Soup was a hit!

I am so pleased that the kale and white bean soup was a hit with my kids and hubby. Really, I needn't worry about Peter as he is the best sport and the best eater I've ever met. Every dish that I make, he'll try and doesn't complain. The kids, on the other hand, are a bit more difficult to please. I am happy to report that each and every one of us cleaned our bowls! See below for photos of the finished product and of the kids enjoying it! Yes, that's kale hanging out of Charlotte's mouth!
Kale is yummy, mommy!

Our big project for the weekend is to put together our new swing set, ordered from CedarWorks, a really cool company in Maine. The set is all splinter-free cedar and will never need to be sanded, sealed, or stained! The wood starts out as a pine-looking color and then ages to a silvery-gray. The pieces of the set were delivered on Friday, we had a guy bring in landscape timbers and mulch today, and we begin construction tomorrow. So far, we have one friend coming to help but we're not refusing anyone. Give us a shout if you're bored and we'll put you to work. We'll probably even feed you a meal or two! Had to kill the grass before putting down the mulch!



Also, I've figured out that you can roast radishes! So excited about this and plan to try it on Monday evening. Here's a recipe that sounds easy and yummy!

20 medium radishes, trimmed and cut into fourths (use all red, or a mixture of red and white)
1 1/2 T roasted peanut oil
1-2 T soy sauce (I used about 1 1/2 T)
2 green onions (scallions) sliced thin
1 T sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash radishes, trim ends, peel if needed, and cut into same size pieces. I cut the white icicle radishes into diagonal pieces, and the red ones into half or fourths, depending on how big they were. Cut green onions into thin slices.

Toss radishes with peanut oil, then roast about 20 minutes, stirring one or two times. When radishes are tender and starting to brown, remove from oven, toss with soy sauce to coat and mix in green onion slices. Put back in oven and roast about 5 minutes more.

During final five minutes roasting time, put the sesame seed in a dry pan and toast over hot stove for about 2 minutes, or until starting to brown. Remove radishes from oven, place in serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Kale!??!?!

So I promised that I would post a picture of the veggies that I'm trying to identify. Here ya go:


My 'expert' guess is that this is kale. I'm not 100% sure of my guess but I'm going to go with it because I love my one kale recipe. Sharing it here since I got a request. Even the kids like this one! I can hardly wait until tomorrow night when I get to eat this!! YUMMY! If you make it, let me know what you think! (Thanks to Lisa Baker who introduced me to kale and gave me this recipe.)

CREAMY WHITE BEAN SOUP W/ KALE, GARLIC AND SAUSAGE

8 oz. kielbasa, thinly sliced (I use turkey kielbasa because it seems a little healthier)

1Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

29 oz of reduced sodium chicken broth (2 cans)
2 cans cannellini beans (or Great Northern beans)

4 cups chopped kale (sometimes I use fresh spinach)

1. Brown kielbasa in large saucepan over med-high heat about 4 mins. Remove from pan.

2. Add oil to pan and cook garlic about a minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add beans,

and simmer 5 minutes.

3. Remove 1 cup of soup, including beans, and puree in blender until smooth. Stir bean puree, cooked sausage,

and chopped kale into soup and simmer until kale is tender, about 5-7 mins.

Makes 6 1/2 cups (4 servings)