Chip off the old block

It's been a crazy day here.  It started when Thatbaby decided to wake up at 5:40 instead of his typical, later wakeup.  Which always throws us into a tizzy as we pass him back and forth while attempting to get ready for work.  This was compounded today by the fact that I had a hearing in court early, so had to get out of the house an hour earlier than I usually do.

Work was crazy from the moment I stepped into the courthouse, to the moment I left the rest of them in a tizzy an hour later than I was planning.  And I would have stayed amidst the craziness later, except some baby had to go see the doctor.  Thatbaby kicked that fever to the curb last week.  He was healthy all weekend.  And Sunday night he decided being healthy was for the birds.  He was up all night congested and stuffy.  In his nose, his throat, and his eyes.  And because his eyes kept getting more and more goopy, we brought him in to the doctor tonight.  Guess what baby has pink eye?  

Between the doctor's visit and the pharmacy we didn't get home till 8:30, which meant dinner was grabbed on the way home so we could eat quickly and get sick-o ready for bed.  Good thing I have some old posts just waiting to go.

This soup was made a couple weeks ago, back when Thatbaby was healthy.  But I thought it would be fitting to post now.  Especially since Thatboy and I are both battling colds.  We're eating a lot of soup. 

Thatbaby "helped" me make this one.  He was in one of his fussy "play with me!!!!!" moods as I was cooking it, so I scooped him up as I transferred the vegetables from the cutting board to the pot.  Normally I'll hand him a spoon or spatula to play with, but this time, before I could hand something over, he took matters into his own hand.  He grabbed a handful of kale and it went right in his mouth.  He loved it.  He went back for seconds.  Guess we know he's really mine.

I love soups with kale.  And I love soups with sausage.  This has both.  Soups are fantastic for using up vegetables that are past their prime. For me, that was some celery and carrots that were starting to be less than crisp.  You can feel free to use whatever is in your fridge that you're looking to get rid of.

Portuguese Sausage Soup

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3Tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cups chicken broth
pepper
2  cans cannelini beans
1 can kidney beans
1 bunch of kale
1 stick of Portuguese sausage chopped

1. Prepare macaroni according to package directions, drain. 
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a pot.  Saute carrots, celery, sausage, and onion until onion is translucent.
3. Add tomatoes with liquid, broth, pepper and 4-5 cups water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Drain beans.In small bowl, mash 1 can white beans with fork.
5. Add the mashed beans, whole beans, macaroni, and kale to the soup.  Heat through.