Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Sausage and Shrimp Soup

I cobbled together this soup today from an assortment of foodstuffs I had in the freezer and about the house. It's pretty damn tasty. 

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 whole yellow onion, chopped finely
2 stalks of celery, chopped finely
3 medium size carrots, chopped into half-moon  slices
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
4 tablespoons of spicy harissa
1 ring of turkey kielbasa, chopped into half-moon slices
3 quarts of reduced sodium chicken stock
2 cans of canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 package of uncooked frozen shrimp, thawed and shelled
Salt and pepper to taste

Process
Coat a large Dutch oven in olive and heat on medium-high. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, add some salt and pepper, and cook until sweated down substantially. Add in the garlic and cook for approximately a minute. Then add in the harissa and cook for approximately five minutes Then put in the smoked kielbasa and cook until some browning happens.

Add the stock and beans, heat it to high until boiling, and then reduce to medium. Cover with the lid cracked and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Slow Cooker Tikka Masala Chicken

For those who belong to the Aldi Nerd community on Facebook, this one's for you. 

Ingredients
3-4 large chicken breasts, fat trimmed and cut into cubes
2 red bell peppers, chopped moderately finely
Half of yellow onion, chopped finely
1 jar of Aldi brand Tikka Masala simmer sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Smidge of cayenne pepper

Process
Chop up the onions and peppers and place them into a large slow cooker. Chop up the chicken and add it atop the onions and peppers. Douse the top with the simmer sauce and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or riced cauliflower. 

Since I've never had Tikka Masala before, I don't know how the jarred sauce compares to the real thing, but I enjoyed it. From my reckoning, I felt the dish needed a good bit of freshly cracked black pepper and some cayenne, so I added those.