Made By Girl: soup.

FOOD: POLENTA FRIES

Fallon of Sage and Sparkle here, and I have to admit I'm pretty excited we're now in mid-September! This month signifies Fall, my favorite season! And while Fall doesn't officially start until the 22nd, it feels perfectly appropriate to start to incorporate some "Fall Favorites" back into the mix. For me, soup is at the top of the list, however the star of this quick and easy meal is not the soup, but rather the amazingly delicious polenta fries! Up until a few weeks ago, when I had Polenta Lasagna, I had never thought of Polenta in any other form that creamy, but there is so much you can do with polenta... seriously, check out Pinterest.

I decided Polenta Fries would be a nice addition to my favorite store bought soup, Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup. Using store bought Polenta... (yes, your seeing a trend here, as I said, this meal is quick and easy, but trust me, you will be impressed), this meal took a little over 30min to make. Keep in mind, if you have the time, polenta is easy to make, but if you wanted to make fries, you would have to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients:

1 package of store bought polenta
salt + pepper
Olive oil
Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
Chives
Fresh parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees 2. Slice the polenta in half, then thinly cut off the edges to make more rectangular, and slice into medium shaped fries

3. Drizzle a large baking tray with olive oil and place sliced polenta on top; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt + pepper 4. Bake for 25 min, until crispy, then turn and bake an additional 5-10 min 5. Heat soup on stove in a small sauce pan 6. Garnish soup with chives and freshly grated parmesan. Make it sparkle with a "polenta fry fort"... and enjoy!

-post & photos by Fallon Carmichael, Sage & Sparkle

Food: White Bean Kale Soup

Hello again! Heather Freeman here from The Lovely Cupboard. I've got one of my favorite soup recipes to share with you today. I think that I could eat soup everyday in the winter and be totally content. There are so many reasons to love soup. In case you haven't entered this love affair, let me try to entice on soup's behalf:

-Warm soup in cold weather fights the chill.
-Hundreds of varieties=endless dinner possibilities
-Most soups taste better the second day. PLUS they freeze well if you make a large batch
-You can dip all sorts of lovely carbs into your soup (Bread sticks, rolls, crackers, pretzels...Need I go on?)

Today's soup employs buttery white beans, kale, and Italian sausage. It's a creamy and hearty soup that can stand alone as a main dish. Here's what you'll need to pick up at the store:

1. Brown 1 pound of Italian pork sausage over medium heat. Drain excess fat and set the meat aside for later.

2. Mince one shallot and finely chop three carrots. Saute both in olive or grape seed oil over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of dried winter savory (or your favorite herb). Rough chop one bunch of kale and set aside.

3. Add 1 cup of cream and 3 cups of water to the carrot and onion mixture in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and add three chicken or vegetable bullion cubes. Stir until dissolved.

4. Add meat and simmer on low, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.

5. Add the kale and one can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed). Continue to simmer on low for 10 minutes. Serve with a salad (and maybe your carb of choice.)

One of the best things about this recipe? It is husband tested and approved. Score!

-All images by Heather Freeman