A woman's best friend

I wasn't extremely productive this weekend. I found new friends on Facebook - always very surprising and wonderful. I did some reading - Barbara Walter's autobiography Audition. Watched a few episodes of Dexter. And I made some soup, a new recipe - Chicken Pot Pie Soup. Very tasty, the bite or two I actually had before the crisis occurred.

They say a dog is man's best friend. Well, I can tell you that my dog is not only my very precious best friend, but my dog proved today to be my little hero. I've been praising him ever since he sniffed out trouble this afternoon.

I was sitting in front of the fireplace, about to have some homemade soup, watching tv. Bauer jumped up, turned his head toward the front of the house on full alert. I knew this wasn't the "someone might be at the door" alert. This was different, something I've never seen before. So I didn't hesitate. I went to the front and realized something was not right with the washing machine. The sound was high-pitched and I started to smell something. I opened the utility room doors and the smoke billowed out right into my face. It was that "there's about to be a fire" kind of smoke. The machine was definitely burning. I was able to turn it off without seeing fire, and I just waited. I ran to open the door and windows knowing the fire alarm was seconds from screaming. Mind you, it's 6 degrees here today. But that didn't stop me from winning the crazy neighbor award yet again. I finally opened the lid to the machine as more smoke rolled out. I was in shock. This was one of those moments when I realized all those warnings from my mother that I'd rolled my eyes to actually carry weight. Not because I don't think she's brilliant or right, but simply because I feel invincible. I never have been the worrier. I often start the dishwasher, washer, or dryer as I'm going to bed or heading out of the house. Man oh man... never again. I would have burned up my whole place and my precious dog included. Wild! Luckily, the water was out of the washer, the soap had been rinsed out, but the spin cycle hadn't started. So I threw the clothes in the dryer, put the sheets back on the bed since clearly they weren't going to get washed today, and I'll be calling the landlord tomorrow. Gotta love renting. :)

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
16 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk

In a medium sauce pan combine all ingredients, season.

Heat through and serve with favorite bread.

This is the kind of recipe that you dump the stuff in and walk away - very quick and simple. I bought a bag of veggies that included corn, carrots, potatoes, peas, lima beans, green beans, and onions. Those of you who know me very, very well know that I picked out the onions (because I detest biting into them - love the flavor though. That's what onion flakes are for.) And I picked out the frozen green beans. Hate them with a passion. I'm a Del Monte girl, so I add a few of those straight from the can instead. What can I say? I like what I like.