Game of Thrones Dinner Party

Who here is a Game of Thrones fan?? I certainly am. For the season premier this past weekend, I invited a few friends over for a Game of Thrones inspired dinner. A snack of hard salami and cheese, you know something you can pack on your horse.Roasted Chicken, to eat with your hands, the juices running down your chin.“Dornish” peppers – the prep anyways (it was a little chaotic once everyone showed up). A mix of onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and spicy anaheim chilis from my garden. Round it out with some green salad, crusty bread, and some delicious bulgarian pastries. Finish with Sansa’s Lemon Cakes

and some Game of Thrones beer to wash it all down.  Happy viewing fans. 

A hot soup for a cold day

I knew it was going to be rainy this week, so I have had soup on the brain.  Randy and I biked to the farmer’s market yesterday where I saw lovely bunches of kale and leeks. I was reminded of this soup we made in a cooking class with The Opera Singing Chef that used kale and potatoes.   I also have a freezer full of turkey stock from Thanksgiving that I thought could give an additional layer of flavor to the soup taking place in my mind. I grabbed the kale and leeks, and told Randy we needed to get some sausage and potatoes at Henry’s on the way home. I was planning on getting spicy Italian turkey sausage, but was in a hurry to beat the rain and they only had an andouille sausage.

Turned out to be the perfect night to cook up a big pot of soup.  With the pouring rain and roaring wind outside, it was nice to steam up the windows with a spicy, comforting soup.

The andouille sausage worked perfectly, and gave a nice bite to the soup. Next time I think I will take out about half of the potato and broth and blend it to make the soup a bit thicker.

Recipe: Potato Soup with Spicy Sausage, Leeks and Kale

• Olive oil
• 3 Andouille Sausage links, sliced
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 c turkey broth
• 6 c water
• 3 large potatoes
• 2 c chopped kale, washed and center rib removed

Swirl oil in the bottom of a stockpot over medium heat. Toss in sliced sausage and brown. Add shallot and saute 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute an additional minute.  Add water and broth and bring to a boil.  Toss in potatoes and simmer until tender.  Add the chopped kale and simmer about 15 minutes more.

Tastes really good with a piece of garlic bread for dipping.

Enjoy!