Monday's Menu

So today I thought I'd share a recipe that we love to eat around here. Zuppa Toscana just like Olive gardens. It is so easy and really tastes great!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1/4 tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

¼ of a bunch of kale

1.Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2.In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3.Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4.Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

5.Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6.Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Here's a recipe for a yummy chocolate zucchini cake too!

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

4 T cocoa (heaping)

3/4 c oil

1/2 c buttermilk ("make" buttermilk by adding 1 TBS lemon juice to one cup milk and then letting it sit for five minutes to sour. Then use 1/2 cup for the recipe).

1 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

2 c grated zucchini (packed, push all the water out of it)

Mix sugar, eggs, oil, zucchini and cocoa. Add salt and soda. Then add flour alternating with buttermilk.

Pour in a greased and floured 9 x13 cake pan.

(24 muffins bake for 18 minutes)

Then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top - cover it completely!

Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. (Mine was done in 35 min and I used a lighter non-stick pan). Insert a toothpick in the center to see if done. Make sure it is not in a place where there is a choc chip because it will come out gooey.

*****Healthier version; replace the oil with apple sauce same amount and do half wheat flour half white.