helping myself. thank you very much.

a few months ago, i stumbled upon the creation of a lower fat version of olive garden's zuppa toscana. it was all a total accident, but it really did taste like the soup that my whole family loves. only it didn't have any cream or sausage, which i love. cream and sausage, while tasty, does not make my tummy happy. they just don't agree.

after dinner, my ultra impressed family asked if i could recreate that exact same soup. i said OF COURSE! how could i forget?

fast forward.

i forgot.

but i had posted on facebook a quickie version for a friend who'd asked. after scrolling back and back and back, all the way to february 8th. i finally found it. to save myself from doing the same thing in a few months, i'm posting it here, labeling it recipes, and will never have to worry about finding it every again.

i cut up about 6 potatoes and covered w/ enough chicken stock to boil them. once they were done, i added 1 and a half cans of evaporated milk and mashed with a potato masher, not totally mashed, but pretty much creamy. then i added about a cup of diced ham (chopped fine). that's when i noticed it tasted like zuppa toscana. i added a 1/2 stick of butter (which may negate the no cream theory) and i happened to have some kale, so i chopped up half a head of that and added it at the very end. season with pepper. it makes 8 -10 servings. it was yummy.

i'd post a picture, but i don't have one of the soup, so here's one of some potatoes that i found here thanks to flickr.


now if only i could remember that other thing that i KNEW i'd remember how to make...

chicken with lemon thyme sauce

a couple of you asked for this, unfortunately i don't have a concrete recipe. so if you're comfortable with a squoosh of this and a bit of that, then you'll be able to understand this... i don't know that you can mess it u, it's so easy, it's scary.

brown a couple of chicken breasts (I used 4) in a small amount of olive or canola oil. add about a tablespoon of lemon juice and probably a teaspoon of dried thyme, some chicken broth and simmer with a lid for a bit, until the chicken is no longer pink. remove the chicken breast and turn the browned bits into a gravy by adding more broth and flour.

sorry i can't be more specific. that's just how i did it. but my family loved it and it was easy so we'll be having it again.'

here's a link to the thread i got the recipe from over at studio calico...