Winter and Soup!

Winter and soup! Go together like PB and J, Christmas and tree, Eskimos and igloos, penguins and the North Pole...scratch that one :)

I love soup! Paul does not think soup is a meal and stew is pushing it - so I don't get to make it very often. Whenever I think soup I always think of my Mom making corn chowder with spam and that it's way delicious. I always think...mmmm corn chowder! And then I make this instead :)

One of my favorites comes from Olive Garden their Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup) - while messing about I was able to figure out a sort of recipe for it and then found some back up recipes online. However this is a way easy soup with very basic ingredients and the flavor doesn't change much even if you throw everything in and hope for the best - so don't worry! It's easy and delicious!

1 - Brown 1 lb Italian Sausage in heated oil.

*Add a little extra fennel seed if you've got it. I love fennel seeds!

Use your favorite kind of sausage. I do not have this luxury anymore, because the best ground Italian sausage I've ever tasted was from Macey's in UT. Go figure.

2 - Scrub up 2 russet potatoes and slice 1/4 inch thickness (I like lots of potato, so I use three).

3 - Add two 15oz cans of chicken stock - or use homemade (YUM!). Cover pot with lid and let come to gentle boil to cook potatoes.

*If you've used three potatoes, you're gonna want to use more chicken stock or just add water and bouillon cubes. Just use however much to barely cover the potatoes.

4 - Rinse thoroughly many times your favorite collard green - take all ribs off and make sure they're very clean - greens are notorious for hiding grubs and mud.

*I use mustard greens to cut down cooking time, but you could use kale which actually takes as long as the potatoes - so you would put the kale in with the potatoes. If using mustard greens put in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time for the potatoes.

5 - Put greens in soup and cook!

6 - Yum it's cooked! So now you add the heavy whipping cream. Just put in enough to make it white - 1/2 cup to 1 cup. I just pour and look.

7 - While it's warming back up, skim off the fat from the sausage.

8 - Plate and serve with warm buttered french bread.

Can I just say again YUM!