Red Russian kale soup with sausage and rice



 Ever since I started home-schooling my son, I have not looked for any time to work on this blog. I am still cooking, even cooking new things, I just haven't taken the time to write down what I am doing.

I was inspired by my neighbor to take it up again, and had posted a few soup pictures on Facebook. One of my friends wanted the recipe for this soup, and since I just made it today, I figured I could at least write down what I did with some degree of accuracy. It's soup, though, and by nature very forgiving, so the amounts aren't super-duper important.


Red Russian and Kale Soup with Sausage and Rice

2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 links pre-cooked spicy Italian sausage (or other variety of your choice), sliced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
5 cups veggie broth
2 cups water
4 cups or so chopped red Russian kale
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and carrots and cook for another 5-7  minutes. Add the garlic, cook and stir for one minute. Stir in the broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the kale and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes longer.

White Beans with Linguica

My sweetie has discovered this great butcher/charcuterie shop in town and shops there frequently. He recently came home with some linguica without a plan. Since it is still winter and cold (even though it hasn't been raining), a nice bean dish seemed in order.

This is what I came up with, and it turned out really great! We had it with a green salad and dinner rolls. Yummy!


White Beans with Linguica


1/2 lb. Dry White Beans, such as Navy
8 Cups Water
2 Slices Bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Large Onion, Diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced or Pressed
1/2 lb. Linguica sausage, 2 links
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp Dry Oregano
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika (or regular, if you don't have smoked)
Fresh Chopped Parsley, for Garnish



Soak the beans in water to cover by 2 inches 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and rinse the beans and place in a soup pot or dutch oven with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.

Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until brown but not crisp, about 7 minutes, add to the beans.

Cook the diced onion in the bacon grease until just starting to brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute longer. Add to the beans.

Cut the linguica in half lengthwise, then slice into quarter-inch half-moons. Cook over medium heat in the frying pan until browned, about 10 minutes. Add to the beans.



Cover the beans and maintain a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 1/2 hours. Add the salt and pepper, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook for an additional 30 minutes, uncovered, until the flavors have melded and most of the liquid is cooked off.



Spoon into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

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Pasta Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage

Okay, so I know it's been unreasonably long since I've posted any recipes. The irony is not lost on me that as soon as we got the fancy new kitchen I stopped publishing recipes. But that is how it has gone. It's not that I haven't been cooking, because I have! For some reason the inspiration to photo and write about my recipes has been lacking.

But there are a few loyal souls out there who keep commenting asking for more recipes, so here goes. I hope to start posting more regularly.

Please enjoy this recipe for pasta sauce with sausage and meatballs.


For the meatballs :

1 - 1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs or panko (measured in a glass or 'liquid' measuring cup)
milk (enough to cover the breadcrumbs)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly grease a cookie sheet or baking pan

Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs in the glass measuring cup. Put the turkey in a medium mixing bowl. When the breadcrumbs have absorbed most of the milk (3 minutes or so) add salt and pepper to taste, and the garlic powder. Mix with a fork, then add the breadcrumb mixture to the meat in the bowl. Combine well, and form into roughly walnut-sized meatballs.

Place the meatballs on the prepared baking pan, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.


For the Sausage:

1 pound Italian Sausage Links, mild or spicy

Brown the sausage in a non-stick pan over medium-low or medium heat until browned on all sides.

For the Sauce :

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, Diced (2 cups)
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced or Pressed
1 24 ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
1 15 ounce Can Tomato Sauce
2 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until very soft, but not brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add the dried herbs, crushing between your palm and fingers as you add them to the pot. Continue heating over medium heat until the sauce begins to simmer.

Add the meatballs and the sausage to the sauce. Lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, up to several hours.

Serve with your favorite pasta, or spaghetti squash. Buon Apetito!

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here.

Cassoulet : remodel dinner #22

The cassoulet was tasty and a bit of a departure, sadly I have no photos because I couldn't find my camera in the construction mess. This was, of course, a super-simplified version of cassoulet. I browned some boneless skinless chicken thighs that I had cut in thirds. Then added a chopped onion, garlic, rosemary and oregano. Once those were softened, I added 2 cans of cannelini beans and a bit of chicken broth, covered it and let it simmer until the chicken was good and cooked. Then I added the sliced leftover sausage from Sunday and let it heat through and boil down a bit. I served it with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley and tasty french bread with butter.

Braised Kielbasa with Veggies : remodel dinner #17

This is yet another one pot wonder I whipped up in the electric skillet. Again, not amazing, but it was relatively healthy and cleanup was easy peasy. My sweetie made some delicious garlic bread as an accompaniment.

I started by sauteing a large leek and some green garlic. Then I added the sliced Kielbasa and browned it. Once it was browned I added in some chicken broth (a cup or so?) and some diced potatoes and sliced carrots. After about 8 minutes I added one bunch of chopped collard greens, put the lid on it, and let it all simmer until the veg was appropriately soft.

Grilled Sausage Sandwiches and Summer Squash : remodel dinner #7

Another super simple but tasty dinner. My camera ran out of room, so I don't have photos of the sandwiches, but I think you'll get the idea. My sweetie grilled some hot Italian sausages to perfection.
In the meantime, I sliced up one red bell pepper and one onion and cooked them in a bit of olive oil in the electric skillet.


My sweetie also grilled summer squash that we had halved.







Enter a couple of Francesi Rolls from Beckmann's Old World Bakery, and you've got yourself dinner!