I’m back to Access database work today. It looks like I will have to do even more Access work for exam procedure automation in the future, because the work will be portable and transferable to our clients that way. It’s kind of a bummer, though, because VBA is terrible. Native Python support in Office can’t come soon enough for me.

I’m heading home after two good, productive, and ultimately exhausting days in Baltimore. It will be great to be home, but I think working alone in my home office tomorrow will feel a little strange after so long with my team.

We had a nice team dinner at Aldo’s in Baltimore last night. They have the best limoncello I’ve ever had. And cannoli. And great entrées. 🍴

I was not thrilled that today’s New York Times mini crossword’s first word contained numbers. I didn’t know crosswords puzzles could contain numbers. It bamboozled me completely! 😅

I’m heading out for a team dinner. Maybe I should loosen my belt now rather than later. 😀

Oh, thank goodness for ☕️. I’ve got 15 minutes to down another cup before I head over to the office. It is nice to have a later start than usual today.

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is nice. I’m glad I recognize the area in which I’m staying. My morning destination is a short walk away.

I’m on my first Amtrak ride in about five years. I forgot how much lateral motion there is as you go. My iPad is bouncing back and forth on the tray table as I watch TV on it. It’s nice to not be driving, though.

I’m all packed for my business trip to training in Baltimore. It’s been a while since I’ve had to overnight apart from my family. At least I don’t have to fly, and can take the train there.

We had a fun weekend, full of seeing actual people, either at our home or theirs. I should remember this kind of thing, as it goes against my general nature, but is good for me and the whole family.

Cleaning the house for a 2-hour play date is very intense and takes about 3 hours!

I drew and colored this under the expert tutelage of my 5-year-old daughter, just before we played together with Wellie-Wishers. 🎨

This afternoon’s docket for my family includes lunch with the in-laws and a rare visit to the brother- and sister-in-laws to see them and their baby boy.

Good news! I can hear as well as I ought to at my age. I just hear a ringing that isn’t there: my own, one-note personal soundtrack. I was cleared to listen to music or white noise to drown it out. That’s OK, I guess.

For some reason I am really nervous about my ENT appointment today. Hearing tests are nerve wracking for me, due to a bad experience several years back.

I brought my daughter out to the school bus today, which I don’t normally do, due to my work schedule. We shared a nice little moment in the bracing cold.

I pulled a bunch of samples in ACL today for work, and have to do it again tomorrow. I caught up on podcast listening all the while (Reconcilable Differences and Security Now). It is nice to have a normal workday sometimes.

Notes

This is a hearty, pasta-free soup, fit for a winter meal. Lots of vegetables, sausage (either chicken or pork sausage can be used), and cooking liquid from cannellini beans (canned or homemade) lead to a chunky, filling soup with a rich mouth feel.

Developing a fond while cooking the sausage will add an important foundation to the soup’s flavor. Deglazing this fond early, before cooking the vegetables in the same pot, will prevent it from burning.

Ideally, the vegetables should be soft but not browned; if they are not softening sufficiently during the sauté, simmer them longer in the broth, rather than extending the sauté.

You can substitute your preferred herbs for the Italian seasoning that I use. If using fresh herbs, add them at the very end, or just before serving.

If you wish to add pasta, ditalini works well. Cook the pasta separately, and add it just before serving, to avoid the pasta absorbing too much of the broth during cooking or storage.

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz package chicken sausage
• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth, for deglazing
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 7 oz bag fresh chopped escarole
• 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, not rinsed or drained
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• (Optional) Fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
• (Garnish) Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the sausage in 1 tbsp of olive oil for 4 minutes per side over medium heat. This will likely not cook it through, which is fine; it will cook through later in the soup. Remove the sausage and set it aside.

Deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup water or chicken broth. Retain this liquid in a cup or bowl; it will be added back to the soup later. If the retained liquid contains any solids, strain it to remove them.

Once the par-cooked sausage is cool enough, cut it into coins and set it aside, to be added back to the pot later.

Dry out the pot and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery over medium heat until they are soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. If the vegetables are not completely soft after the sauté, that is OK; they can be softened after the liquid is added. Add the escarole and Italian seasoning and stir everything to combine.

Add the chicken broth, and add back the retained liquid from deglazing. Raise the temperature to high until the broth starts to boil; then lower the temperature to medium or medium low, to maintain a low simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, which can take 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the cannellini beans, including their cooking liquid, and the sausage. (These ingredients are added later to avoid overcooking them, which would lead to split beans and tough sausage.) Continue to simmer until the sausage is cooked through, which will take only a few minutes.

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. If, at this point, the soup tastes dull, add some fresh squeezed lemon juice, little by little, until the broth tastes as bright as you want it to.

Serve topped with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

My wife’s and daughter’s strawberry swirl mini muffins turned out nicely, but bedtime had to be pushed back quite a bit. It’s a fair trade-off, I suppose.

It’s a speed run in our kitchen tonight. My wife and daughter are rushing to make mini muffin batter and put it in the oven before bath time—in 20 minutes total. That would be a speed record for them. 🏁 And…the muffin mixing method just got kicked by the wayside. 😂

We had a good friend over for dinner tonight, which we don’t do as often as we should. It was really nice. It seems so hard to do, but it doesn’t really have to be.

This eye round roast came out magnificently, too. Am I starting a food blog now? (Is that annoying?)

My chicken sausage escarole soup came out so delicious that I’m thinking of posting my recipe. Do people still post recipes to their personal blogs? I originally did not want to start doing that again, but now I feel like I might as well.

The Crayola Experience was…OK, I guess. My daughter said she liked it. The rest of the day was a lot more fun, I think.

In my 20s I only drank Manhattans straight up. Now, deep into my 30s, I prefer them on the rocks—but only when homemade. It’s been quite a week for me and now it is time to unwind. Cheers!