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Matt will eat just about anything that has to do with bratwursts, even sauerkraut, which he normally wont touch. I, on the other hand, love it. Declan’s little taste buds are still so fresh that sauerkraut is overpowering for him and he can’t eat it fresh. We were eager to try this recipe because it had a couple things we all enjoyed.

The first attempt I left in our cantankerous crock pot for too long - it burnt.
The second attempt was just off.
The third attempt was a double batch and there wasn’t room for the potatoes, so it was off as well.
Finally on our fourth attempt it turned out really good - we all agreed.

While I’m not sure it’s the greatest meal nutritionally, it’s good comfort food. Especially for those of us who love sauerkraut and bratwurst. It’s a nice blend of tangy and sweet. I add mustard to mine.

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I’ll admit that the thought of Kale and Lentils has never been appealing to me - either together or by themselves. But when Heidi of 101 Cookbooks shared this recipe I couldn’t help but think it sounded delicious. The trick would be getting Matt to eat it.

I tried being all nonchalant-like, very matter-of-fact. “We’re having Lentils and Kale for dinner.” While in the back of my mind I was really hoping that it would turn out okay. While still pregnant with Rowan, my midwife would tell me to eat up on things like Kale and Swiss Chard because they were so high in bio-available iron which would obviously help keep my blood iron levels up. I have to admit that I didn’t try either one. I had visions of munching on a piece of bitter lettuce and my stomach rolled. That’s all it takes for a pregnant lady.

But my mother and I were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it. Matt was indifferent but he’ll have to live with it. I was planning on putting an over-medium egg on top, but forgot. Matt would have liked it that way.

Lentil Soup, from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beluga lentils (or green French lentils), picked over and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cup water
• 3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

Saffron Yogurt

• a pinch of saffron (30-40 threads)
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• two pinches of salt
• 1/2 cup 2% Greek Yogurt

Directions

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentil, and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. While the lentils are cooking, make the saffron yogurt by combining the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes. Now stir the saffron along with the liquid into the yogurt. Mix in the salt and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the saffron yogurt.

Serves 6 to 8.

Variations:

- You can serve it with a poached egg on top,
- or crunchy, fried shallots,
- with a drizzle of chive infused cream,
- or with chunks of tiny pan-fried butternut squash cubes.

- Make a thicker version by using just a bit of water, and then spoon it over an omelette in the morning.

- Have some cooked farro or wheat berries around? Toss some in. Millet might be good too.

- You can finish the soup by adding your favorite spices or spice blends. Smoked paprika, crushed chiles, toasted cumin, would all work nicely.

I’ll have to admit that I saw this recipe on TV one night during a midnight nursing spree. Unfortunately for me I had forgotten my robe and it wasn’t my belly that was being filled with warm goodness. So as I sat there shivering (seriously! It had to be 60° in the house at the time) I watched Sam the Cooking Guy make this super easy soup and decided I must have it.

Of course I didn’t have all of the ingredients, except for potatoes. When I told Matt what I was planning on making I could see his eyes kinda fall. He’s gotten smart enough to not let his face fall anymore. But he trudged on, like a trooper, to the store and back and ate my soup like it was directly feeding his starving soul. Lo and Behold, it was amazing! It was like eating thin mashed potatoes with all the goodies, but BETTER! The cream just gives it an extra oomph, I think.

Potato Soup (adapted from Sam the Cooking Guy)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 big red onions, diced
• 4-5 cups chicken broth, diced - just kidding I normally use just enough to cover the potatoes when boiling, so this may vary)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• Diced Ham or Sausage (because it’s not considered a meal in my house without meat in it {insert eyeroll}) (optional)

This recipe makes alot, 10-12 servings, so feel free to cut down the amount of ingredients if you’re not feeding the entire Horde.

Dinner tonight was an Irish Stew with a loaf of fresh Oat Bread. We also had some Chocolate Chip Cookie/Brownie bars.

I’m still upset over this stupid camera. I can’t determine what causes most pictures to be blurry and fuzzy, but others are okay. The picture above is after messing around with it in Krita, a Linux equivalent of Photoshop.

Anyway, both recipes were wonderful and I adapted both of them as usual, it seems I never have all the right ingredients. The stew was hearty and filling and the bread turned out fluffy with a crusty top.

Irish Beef Stew

I’ve always been a fan of peanut butter cookies. Well, except for having to measure out the peanut butter - too much of a mess and very imprecise. That’s way I can’t figure out why so many people turn their noses up at them. This recipe should melt even the toughest cookie critic. Tonight, I turned Hubby into a peanut butter cookie lover.

This is, by far, the best Peanut Butter cookies we have had here. As a matter of fact, Hubby said that the reason he never liked this type of cookie was because it was always hard and crunchy. These are just slightly crispy on the outside and cake-ish on the inside. The chopped chocolate gives it a varied kick, sometimes just a hint and other times a large chunk. Truly a beautiful cookie in the end.

These will definitely be gone soon, but the recipe will stay around for good. Try them, you’ll love them. Day two of these cookie proves them to still be soft and delicate. We didn’t give them enough credit and threw all the cookies into a large Ziploc and crush the majority of them. That wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve done.

Pardon the blurry pictures. I’m using a borrowed camera and my photography skills are a little dusty.