speaking the truth

When in doubt, check my tags. I also have some good stuff in my memories.

Ok, one thing you have to learn about my recipes and the way I cook in general is that recipes are just a springboard for experimentation. I don't buy cookbooks to follow recipes; I collect them for ideas. When I write down a recipe, that's just what I did — this time. It may not be the same the next time, or even ever again. (You'd understand that better if I'd written up the different potato soup I made the other weekend, exactly the way I did it...but I've forgotten half of it now; oh well!) A recipe is just a place to start. So, if you make substitutions because that's what you have on hand, or that's what you like, go for it! And when I say, "This is a very flexible and forgiving recipe", that's exactly what I mean.

Ground Italian sausage instead of links is a luxury I don't have ready access to. I would actually rather use sausage that's never been mashed into a casing; that does evil things to the texture of the meat. I use links because you can get them damn near anywhere, but the only place I know of that I can get uncased sausage is Wegman's — which I try not to go to anymore because I can't seem to shop there and spend less than $100... :-/ Although I did discover recently that if you slice half-thawed previously-frozen sausages, you don't burn your fingers, and the bits cook faster, and you can see when they're done all the way through...

I've also discovered that there's actually a difference between "mild" and "sweet" Italian sausage — which goes a long way towards explaining why I hate some sausage pizzas, and love others. But, hey — use what you have; use what you like; it doesn't really matter that much whether it's hot, mild, or sweet Italian, or brats, or Irish O'Garlic...or even polska kielbasa!

Something else I've discovered since I recorded that version of the Tomato Bread Soup recipe (I originally found it in The Fanny Farmer Cookbook!) is that throwing in a bag of baby spinach is a really great way to add leafy greens to your meal.

Turnip and paprika in potato soup sounds really, really nummy!

One other thing to consider about your disintegrating meatball problem is whether the recipe might include too much in the way of breadcrumbs and/or other liquid for even eggs to hold together. In my experience, cooking too long usually turns meatballs into hockey pucks, not rubble. Post the recipe, maybe, for further discussion?