I love the Olive Garden...I especially love the decor. So much that I painted my family room to resemble the Venetian plaster they have on their walls.As much as I love their food, I don't usually order the pasta. It always amazes me that I can buy a whole package of pasta for under $3 at the grocery store, but when it is prepared at a restaurant it can cost upwards of $10+ for one serving. Not to mention they give you so much and I am really trying to limit my carb intake (especially processed white flour carbs). So, last time I went to the Olive Garden I ordered Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo , hold the pasta and replaced it with steamed broccoli. Now before you think I am totally nuts-O, you should try it, cause it is really tasty. Who doesn't like cheese smothered on just about anything...I loved it!
Another thing I love to get is all you can eat soup, salad and bread sticks...(with a side of alfredo) Okay, this is what I would get if I wasn't trying to lose weight. Now I think I would forgo the bread sticks and alfredo. Mmmm!
Here is the recipe for their Zuppa Toscana. In place of potatoes, I use turnips as they are much lower on the glycemic index. (starch into sugar into fat)
Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana
3/4 cup onions, diced
2 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart water, bullion cube optional
2 medium potatoes (or turnips), cubed
2 cups kale, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cup spicy Italian sausage link (not ground sausage) skin removed and cooked
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Cook sausage and bacon (separately). Cook onions over medium until onions are clear. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add water and bullion and potatoes (or turnips). Simmer for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes more and serve.
3 comments:
I have always liked Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, it is one of the things that I order frequently when we go to the Olive Garden, but we have not been there in quite a while. I wonder if one could request turnips instead of potatoes at the Olive Garden.
We had a good time at your house this afternoon. I liked the food and the company was good as well. It was good to see Ken and Dan.
I had not seen Ken since I retired from Boeing and I have only seen Dan at your place last summer. So that was fun for me.
Both your mom and I said that we were glad that we went and both of us felt really tired by the time we got home.
Thanks for my "Cancer Story Box", it is really cute. I had almost forgotten you had all that stuff. When did you find the time to work on it?
Thanks again for the food and the Scrapbook.
Love you,
Dad
I'm glad you guys were able to make it too. It was fun having people over. Dan and I just "cleaned" up the choclate fondue fountain...I'm sure I will see the results on my hips tomorrow!
Your memory box has been done for quite some time now. I think I must have worked on it while Dan was able to watch the kids, or after they went to bed. I was planning on giving it to you if we had a recovery party, but I figured I couldn't wait any longer and I didn't want Hayden to get into it any more. You may notice that some of the pink sponge is missing. Haden decided he wanted to try it out. I guess that will teach me not to leave things where he can reach them! I posted a few pictures on my Paper Capers blog, hope you don't mind.
Love,
Alyssa
I did notice that some of my sponge was missing, it is kind of funny.
Say, you will have to send me an invitation to your Paper Capers blog.
Thanks again,
Dad
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