Sausage and Potato Soup

In the wintertime, when the cold is biting at my toes, all I want to eat is a good hearty soup. This is a great soup that everyone loves for a variety of reasons. It is low fat, gluten free and so easy to make. These  are ingredients I have in the house most of the time, so it is also a good dinner for those nights when I just don't know what to make. Traditionally, this would be a high fat soup, but it doesn't have to be. I use skim milk and turkey sausage to keep it healthy. Plus, the turkey sausage is usually less expensive when you buy it in the tube. I know - tube sausage? Really? Why, yes! It is a great price (about $1.50 a pound) and about 50% the fat of pork. What's not to love? To find it, look in the frozen food section, not the fresh meat section.

A side note: I also buy ground turkey in the tube for only $1 a tube, which contains a pound of ground meat. Not only is it also half the fat of ground beef, it is also easy to store in the freezer since it is contained in a tube. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings (freezes well to keep for another cold winter day)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Cost: about $4.50 or $0.45 to $0.56 a serving

1 lb ground turkey sausage

5 red potatoes, diced with the skin on

1 onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small can of 2% evaporated milk

1/2 cup of skim milk

3 cloves of garlic

5 cups of water

1 tablespoon of butter

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, melt butter and add onion and sausage. Cook over medium heat. When the sausage is mostly cooked, add the celery and garlic. Cook until the onion and celery is caramelized. Add the water and potatoes and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add milk and evaporated milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

I sometimes add garlic salt instead of regular salt. 

Southern Style Chicken and Rice

Oh man! Who doesn't love a good homemade chicken and rice dish? This is a wonderful basic chicken stock recipe with rice added in to make it a meal. It is thick, hearty and dirt cheap to make. And let me just add, it is so good!
I made this last night for dinner because it was cold and cloudy outside - the perfect weather for this dish. When my husband came home from work, his eyes lit up as he inhaled the aromas. Not only is the dish awesome and easy, it also makes the entire house smell good for the night. Even though there are only three of us in the house, one of which is still too young for solid food, I make 8 to 10 servings at a time. It is less expensive, we can have it two nights in a row, and it freezes well.

Prep time: 15 minutes to start, 20 minutes in the middle.
Cook time: 2 hours, but you can walk away from it for most of the cooking time.
Cost: $0.70 to $0.90 per serving

1 whole frying chicken (I use the fryer because it is a little smaller and usually less per pound)
3 to 4 carrots, chopped
1 turnip, chopped (yeah, I know. But, it is a great flavor to add to most southern style chicken dishes. It is still pretty darn good without it in there.)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups of water
salt and pepper
2 cups of rice
parsley (optional)

In a large stock pot, place the whole chicken (don't forget to remove the innards) with the carrots, turnip, celery, onion and garlic around it. Add enough water to cover the chicken, which is usually about 5 cups. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender enough to fall from the bones. Remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken and allow it cool until you can handle it. If it is cold outside, I put in a big bowl, cover it with a splatter screen so the heat can still get out but nothing can get in, and leave it outside on a table.  While the chicken is cooling, I start skimming some of the fat off the top of the broth. Then, debone the chicken. By the time the chicken is off the bone, you can get most of the fat from the broth. I do leave some, but not too much. Break the chicken up with you hands to bit sized bits and drop it back in the pot. Some people strain the broth and chop the veggies up smaller, but I am admittedly lazy and don't do that. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that you are adding rice to it. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Reduce to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. It should be only slightly soupy when it is finished.
Oh man... this is making me hungry again. Good thing I still have this in my fridge.

Happy Eating!