Spring Soup

When we had a brief interlude of cold(ish) weather and some rain recently, I was excited for the opportunity to make some soup.  I've made a version of this sausage & kale soup in the past and a pasta recipe that's similar (which you can read here and here) but this one was my husband's favorite by far.  He loved the swap of gnocchi for the usual potatoes and we both really liked the roasted red peppers.

I really recommend using the spicy (hot) Italian sausage because it gives the soup most of its flavor and spice.  With the half and half, potato gnocchi and broth, I didn't find the end result to be very spicy but well seasoned.  In fact, I added additional red pepper flakes and black pepper to up the spiciness, even with hot sausage.  I bought uncooked links of spicy chicken Italian sausage and squeezed the sausage out of the links.  I found the gnocchi with the dried pasta and used the DeLallo brand, which I liked.

Sausage & Kale Soup with Gnocchi (serves 4)

1 pound ground italian sausage (use the "hot" kind)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (12oz) jar roasted red peppers
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 pound potato gnocchi
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper

Add italian sausage and diced onion to a large dutch oven and cook over medium high heat until the sausage is browned and crumbled.  While it's cooking, chop up the roasted red peppers.  Drain the grease.  Then add in the chicken broth and red pepper, bringing the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat.  Once it simmers, reduce heat and add kale and gnocchi and stir to combine.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the gnocchi are cooked through and tender (check the cooking time on the package of gnocchi).  Stir in the half and half.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Back to School

My girls start back to school tomorrow - after Labor Day like when we were kids.  It was an awesome summer . . . one of the best! (Do I say that every year?)  We checked some things off our previous summers' bucket lists like swimming with Dolphins, World of Color, camping in the backyard, the Hollywood Bowl and with our trips, the summer just flew by.  If the following quote is true, my girls got in lots and lots of research this summer!  Here are some photos from our trip to the Pacific Northwest a couple of weeks ago:

Here's something to help you out with the start of school:  An amazing pasta dish that the whole family liked.  What's unique is that you dump everything into the pot (uncooked noodles too) and from start to finish, the meal takes about 30 minutes.  The first time I made it just for my husband and I so I halved the recipe and used a spicy smoked sausage from Sprouts and added some red pepper flakes.  The resulting spicy broth that the spaghetti cooked in was amazing.  Last night, I made it again but for the whole family and I used an italian chicken sausage (a kielbasa or other smoked andouille is fine) and it was milder.  Make sure your sausage is fully cooked / smoked and don't skip the parmesan cheese - it gives a slight creaminess and thickens the pasta at the end.  It might look plain but it tasted outstanding!

One Pot Spaghetti (serves 6)
from DamnDelicious.net

1 pound spaghetti
1 (12-15oz) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 c. halved grape tomatoes
2 c. basil leaves
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 c. grated parmesan

In a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium high heat, add the spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil (I usually hold back about a 1/2 cup for serving), garlic, and 4 1/2 cups water.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the spaghetti has cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Sunday supper

On Sundays, we get home from church around 6:30 and with early school & work mornings, we try to have supper and get the kids to bed by 8pm (especially when it's not summer vacation).  I sometimes try to make a crock pot meal but a few weeks ago, I made this new pasta.  It was really tasty and came together quickly.  Boiling the water for the penne took longer than the rest of the prep.  My husband is a fan of pasta without red sauce and I often do a sausage & olive oil pasta but the mushrooms and spinach tasted great in this version. 

Spinach, Mushroom & Sausage Penne (2 servings)

2 links spicy italian sausage
1 large shallot, diced
3 oz cremini mushrooms, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper
olive oil
1.5 cups penne pasta
grated parmesan cheese

Cook penne according to package directions until al dente.  Drain.  While the pasta is boiling, brown the sausage in a large skillet.  Remove the sausage from the skillet and drain & wipe out the oil.  Add a little olive oil to the same pan, and then add the shallot and mushrooms.  Saute until the softened and just starting to brown (about 4-5 minutes).  Add the garlic and stir for a minute.  Add the spinach and stir until wilted.  Remove from heat.  Add the cooked penne and the sausage to that skillet.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.  Put it back on the stovetop over medium heat and sauté for a minute or two or until it's all combined and sizzling.  Serve with parmesan cheese.

Apple Fennel Sausage Crepes

I know it's been a little while since I've posted pictures of updates about the girls - they're all getting taller, keeping me on my toes, say the smartest and cutest things, and produce a ton of laundry.  Here's a picture of them on the kitchen counter from this morning (yes, Big just lost her 7th tooth):  

I'll try to do a little Easter recap after the weekend!

Anyhow, I made these savory crepes a few weeks ago for my husband and I.  It was one of those evenings where I got the kids to bed early-ish and we had time to sit and enjoy dinner just the two of us.  I haven't made crepes in ages and I had a great mix from Cost Plus that I wanted to try out.  It's not a sweet mix and works well with savory fillings.  I have a link below to a brown butter crepe recipe if you want to make your own from scratch.

The photo above doesn't do it justice but the combination of leeks, fennel, and apples was delicious.  You could use a ground / bulk Italian sausage (cooked through and crumbled) or use fully cooked links like I did - I thought that the chicken apple sausages form Trader Joe's worked great and made the preparation a little quicker.

Apple Fennel Sausage Crepes (serves 4)
from Fine Cooking

8 crepes (this is a good recipe)
8 oz fully cooked chicken apple sausage, sliced
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly toasted in a dry skillet and crushed
2 medium tart apples, peeled and diced
2 large leeks, sliced 1/4 inch thick (white and green part) and washed
salt and pepper
olive oil
4 oz goat cheese

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the leeks.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until very soft and fragrant.  Remove from the pan to a large bowl and cover with a lid or foil to keep warm. Drizzle a little olive oil in the same skillet and add the chicken apple sausage, sautéing until lightly brown and warmed through.  Add the fennel seeds.   Scrape it all into the bowl with the leeks.  Add one more tablespoon of olive oil, the apples and a little salt.  Cook, stirring often, until the apples begin to brown, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to the bowl with the sausage mixture.

Prepare the crepes.  To finish the crepes, spread goat cheese down the middle of each crepe and top with the sausage, apple, leek mixture.  Fold the bottom of the crepe up and roll (like a burrito).  Arrange them snugly in a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Winter in Claremont

Winter has finally come to Claremont!  It's been beautiful in our town and I took these photos recently while I was out for a run.  I'll add a couple of recent ones of the girls - they've all three grown a ton recently and I can't believe how big they're getting!  The baby is starting to crawl and pull herself up - time to babyproof again and put away all the tiny lego pieces that are all over the house.

Today's recipe is from a book that I recently read and loved: "Bread & Wine" by Shauna Niequist.  In fact, I told one of my friends that this book was the type that I envisioned myself writing some day but she did it so well, that I'm off the hook and I don't need to write it.

I've made a few recipes from that book with good results and this one did not disappoint.  It's originally from Real Simple and it takes a little while to cook but there's not too much hands on time.  With the cold California winter weather we've been having, this dish was perfect.  For those of you who are gf, Shauna says that she makes this with gf breadcrumbs for her family.

Real Simple's Winter Cassoulet

serves 6

1 T olive oil

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (I used a chicken sausage)

1.5 cups chicken broth

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 carrots, diced

3 parsnips, diced

8 oz diced tomatoes (I used canned)

2 15oz cans of cannelini beans (or great Northern), drained and rinsed

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

2 T unsalted butter, melted

In an oven proof dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat on the stovetop.  Cook the sausage until well browned, breaking it up with a spoon.  If there'a a lot of oil in the Dutch oven, drain it at this point before the next step.  Add the chicken broth, vegetables, beans, salt, pepper, and garlic and mix well, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally about 1 hour (until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender).

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, and butter.  Sprinkle evenly over the cassoulet and place in the oven.  Bake uncovered until the crust is golden brown (about 10-15 minutes).  

I haven't tried it yet, but the recipe says you can make it ahead and freeze it with out the breadcrumb topping.  Then, when you want to bake it, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top and bake, unthawed, for 45 mins - 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Sausage & Kale Pasta

I've made this pasta a couple of times now and it is delicious.  My husband is a huge fan of pastas without a red sauce (less heartburn from all the acid) and I'm a fan of finding flavorful ways to use kale.  My kids still like red sauces so I made them a red sauce with the sausage  and then I could spice up ours even more. This basic recipe idea & method lends itself to different variations.

Any kind of noodle will do - I've used rotini & fusilli in the past.  I also usually buy chicken or turkey sausage (spicy Italian and uncooked) for this recipe.

Sausage & Kale Pasta (4 servings)

originally from Kalyn's Kitchen

3 links (12 oz) hot Italian sausage

8 oz kale leaves, thinly sliced

6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 T (plus more for the pan) olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your tastes)

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 lb pasta

1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot, squeeze the sausage out of the casings and cook until it's browned, breaking up larger pieces and so it's crumbled.  Remove the sausage from the pot and if there's a lot of grease from the sausage, pour or wipe it out.   Add 3 T olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium until you can barely start to smell garlic (don't let it brown) and then add the kale.  Saute the kale with the garlic and oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the kale is all wilted.  Add the chicken broth and the cooked sausage to the pot.  Lower to a gentle simmer.  Let it cook while you make the pasta.

Add the pasta to boiling water and follow the package directions for cooking time.  Save 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.  Gently mix the cooked pasta into the sausage & kale mixture.  I usually don't' add it all at once because I don't like there to be too many noodles proportionate to the sausage and kale.  Add a little pasta water until it's just moistened.  Then mix in the Parmesan cheese and serve pasta hot, with extra Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

Sausage & Kale Soup

I seriously LOVE this soup.  It's a great combination of flavors and I spice it up quite a bit with red pepper flakes.  I used Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's but I'm interested in tryng it with a hot sausage next time.  There's no flour to thicken the base so it's gluten free!  Make sure you notice that this is supposed to serve 12 . . . easily halved for a smaller crowd.

The Pioneer Woman's Sausage and Kale Soup (serves 12)

Original Recipe here

2 bunches Kale, Picked Over, Cleaned, And Torn Into Bite Sized Pieces

12 whole Red Potatoes, Sliced Thin

1 whole Onion, Chopped

1-1/2 pound Italian Sausage

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more to taste)

2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 cups Whole Milk

4 cups Half-and-half

Splash Of Heavy Cream (optional)

Fresh Or Dried Oregano

Black Pepper To Taste

Prepare the kale and set it aside.  In a medium pot. boil sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage with the chopped onion. Drain as much as the fat as you can. Stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano, chicken broth, milk, and half-and-half. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, a splash of heavy cream for richness (optional), then stir in the kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, then serve.

An Accidental GF Meal

Please enjoy this guest post from my sister Paula . . . she is one of the most faithful readers of this blog and I'm excited to try these recipes!  There's no photo of her recipe so instead, I offer you this picture of the cook cycling in Oregon in JULY.

"I have recently made a commitment to myself to make interesting food and, in general, cook at home more. I sort of got out of the habit of buying groceries this summer but fall is here and I am ready to begin. Today, I thought I would use polenta that has been in my cupboard for months and due to expire in October.  So, as always, I accessed my go to resource....this blog.  But alas! my sister has no recipes that use polenta as a main ingredient. I went to my back the drawing board (or the internet) where I found the following recipe.

I am happy to present a wonderful meal of that not only uses polenta but, as it turns out, is GF too. Something for the whole family! (well, my family these days).  In addition to the main dish, I made a sweet potato salad that I recently ripped out of "Cooking Light" as motivation to enact my new school year resolution. I think it will be a good potluck item in the future...grad students have a lot of potlucks...another good reason to stay in school for 22+ years

I hope you enjoy!"

Parmesan Crusted Polenta with Sausage-Mushroom Ragout (Gourmet 12/07)

2 pounds precooked polenta (in a tube), cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) rounds 1/3 cup grated parmesan 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed 1/2 pound mixed sliced fresh wild mushrooms (I used plain old cremini mushrooms) 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 1/2 cups bottled marinara sauce (I used a can of diced tomatoes and added some basil, oregano, and garlic salt

Broil polenta rounds on a lightly oiled large heavy baking sheet 3 to 4 inches from heat until lightly browned in spots, about 7 minutes. Turn rounds over and sprinkle with cheese, then broil until polenta is golden in spots and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then cook sausage, breaking up lumps, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in sausage and tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Season with salt.  Serve ragout spooned over polenta.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces  (I don't bother with the peeling)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 
• 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkinseeds)
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

• Preheat oven to 450°. Place sweet potatoes on a large jelly roll pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until tender, turning after 15 minutes. 
• Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil, cranberries, water, and honey in a saucepan. Remove 1 or 2 chiles from can; finely chop to equal 1 tablespoon. Add chopped chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce to pan (reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use). Place pan over medium-low heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Mash with a potato masher or fork until chunky. 
• Place pepitas in a medium skillet; cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently. Combine potatoes, pepitas, onions, and cilantro in a bowl. Add cranberry mixture to bowl; toss gently to coat.

Cheater Lasagna

Let me start by saying that I come from a long line of women who made fantastic lasagna. My grandmother and mom make their own sauce from scratch (a meat sauce with ground beef) and boil the noodles and the result is wonderful. So, I have no excuse for not making "real" lasagna. When I discovered the no boil lasagna noodles, I was sold. By combining that with jars of sauce, precooked sausage, and some veggies, I could make a huge pan of homecooked (albeit cheater) lasagna in a short time. It's better than Stouffer's but not as good as Grammy's.

Over the years, I've made many versions of this faker, cheater lasagna with no complaints from the eaters and tonight, I'm taking a pan of it to a Christmas potluck. Usually I make this ahead of time and refrigerate it then throw it in the oven at supper time.

Bec's Cheater Lasagna (makes a 9x13 pan)

Ingredients:

1 package of no boil lasagna noodles (Barilla or Trader Joes)
1 package of fully cooked chicken or turkey sausage, thinly sliced (I'm using TJs basil pesto chicken sausage)
1 16 oz. container of ricotta cheese
4-6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1-2 cups sliced vegetables (I usually use thinly sliced mushrooms and zucchini) optional
2 jars of sauce (I usually use marinara and whatever is on sale. The Vons brand roasted garlic with the whole cloves is great)
2 eggs

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Then, cover the sauce with the lasagna noodles (don't boil them first!). Then, cover the noodles with the ricotta mixture. Next, spread some sausage and veggies to cover the ricotta. Sprinkle with more mozzarella, some parmesan cheese and cover with sauce again. Lay down your next layer of noodles and continue the process. The top of the lasagna should be noodles, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Layering Cheat Sheet:
1. Sauce
2. Noodles
3. Ricotta
4. Sausage/veggies
5. Cheese
Repeat from step 1

Bake at 350 for about an hour. I usually cover it for the first 45 minutes or so (spray your foil with baking spray so the cheese doesn't stick to it) and then leave it uncovered. It's done when it's bubbly and golden brown. If it's coming out of the refrigerator, add an extra 15-30 minutes cooking time.

For flair, I sometimes sprinkle the layers with red chili flakes or italian seasoning, or dried basil. If you're feeding vegetarians, skip the sausage and add extra veggies. Or, make Lisa's Vegetarian Lasagna instead.

Three Cheese Penne with Sausage

Baked pasta has to be the ultimate comfort food for me. I love lasagna, baked ziti, anything warm with gooey cheese and loads of carbs. This recipe was originally from Cooking Light but I can't find it on their website anymore. I usually make it just like this but in a pinch, I've used a jarred sauce (like Trader Joe's Arrabiata) in place of the cherry tomato, bell pepper, tomato sauce part of the recipe.

Often, I half the recipe or split it into two dishes and share it with someone else. Spicy sausage changes the flavor but if you like things a little hotter, it's a good addition. My favorite part is the creamy, melty goat cheese - it adds a richness to the dish without a lot of extra calories.

Three Cheese Penne with Sausage (4-6 servings)

2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne
2 links (4 oz ea.) sweet italian sausage (I use chicken or turkey)
1 c. finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. tomato sauce
3/4 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 oz)
1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese (about 2 oz)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions but without any salt or fat. Drain and keep warm. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage, add it to the pan, and cook for 2 minutes until it's starting to crumble. Add bell pepper, seasonings, cherry tomatoes, and garlic to the pan. Saute 6 minutes or until the bell pepper is tender.


Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pasta to pan and toss it to coat with the sauce. Spoon it into a baking dish coated with cooking spray (8 in. square, deep round dish etc.). Stir in mozzarella and goat cheese and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Sausage & Vegetables

The inspiration for this dinner was a crazy website I came across where the writer cooked from her crock pot for 365 days in a row. Seriously. I go through phases with my crock pot and I stumbled on her site while I was trying to figure out why mine cooks things really hot / quickly. One of the things that I learned is it needs to be at least 2/3 full when you use it.

While not anything super special (don't serve it for company), it was tasty and healthy with very little fat and lots of fiber. I served it over brown rice and didn't realize that I would be eating potatoes and rice together until I took the first bite. Maybe not the best idea but if you're carb loading for a race or trying to use a bunch of vegetables before they go bad, this dish would work well.

Sausage and Vegetables

Cut a bunch of vegetables into 2 inch chunks. I used 3-4 small potatoes, some baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, an onion, a red bell pepper, and some white button mushrooms. Layer them in the crock pot from most dense vegetable to least dense (i.e. I put the potatoes on the bottom). Slice some pre-cooked sausage (I used Trader Joe's Jalapeno Chicken sausage) and put it on top. Pour over 2 cups of broth and 1/2 cup white wine (optional). Season with some spices (I ground some pepper over the top, used about a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and sprinkled some kosher salt). Put the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours or until your vegetables are the way you like them.