Zuppa Toscana

1 pound spicy Italian ground sausage 

4 Tbs. butter

½ white onion, diced

1 Tbs. minced garlic

6 C. chicken broth

2 C. water

Simply Marvelous White Chicken Chili

Perfect for a rainy day.  Heat it up to your taste with the Tabasco- I usually go for the maximum amount, but then, that's my preference.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Italian Sausage, and Kale Soup

I needed to bring soup to an event at church and had a few different cravings rumbling around in my mind. This is the result of what I had on hand paired with those cravings.

Marsha's Fish Stew

My sweet friend Marsha brought this stew to us for dinner one day when we were in need. I asked her for the recipe as soon as I finished my first serving. She said she's never written it out before, so, after making it twice, and adding some broth to make it a bit soupier, here's my recording of her delicious fish stew. I hope the collaboration does justice to her marvelous culinary ingenuity.

Beef, Vegetable, and Wild Mushroom Soup

from Bon Appétit | January 2008

This soup gets a rich, earthy flavor from dried porcini mushrooms, which are available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at Italian markets and specialty foods stores. Perfect for a chilly day with a loaf of good, crusty bread.

Martha Washington’s Bean Soup

When I was a young wife and mom, a Texan married to a Pennsylvanian and living in Germany, cooking for my husband was complicated. He was not raised on the staple dishes of my own upbringing, and I was unfamiliar with the foods of the North. Enter Jo. Jo and her husband lived downstairs from us. She was from Pennsylvania, and besides being an avid cook, she had a desire to have someone to "mother." Jo and Roger quickly became dear friends to us, surrogate grandparents to our firstborn, and in her kitchen I learned to make the mysterious meals that my husband loved. This soup is one of our favorites. So good for a cold or rainy day. This soup is a reason to have ham- so you can have a ham bone to make soup! (And I still don't know what Martha Washington has to do with it!)

Lamb Stew

1/2-pound bacon (thickly sliced, diced)

3-4 pounds lamb (boneless shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces, fat and "stuff" trimmed off)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

When my family, one by one, with the notable exception of the cook, chose to eat a vegetarian diet, my friend Stephanie Schaeffer gave me this recipe.  It became a staple in our menu, and has remained so even now that we are all omnivores again.  This is simple and quick to make, and most of the ingredients are already in the pantry and fridge.

Crockpot Pumpkin Chili

When I first made this a couple of years ago it needed salt, and I was only somewhat impressed.  This time I bumped the salt up, changed the brand of broth I use- only because the store had ZERO cans or boxes of any beef broth except for what was in with the Campbell's soup display- substituted pinto for kidney beans (hey, I'm in Texas, for crying out loud, it's pintos all the way!), and chose a larger can of chopped green chilis.  Wowsers!  It was so flavorful I didn't even top my bowl with Fritos and cheese the way I always do (or the second bowl)!  Now, for full disclosure, I did use leftover black beans that I had cooked from scratch a few days ago and they were already seasoned.  Any changes I made are reflected here in the recipe as it is posted below.  I don't want to forget what I did today!

*Just in case you have never used Spike Seasoning, I have included a photo of what to look for.  I found it on the bottom shelf in my HEB, near the non-salt seasonings.  It is worth trying if you've never used it- even if you only use it for this recipe!

2-3 tsp. olive oil                                 
1 lb. ground beef

1 1/2 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
5 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground Ancho chili pepper 

(or use a little more chili powder if you don't have this)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. Spike Seasoning 1-7 oz. can diced green chili peppers

2 cans Campbell's beef broth
1 can (15 oz. can) pinto beans, rinsed with cold water
2 cans (15 oz. cans) black beans, rinsed with cold water
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz. can, not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz. cans)
grated cheese for serving if desired

Fritos for serving if desired

Heat a small amount of oil in a large heavy frying pan, add ground beef, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and cook until the beef is well browned. Add browned meat to the crockpot.

Add a little more oil to the frying pan, add diced onion and green bell pepper and cook 2-3 minutes, until the onion and pepper is just starting to soften. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, ground Ancho chili pepper, dried oregano, Spike Seasoning and diced green chiles and sauté a couple minutes more. Put the onion mixture into the crockpot, then deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add that to crockpot.

While onions and peppers are cooking, drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. (This removes excess starchiness and makes the beans easier to digest.) Add beans to the crockpot. Add canned pumpkin and diced tomatoes with juice.

Stir the mixture to combine ingredients, then cook on high for 4-6 hours, (or 8-10 hours on low) stirring a few times if you're home.

Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and Fritos  if desired. This chili will be even better after it's been in the fridge overnight, and also freezes well.

Cannellini Beans with Kale/ Bruschetta/ Soup

This recipe begins with a tasty take on Bruschetta and then, once the flavors have deepened overnight, it evolves into a soup.  No mere leftovers here, this is entirely intentional, and oh, so good.  I found this in Bon Appetit magazine, (November 2010) and have made it many times over.  When you are nearing the end of the process with the cannellini beans with kale you are to drain the beans and kale, but reserve the liquid!  Don't pour it down the drain!  It's liquid gold, so be sure to drain it over a bowl to capture every luscious drop.

*note: The soup calls for a drizzle of truffle oil.  I have yet to use this, (speaking of liquid gold) and the soup stands without it.  If you have truffle oil, drizzle away.  If you have extra, send me some!