But it can be delicious.  Like this Kale and White Bean Soup with looks only a mother could love.  It will fill you up and keep you satisfied for quite some time.  And it is so good for you, it might be a crime.

The real surprise, however, is that it is super-flavorful and the perfect bowl of warmth for cool fall days.  Make half of the recipe for a smaller pot, or double it for the freezer.  It tastes just as good with other kinds of greens, too, like spinach, escarole, or young collards.

1. Cut or tear the kale into 1/2-inch strips. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add about half of the beans, and lightly mash with a fork. Add water and stock, and bring to a boil. Stir in kale, remaining beans, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer until kale is tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Toast bread. Ladle soup into bowls, top with toast, and drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

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Just a little chill in the air and I start pulling out the ‘big pots’.  And they stay filled with everything from chili to stew to beans to greens.  Being able to throw it all in and let it go gives a lot of satisfaction when fall finally arrives.

Cheddar Corn Chowder from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook will fill up a big pot for sure and couldn’t be simpler.  Bacon, potatoes, corn and cheddar cheese combine to make a hearty lunch or dinner.  The original recipe found here makes a giant batch, but can easily be halved, or the leftovers can be put away in the freezer.   The Barefoot Bloggers who made this previously noted that the soup comes out a little thin, so I did reduce the amount of chicken stock by about a third to give it more body, and it turned out very good.

Thanks to Jill of My Next Life for her choice of a great summer-to-fall recipe, and for giving me an excuse to bring out the big pot.

My husband is a hunter.  It’s his hobby, pastime, passion.  He brings home the bacon in both senses.  And I like the idea of getting some of our meat from the wild instead of a grocery store.

I was raised, however, in the era of the cleaned and washed, plastic wrapped, part-labeled meat package.  Very neat and tidy with no confusion as to what piece of meat you have.  To my dismay, the person who does the packaging of the meat my husband brings him is not too concerned with which part is which, there are no labels at all.  Obviously, to him “parts is parts”.

He also apparently thinks we have a very large family, because he packages something like five pounds of meat together at a time.  When I take it out of the freezer to defrost, I have to have a plan for a serious amount of meat.  I usually have to let it thaw first to see what it is, though.

This time I was left with two large tenderloin-type pieces of venison.  One I roasted in the oven, and the other I made into this Slow Cooker Venison Stew.  You can substitute any kind of stew meat you prefer, of course.  You do have to flour the meat and brown it before putting it in the slow cooker, which always bugs me a little since I try to avoid any extra dishes if I can.  But I did it anyway this time because I know it makes the meat taste better and thickens the liquid.  I used dried herbs this time and just reduced the amount by half.  It is really flavorful and great for winter lunches and dinners.  The next day I topped it with some shredded pepper jack cheese, and that made it even tastier.

Slow Cooker Venison Stew

from myrecipes.com

makes 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients