Soup Recipe: Zuppa Toscana

This recipe is one of our favorites. We grew kale in the garden this year, just because we liked it so much. Blaine even suggested canning it pre-kale in mass quantity. That has yet to happen… we eat it as fast as I make it. Leftovers are highly sought after – it reheats very well.

Be careful when stowing leftovers. Spilled soup makes you want to cry twice. At the loss, and at the greasy mess left in it’s aftermath. Not that I would know this firsthand or anything.

2 lbs. ground sausage

2 onions, diced

8-10 cloves garlic, minced

12 cups chicken stock

8-9 cups russet potatoes, cubed

2 tsps. salt (to taste)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

4-6 cups kale, washed, cut leaves off stems, discard stems and cut leaves into bite size pieces

3 cups heavy whipping cream

Garnish: Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste

Directions:

In stock pot, brown and crumble sausage and onions. During the last couple minutes of cooking, add minced garlic. Once cooked, drain grease.

Pour in chicken stock and add potatoes. Cover and allow potatoes to simmer for about 15-30 minutes, until tender. Once potatoes are tender, pour in heavy cream, season with salt and pepper. Then add kale.

Stir. Bring mixture back up to a simmer and allow the kale to soften and wilt. Serve.

Crockpot Pizza

A family from church brought this to the last potluck. It was awesome. I’ve made it three times since I got the recipe, and we all love it. My favorite parts: it goes in the crockpot, doesn’t require me to thaw anything out to cook, and cooks for 2.5 hours. I’ve made it with pepperoni, but one time we added too much… that made it a bit spicy. Careful!

I double this in my 6 qt crockpot to feed 8 people. There’s usually a little bit leftover.

Crock Pizza

2 c water

1 clove garlic, pressed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 8oz can tomato sauce

½ t Italian seasoning

1 small onion, chopped

1 med. red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 med. green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ lb sliced mushrooms

1 ½ c elbow macaroni

½ c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pepperoni (opt)

Ground meat, cooked (opt)

Place first 12 ingredients in slow cooker; blend gently w/ spoon.  Cover and cook on low setting for about 2 hours, or on high for about 1 hour.  Add macaroni, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, or until noodles are tender but not mushy.  Uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese .  Cover and let sit until cheese it melted.

Baked Chimichangas

(Credit)

 

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 flour tortillas (10 inches), warmed
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

Directions

• In a nonstick skillet, simmer the chicken, salsa, onion, cumin and oregano until heated through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.
• Place seam side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the broth, bouillon and pepper. Cook until bouillon is dissolved. In a small bowl, combine flour and cream until smooth; gradually stir into broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chilies; cook until heated through. To serve, cut chimichangas in half; top with sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

 

We love this recipe. Better still, it’s pretty easy to use fat free half and half and whole wheat tortillas and whole wheat flour and it becomes fairly South Beach Diet (Phase 2) friendly. I double the batch and the leftovers are fought over. Best part: these take 30 minutes, start to table, if you’re starting with cooked chicken. (I usually roast a chicken one day and make these with the leftovers the next.)

Yum.

What’s for dinner? Floppity Flop Flop Flop.

I made this for supper tonight: Pressure Cooker Recipe – Beer Can Chicken. Their photo looked fabulous.



(Photo Credit)

When I eagerly peeled open my pressure cooker, I anticipated beauty. What stared at me instead:



Oh, the horrors. What on earth did I do wrong?!

It looks like road kill. It even has the cast off cheap beer can.



Then, I added the butter and herbs to my red potatoes that I’d so carefully peeled around the center of each, also expecting beauty. I “shook gently to toss”. And they fell apart.



But darn it, I didn’t ruin the peas. I can boil a bag of peas to perfection, my friends. Be proud to be numbered among my followers. For sure.

Ugh.

Orange (somewhat healthy!) Popsicles

1 tub (32 oz.) vanilla yogurt

2 cans thawed oj concentrate

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix, pour into popsicle molds, freeze. Mmm, so good.