Cozy Lentil Soup

It's been raining all day here in south Florida. I know - shocker! To tell you the truth, I like the rain. I find it comforting and cozy. Plus, my lawn needs the nourishment. This soup was the perfect end to our comfy, cozy Sunday.

What you'll need:
3-5 links chicken sausage (depends on how much sausage you want - I used 3)
Olive oil
1 large peeled carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
salt and pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups dried lentils
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a large handful of spinach
Parmesan cheese

What to do:
Add a little olive oil to a cast iron pot and heat on medium to medium high heat. Remove the casing from the chicken sausage and cook in a cast iron pot until brown and cooked through. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel to drain the fat.

Next, add a little more olive oil to the pot and add the vegetables. Toss the vegetables and scrape up the sausage bits. Throw in some salt and pepper. Cook just until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, lentils, and parm.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Add the sausage bag to the pot. Allow to cook for 2 hours. Just before you are ready to serve, throw in the handful of spinach. Put a lid on the pot and allow the spinach to wilt in the soup for about 15 minutes.

Top with shaved parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Everything Bagel Super Stuffing

The stuffing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast. I briefly thought about making several types of stuffing as part of a stuffing bar, but I ran out of time. So, I settled for this new take on a old recipe.

What you'll need:
3-4 everything bagels torn into small pieces
12 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 red onion, diced
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 300. Spread the bagel pieces on a large baking sheet. Bake in the upper part of the oven for about 30 minutes. Toss them at least once. Let cool. Increase the oven temp to 375.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until brown. Then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Once the bacon cools a bit, break the pieces into small bits.

In the same pan, add the onion and allow to cook in the bacon drippings for just a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the broth and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add the bacon, bagel pieces, onion, and parsley. Toss to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes. Toss a few times during this process.

Pour the mixture into a greased shallow large glass baking dish. Bake about 45 minutes or until the top is nicely browned.

Enjoy!