Recipe Friday!

It's Friday!!!!

and to celebrate I'm going to post up my recipes from last weekend.  So if you're looking for something tasty to make this weekend, may I suggest this soup and pie?

Black Bean and Sausage Soup (via Spark Recipes)

*I made a few adjustments, but the original is in the link above.  Double the recipe if you want leftovers.

1 med. onion, chopped (Slapchop optional - thanks Nichole! :)

2 large carrots - peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery - chopped

2 garlic cloves (which I forgot!  oops!)

1/2 tsp dried herbs (oregano, basil, whatever you want)

2 medium sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped

2 cups beef or chicken broth (I used Swanson Organic Chicken broth, plus added 1 cup of water)

1 can diced tomatoes (don't drain!)

4-6 oz lean kielbasa sausage - cubed (I used Jenny O Turkey sausage)

2 cans beans (I used a combo of black and kidney beans because I'm an idiot and forgot mine at home and used whatever Nichole and Nathan had, but you can use whatever beans you want)

1. Heat a large soup pot with cooking spray.  Add onion, carrot and celery; cook on med. heat until the veggies start to soften.

2. Add in garlic, herbs, potatoes, broth and tomatoes; heat until boiling.  Stir in the sausage and simmer for a half hour.

3. Drain and rinse the beans.  Add to soup and heat until hot (or however long you want, it gets better as it sits)

4. Serve!  Preferably with homemade bread, salad and a side of friends :)....wait, that makes me sound like a cannibal....

French Apple Pie (via King Arthur Flour )

I technically got this recipe from my King Arthur cookbook, but wanted to link so you can make it too!  I got this cookbook for Christmas a few years ago from my brother and its one of the best gifts I've received.  I love all the recipes I've tried from it - it never fails and is my go-to cookbook for pretty much everything!

Crust - I was lazy and for the sake of convenience I didn't make the crust (gasp!), and used a premade one, but if you have the time I highly suggest a homemade crust to a store bought.

Filling

8 c. peeled, cored, and sliced apples ( I used Cortlands, but any baking apple works)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1t. cinnamon & 1/4t. nutmeg (use your on taste here, I never measure these things, I just add what I want)

Topping

1 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 cup cold butter (hey, I never said this was healthy!)

1. To make the crust - click the link and follow the directions :)  Or just roll out your pre-made crust and lay it in your pie pan

2. To make the filling, mix your apples, sugar, flour and spices in a large bowl; pour them into prepared pie pan.

3. For the topping, cut up the cold butter into small cubes and mix it into the flour and sugar with a fork or your hands until it forms small, pea-size lumps. Spread the mixture evenly over the apples.

4. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) in a 425 degrees for 15 min. then reduce the heat to 35 degrees and bake for an additional 30 min.   Let the pie cool down a bit then serve!