A Prelude to Fall.

I love Fall. Fall holds many great wonders......including the people that were born in that season. :D I'm partial to Fall for a lot of reasons; one of them including the great food that happens in that time period. Lots of harvesting means lots of preserving, baking, saucing, juicing, and freezing. Some of my favorites are apple pies, grape juice, applesauce, and tomato sauce. Soups also tend to get popular around that time, and I'm glad that they do. They warm you to the tips of your toes. (Mine get cold too often). Speaking of soups, thats what I made, (surprise!) and it turned out very good and was perfect for warming up a chilly soul, (and some chilly feet). :)


I actually don't have any good pictures of the final result, sorry about that, but you can get an idea of what was like from the step-skip-a-step process photos. :)

 5 lbs. of potatoes.

 The steam effect.

 Sausage.

 Bowls that make me smile. :)

This is the best shot of the finished product that I have. I really wanted to take the time to do get some nice pictures but its hard to concentrate with 6 people wandering around the the kitchen giving me the "I'm hungry" look.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

5 lbs skin-on boiling potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

2 quarts chicken broth

A few shakes of cayenne pepper

16 oz of kale, washed, thick ribs removed, and chopped

6 cups water

24 ounces sausage cooked, smoked sausage (such as kielbasa), sliced

Some ground pepper

Directions

Scrub the potatoes and chop into to cubes. 

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then sauté the onion with the salt, pepper, and garlic for 5 or so minutes stirring frequently.

Add the potatoes, the broth, and the cayenne, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat before turning the heat down to low.

Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the kale and water and cook another 30 minutes, until the potatoes and the kale are very tender. 

Meanwhile, fry the sausage in a medium frying pan until browned.

Stir in the sausage, taste for salt and pepper-maybe more cayenne. 

Ladle up into some soup bowls and make yourself happy. 

Maryah R.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

                                         So for lunch today I made lemon chicken soup with Orzo
                                         It is really simple and easy to make but tastes delicious! :)
                                                  Here is the recipe if you would like to try!
                                                 
                                                           4 teaspoons olive oil

             8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts (chop in small chunks)
                               Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
                               1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
                               2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
                               1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
                               2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
                               6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
                               1 cup orzo, preferably whole wheat
                               2 large eggs
                               3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
                               Black pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.