we'll be in our trailer for awhile and space is very limited there. The majority of our things will be on the truck and then put immediately in storage, so we need to make sure we don't pack anything we'll need for the next few months. I'm often so overwhelmed with all the different factors that it's hard to get anything done. I've found that making really detailed lists is the best way go. Last night we walked to every room in the house and made an extremely detailed list.

I've been searching for rentals, but don't have any leads yet. I am getting very nervous about finding a rental that will be big enough, in a good location that will allow 3 dogs! The thought of living in our trailer for more than a few weeks is very frightening. I'm sure it will all work out, but I guess I like to worry about these things. 

We've been making an effort to see our friends for the last time. We went out to Quinns in Seattle last night with Kate and Jacob for dinner. We heard they have good burgers and it was true..they were pretty amazing.
 I've been trying to use up ingredients in my pantry so I don't have to compost good food. I hate wasting food. I had a lot of beans, cans of tomatoes, broth and cabbage in the refrigerator. The only thing I needed to buy for this recipe was the bread. It makes a lot and you really can't go wrong with any recipe by Ina Garten. She is the best! Ribolitta was one of our favorite dishes in Italy. We went back to the same place several times in Tuscany.

Ina Gartens Ribollita

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 pound large diced pancetta
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 1 cup chopped carrots(3 carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded cabbage or kale
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups stale sourdough cubes, crusts removed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch.  Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage or the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.