Zuppa Toscana

Olive-Gardenesque potato / kale /sausage soup. Two of my kids absolutely raved about this one! The rest ate it. What more can you ask? 

1/2 lb sausage, crumbled (we love Sue Gregg's breakfast sausage recipe. This recipe is similar.) 

2 TBS butter
1 large onion, chopped (or pureed for the picky kids) 

4 heads garlic, minced 

8 c. chicken broth 

4 large cubed (about 1/2") potatoes, skin on (approx 3-4 cups) 

3 TBS cornstarch 
4 c. chopped fresh kale, bite size

1 c. cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
crushed red pepper  

shredded parmesan

Cook sausage. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot. Saute' onion & garlic till soft and translucent. Add chicken broth and cubed potatoes. Simmer about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. 

Gently mash the potatoes with a potato masher, but not too much.  In a cup, combine cornstarch and a little water. Pour into soup while stirring with a whisk to thicken the soup. Add more if needed to get the thickness you want. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add 1/4tsp crushed red pepper now too, if desired.  

Last of all, add kale, sausage and cream, heat through. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese and let everyone add their own crushed red pepper as desired.

Brussels Sprouts - no, really!

No one in their right might likes Brussels sprouts, or so I thought... Mushy overcooked disgusting mini cabbages, haven't had one since I was a kid! Well, my 8 year old son saw Brussels sprouts at the store and really wanted me to buy some. Since it was his birthday and they were on sale, I indulged and bought 6. 6 whole sprouts! ha! Anyway, I searched for a way to cook 'em up, and this is what we came up with:

butter
olive oil
Brussels sprouts
real salt
pepper

Wash sprouts, then cut in half lengthwise. Heat some butter & olive oil in non stick frying pan. Put sprouts cut-side down and let cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until cut side is browned. Don't stir them until that is accomplished. Then sprinkle with real salt and ground pepper while stirring to coat. Chopped or sliced almonds would be yummy to add too.

I usually only post recipes that everyone (or nearly everyone) likes. This recipe was one that both mom and dad liked, as well as 2 of 6 kids. Only 3 kids actually tried them, and of course the baby can't eat them yet. One child like them so much that they are now one of her new favorite veggies. I thought that 50% (higher if I don't count the baby) enjoying this was an impressive statistic for Brussels sprouts.