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tasty soup for lunch, a copy cat recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana from http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana.html

I've been making this soup for years. It's an absolute favorite. Some of the things I've adjusted over the years are in parenthesis below. Do make this soup you won't be sorry.

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1½ tsp crushed red peppers (I use a scant teaspoon, while Ken likes it really spicy, I find a little less pepper to be more tolerable)

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces (I use about three quarters of a pound, cut into one inch bits before frying crisply. Can you ever have too much bacon?)

2 tsp garlic puree (I use one fresh, minced garlic clove)

10 cups water (I usually buy one of the large cans of chicken broth and add half a can of water. This seems to be a good mix for the broth/water required)

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes with skins, or about 3 large potatoes (I quarter the potatoes before slicing. It's much nicer to not have potato skin strings hanging from your chin as you eat)

¼ of a bunch of kale

Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients. In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft. (I usually fry up the bacon in the same pan, adding the onions and garlic after the bacon is nicely crisped) Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Don't boil the soup after cream is added. Stir in the sausage. Add kale just before serving.

So good.

and for dessert:

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