BEST.SOUP.EVER!

You know that feeling when you find that one recipe that you just absolutely love? 

The one that you find yourself craving more times than not? 

Well this Cauliflower-Kale Soup recipe my mother in law gave me is that recipe! It is by far the yummiest soup that I have ever made! And ate. A lot!  Some of you may be looking at your screen with a perplexed look, but you must try it! I would never have tried this recipe on my own. It just didn't look appetizing to me, but now I make it at least once a week. 

Is it bad for your health to eat too much cauliflower and kale? 

The recipe originally came in a Williams-Sonoma magazine, but my mother in law has tweaked it to make it thicker and with a little bit of a kick. 

By the way have I mentioned that this soup is DELICIOUS! 

Cauliflower-Kale Soup

2 large heads of cauliflower, cut into pieces

1 large bag pre-washed kale

1 yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 to 5 cups chicken stock

extra virgin olive oil (my mother in law uses green chili oil)

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes (if you don't have green chili oil)

*You can save some of the kale to make kale chips to top your soup with, but I have found that when put in the soup they get chewy and are not very appetizing to eat, but add a bit of texture*

In a large pot over medium heat warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook your onion and celery until the onion turns translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for about a minute. You don't want to overcook the garlic or it will get a bitter taste to it. Add chicken broth and cauliflower. Season with salt, pepper and if using them, the red pepper flakes. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale and return to medium heat. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Puree soup in batches. You can either then ladle the soup into bowls to serve or into individual containers to freeze.

I always double up on the recipe because it freezes so wonderfully. You can just put it in a few (or six) ziploc containers, pop in the freezer and pull one out anytime you get a craving.

snow-y day

Today we got an unexpected surprise...

SNOW!!!

None of the weather reports told us it was coming, so when we woke up to large snowflakes and bitterly cold temps we were excited. Since the roads were not iced over school was not cancelled which made the boys sad that they had to go to school instead of stay home and lounge around in their jammies. But the good news is, since school was not cancelled my hubby decided to take the day off from work (he works outside) and hang out with me! I know, I am one lucky gal! 

The snow was really coming down when I dropped the kids off at school.

We are so cool that on our date day without kids we thought we should go to Office Depot to get toner for our printer. It was so romantic :) And it was still snowing like crazy!

Eventually the snow slowed and then stopped altogether which made me incredibly sad. I really love the snow. Maybe it is because we rarely ever get it, whatever it is I know I love it. The last stop on our date day was to have an ice cold beer on this ice cold day. 

Isn't he amazing?! 

Winter, if you are reading this... please send more snow soon! 

easy one pan skillet lasagna

Good Morning!

I know it has been almost a month since I last posted. I really am a horrible blogger sometimes *sigh*, but I am hoping to change that starting today!

Lately I have been on the hunt for yummy new recipes that everyone will love. I know a great place to do this is Pinterest, so naturally that is where I am doing most of my hunting. There are tons of recipes that look delicious, but I am not sure if they would be appetizing to the boys or my meat-and-potatoes-kind-of-guy husband. I am all about whipping up something yummy, but I have really enjoyed one-pan meals and meals that can cook in the crock pot all day while I run errands or work around the house.

One of the ones that I found was a one-pan skillet lasagna from No. 2 Pencil. There were things about the recipe that I didn't like and a few things that I didn't have on hand or wanted to change, so I wanted to change it. This recipe is so easy and you can modify this recipe to what you have on hand or add different seasoning. It has tons of possibilities! Here is my modified version...

1 lb ground lean ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

26 oz box of Pomi chopped tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

1.5 cups chicken stock

18 oz pkg (or 2- 9 oz ) Buitoni fresh four cheese ravioli

8 oz mozzerella chesse, grated

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Fresh parsley

Cumin

Italian seasoning

Add small amount of oil to non-stick pan and sautee onions and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook. Breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon while cooking. Once meat is cooked add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, cumin and italian seasoning. 

Mix together and add ravioli. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Sauce should have thickened and ravioli should be tender. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve immediately.