double snow day!

So it's the second snow day in a row and we are just loving every minute. I know that I may retract that statement when the rumored "rolling blackout" hits our little apartment any second now and I'm freezing my tootsies off, but until then... this is pure bliss.

Some people might be super productive on snow days, but not us... Unless "productive"  = watching every episode of Weeds to date on Netflix instant play, or catching up on our Google Readers. I have big plans to clean the apartment after one more episode...

Sometimes being productive is over-rated, I think.

The best thing we did yesterday was make soup - I think we can all agree that this is a very productive thing to do when you're snowed in! This soup is adapted from the Zuppa Toscana at the Olive Garden - your guilty pleasure and mine. I found the recipe via food gawker on this blog and made a few adjustments to meet our tastes. It's delicious and easy to make. Try it tonight.

Zuppa Toscana

Yields 8 servings

1 lb ground Italian sausage (we used mild but next time we'll use hot!)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you can take it)
4 slices of bacon (optional)
2 large shallots, finely minced (Russ hates onions so this is our compromise since shallots have a much milder flavor, but you could use 1 med. white or yellow onion if you don't have shallots)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups low sodium chicken stock
about 1.5 large Russet potatoes, sliced into disks 1/8 inch thick
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 cups kale, torn into bite sized pieces
Salt, black pepper or crushed red pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan cheese for serving

In a large dutch oven or pot, brown the sausage over medium high heat. When no pink remains, remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cook the bacon in the same pot until crisp and set aside. Drain off most of the grease from the pot and lower the heat to medium low. Add the shallots and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent. (Be very careful not to burn the garlic!). Add 8 cups of low sodium chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add in the sausage, kale, and cream until heated through. Taste the broth and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and crumbled bacon.

(This would be delicious with toasted bread and a big salad. This was the original plan but we were so ravenous from our day in front of the television that we decided to forgo side dishes and dig in.)