rustic white bean and kale pottage

pottage: n
a thick soup made of vegetables, with or without meat.
origin: old french, literally something from a pot.
(dictionary.com)

1/2 yellow onion, or one small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs olive oil
8 c vegetable stock
4 large carrots, sliced
1lb bag small white beans, rinsed
1 bunch fresh kale, coarsely chopped**
1 large tomato, cubed
1/4 tsp sage
1 spring fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves

in a large skillet warm olive oil over medium heat. add onions and garlic and saute until tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes.

combine all ingredients, except kale, in a slow cooker. cook on low for 4-5 hours. add kale and turn slow cooker to high. cook an additional 2-3 hours.

remove bay leaves and rosemary spring and serve with toasted cracked wheat sourdough.

this pottage has an wonderful flavor and is totally guilt free. this recipe can serve just a few, with plenty of leftovers for freezing, or a large dinner party.


**note: if you are not home and cannot add the kale halfway through cooking time, use spinach instead and add during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

dutch farmer's soup with gouda croutons

we love soup here at nerd headquarters. not the msg-packed canned stuff either. fresh, delicious soup made from fresh, delicious produce and meat. i make a pot of soup at least twice a month. this weeks selection was a dutch's farmer's soup with gouda croutons. usually this soup is topped with bacon, but we consume a fair amount of bacon, so i opted to leave it out. make this the day before you plan on serving it so the flavors have time to get to know each other (it's also great to strain and add the veggies to your picky eater's quasadilla!)

dutch farmer's soup:

2 tbs butter
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 cups chopped cauliflower
6 cups organic vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz gouda cheese, sliced
sliced french bread

in a large dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. add veggies and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. add vegetable stock, salt and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes.

preheat broiler. arrange bread in a single layer on broiler pan and place in broiler six inches from flame for 2 minutes. turn slices over and top with gouda. return to broiler for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted.

place a crouton on top of each bowl of soup and serve.

i was leery about this soup because of the lack of herbs and seasoning, but don't let that fool you. this soup is packed with flavor!

nerd baby has a birthday

this year has been the craziest, funnest, most wonderful year ever. our bundle of joy has grown from a teensy bitty thing (5 pounds, 8 ounces!), to a walking, talking, go-go-go ball of energy. months of planning went into celebrating her very first birthday, and i am so pleased with the results.

nerd daddy took the day off work so we could take nerd baby to the l.a. zoo on her actual birthday, so we decided on a zoo themed birthday party. i made everything i could myself, from hand-stamped napkins to homemade favor bags and snacks.

homemade favor bags include animal crackers, fruit snacks, personalized water bottle, zoo animal themed erasers, pencils, notepads and stamps, and homemade animal bottle cap magnets.

clockwise from top left: circus animal cookies and arrowroot animal crackers, homemade chex mix, watermelon cubes, multi-grain goldfish crackers.

homemade pink lemonade cupcakes with vanilla frosting and animal cracker toppers.

homemade rice crispy treats with sprinkles.

hand-dipped white chocolate pretzels.

hand-stamped zoo napkins.

tea sandwiches: butter and cheddar, cream cheese and olive, and ham and american cheese.

personalized water bottles (designed by daddy nerd!)

mint tea with organic honey and lime, and pink lemonade with fresh lemons.

happy birthday to our itty bitty nerd!