Author: charmcitysarah

On the back burner

Posted on by charmcitysarah

Life has been on pause a bit for the last few weeks as I’ve been processing my grief over the death of a little girl I knew and loved very much. In the midst of not feeling like cooking or going out, I still managed to pull out a couple of simple dishes, one of which I want to share here. Anything with fewer than 10 ingredients that you can make in one pot is a weeknight winner, if ever I’ve heard of one.

So, in the interest of moving things forward and keeping my promise to myself to actually write in this space, I give you an easy, no-frills weeknight supper:

Kielbasa, kale, and cannellini! (I heart alliteration!)

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
1 lb kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch discs
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped (or a bag of pre-washed, pre-cut kale)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
~1/2 cup chicken stock (or more if needed)
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

Instructions

In a dutch oven (or other heavier, deep skillet/sauce pan with a lid), heated to medium, add oil and sausage rounds. Sauté until caramelized and briefly remove from the pan and set aside. Then sauté chopped onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add sausage IMG_1013back to pan and add chopped kale to pan. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes (optional). Add chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat until kale begins to wilt. Add cannellini beans and stir, cover the pan again, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, removing cover for last 5 minutes or so to let any remaining liquid cook off. Serve immediately. (Hint: For an extra bit of zing, try topping with some freshly-grated parmesan cheese and even a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor.)

This dish is a hearty, tummy-warming meal, perfect for a midweek dinner when you don’t feel like exerting much effort to get food on the table. Try it for yourself and let me know if you like it!

Happy cooking!

And so it begins….

Posted on by charmcitysarah

It’s January of 2016 and after tons of prodding and poking from friends, I’m starting a food blog. It’s going to take me a bit of reorienting to get myself back into blog writing mode, so bear with me. (I started my first one in 2002 and haven’t really been faithful to it for the last several years since microblogging sites like FB, Instagram, and Twitter took over.)

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and posting of pics for the past several years, and I figured why not start to put some of my concoctions up in a more permanent way in case others might want to access them? Also, this will be a place to check in on my plans to bring some of my longstanding dreams to fruition. Slow and steady wins the race, no?

I’m here in Charm City (a.k.a. Baltimore, MD), so I will also be including delicious eats and drinks I find in my local (and not so local) wanderings. Happy to have you along for the ride, and bon appétit!