I was raised by a single Mom who truly sacrificed her entire life to give me an amazing childhood. She is truly one of the most courageous, independent and kind hearted people I know. We are so incredibly different, but she did an amazing job raising me on her own and so I wanted to take a moment to share some of the Life Lessons from Mama Kathleen:



1. Homemade pizza makes everything better...scraped knees, divorce, jilted by 5 year old best friend...there is nothing that pizza can not cure and when you are 21+ it becomes pizza and wine. Love it to this day! After every tragedy in my life I fly home for pizza and wine.

2. When you are going through hard times or heart break or you got ran over by a bike, a Mom can always kiss you and make you feel better...can't tell you the countless times I ran home to Mom to make my boo boos go away...and still do to this day.

3. There is no place like home...my Mom taught me from an early age that home is truly where the heart is and you can make a home anywhere. However, there is something about going home to Mom that makes it a little more cozy.

4. Do not chase boys...and believe it or not I follow this rule today...I may encourage, but I will not chase. If people do not see your greatness it is not your job to show them. And she always reminds me, to this day, that when I walk in a room people can see me for who I am. Love you Mom! And yes I know when in E-town I need to tone it down. XOXO

5. Listen to your body...your body will tell you what you should eat and shouldn't eat, when you should exercise and when you shouldn't...however my body seems to fail me when it comes to telling me when to stop drinking wine...it's ok Mom I know the wine thing is a hard lesson to teach a 4 year old.

6. To make my own choices...my Mom always told me both sides of every decision I had to make as a child and every time I asked a question she would explain my options to me. She in hand taught me independent thought...and even when I made some wacky decisions like dressing up as George W Bush one year for Halloween, stealing lip gloss or dating a gang member she still let me make my own choices.

7. The world is my playground...she never used that phrase, that phrase is mine...but she taught me early on to explore life, enjoy life, go on field trips and do things that take you out of your comfort zone. To this day I love play dates and field trips!

8. Listen to the stars...my Mom is a huge fan of astrology and she has always been amazing at telling me who I should date, when I should sign contracts, get a new job, etc based on the astrological sign...and I have been amazing at not listening and dating every Mr. Wrong on the planet.

9. Follow your dreams...she let me have an incredible imagination and she never told me there was anything I couldn't do. She may have sat me down and strongly encouraged other options...like maybe running away from home at the age of 6 wasn't the smartest idea or digging a hole to China or trying to adopt a black baby at the age of 7...just sayin...not always wise.

10. Try everything once and if you don't like it you never have to do it, eat it or see it again. It has made me adventurous and open to new things...I never should have incorporated this lesson into my dating life.

So the other night before my run I decided to make some homemade Pea and Pasta Soup. Thought it sounded like the perfect comfort food and the pasta would help with the night before a race carb loading gig. And this soup recipe was so incredibly easy and tasty. I loved how salty it was from the chicken broth and how it contrasted with the pancetta and Parmesan. It was light and just felt healthy. Love! I do have to mention that when it comes to leftover soup, the broth is absorbed by the pasta, still tasty, but just don't be surprised.

I had leftover pancetta from the lasagna the other night, so I sauteed it in olive oil.


Next I added the onion and sauteed until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Sprinkle with dried thyme.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and peas and cook for approximately 10 minutes. By the way, I used orzo (rice shaped pasta) instead of ditalini, just because I had some and I like orzo in soup.

Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Serve in bowls and sprinkle with additional cheese.


ingredients
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas
salt and pepper
1 cup grated parmesan


directions
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until it begins to brown and render its fat, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and lower the heat if necessary to prevent it from burning. Add the marjoram and cook until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the ditalini and peas; season lightly with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan.

Happy Monday and Cheers!