I just typed up a whole post with my thoughts on the election and then deleted it because I don’t want to think about it anymore. So that’s that!

Last weekend the GS and I went out to dinner with Kelly and Aaron. Ethan and Aaron have an ongoing golf bet where the loser buys dinner for the four of us. Each contest typically stretches out over the span of a few months, and Ethan lost the first two. But he finally won this time! So Aaron bought us dinner at Magdalena, a restaurant in Baltimore that none of us had ever been to before.

On a side note- I’m the only real winner in all of this. Since Kelly and Aaron are married, she’s technically paying for half of dinner when he loses. But I’ve gotten 3 very nice meals without spending a dime. Smart girl, I know.

The night we went, the servers were boasting about the white truffles. For a mere $45, you could get three grams of white truffles shaved over any course, or you could get it over risotto or bucatini to try.

In Aaron’s world, if it’s expensive, it must be good. So we got the risotto to share. It was the tiniest little scoop of risotto with the truffles shaved on top. Was it worth $11.25 per bite? I don’t know. But it was pretty damn good.

I guess I hold the opposite opinion, though. I want the food to be as inexpensive as possible but still taste great. Because I think that can be a bigger challenge.

This stew? Cheap. And not pretty. But it was one of the easiest things I have ever made on this blog so I had to share it.

Lentil & Sausage Stew

inspired by BevCooks

1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups green lentils, rinsed

3 cups chopped kale

1 box chicken stock

Break up the sausage and brown it in a skillet. When it’s mostly cooked, add the chopped onion and let it cook for another couple of minutes.

Rinse the lentils and spread them on the bottom of your slow cooker.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage and onion to the slow cooker. It’s okay if a little of the sausage grease gets in there, but I tried to avoid most of it.

Pour the box of chicken stock over the top, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. When you’re almost ready to serve it (about 10-15 minutes before), add the kale. Stir everything around so the kale is covered and let it cook down a bit.

Serve with grated Parmesan (optional) and toasty bread (not pictured, and not optional).

This was so ridiculously good and I literally dumped everything in there and left it while I was at a meeting for work. The beauty of the slow cooker never ceases to amaze me. Plus lentils and kale are healthy so that means extra bread with butter!

My food math is as logical as the electoral college, right?

Serve it to all of your friends! Unless they voted for Trump. Then they should starve.

Just kidding.