White Bean and Kale Soup with Roasted Sausages and Tomatoes

It’s been downright chilly around here lately. Granted, it’s not nearly as cold as it is in Boston, Chicago, or Minneapolis… But, it has been cold!

So, when I have been thinking about what to make for dinner each night, soup is constantly the first thing that comes to my mind. I guess that it’s handy that soup is the theme for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!

Sausage and Collards Stuffed Shells

Do you ever start to tire of certain items in your CSA box from week to week?

Though I always do my best to find creative uses for all of the produce that we get each week, this year I have definitely started to have my fill of a few things – especially mini orange peppers and collard greens. I’ve never been much of a greens person, so that’s always one of my big CSA challenges. We get kale, chard, collards, and lots of varieties of lettuce. While they may all be good for me, I have to admit that I usually end up going back to the same things over and over when it comes to cooking with them.

One of my tried and true flavor combinations for greens is to pair them with spicy Italian sausage. I know I’m not the first person to utilize that flavor combo and I’m certain that I won’t be the last, either. Though I have revisited the flavors a few times (like this butternut quiche a few weeks ago…), I do try to find ways to incorporate the flavors into new dishes.

Chicken Sausage and Egg Casserole

Remember how I said I have been lacking cooking inspiration in the kitchen lately? It seems that my lack of inspiration has also extended itself to blogging. Do not fear… I go through these stages periodically. I find that the best way to get through it is to just push on through and keep writing. So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I have a funny thing about food textures. Many of the foods that I’m not too fond of are those that have a texture that I don’t like (mushy cereal, for example)… It has very little to do with the flavor. So, due to my hatred of mushy and soggy things, I have avoided egg and sausage casseroles for years. The thought of bread soaking in eggs and milk just didn’t sound appetizing to me.

A few weeks ago, though, I had some stale bread on hand and for some reason I was feeling especially brave. I decided to tackle the dreaded egg and sausage casserole since I know it is such a popular holiday dish (and I was also lacking cooking inspiration at the time). When all was said and done, it turned out to be pretty tasty. In fact, it was tasty enough that I made it again last week and even took the time to take a few pictures and keep track of the recipe.

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