Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup

Tom wanted to have leftovers for dinner, so I decided to make a dish that I'd been wanting to make for a few weeks now - Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup.

Potato Kielbasa Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound kielbasa, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
• ½ cup peeled and finely diced (2 large carrots)
• ½ cup finely sliced celery (2-3 stalks)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1½ pounds potato, cut into cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the sausage using a slotted spoon.
2. Add garlic, onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the cooked sausage, milk, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook on low heat 5-10 minutes longer, until the cheese has melted.
5. Stir in parsley before serving.

This dish turned out okay. It wasn't bad, but it needed something extra. All of my cheese clumped together and didn't disperse throughout the soup, but maybe it's because I didn't use cheddar, all I had in-house was Colby-jack. I think I'd be willing to give this recipe another try, but definitely with cheddar - hopefully that will make the difference.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I'm finally getting around to using up my pineapple - I actually got another one and had to throw away the first one. So Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is next on the list.

Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake

YOU WILL NEED

• 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime or lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 ounces (225 grams) fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (about 1/4 pineapple)
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 grams) sour cream or plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS Make Batter

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using the back of a spoon, spread 4 tablespoons of the butter over the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over butter. Arrange the pineapple wedges in one even layer over the butter and sugar.
3. In a large bowl, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter, granulated sugar and zest with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then mix in the baking powder and salt.
5. Mix in a third of the flour mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain then mix in the remaining flour. Add the egg whites and sour cream and mix just until smooth.

To Finish

1. Spoon cake batter on top of the pineapple and spread into an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
2. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edges and invert it onto a plate to cool. If some pineapple slices stick to the pan, use a spatula to transfer them back on top of the cake and spread a little of the gooey brown sugar sauce over them to cover it up.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftover cake up to 3 days. You can also rewarm slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Tom and I agree, the flavor is good, but the cake is really dense. Could I have over-mixed it? Perhaps. Is my baking powder old? Definitely. I'll move on to another recipe.