In Need Of Some Comfort....Food

Today after work I went for a run around the University of Delaware campus.  It's one of my favorite places to run and it always brings back good memories from college. It's such a pretty campus that the run always goes by nice and fast.



I ran for about 40 minutes.  I swear one day I'll get one of those fancy watches that tells you how far you actually went, but for now I'm guessing that I went a little over 4 miles. 

When I got home I was ready to cook! I saw this recipe last week on a fellow runner's blog.  It looked soo good and I've been in the mood for some comfort food ever since the weather started getting colder.  The recipe was really easy to follow and only took me about a half an hour to make which is a plus in my book.

Recipe:

¼ cup smoked bacon ends, diced (I used canadian bacon)

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

½ large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups kale, chopped, loosely packed

2 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

½ cup half and half (I only used about 1/4 cup)

In a small soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until fat becomes visible in the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium high and add the celery, carrot and onion. Cook about 3 minutes and stir in the garlic. Continue to cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 more minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add water to the pot just to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. As soon as the potatoes become tender, add the kale. Cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.

Stir in the salt, pepper and paprika. Using a potato masher, gently mash the soup, breaking up some of the potatoes, but not all. Stir in the half and half and serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

YUM YUM YUM. I had my soup with a side salad of course! And I finished my meal with a little dessert.  A square of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate.