Kielbasa Soup with Potatoes, Cabbbage and Sauerkraut

Don't forget the spoonful of sour cream!

Not to be morbid, but, if I had the opportune chance to choose the month I would die, it would be my all-time favorite: November. It is what I call an "in-between" month, the transition from one season into another: autumn into winter. In the North, leaves have dropped. In the upper South, they are still sticking around, some with color. The common denominators are  the beautiful, low slant of the sun's rays with long, long shadows. And, on mostly-wonderful, gray, damp and sun-less days, no shadows at all. The latter are my favorite. With a bit of fog thrown in. On such days, Nature whispers. It nudges one with cello notes toward warmth: flannel and fleece ... the first fire stoked in the fireplace ... And long-simmered, earthy soups.

Enter this soup with savory sausage flavors and earthy root veggies. Smoky paprika. Caraway ... that patchouli of seedy spices. Honestly, I absolutely loved this soup. With it, I split artisan Kaiser rolls spread with a homemade, Amish butter. Need I say more?

In fact, yes, it is to die for! Enjoy.

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First, some notes: 

Do not omit the sauerkraut, even if you think you dislike it. You will not be using a lot. Be sure to squeeze out the juice and, if strong-tasting, give it a slight rinse under cold water before the squeeze.  I really like Snow Floss fresh kraut in the plastic bag. Fresh kraut is usually found with sausages in the meat department.

Second: Use a good Kielbasa. I am fortunate enough to have access to a locally-made sausage that tastes like the real deal. Boar's Head also makes a great stand-by.

Use the smallest new potatoes you can find. Mine were less that 1.5 inches. If large, simply slice into chunks. 

Caraway seed and cabbage is a perfect marriage. Don't admit.

If not using fat back, you could use a bit of bacon, or neither; instead, just use a bit of olive oil to brown/sweat the onions/sausage mixture.

I use Campbell's chicken stock and beef broth. Of course, homemade is even better.

• 1.5 - 2 lbs. smoked, artisan Kielbasa, sliced into rings and some into quarters
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, and the rings cut into half-moons/quarters
• 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon spicy smoked paprika (do not omit)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, slightly crushed (do not omit)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup sliced fresh carrots, preferably the kind with green tops attached
• 3/4 - 1 cup teeny-tiny baby red/yellow new potatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 +  cup fresh sauerkraut, slightly squeezed to get rid of excess juice (do not omit)
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
• 1, 10-3/4 ounce can chicken stock
• 1, 10-3/4 ounce can beef broth
• 3, 10-3/4 ounce cans of water
• 3-4 slices fat-back, rinsed (optional)
• Sour cream for garnish

In a 2-3 quart stock pot (mine has an 8-inch diameter) over medium heat, add the fatback/bacon and cook until it begins to render fat. You are not cooking it to the crispy stage. Add sausage and onion. Stir for several minutes just until the sausage begins to show some brown. Add sliced garlic, paprika, caraway.  Stir until fragrant. Add carrots and potatoes. Coat with seasoning mixture. Add chicken stock, beef broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Add cabbage and sauerkraut. Mix. Add salt and pepper. Taste and re-season if necessary. Cover. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to just a simmer and cook for about 1 hour or more until cabbage is tender. Serve with a dark rye bread and, if desired, garnish with sour cream.

Green Bell-Pepper Casserole with Rice and Barley in the Instant Pot

Here's an easy "unstuffed" green-pepper casserole for the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Sometimes I add sliced, black olives. Sliced kale also works. It is a forgiving recipe and leftovers taste even better. Serve with a bit of sour cream and, of course, mashed potatoes.

• 3 large, green bell peppers
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1-2, 14-ounce cans diced, fire roasted tomatoes, juice and all (I use Heinz)
• 1, 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1, 10-ounce can beef broth
• 1/2 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
• 6-8 whole all spice berries, crushed
• 1/2 cup raw, long-grain rice
• 1/4- 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
• 1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 -2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• optional: Chipotle chili powder according to taste/heat (a few shakes is all one needs)

Chop green peppers. Do not dice. If chopped too small, they disintegrate under pressure. Chop onions.

Saute ground beef, onions and peppers in the instant pot on the "medium" setting. Once brown, add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Add all other ingredients. Mix well. Taste for seasonings.

Secure lid to Instant Pot. Seal vent. Cook for five minutes on regular setting. Allow a natural release. Remove lid. Serve as is or remove to a casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese of your choice. Place under broiler to melt.

SOAP!

As an artist, I sold soap for years! Four thousand bars a year, to be kind-of-exact. Those sales allowed me to pay bills ... rent ... so I could produce art!

Those days, sadly, gone. But, happiest, most productive years of my life ...

I miss SOAP!

Here is my first batch since I was forced to leave my studio and home in Saugatuck, Michigan.

Formula came out great! Saponified easily ...

Old soaps ... Lake Michigan Cottage Soaps ...

New soaps?

Flat-Earth Soap Works ...

Stay tuned ...

SCENT? Wow .. Floral base of lilac and rose ... Earth scents ... Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Nag Champa..

Never,  ever,  buy commercial soaps!

Chicken Thighs with Mustard over Rice and Kale

Rice versus beans. Which is your preference? Like potatoes, both are staples of world cuisine and survival!

This recipe originally began with white beans. And lemon. And capers. And Dijon mustard. Since I am not a mustard fan, I unexpectedly fell in love with this succulent and savory mustard-coated chicken. It was a wonderful surprise!

The bean mixture ... not so much. The texture was "rough" and a bit "gritty." It certainly needed more time to soften and to mature in the oven than called for in the original recipe. Worst? All those savory, Sunday chicken drippings were drowned in the overpowering acidity of capers and lemon. Yuck!

And, I wanted something GREEN in it.

I spent several days challenging the cuisine-side of my brain for additions/cooking times to the beans.

Then, I had a culinary revelation: Just get rid of the beans! Use rice!

But, for one or two people, making rice is tedious. Dirty up another pan... and for what?

Enter Uncle Ben's Ready Rice. Instead of opening up a can of beans -- I opened up a packet of this miracle product!

I love this product. It comes in many flavors, including plain.

Throw it in the microwave and it is done in 90 seconds. No pot to clean up. If using it in a baking recipe (such as this one), just throw it in the casserole dish right from the packet and allow it to cook in the oven along with the rest of the ingredients.

So, instead of the beans, I simply substituted this easy wild rice and added some chopped kale, onion, butter and Parmesan cheese. Delicious! I now add two packets of this rice. One is Long Grain. The other is Original.

But, don't stop there. Once, I also added a jar of drained mushrooms along with the rice-kale-onion-cheese mixture. Once, I added baby fingerlings, cut razor-thin so they would bake tender, along with the rice and kale. This is one recipe where you can get creative. Artichoke hearts? Why not? Spinach? Of course!

Here I used rice, kale and thinly-sliced purple potatoes.

This is an easy, one-dish meal. I do not recommend chicken breasts for this recipe. I once used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and the results paled in comparison to the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Why? The latter made the best basting juices for the rice/cheese mixture.

It is important to liberally season the underside of the chicken thighs. I always add a bit of dried, crushed thyme to any chicken recipe! Bell's seasoning is the BEST! If not available, use your favorite poultry seasoning.

Cavender's all-purpose Greek seasoning, which is pretty much available in most American grocery stores, is also favorably added as an extra ingredient.

Be sure to completely cover the rice mixture with chicken so the edges do not dry out. Do not go out of the lines!

• 3-4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on OR two chicken-leg quarters
• 1 packet Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Long Grain and Wild variety) and or
• 1 packet Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Original)
• 4-6 large kale leaves, stripped from rib and chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely minced onion or shallot (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 2 liberal tablespoons fresh-grated Parmesan/Romano cheese (I confess, I use the canned with great results)
• 3-4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Chicken seasoning of your choice (but always include a bit of thyme)
• 10 x 7 casserole dish
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper 

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.

Lightly grease a 10 x 7 ceramic or glass casserole dish.

Using a paring knife, make half-way slits along each side the length of the thigh bone. Do not cut all the way through. You just want to separate the meat from the main bone. Why? The thigh will cook in half the time.
 

Liberally season top and underside of chicken thighs with choice of seasonings.
Add rice packet(s) to casserole dish. Add greens/onion, garlic powder, cheese.

Massage the butter into rice mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Place chicken thighs on top of rice mixture. Coat each thigh with 1 tablespoon mustard. Sprinkle with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Place casserole in the upper third of the oven. Roast for 35 minutes or until 165 F degrees. If desired, place under broiler for just a minute or so to blister the chicken.

(Update! I have since brought this recipe to work and baked it in the Deli Oven. Verdict? Total Silence! My co-workers loved it! Even I was surprised. Why? I used double the chicken thighs, so double the juices to season the rice.  Better than any dried-out turkey on any holiday! The rice, as one said, "Amazing!")