Soup Of The Day

Happy National Meatball Day to all of my meatball loving readers! Lets be honest, who doesn't love a good meatball? I remember being woken up by the smell of meatballs on Sunday morning as my mom was frying them up before adding them to slowly simmer in Sunday's sauce. I would always have her keep two aside before she plopped them into her meat sauce and would eat them at room temperature. That is my favorite way to eat any meatball, sauceless, fried and a little bit crispy on both ends. I remember my father would snag some too pre sauce and would make a meatball sandwich on plain old white bread. Now that I think about it, my mom must have made a few dozen balls to satisfy our hungry family.

I promised I would post my Italian sausage and potato soup recipe for you all and I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. I was inspired by a dish I had out once called Zuppa Toscana. It was filled with hearty veggies like potatoes, chopped kale and onions and was finished off with crumbled sausage. So I took the same idea and did a lightened up version with tons more veggies. This recipe does take a bit of prep time, but once all the ingredients are in the pot its a breeze. I'm excited to have something satisfying and filling for my lunches this week. John sneaked a few scoops full out from the pot while it was simmering, so I figured I'd make him a small bowl to taste before we started on dinner and he LOVED it. Here's what you'll need: 

Ingredients:
 

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 4 slices of uncooked bacon, chopped small
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or garlic powder
• 3 potatoes peeled (I left the skin on mine)
• 1 large carrot, sliced thin 
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup of leeks chopped
• 4-5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 2-3 cups chopped spinach
• 2 tbs parsley
• 2 tbs dill
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your taste)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add your ground sausage. Note: If you buy the links like I did above, slice the link down the middle, peel back the casing and crumble into the pot. Brown the sausage for a bit before adding the chopped onion and bacon. Stir just until sausage is cooked through. If you have a lot of liquid at the bottom of your pot, drain some leaving a little behind for extra flavor. Next, add the potatoes, carrots, leeks, celery, salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir for about five minutes. If you decide to use fresh garlic, brown before you add the sausage, onions and bacon in the beginning. Add five cups of chicken broth to the pot, chopped dill and parsley, mix and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Lastly, add 1/2 cup of whipping cream, baby spinach, cayenne pepper and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

 

I must admit, the finished product came out just perfect. The gorgeous colors from all of my fresh veggies and the spicy, smoky taste from the sausage and bacon leaves you completely satisfied. A bit of starch from the potatoes gives you a really filling meal that has loads of flavor and lots of good nutrients from your veggies and leafy greens. What I love about this soup is you can throw whatever veggies you want in the mix. Kale, escarole or Swiss chard are other nutrient packed greens that would go perfectly with the flavors. Also white beans or lentils would add a ton of extra protein.

While on our trip to Homegoods yesterday we mosied on down the food aisle and came across a ton of unfamiliar seasonings. One of my favorites was their Moroccan and Bangkok mixes. I was thrilled to see they had some different spices available and were reasonably priced. One of my favorite places to eat with friends is a little pizzeria/wine bar called Fat Cat Pie Co. in Norwalk, CT. Their thin crust pizzas come accompanied by a rack filled with over eight different spices to top your pies with. My all time favorite is their Bangkok seasoning, which I dredge each slice with. Its spicy, but smoky and I really just can't get enough of it. So, when I saw our local Homegoods had some available I was stoked. I also scanned through their large variety of baking goods from cake mixes to sugars and all different baking flours. I was in search for a cornbread mix wanting to test out my deep fryer and fry up some homemade hush puppies over the weekend. But all I found was gluten free cornbread mix. Not sure if it would have made a difference in the recipe I was planning to use, but a true hush puppy I would assume has some gluten in it! I guess I will just have to venture out tomorrow and see what our local supermarket has. Anyone have a tasty hush puppy recipe to share?

Over the weekend I am hosting a jewelry party at our house with some friends and family. Since it is Sunday and starting between breakfast and lunch time for most, I decided on a brunch menu. I plan to whip up some tasty brunch beverages too, but I may have John have a hand in that since he is the house mixologist. More on that later in the week. Of course I have the menu already set because I truly love entertaining and get so excited to cook for family and friends or it may just be the Virgo in me that tends to over plan and be a bit of a perfectionist. Either way, brunch is one of my favorite things, EVER. So I really can't wait to make some fun brunch time eats for all my ladies :)