WANTED!

I've WANTED to start a blog for awhile. One of my favorite jobs was a slice of life columnist at a small town newspaper - a job I took to make some cash while I finished college and stayed home with my new baby.

My husband clipped an ad out of a small, small, small town newspaper, The Valley Journal in Halstad, Minnesota. I read in bold letters, "WRITER WANTED."

Already feeling exhausted, I thought to myself, "How many hats do I need to wear? And now I have to stick a PRESS tag on it?" Still, I indulged my husband and made the call. Thank God!

Really, I thank God for that wonderful, fun, job. Writing about the high school basketball team, ladies who knit, old men who make toys, new cafe owners, and myself. Good company!

Since then, in my efforts to stay at home with my three kids, I've fallen (or rather my husband has nudged me) into food writing, candy making, magazine writing, fitness instructing, and so much more.

Most recently, I've expanded into TV! My good friend Laura nudged, no pushed, me into trying out for THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW's "Hey, Can You Cook?! 3." Thanks Laura!

"You don't need to win," she said, "You just need to get on TV!" So I did (get on TV) and I didn't (win). What a blast - thus began my unpaid career as a serial reality show contestant!

I now find myself on another show “WANTED: Adventure Host” on Comcast SportsNet where I have been whisked off to Central Oregon to compete for my own adventure show.

Currently, “WANTED: Adventure Host” is running its fourth episode with new episodes coming out every Monday at 8:00 on Comcast Sportsnet (channel 37 here in Salem, OR).

I am still in the running to host my own outdoor adventure show along with 9 other outdoorsmen. Yes, I said MEN!

For more info on the show, bonus footage, polls, and other fun stuff, visit http://www.csnnw.com/ and join us on the trail as we push ourselves to the limits.

Hearing all this, someone recently told me, “You are so adventurous!” Me? Adventurous? I wondered if they were right. If I am adventurous, it is not on purpose. Not prone to depression is probably a better description. I don't seek thrills as much as I am just willing to jump when there are no other options.

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."



SIGNATURE SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP
Adapted from my challenge winning recipe on The Rachael Ray Show that Rocco DiSpirito acclaimed as "Genius!" Like I always say, "In a pinch, stoup to soup!"

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound pork sausage, all-natural lean, removed from casing
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 bundle of celery, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and ground black pepper
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 2 canned mashed *Tip - take handfuls of beans and squeeze.
3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water (depending on how thick you like your soup)


Directions
Place a large pot over medium-high heat with about 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions, garlic, celery, salt and pepper to the pan, and cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes.

Add the sausage, cayenne, oregano, and cumin, to the pan and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon, until golden brown, 6-7 minutes.

Add the whole and mashed cannellini beans to the pot along with the stock and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until thickened, 4-5 minutes.

Serves 6