Monday, February 12, 2007

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Chapter Fifty-Five

The alarm went off at 6:00 am and I didn’t want to get up. I rolled over and tried to burrow back down into the covers. It was still dark out and I didn’t want to go to the set anyway. Not only was it boring, Rachel would be there. Well okay, so maybe it wouldn’t be boring I told myself; look at the pleasure I could take in being there with Adam. That had to irritate her I thought. And – maybe I could nose around a bit and see if anyone was doing anything suspicious!

Sarah Marcus, Private Eye! I thought it had a good ring. But then I also thought my doctor’s troll dolls were kind of cute. Hmm, something to think about.
Adam rolled over and pulled me close to him. “Good morning love.”

“I thought famous movie stars could maybe come in to the set much later, like oh say, 9:00 am. Yeah, that sounds much better, don’t you think?”

“Why yes I do. Unfortunately my director won’t. Come on, up you go,” he told me, standing up and holding his hand out to me.

He sneezed then, a sound that in the quiet dawn of morning was comparable to a sonic boom and besides rattling the windows, it thoroughly woke me up.

“Okay, okay. No need to torture me. I’m up.”

He sneezed yet again and the sound was horrid. “Adam, please, take your medication!”

He came walking out of the bathroom and turned the light on in the bedroom. “Just did. I believe you are cranky this morning,” he said, kneeling down between my legs as I sat on the edge of the bed. “I would never have suspected!” he laughed.

“Suspected what?” I grumbled.

“That you are this hard to wake up! Well, this early anyway!”

I giggled, I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know why I was so grumpy this morning, but I was determined to get past it. Without doing him bodily harm that is.

“Okay, let me hit the shower.”

“Um, shall I join you?” he asked, smiling the dimple smile at me.

“Thought you were tired?”

“That was last night love. I feel exceptionally good this morning!” he teased.

How can you be upset with such enthusiasm I wondered? Never mind anyway because I knew we didn’t have time and so did he.

“C’mon, I’ll wash your back and you can wash mine.”

“What about your front?” he asked, a sparkle lighting his eyes.

“We’ll see. Let’s go!”

In the end we each washed our own fronts and even rushing we were almost late to the set. It was still dark out as we pulled through the gates of the studio although there were gold and rose colored streaks highlighting the eastern sky. We drove through the studio lots until we got to lot 49 B, where they were filming.

The whole studio was huge; we drove for a mile to get to the correct lot. Since it was still dark I couldn’t see much but I bet it would be interesting during the day. Adam pulled into his assigned parking space and we went into the cavernous building and walked past furniture and set backdrops and lots of equipment used for moving it all around. Along the right side was a hallway leading to the dressing rooms, make up and waiting rooms. People were everywhere and even for being so early in the day there was lots of noise; hammers and saws and just humanity. Out here in the hallway we would have to yell to be heard.

After we got into Adam’s dressing room it wasn’t really any quieter because the walls were apparently very thin. I looked around the room, but again as in Italy it seemed very bare, perfunctory. Nothing personal except for a picture I saw a few minutes later. It was of Adam and me, taken in Italy on the tower. He had evidently taken it out of the developed pictures from my house and it was leaning against the mirror on the vanity. It was a very sweet and endearing thing for him to have done.

We had only been in the dressing room for a couple of minutes when there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for a reply, Sunni opened the door and came in.

“Well, good morning you two. How was the flight down? Adam, they want you in makeup in ten minutes,” she said in typical Sunni fashion, going a hundred miles an hour.

“Hi Sunni,” I said, smiling at her. She just made me feel happy because energy just seemed to emanate from her. It was a good feeling, warm and cheerful.

“Hi Sarah. Welcome to Texas. Adam, you need to change into number 27 okay, and then get to makeup!” she said, pointing towards the door. “Sarah, if you are hungry there is coffee and pastries out the door and further down the hall to the right. Adam, Krista is bringing you some coffee and a bagel, okay? Gotta go, see you!” she said, lifting her hand in a distracted wave and then, whoosh, the door was closed and she was gone.

That’s the whirlwind I remembered I thought with a laugh.

Adam started changing into an outfit labeled ‘27’ and was just finishing when there was another knock on the door, but this time no one entered immediately.

“Come in,” Adam said.

Krista walked in with a small tray that had coffee and bagels on it. “I brought some for you too Sarah, if that’s okay?” she said hesitantly.

I smiled at her and said, “Yes, that was very thoughtful Krista. Thank you very much.”

She set the tray down on the vanity and reminded Adam he needed to get to makeup in a few minutes. “They are running a bit behind; Rachel is in there and apparently not in the best of moods,” she told us with a shrug before leaving.

“Hm," I murmured. “Is the big love scene today? Is that why she is in a bad mood?”

“I rather think she’ll be in a good mood for that, if for no other reason than that she will know that I loathe it I think. Not sure what’s got her twisting today. Now, how do I look?” he asked, taking a sip of the coffee.




He had never before asked me how he looked in something and I thought it was cute. Of course, he looked fabulous. He was dressed in charcoal grey pinstripe slacks, a pale dove grey shirt and a tie that had both shades in it as well as deep blue and blood red. He looked gorgeous and about as different from himself as I could ever imagine. I remembered back to the shoot in Italy and how they had sort of flattened his naturally curls in his hair and I realized how much he was already taking on the character he was playing. His bearing was different and he just seemed more formal.

After only a few bites of the bagel he said, “C’mon, I’ve got to get to makeup and you can come with me. Unless you would prefer to stay here?”

“No, I’ll come with you,” I told him, thinking this could be very interesting.

We left the dressing room and headed down the long hallway again, going past a dozen different doors before finally stopping in front of a door that said ‘makeup’ on it. He straightened his tie and then opened the door and we walked in.

It was a very large room with several chairs sitting before brightly lit mirrors. There were actually several different kinds of lights in the room and I later found out that was to simulate different types of lighting for movies and I thought that seemed interesting. Along a counter was every color and shade of makeup imaginable as well as hair care and styling products too. On the opposite wall were sinks in an area clearly designed to do hair. A woman nodded to Adam as we walked in and pointed to a chair in the sink area. I took one of the seats near the wall and looked around the room again, still taking everything in.

Rachel wasn’t here, and I didn’t know if I was upset about that or not. Paul Hallenbach was in a make up chair and it just seemed so odd to see men being made up. They use all this makeup on them that makes them look as if they are wearing none at all, so really, what is the point? But Adam told me the difference is characters that look natural as opposed to ones that are completely washed out in front of the cameras. I guess I’ll have to take his word for it.

Someone had a radio going that was tuned to a local Dallas station and surprisingly it wasn’t country music. I would have thought with amusement that it would be sacrilegious to listen to anything but country in Texas. The song that started playing was Fleetwood Mac, Peacekeeper which is a very interesting song. I’m not exactly sure whether it’s supposed to be about war or love. I like the song a lot, it always makes me feel like moving; my body just seems to take on its own rhythm when I hear it.

Peacekeeper take your time wait for
the dark of night
Soon all the suns will rise
Peacekeeper don’t tell why don’t be
afraid to fight
Love is the sweet surprise

I sat there tapping my foot to the music and watched as they used a straightening iron in an attempt to tame Adam’s curls and waves. It wasn’t quite successful, but did smooth it quite a bit. I decided I hated it. After that he moved over to the makeup side and I was again fascinated watching what they did to him; applying a foundation and a hint of blush and then finally mascara. I almost laughed at that because Adam has the most gorgeous lashes all on his own. When he was done, I stared at him, not sure of what I thought; he was Adam, and yet not.

He smiled at me then, amusement showing clearly in his eyes. I had the feeling he knew exactly what I thought and it wasn’t really a comforting thought. I wanted to ask where my Adam was, but it seemed a silly question since he was for all practical purposes right here. Or not.

Sunni showed up then, as if knowing by magic that he was done and led us out to the set, where the scenes were being shot. The scene looked like a study or living room in an expensive house and if there had been a ceiling and four walls you wouldn’t have known that you weren’t in one. Off to the left they were working on another scene set up, a bedroom. My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I stared at that bed and wondered if it was for the scene with Adam and Rachel.

We still hadn’t seen her anywhere and I decided that was good. I hoped she appeared at the last possible moment and I remembered in Italy that that had been exactly what she had done. Paul Hallenbach came over and started chatting with Adam about the scene and it gave me time to look around again.

A hundred things were going on here and it was interesting to watch. As in Italy, it all seemed impossibly orchestrated, the movement and flow I mean. I would never be that organized and graceful I was sure. No one knocked anyone else over with a ladder or conked them in the head with a mike boom. It was amazing to watch. I still had the song Peacekeeper flowing through my mind and the rhythm of it was perfect for everything that was going on; the movement of the people seemed perfectly in tempo with the beat.




They started calling for quiet on the set and Adam and Paul, who played his brother in the movie moved on set and Rachel choose that moment to make her appearance. She was dressed in a beautiful royal blue Chanel suit and it was perfect for her. Or maybe it was a knock off, but somehow I doubted it. It was tailored and fit her slim body perfectly. Her hair was up-swept into an elegant French roll and looked stunning. My confidence suddenly took a huge dip.

Not because I was worried about Adam’s reaction to her, but geez, how could she not feel like a - a princess in that get up? How do you stand strong against that?


Sunni made another quick appearance and led me to some chairs that were out of the way. Her mind seemed to have dozens of things going on in it and she left me again, rushing off to do something else. I still hadn’t had much of a chance to talk with her and I decided that whatever they paid her wasn’t enough!

I spotted Krista speaking with the director; they were looking through a camera at a screen where they watch the film. I don’t really understand much about that, but it lets them see the movie in the same format and layout that an audience does. He was gesturing at the screen, obviously explaining something to her and the look on her face showed she was paying close attention. She was eating up everything he was saying and I decided that maybe we had misjudged Krista after all; she was young and eager to learn and maybe that’s what all her intensity in Italy was about.

All the extraneous noise was quieting as Adam, Paul and Rachel took their places in the ‘study’. The board went ‘clap’ and the scene number and take was announced and the director yelled ‘action’ and it all began.

The scene had them discussing the news that their family was being blackmailed and Rachel had a line that read: "Really? And just who are they anyway, to think they can blackmail us? Ridiculous!"

They re-did the scene a half dozen times and the director clearly wasn’t pleased with Rachel’s performance. To be fair to Rachel, I didn’t understand what his objection was. It sounded the same to me every time really. After the seventh take he yelled, “Rachel, do you have a poker up your ass today or what? Your family is being blackmailed for Gods’ sake. Show a little emotion! Think about all the money you’ll have to just give away; that ought to make you angry. Now one more time.”

“Of course darling,” she said in a syrupy sweet voice. They did the scene one more time and when it was done and he said “Print”, Rachel looked at him with an icy glare and left the set, her head held at an almost impossibly high angle. It had taken a little over 3 hours to do that 5 minute scene and everyone seemed frazzled. Adam and Paul headed over to where I was sitting watching what seemed to me a fiasco and what apparently to them was just normal.

God I would hate a job like this.

They called a 30 minute break while the next scene was moved in and lit. Adam headed straight to the food tables, rummaging around for something to eat. I remembered that morning that he had only eaten a few bites of his bagel and I was sure he must be starving. He grabbed an apple and bit into it and smiled in appreciation as he chewed. Maybe this is why he’s so thin; when they were working on movies they don’t get to eat much.

After he finished the apple he drank a glass of milk it was time to go back to the set. I drank a diet coke and followed them back, again taking my seat. It wasn’t the bedroom set I saw them working on but was actually a car, or sort of a car anyway. There was a big blue screen behind it and this scene only involved Paul and Adam I noticed. They were in the car and went through their scene very quickly; in only 3 takes actually. Not bad I thought and it only took an hour.

A lunch break was called and Adam and I retreated to his dressing room where someone, Sunni probably had already brought in lunch for us. I was hungry too but as we settled down to eat a chilling thought occurred to me. Someone had brought this food and it could easily have been tampered with.

“Adam, should we eat this? Or really you I mean? What if someone, uh well, you know, put something in it?” I reached out and laid my hand on top of his as he picked up his fork in preparation to eat. We looked at the lunch, chicken salad on croissants and mixed fruit compote. And iced tea, in glasses.

He frowned for a moment and thought about what I said. “I don’t know really. I mean I ate it all last week and I’m fine, had no problems.”

“Who brought the food?”

“I don’t know actually, I never saw anyone. I did tell them I only wanted to drink bottled water, in the bottle unopened. I’m sure several people thought I was being a prat because that’s not like me, the whole prima donna thing I mean.”

“I don’t know Adam. I just don’t know who we should trust, you know? If we should trust any of them.”

We sat there in silence for a minute and were trying to make up our minds what to do when there was a knock on the door. When it wasn’t opened immediately Adam called out, “Come in.”

Krista stepped in and nodded to the food and said, “I hope you like that; I wasn’t really sure what to bring you. And oh, I forgot that you only want bottled water to drink so I brought these for you. Sarah, I wasn’t sure what you would want.” She handed a bottle of water to each of us and then picked up one of the glasses of tea, the one sitting in front of Adam and took a long drink. “They really do make great tea here, if you can stand it without sugar, that is.” She pointed to herself and laughed, “Total southern girl here, give me sugar!” She finished the glass and sat it back down on the table.

“Thank you for the water Krista,” I told her, smiling at her. “Oh, and the lunch too.”

“Yeah, well I just want you to be able to relax while you can. The stuff this afternoon is going to be intense.” She walked to the door and opened it, leaning against it for a moment then said, “I just wanted you to know that I will be the one providing you your meals while we’re here. I pulled the lucky straw!” She closed the door and Adam and I just stared at one another.

Adam sat there and rubbed his hand over his mouth and then down his jaw before licking his lips. “Okay, what was that about?”

“I don’t have a clue for sure,” I admitted, “but I think she just gave us a message Adam.”

“Message?” he said distractedly. “What message?”

“I think she was telling us and showing us it was okay to eat and drink.” He leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips. “Adam, do you think I’m right?”

“As strange as that seems, you could be right. But that poses the question, why does she think it hasn’t been safe?”

I could only return his gaze in puzzlement. That was an excellent question.










*******************





We ate our lunch and returned to the set. Krista was right; the afternoon was very intense and tense. Rachel was in a horrible mood and made sure everyone knew it. The only got one scene done all afternoon and when they finally printed it at six o’clock they decided to call it a day. Everyone was in a bad mood and nerves were definitely frayed. We left the studio and made a quick stop at a grocery store to pick up some groceries.

As we walked around picking up odds and ends Adam seemed to finally start relaxing a bit and by the time we had paid and left the store he actually smiled. That was a miraculous thing I decided. I hadn’t seen a smile out of him for most of the day.

He was sneezing by the time we got home; it was time for more medicine. It works really quickly I decided when his sneezes stopped almost immediately.

I pointed him in the direction of the shower and told him, “You are just going to have to make do with my cooking for dinner. Get in there and wash the day off of yourself; you’ll feel better.”

He gave me a downcast smile and headed off without a word. I went into the kitchen and began preparations for some dinner. I looked at everything we bought and decided I had everything I needed to make Italian style potato soup with some Italian sausage in it. Yeah, I normally liked it on cold days, but I think Adam’s soul was chilled tonight and it was good comfort food. I learned the recipe from an Italian neighbor when I live in Vicenza and it has always been a family favorite. It’s a simple meal, but hearty and I went to work, chopping the sausage and cooking it to crisp up the skin while I boiled the potatoes and shallots. The smells were enticing by the time that Adam came downstairs wrapped in his thick, fluffy blue bathrobe.

“Oh my, that smells heavenly. I’m quite hungry. What are you making?” he asked, nibbling on my neck, which was very distracting.

I sort of slid away from him with a laugh. “It’s Italian potato soup with sausage. I hope you’ll like it.” I pointed to a baguette that we had bought at the store that was on a counter on the other side of the kitchen. “Can you hand me that? I want to get it into the oven to heat.”

He walked across the room to grab the bread and held it out to me. When I reached out for it he pulled my hand and brought me right into his arms, his warm mouth finding my own.

“Um,” I said. “Your dinner is never going to get done if you keep that up! How are you Adam?” I asked, holding him against me. My cheek was pressed against his chest and I could hear his heart beating surely and steadily and I felt comforted, just being close. It had been a stressful day for both of us I think.

“Hey, I saw a stereo in the living room. For fun after we eat you can play with the equalizer, really knock yourself out for old times’ sake!” I felt his laughter rumbling through his chest.

“You really do have a terribly wicked side you know,” I giggled, rolling my eyes in exaggeration. “You are shameless!”

“And you are beautiful. My God I love you Sarah. Thank you for being with me. I don’t think I could have stood this day without you.”

“Was it bad last week Adam?” I asked, half afraid of the answer.

“Yeah, yeah it was. I missed you so much.”

“I know Adam, I know. I missed you too.” I cleared my throat because I was afraid I was going to cry and then pulled myself out of his arms. “I need to tend to this soup or you will be eating burnt potato soup!”

I picked up the wooden spoon I had been using and stirred the pot several times around to make sure it wasn’t sticking and then tossed in a big handful of chopped fresh spinach. I added the roux and the cream to it and soon it was thick and wonderful. My mouth was watering and I was anxious to eat. I think I had been hanging around Adam too much!

“Adam, will you get some bowls out please, and some silverware?” I asked, opening the oven to check and see if the bread had warmed. I touched it and it was hot to my fingers and I grabbed a towel and pulled it out so it could set for a couple of minutes before we ate it. Adam opened a bottle of white wine that was in the fridge and found some wine glasses to pour it into. I ladled the soup into the bowls and brought the bread to the table. I decided we could be like the Italians and just pull off a hunk to dip into the soup.




Adam eagerly dug into his bowl of soup and sipped appreciatively. “Ooh, this is fantastic. Really good…” he said, continuing to eat. He pulled off a hunk of bread and got into the spirit by dipping it into the soup. “It feels kind of good, eating something that someone cooked for me for a change. Thank you love.”

And with that statement Adam had finally hit the nail on the head. Millions of women understand that situation right there. Having someone cook for us, other than popping a bowl of popcorn anyway. I smiled inwardly and managed to tell him, “Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Stella taught me to make it when I lived in Italy.”

“Stella was the Italian lady that lived across the street from you if I remember correctly?”

“Um hm. I learned a lot from her about Italian cooking actually. She was wonderful. I wonder if she still lives there?”

“Well, why don’t we go back to Italy when the picture is done and look her up? Would you like that love?” He yawned then, covering his mouth with his hand and flashed me an embarrassed look. “Sorry.”

“No problem and yeah, I think I would love to go back to Italy with you Adam.”

“Good, then we shall.”

We finished our dinner and the bottle of wine, happy to just enjoy and relax after the crazy day. My phone rang and it was Lissa and I chatted with her a bit about the movie set and everything. She was so enthusiastic about it, charmed by the glitz and glamor in a way I just couldn’t relate to. And, she wanted to know all about Rachel and that was difficult for me to talk about with any enthusiasm at all.

She finally asked me what was wrong and I told her I was just tired; that it had been a very long day which was true, as far as it went. I changed the subject by asking about her new doctor friend and she laughed and told me they had a quick lunch in between her classes today and that she had told him about her concerns about her life and time. He told her he completely understood; after all, he had been through all of those things too. He has agreed to not add any pressure to her and let her decide when she can fit him in and that pleased her a great deal.

“You know Lissa, you’ve never even told me his name!” I told her.

“I haven’t? Well, it’s Grant. Grant Shipman. Dr. Grant Shipman,” she laughed.

“I think you kind of like that name Lissa.”

“I think I kind of like him Mom!” she told me. “Hey, I gotta go Mom. I love you Mom; please tell Adam ditto, okay?”

“Ditto baby, bye,” I said with a smile and then the line went silent.

We got the kitchen cleaned up and then even though it was only 9 o’clock we went up to bed. Both of us were exhausted and Adam couldn’t seem to keep his eyes open. We held one another close, and soon we were both asleep.

When the alarm rang at 6:00 am again I groaned and knew that I really wanted to hide away – today was the big love scene with Rachel and I knew I’d rather be anywhere on earth but at that studio.
This is what building character is all about, isn’t it?


39 comments:

Kristin said...

Happy Blaahhh Monday, Everyone!

Wet and drizzly all day here in Tampa. A lovely day to pull the blanket back over my head if I was home! The plot is starting to thicken with our Adam and Sarah! Now I am looking at each action, as if it has hidden meaning!

Have a lovely day, all!

Anonymous said...

Kristin, I totally agree with you. We should be paying attention to everything now. I think there were actually several clues in this chapter. It seemed pretty uneventful, but I think Hope is teasing us, seeing how well we pay attention!

I am convinced you are a diabolical mastermind Hope! LOL

kmorales4 said...

I think Kristin and Megs got it right on the money. I can sense the clues all over this post. HHHHMMMMMM? What are you cooking up, Hope?

P.S. We should have lunch today at a place where Italian Potato Soup is served. That recipe sounded divine.

Hope said...

Good Morning!

If we want that soup we had better go to Vicenza Italy for my friend Stella's (yes, she is real)soup. She would have such a good time with everyone there.

I will post the recipe on the site tomorrow for recipe day. It is delicious and very easy!

Cold and blah here, getting colder and yuck! more snow due tomorrow, but nothing like upstate NY. To any of my readers from that area, I hope you are safe and well, dry and warm!

tita said...

Happy Monday every one!!
Hope; I agree with Kristin,Megs and Karen; you are preparing something big, that's why this post was so quiet and normal.....but I'm sure that Krista is the stalker....she's planning something and wants Adam and Sarah to trust her to betray them afterwards...She's wick.
Great post Hope, now I'm anxious for wednesday.
The Italian soup sounds wonderful...It's gonna be a delicious lunch
XOXO

Anonymous said...

Ok, maybe it is me but I think Adam's sneezing isn't allergies. I also have serious concerns about the medication he is taking.

I just love this blog.....I think I am addicted!!!! Hope, you are killing me with this...in a good way, of course. *Grin*

Anonymous said...

I went back to read this a second time after everyone's comments.A couple of things stood out--first about the allergy meds.

I have allergy's myself and take Flonase. It pretty much stops the allergies dead. It doesn't make me sleepy really, but it could react differently with other people. But does it seem to anyone that Adam has been a bit cranky lately? Could that have something to do with the allergy meds?

I don't think Krista is the stalker, but I definitely think she knows something about what is going on. As far as being Adam's daughter, I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem likely.

And Hope, now I have that Fleetwood Mac song running endlessly through my mind.

"Peacekeeper take your time..."

Anyone want to sing with me? LOL

See you at lunch!

Anonymous said...

Yummm that potato soup sounds good... home sick today but the upside is I get to read early! Def something going on with Krista, can't wait for wednesday!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I really love this post. i know this is totally unrelated but I'm from the uk and was just wondering about when u say "we went to third base" What base means what? lol
By the way, this blog ALWAYS makes me hungry, Adam's appetite for food really rubs off on me!
Keep up the good work Hope

Kristin said...

Italian potato soup with a hunk of crusty fresh out of the oven sounds heavenly right now! YUMMMMY! My family is thanking you Hope and crew for providing all sorts of easy recipes to break us out of the daily same ole' same ole' supper routine. I think Sarah and Adam are in the calm before the storm right now.... I suspect everyone and everything, down to sabatouging the batteries in the naughty sponge ball! LOL Hope, I hope you let Stella know to expect a crew today!

Kristin said...

....duh! Meant soup with a hunk of fresh out of the oven BREAD! Ya'll ever have one of THOSE days?

Hope said...

Stella always prepares for a crowd!

Jade, by American tradition we always seem to relate everything back to something familiar. In this case, third base is a sexual reference relating to baseball.

1st base - a deep kiss
2nd base - feeling someones breasts
3rd bast - getting into someones panties, direct contact
Home run - going all the way, full sexual contact.

That's how I learned it all anyway. Anyone got any different ideas?

Ohh, I can smell the fresh bread baking Kristin and Stella makes the best Toscana bread!

Anonymous said...

Happy Monday!

Rainy and yucky here today, that makes Tiggers sad! = (

Maybe i'm not suspicious enough, but when I do eventually catch on, it slams me in the face. Good one Hope, truly.

A quiet little post, yeah, but some many layers to it!

Sandy said...

I was thinking the same thing, quiet post, but something is definitely going to happen soon.
I too think there is something with the sneezing and medicine, but can't imagine what. Another great one Hope, look forward to Wednesday!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, The soup and fresh bread are just delicious!! As always another great entry today, Hope!

Anonymous said...

I agree with a few of you out there!! Krista is up to something.

Thanks hope for keeping it interesting! Just love reading this post weekly!!

Hope said...

Oh how I love this soup! And the Toscano bread is super!

But the company is the best!

Anonymous said...

Is it too late to pull up a chair for lunch? I really want to try the soup!

Wow Hope, awesome chapter today. I personally like the quiet ones, they in the long run give us much more to think about and this one is certainly doing that.

I have really been thinking it was Krista, but not anymore. I am beginning to think it actually could be Rachel now. Maybe she isn't quite as stupid as she seems? Everything she does seems calculated to cause trouble, and there has to be something to that, don't you all think? She has a crappy disposition, but that could make a good cover for her deeds, huh?

Anonymous said...

Ooh, I am so craving thick, hot soup now. Can't wait to see that recipe!

I don't know about you guys but I fully expected Krista to get sick after drinking Adam and Sarah's iced tea. Now that would have been quite a clue.

Oh, and if I were that director, I'd fire that Rachel witch! (That's witch with a capital B!) Yeah, I guess that'd set the movie back and cost the studio lots of money. But I wouldn't mind it Sarah told her off just once. Hm, and then put her arm around Adam and they walked away together, leaving Rachel standing there, stammering.

Sorry. I'm getting evil. It's amazing how involved I am with these characters! Thanks Hope!

Anonymous said...

Great as usual Hope. It seems silly that a grown man looks so forward to Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, but you story just seems to brighten my world.

Thanks so much for tolerating a character like me!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree with everyone, there is something much deeper to this post than what is apparent.

Excellent way to build the story Hope.

Reddbean said...

Hope, Just wanted to let you know I received my order of chocolate from Cero's today.

It is wonderful.

Hope said...

Reddbean,

Yes, they are aren't they. Oh but be cautious, they are sneaky, they will make you long and crave for them incessantly!

Please though, enjoy them. And do try the chocolate covered strawberries in the spring, if they will ship them.

Anonymous said...

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm....
virtual Italian potato soup today and fresh, hot, crusty bread right out of the oven...awesome location and company! And tomorrow we can try the real thing!

After readying about Vicenzo I really would like to go to that area. My husband & I spent some time in Venice and in a small mountain village in the Dolomites called Fortessia. We loved it.

Hope, marvelous job of building anticipation. Lots of good speculation, everyone, on Krista and the others! Can hardly wait to see what's next!

PS I am enjoyed beautiful, bright 53 degree sunshine in eastern Washington!

Ciao, everyone!

PS what kind of wine did everyone drink? a sweet bubbly lambrusco, a dry sparlking asti spumonte, or a robust chianti??? How about all 3!

Becky

kmorales4 said...

Good Morning all!

I'm ready for some recipes. Gotta say I've made the dressing cake and loved it. Sure it wasn't pretty but it was goooooooood. I tried the chocolate mousse and I loved that as well. Now lets see what else you guys got.

mary jane said...

Good morning everyone!!
Hope the post ws great yesterday, I feellike I am missing a lot of clues to what is going on, can not wait until tomorrows post.
I knowit is early but how about everyone meeting me in New Orleans for a little Mardi Gras fun on Friday, catch a parade eat a little seafood at Deannis on Bourbon and a Hurricane at Pat O's?
Let me know
MJ

Hope said...

Happy Tuesday!

Wichita escaped the snow, YEAH! And to all of you who didn't, I'm sorry. I hope you can stay warm and dry and maybe have a chance to try the soup.

Italian Potato and Sausage Soup
(La minestra di patata e salsiccia italiana)

• 6 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped or ½ cup finely chopped shallots (I prefer shallots)
• ½ LB Italian Sausage links (I like the spicy)
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½ pieces
• 2 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 1 pint half and half
• ¼ teaspoon rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seed
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook sausage over medium heat until crisp and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and slice into bite-size pieces
2. Cook onion or shallots until just barely tender in a little butter if needed.
3. Place meat and onions in a large pot; add stock, potatoes, rosemary and fennel. Boil until potato is cooked very soft.
4. Stir in half and half and then add spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 3 minutes and remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

***In Italy my neighbor Stella used 'salume diavolo', or spicy sausage. I like it that way because that is the way I first had it. However you may like it better with sweet sausage, depending on your tastes.

Becky, as far as wine goes, I would drink a pro secco with it, which is a semi-dry white wine or maybe even a chianti.

Hope you all enjoy the recipe and don't hesitate to post something you would like to share!

Val said...

I missed yesterday, I had one of those BUSY BUSY days!

HOPE! I make this soup, my Grandmother asks me to make it when the temperature first starts dipping in the fall, and pretty much every other week thereafter! LOL! I use mostly the mild sausage, but I usually throw in one or two links of the spicier stuff, that way it's not too spicy for the kids, and my Gran doesn't complain because it isn't spicy enough. How funny that it was in your post yesterday.

Great post, sometimes I wonder if you're slipping us clues or dead ends that we ponder too deeply. ;)

Val

Hope said...

Mary Jane,

Heard there was a tornado down your way last night. Hope all is okay for you!

Lynne said...

Hi everyone! Finally everything is back to normal. Or at the very least, my families version of it lol. I finally got the new post up on my site, and I hope its ok. Proffreading was difficult with little ones,lol. This morning was nuts. ANyone ever have on of THOSE days? My son tells me right before his bus gets here that he has lost not one, but both of his coats. A mad dash around the house turned up nothing. I ended up pulling one out of storage. Needless to say I had to take him to school. Sighs. KIDS!! Hope everyone is well and warm. It is cold here, Around 6 degrees with the current wind chill. Yikes! My mom wants me to pick up some girlscount cookies, but I think she is nuts! Baby it's cold outside. HEHEHE
Lynne

Kristin said...

Can't wait to try the soup! Will hit Publix on the way home for the ingredients and a loaf of bread. YUMMY! Thanks Hope, for the recipe. Alas, short of giving you a gourmet peanut butter and jelly recipe, my contributions to the recipe bin are relegated to what comes in a box, can or with idiot proof instructions. Someday, my childrens spouses will have a lot to say about the kids two meal repitore of mac n' cheese or spaghetti. LOL!

Lynne - glad to hear your little ones are well, and back into the chaotic groove that is motherhood!

I hope you all have a safe and truly joyful day!!! See ya Wednesday!!!

Reddbean said...

MJ,

I'm located in N. O. too. I might just have to go to Deanie's for lunch on Friday.

Hope said...

MJ and Reddbean,

I think New Orleans for early Mardi Gras on Friday sounds wonderful! I can't wait. Thanks for the invite MJ!

mary jane said...

I actually live in Slidell North of the lake and we did fine, some parts of the city were hit pretty hard, it is sad because some of the people were still in FEMA trailers and there homes were damaged again. Thanks for the concern.
Reddbean, get the fried artichoke hearts, they are the best, we are actually going Saturday before the Endymion Extraviganza.
MJ

Anonymous said...

I miss you making that soup. I miss you and wish you were here for my birthday tomorrow. I still remember the heart shaped chocolate cake you made for me that first year.

stu

kmorales4 said...

UM? Stu? What was that all about? It kind of got me creeped out.

Aaaaaanyway. I loved the recipe for the potato soup but I won't be able to make it. You see fennel seed and fresh spinach are not the type of things you find at any market here. So for those of you who can enjoy this plate of what seems to be a delicious soup, enjoy and pray that Campbells puts it in a can soon for those of us in Jibaro World.

Hope said...

stu is an old friend of mine, not creepy at all. He was just passing on some sentiments of the past. He doesn't live here in Wichita any longer. He just changed jobs and probably doesn't have regular e-mail access yet. Tomorrow is his birthday. He reads the blog and hasn't ever commented before and I teased him about that the other night. I'm not altogether sure he gets what the comments section is for, lol.

Anonymous said...

I think it was sweet. Hope y'all have a great Valentine Day
MJ

Anonymous said...

Hey Stu, Welcome! It is great to hear from another guy, especially an old friend of HOpe's. Let us hear some of your thoughts about the story!

Becky