Spinach and White Bean Stew

Nom nom nom...
Winter is the best time for soups and stews.  This one is perfectly wonderful; can be thickened or thinned to your liking, making it a great addition to your recipe repertoire.  I made it pretty thick, in order to spread it on a thick piece of country bread and a poached egg (yum!).  There was no chard in the veggie section up here, so I used a mix of collard greens, turnip greens and spinach.  The egg yolk from the egg makes the stew rich, while the tomato and beans lend it a great texture.  Of course, I found this delicious recipe on Smitten Kitchen; check it out!

 

Turkey and Bean Chili

Okay, back to the regular ol' blog.

While I was at home in PC, Haley and I invited all of the local family over for dinner and dessert.  It's lovely to entertain, and we both figured it would be a great way to see everyone in one fell swoop.  The question, then, became, "What do we feed 11 people that won't break the bank and is moderately healthy?"  With the slightly chilly weather outside, we both decided on a completely delicious turkey and bean chili from Everyday Food.  (Their cookbooks are just wonderful!)  The turkey keeps the calories low, while there's some bacon added (just a few pieces) to keep it meaty.
Oh, and there's unsweetened chocolate.  Um, yes please.  I'm telling you, this gives the chili some unexpected depth.
Haley made a corn spoonbread, and we set out avocados, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream for toppings.  Everyone was pretty happy!

 

 

Papa approved of our dinner choice, even going back for seconds of the spoonbread!

I made the chili while wearing this adorable, thoughtful, personalized apron from Aunt Nesi and Uncle Rob.  Thank you so much for the incredibly sweet gift; I've already worn it a bunch in DC!  I've got some great family.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Garlic.
Caramelized shallots.
Heavy cream.
Listen, winter is coming and we need to be ready to hibernate with a few extra pounds.  Right?
I've checked out Giada de Laurentiis' Giada's Kitchen from the library four times; this weekend marked the time that I finally just bought a copy of it for myself.  Now I have access to this recipe whenever I want!  Actually, so do you, with the help of the Internet.
That's beside the point.
This soup will make you a believer of purchasing cookbooks instead of looking at recipes online.  It's thick and creamy, with a rich combination of garlic and sage.  Whip it up and serve with a crusty baguette.  You won't be sorry.
Giada's recipe can be found on the Food Network site, and the only change I made was using a hand blender instead of a real blender.  Eat up!

 

 

P.S. Happy birthday to my wonderful father!!  He taught me that one should always laugh hard enough to fall off a chair, and I'm still learning from him.  I love you, Daddy Man, and am so glad you were born!