Sausage, Mushroom & Kale Soup

Fall & Winter are a perfect time for soup making for most people. I, on the other hand, make soup all year round. I try to always have my freezer stocked with soups and chili. This soup is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Here are the steps. I like to gather all my ingredients and utensils first and also chop my veggies and herbs that I'll need for any recipe. It saves time and keeps me from hunting around for what I need and taking the chance on burning something in the process. So, here is what you'll need.

Equipment

Large Stock Pot or Soup Pot
Cutting Board
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons
Large Soup or Stir Spoon


Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil or enough to saute the onions
1 large onion - chopped
3 garlic cloves - minced
2 quarts or 64 oz chicken broth or stock
8 ounces or 1 cup white wine
1 pound ground sausage or ground pork
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp or to taste crush red pepper flakes
1 bunch of kale ( I bought a bag of kale and just eyeballed it)
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese or 2-3 Parmesan cheese rinds
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In your stock pot or soup pot, I found mine shown below at a garage sale and I love it, heat your olive oil and then add the onion. Cook the onion for about 2 minutes and then add your garlic. Cook another 2-3 minutes until all the onions have softened. Next comes the ground sausage or pork. You can use turkey sausage too. Cook until the meat is done. You can drain off the fat if you choose but I left mine in. To me, that is where the flavor is.

Next add in your mushrooms, kale, chicken stock or broth, white wine and pepper flakes. You want to bring that to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Last, add in your cheese, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Now, I like my kale with a little bit of texture left to it so I don't cook mine to death. I only let the soup to continue to cook until the cheese or rinds melt. Then I serve with a nice arugula, radish and chive salad. I apologize for the photos. I am not in any way a professional photographer.

Zucchini and Bean "Pasta"

So, I really love pasta but, I don't love what it does it to my butt. I came up with an alternative. Its a quick and easy faux pasta. It took all of maybe 15-20 minutes to make and it is so delicious! Try it out and leave me some comments on what you thought or some of your zucchini "pasta" recipes. Enjoy! 


Here's the Ingredients

1 small - medium zucchini- julienned  

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp un-salted butter

1 can white beans - rinsed 

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, melt butter and add olive oil and garlic. Infuse the oil and butter for about 2 minutes with the garlic and then add the zucchini. Saute' for about another 2 minutes while you rinse and drain your beans. Now add your beans and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. You can top with a little crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese if you prefer. All the flavors of Italy without the guilt. 

P.S. I got my handy little julienne tool off of amazon. 

For the Weary Souls

As I sit here in the quiet of my sleeping house, I am filled with a weariness so strong it is almost strangling. In the last 8 months I've dealt with sick parents, friends needing the use of my home, the loss of family members, the ending of a dear friendship and personal health issues. That is just the extras that life has given me. I still have to manage my day to day living as does everyone. The laundry, what's for dinner, how to pay this bill, and on and on. 


It's a struggle to find the courage to even get out of bed some days. The fatigue I feel comes from so deep within me that I fear that I may never feel free of it. So, how do I go on? What do I do to get through this day? Not only get through this day but, to actually find happiness or joy in it? HOW? Its a question that is rolling around in my head over and over again like a bad commercial. 

I'm in a really rough place my friends. One that has me just wanting to bury myself away from all others and lick my wounds. 

Is it okay to feel this way? I think so. I think we each deal with life and what it gives us in our own unique way. The important thing to know is that I won't give up. I will rise again. I will smile again. I will laugh again and find my joy and happiness. It may not be today. It may not even be tomorrow or the next but, it will come in its own time for me. 

I write this to let you know that you're not alone if you're feeling this way or have ever felt this way. I write this to say it is OKAY to not bounce back right away. It is OKAY to take your time in gathering and renewing your strength. Find what heals you from within and pull it close and let it start to heal you. For me, its God. He is my rock, my salve, the ultimate comforter. I will shut down for a while and wait for Him to work in me. After a while I will be whole again and strong, able to go at it with renewed vigor. Until then, I wait for Him and His peace. 


I hope that you find your peace friends. Give yourself time to heal. Weariness is a hurt. It is an illness just like the flu. It has to run its course. Don't rush it or you will only cause a relapse. Take some time away from people, work, everything. Pour a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Light some candles and listen to something that soothes you. Sit still and just be. 


Much love and prayers. 

All images are courtesy of Google

Coffee - It does the morning good

I love my morning cup of Joe. It's the first thing I reach for each morning. I loved flavored coffee and flavored creamer as well. I don't like the added sugar and calories though. So, as an alternative I've started adding my own flavorings and spices. It's really all taste preference. Listed below is one of my favorite combos. Give it try and see for yourself. Feel free to experiment with different spices in your own kitchen and leave me some suggestions.

1 cup brewed coffee 

Dash Cinnamon

A couple drops Vanilla Extract

Stevia to taste

Heavy Cream to taste

Cheers! 

Change is always good and necessary for a better life.

Why Trying Harder Won't Change Your Life

by Joyce Meyer

Change is necessary – it’s part of life.

And most people would say they want change in their lives. They want circumstances to change, people to change, the world to change… And it seems it rarely occurs to us that we need to change.

The truth is, you probably have a lot more to do with change happening than you realize. You can’t keep doing things the way you’ve always done them and hope or expect to get a different result.

For years I tried to make things in my life change and didn’t get anywhere. I would read the Bible and try. I would go to church and hear a message and try. Then I would tell God how hard I was trying, thinking maybe He’d feel sorry for me. And then I would go into my “drama” and say, “I just give up, God…”

The problem was, I was “trying” in my own strength, and I needed God’s help. I needed to realize the truth about myself and my situation before I could get His help and see results.

How to Change Your Life

I’ve discovered that things in your life will change when you first change your mind. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world…but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God…” (The Amplified Bible).

So how do we renew our mind? With the Word of God! It is full of life and has power to change us. But we can’t just read it and expect to be victorious Christians. We have to study it.

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t go to a doctor who didn’t study, would you? And no one expects to become a doctor without studying.

It’s the same way for us. To really know the Word of God and be changed by the Truth, we have to study. And we have to be patient and persevere. I thank God for what I know, but it’s taken more than thirty years for me to know it. And I’m still learning every single day.

What Are You Meditating On?

Part of studying is meditating – rolling something over and over in your mind or pondering it. If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. It’s usually not hard to meditate on a problem all day long, if you let yourself. I call this kind of thinking “stinkin’ thinkin’.”

We don’t really know how messed up our thinking is until we study God’s Word and realize what we should be thinking. The Word is like a mirror – it shows us the way we should be and the way we are. Until I looked in the Word, I thought everybody else was the problem, not me.

So, what’s been on your mind lately? Stop and think about what you’ve been thinking about. If it’s stinkin’ thinkin’, change it. The good news is, you can think whatever you want to think.

You can change. Everything is subject to change except God Himself.

But you have to stop wasting your time saying things like, “My life is never going to change. My finances are never going to change. My marriage and children will never change…”

Start saying what the Word says: “All things are possible with God. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” And think about good things so there’s no room for bad things.

Do your own thinking – don’t let the devil do it for you.

Finally, be daring in your prayers. Be bold and tell God, “I want You to change me. I want You to use me to change anything in the world that you want to use me for. I believe that You can change anything – me, my circumstances, my family, my marriage, my finances – there’s nothing You can’t change. I know change won’t be easy, but I’m committed to be where You want me to be at all times. I won’t sit here and give in to stinkin’ thinkin’ anymore.”