Hermit Thursday

We're staying in today.  Do you know that tonight's forecast is 20 below?  Yeah, so I'm cooking and having a grand time at that.  On the menu tonight for us and our new-baby friends, who will be receiving half the double batch: Italian Peasant Soup and Hermits!  Love you, sis, and wish I could serve this to you on your birthday today.  Happy Birthday.

Italian Peasant Soup
from Quick Cooking Magazine 2003

1 lb. Italian sausage links, casings removed and cut into 1" slices
2 med. onions chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
2 15 oz cans cannellini or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
Shredded parmesan cheese, optional

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Add onions and garlic, saute until tender.  Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink.  Stir in the beans, broth, tomatoes, basil and oregano.  Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Add the spinach and heat until just wilted.  Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.  Yield: 11 servings (2 3/4 quarts). 

And make sure to have yummy crusty bread to go with it.

For dessert, hermits! I found this hermit recipe on allrecipes.com, when I was calling myself a hermit two weeks ago.

Okay, that pic is not my hermits, but it is an honest representation of what mine look like, even though I was tempted to choose the best looking hermit cookie picture from google images. 

It was my first go at hermits and they are delicious!  Try them yourself. My helpers are up now.  Maybe they'll wash all those dishes?  Not likely.  But they will stuff the dishwasher full of Matchbox cars if I'm not watching.