Kale, Sausage & Potato Soup – the last of our garden kale

     Barry picked the last of our kale crop before the BIG freeze, and in anticipation of the current cold spell, I made soup.

     This soup can be broth based or can be lightly thickened with prepared white sauce—which would be similar to adding a partial can of condensed soup to the base, only this is homemade. I often make extra white sauce and refrigerate it; as it cools, it thickens up and can easily be scooped out to use as a thickener.

Kale, Sausage & Potato Soup

½ to 1 lb. ground pork sausage

1 onion, diced

Kosher salt and pepper – from ¼ to ½ teaspoon of each

½ teaspoon paprika

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 small bunch of fresh thyme, tied in a bundle or about ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 quart+ chicken broth

Kale, stemmed and finely chopped – about 1 cup in the finely chopped state (use more or less according to your preference)

1 to 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and diced

About ¼ cup of prepared white sauce to thicken if desired

1. Brown sausage in a soup pot, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Once it begins to brown, add the onions and cook until they begin to turn translucent.

   

   Sausage in browning in soup pot.

   

   Onions have been added.

2. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Add thyme.
3. Add a quart of chicken broth and the kale. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer; cover and cook until kale is mostly tender, about 30 minutes+.

   

   Broth and kale have been added. Notice the bundle of thyme that I've tied to the handle of the pot. 

4. Add potatoes; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add more broth as needed during cooking time + taste and add additional seasonings as needed. Optional: At this point I added ¼ cup prepared white sauce to lightly thicken the soup. (See note in the introductory paragraph above.)

   

   Potatoes have been added.

5. Serve with oyster crackers, either plain or use our recipe for Seasoned Oyster Crackers.
   

Recipe without photos . . . 

Kale, Sausage & Potato Soup

½ to 1 lb. ground pork sausage

1 onion, diced

Kosher salt and pepper – from ¼ to ½ teaspoon of each

½ teaspoon paprika

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 small bunch of fresh thyme, tied in a bundle or about ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 quart+ chicken broth

Kale, stemmed and finely chopped – about 1 cup in the finely chopped state (use more or less according to your preference)

1 to 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and diced

About ¼ cup of prepared white sauce to thicken if desired

1. Brown sausage in a soup pot, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Once it begins to brown, add the onions and cook until they begin to turn translucent.
2. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Add thyme.
3. Add a quart of chicken broth and the kale. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer; cover and cook until kale is mostly tender, about 30 minutes+.
4. Add potatoes; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add more broth as needed during cooking time + taste and add additional seasonings as needed. Optional: At this point I added ¼ cup prepared white sauce to lightly thicken the soup. (See note in the introductory paragraph above.)
5. Serve with oyster crackers, either plain or use our recipe for Seasoned Oyster Crackers.

Chock full of veggies — Zucchini Casserole remake + Homemade seasoned croutons

     Back in the 1970s Sharon Sweatland made this recipe for a neighborhood gathering, back in the days when we lived on SE Sixth Street. It was a hit and with our abundance of summertime zucchini, I flipped through my old recipe box for a handwritten copy of this dish.

     However, instead of using the Pepperidge Farm Stuffing, I made seasoned croutons and then cut the butter used in the recipe in half. Also, I made a simple velouté sauce (made like a white sauce but using chicken broth instead of milk). I’ve included both the original ingredients and my changes (noted in italics) in the ingredient list that follows.  
     Follow up note: I shared this link with Sharon and she wrote back, "It is still a family favorite. It came from a Vermont (CT) family gathering. A bit of our New England heritage that still lives on."

Zucchini Casserole

2 lbs. thinly sliced zucchini

l large onion, sliced

1 cup grated carrots

½ cup butter  / ¼ cup butter

1 small pkg. Pepperidge Farm Stuffing / About 5 to 6 cups seasoned croutons made by tossing bread cubes in enough olive oil to coat & seasoning with garlic powder and Italian seasoning — divided use

1 cup sour cream / reduced fat sour cream

1 can of chicken soup or heaping cup of velouté sauce (white sauce made with chicken broth rather than milk) 

1. Parboil vegetables in salted water for 5 minutes; drain.

   

   Vegetables ready to go into boiling, salted water.

2. Melt butter in baking dish (equivalent to about an 8x12 or 13-inch dish) and add half of stuffing mix/seasoned croutons.
   
3. Mix sour cream and soup/velouté sauce. Fold into drained vegetables.
4. Spoon vegetables into baking dish on top of stuffing/croutons.
5. Sprinkle remaining stuffing/croutons on top.
   
6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

HOMEMADE Seasoned Croutons 

Leftover bread

Olive oil (or could use a blend of olive oil & melted butter

Garlic powder

Italian seasoning

1. Cube bread.
   
   
   
2. Place bread in a bowl and season with garlic powder and Italian seasoning (use preferred amounts).
3. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat; toss.
   
4. Arrange on a baking sheet, spreading out in a thin layer. 
   
5. Toast in a preheated 350° for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch closely and stir at least once during the baking time.  
   
   
   

Recipes without photos . . .

Zucchini Casserole

2 lbs. thinly sliced zucchini

l large onion, sliced

1 cup grated carrots

½ cup butter  / ¼ cup butter

1 small pkg. Pepperidge Farm Stuffing / About 5 to 6 cups seasoned croutons made by tossing bread cubes in enough olive oil to coat & seasoning with garlic powder and Italian seasoning — divided use

1 cup sour cream / reduced fat sour cream

1 can of chicken soup or heaping cup of velouté sauce (white sauce made with chicken broth rather than milk) 

1. Parboil vegetables in salted water for 5 minutes; drain.
2. Melt butter in baking dish (equivalent to about an 8x12 or 13-inch dish) and add half of stuffing mix/seasoned croutons.
3. Mix sour cream and soup/velouté sauce. Fold into drained vegetables.
4. Spoon vegetables into baking dish on top of stuffing/croutons.
5. Sprinkle remaining stuffing/croutons on top.
6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

HOMEMADE Seasoned Croutons 

Leftover bread

Olive oil (or could use a blend of olive oil & melted butter

Garlic powder

Italian seasoning

1. Cube bread.
2. Place bread in a bowl and season with garlic powder and Italian seasoning (use preferred amounts).
3. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat; toss.
4. Arrange on a baking sheet, spreading out in a thin layer. 
5. Toast in a preheated 350° for about 10 to 15 minutes. Watch closely and stir at least once during the baking time. 

Eggs à la Golden Rod

A former student recently reminded me of this recipe we prepared in Home Ec. years ago. She made it for her kids and now whips it up for her grandkids.

My mom made the same thing but called it Creamed Eggs. We had it for special occasion breakfasts and sometimes even for supper.

This recipe comes straight from my old Betty Crocker Cookbook. The base is the ever-versatile white sauce (sometimes referred to as béchamel sauce).

Eggs à la Golden Rod

1 cup Medium White Sauce (click on name to access our recipe)

4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Toast, biscuits, crisp chow mein noodles, fluffy boiled rice or patty shells

Optional garnishes: grated or sieved hard-cooked egg yolk, sprigs of parsley or crisp bacon

1.   Hard cook eggs according to directions that follow. I use an egg slicer to chop the eggs – cutting the eggs both horizontally and vertically. If desired, reserve 2 of the yolks to grate or sieve over the top for a garnish.

2.   Prepare white sauce according to directions in linked recipe.

3.   Carefully fold chopped eggs into hot white sauce.

4.   Serve on toast (our favorite is made from Wild Rice Bread), biscuits, etc.

5.   Garnish as desired.

Possible additions to the white sauce: 1 cup chopped ham, 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms that have been browned in butter, 1 cup flaked tuna or salmon or add seasonings, such as curry (1/4 tsp.) or throw in some grated cheese.

Vist Chefs.com to find out more about the make up of an egg.

To Properly Hard-Cook Eggs: 

Boiling toughens delicate egg protein. Gentle cooking pays off, so the correct culinary term is ''hard-cooked,'' not ''hard-boiled.''

The most important rule is to use less-fresh eggs*. Have them in the refrigerator at least a few days before hard-cooking them to make peeling easier.

Follow these steps for properly hard-cooked eggs . . .

1. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan.
2. Add enough tap water to come at least 1” above the eggs.
3. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. 
4. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. 
5. Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 to 17 minutes for large-size eggs. Adjust time up or down by about 3 minutes for each size larger or smaller.
6. When time is up, immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.
7. To remove shell, crackle it by tapping all over.  Roll egg between hand and counter to loosen shell and, then peel from the large end. 

*For additional details on why you should use older eggs to hard-cook, go to Wired.com http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/eggs-hard-to-peel/