Pierogi Soup (with cabbage and sausage)

As promised, I have explored my tastebuds' imagination and invented a Pierogi Soup!  It's really like runny buttery mashed potatoes with cabbage and sausage.  How can that be wrong?  Maybe someday I'll actually make my own pasta but in the meantime, this was pretty awesome.  I used campanella pasta, which looks like baby conch shells.  I have declared this soup the "Best thing I've ever made"!  I won't make you wait...

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 Tbsp Butter (1 stick)

2 Medium Sweet Onions, diced

1 Small Cabbage, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 Lb Sweet Italian Sausage

1 Carton Chicken Stock

1 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Cups dry Campanella pasta

2 Cups Kale, diced

Salt and Pepper

Remove the sausage from the casings.  Smash flat on a baking dish and sprinkle with garlic salt and cayenne pepper.  Bake at 375* for 30 minutes.

Sauté the onions in olive oil and 2-4 Tbsp of butter (adding more if needed) in a medium stock pot until caramelized.  Add the diced cabbage.  Cook for a few minutes.  Add the minced garlic and sauté briefly, it must not burn!  Add the potatoes (I used a few gold and a few red).  Add the chicken stock plus enough water to cover.  Bring to a slow boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the remainder of the butter.  Using a handheld potato masher, slowly mash the potatoes while slowly pouring in the heavy cream.  Leave the soup as chunky as you prefer, I mashed about half of mine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove the sausage from the oven and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add the sausage to the soup.  Add the pasta.  Last but not least, add my favorite soup ingredient...the kale.  Make sure to wash it good.  You don't want any bugs in your heavenly mashed potato soup.  Reduce heat and simmer on low until pasta is soft or you are ready to serve!

Potato Cakes

Most things I think I don't like to eat, if I try again, chances are I'll become obsessed with it!  Kind of like, most things I worry about never happen anyway!

The lesson here?  If at first you don't succeed, try and try again!  Potato cakes are one of those foods.  When I was a kid, I didn't turn my nose up to much.  My parents passed onto me a love of food.  

Even still, I would turn my nose up to potato cakes.  Mashed potatoes mixed with other yummy goodness and fried.  I was young.  I was stupid.  Now, my husband and I get excited about a meal if there's a chance of leftover mash taties because we know there are potato cakes in our future!

Mom gave me the basic recipe.  It's hard to mess these up!  You can add or take away to your preference, the base is always the same.  Leftover mashed potatoes, flour and egg.

2 Cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
1 Egg
1/2 Medium Onion (diced small)
2 Tbsp (heaping) Flour
Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying

I store my leftover mash taties in a plastic container larger than needed and mix the cakes right in there.     To the cold potatoes, add the egg, onion, flour, big pinch of parsley, salt and pepper.  I've also added garlic powder or ranch seasoning.  The combinations are endless!  A co-worker told me the other day that she adds her leftover corn.  Whatever floats yer boat!

Mix all ingredients.  It should not be runny, it won't hold up while frying.  If it's runny, add more flour.  If it's dry (like cookie dough), you can add a splash of milk.

My parents make these pretty big, about the size of your fist.  I've been making them smaller, bite sized.  It's all about preference.  I think the small ones stay together better and are easier to turn. 

Heat oil in a frying pan.  Drop by spoonfuls into the grease.  Fry to a golden brown before turning.  Continue frying both sides until they are nice and golden brown!  Enjoy another taste of my childhood (that I didn't know I was missing)!

Spaghetti Soup

I grew up eating this soup! It reminds me of my childhood.  It's one of Grandma Emig's recipes that Dad often made.  I know that it makes my big sister Buffy smile too.  I don't make it exactly like Dad. He doesn't add onions, and he adds the hamburger to the liquid after cooking the potatoes and cabbage. Plus, I add beef or chicken stock to EVERYTHING, so I added some beef stock.

I'm a firm believer that cabbage makes everything better. This soup is no exception and never disappoints! Unfortunately I lost my mind this time and took no pictures! Next time I make it, I'll add pics!  Promise!

1 Lb Ground Beef

½ Medium Onion (Diced)

½ Head of Cabbage (Chopped)

3 Cups Potatoes (Diced)

1 Carton Beef Stock plus Water

1 Qt. Tomato Juice

14.5 Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes

½ Lb Thin Spaghetti

Salt and Pepper

Sugar

Sauté the ground beef and onions in a large stock pot, breaking the meat up into bite sized pieces.  Do not fry it brown.  Add the cabbage, potatoes and beef stock.  Refill the stock carton with water and add it to the pot, as many times as it takes to cover the cabbage and potatoes.  Add the tomato products. Simmer until the cabbage and potatoes are tender. Add the spaghetti (broken into smaller sections).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to simmer until the spaghetti is soft (the longer the better).  The sugar is by preference and will depend on how tart the tomato products are.  I don't think Dad adds sugar but I felt it needed some in my last batch!

I hope you enjoy this family favorite as much as we do!

Updated photo!