It's a Tie!

Can you believe it? Our Christmas Cookie Contest resulted in a tie between Raspberry Rollups and Spicy Ginger Cookies!  Please help us select the winner in a run-off between them.  We realize that a lot of people are on vacation, traveling, and well, not reading their regular blogs right now, so we're giving you until January 5th to vote!

I thought today might be a good time to share my new cover.  The Diva Digs Up the Dirt won't be released until June 5th, but the cover is here!  Oddly enough, I wrote about a calico cat in the story.  Little did I know at the time that a calico kitten would join my household! 

After all those holiday feasts, we're ready for something a little bit lighter around here.  Not too light, after all, we're still in festive mode.  But this soup was exactly what we needed.  It's a perfect busy day recipe.  Serve with some freshly baked bread and it's a snuggle by the fire on a cold night meal.

The key here is the sausage.  It doesn't cook long so the flavor depends a lot on the sausage.  Make sure it's one that you like!  I used spicy turkey sausage, but it would be great with chicken or pork sausage, or even your favorite wieners!

Sausage and Kale Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 package sausage
1 small package mushrooms (cremini, white, or shitaki)
2 1/2 - 3 cups chicken broth
1-14.5 ounce can minced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh kale
1-15 ounce can beans (navy, kidney, or pinto)


Slice sausage into bite-sized pieces and kale into two-inch (roughly) pieces (discard any tough kale stems).  Dice the onion and the garlic.  Heat olive oil and onions and cook until translucent.  Add sausage and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Pour in the chicken broth and tomatoes, and add the kale.  Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 25 minutes.  Add the beans and simmer another five minutes.

ENJOY!