I had a sweet friend over for lunch the other day. We had "my version" of the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup. I found a recipe on line but as expected I didn't have all the ingredients. Not a problem! I rarely follow the recipe as it is.. I tend to be more of a "little bit of this and a dash of that" kind of cook. :)

So.. here is the link with the recipe for those of you who like to have exact measurements.
http://olivegarden-soup-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/12/olive-garden-toscana-soup-recipe.html


Here is the version I made. :) Equally yummy in my humble opinion.

1/4 c. butter
1 lb. pork sausage
1 package of cream cheese
2 c. milk
3-4 c. chicken broth( I used 3-4 c. water + 4 cubes of chicken boullion)
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
chopped onion ( I used 2 Tbsp. minced onion)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
salt and pepper to tase
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. fresh kale or greens of choice. (* I used kale and swiss chard)


Directions:
Cook the sausage in your soup pot. Drain and set aside. Add the butter to the pan along with the cream cheese. Melt and mix well. Whisk in the milk a little at a time to make a base for your soup. (* I used the cream cheese because I did not have cream) Add 2 cups of chicken broth and whisk together. Add your potatoes, onions, spices and sausage. Then I added more broth and milk to suit my taste. Use your judgement here on what you like.

Shortly before I served the soup I added the fresh greens and cooked till they were limp, but not over cooked.

We had freshly baked wheat bread and homemade applesauce and my special brownies :) Yum!


Special Brownies
1 box of brownie mix
1 c. chocolate chips

Make the brownies as directed. Sprinkle the chips on top and bake. They are always a huge favorite wherever I take them. It is funny how people rave and all I did was add 1 c. of chocolate chips to the top.

Enojy!