Cauliflower Soup

Mom is visiting for Easter and asked me to make a batch of Cauliflower Soup today. It's gorgeous and delicious!

1 small head cauliflower, chunked
1 carrot, slivered with peeler

1 small can chicken broth

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 stick butter

8 oz Velvetta cheese

salt, pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower and carrots in chicken broth for 8-10 minutes, covered. Break up the cauliflower into smaller pieces once tender. Make White Sauce with butter, flour, milk in a separate sauce pan (see below). Add white sauce to steamed cauliflower.  Add chunks of cheese.  Simmer on low heat until cheese melts.   Serve immediately. 

White Sauce

First, melt 1/2 stick margarine in sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup flour. With a fork blend until all flour is 

gone.  This is the secret part -  Slowly add 2 cups milk while stirring vigorously with a whisk.  Stop adding milk periodically until mixture thickens then add more.  It’s sort of like trying to get the lumps out of a can of tomato soup.  Start with a little milk.  It’s easier to season the sauce with salt and pepper before adding it to the other items.

I use white sauce for the cream soups, scalloped potatoes, potato soup, chicken a la king.  It comes in handy for making hamburg or sausage gravy too.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is a delicious recipe for leftover Stuffed Peppers! 

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Large can tomato juice
2 cubes or tsp beef bullion
2-3 TBSP brown sugar
2 shots of Tabasco Sauce 
salt & pepper


Chop leftover peppers and add rice and beef mixture to liquid. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. 




Stuffed Peppers

4 - 6  green peppers

1 - 2 lbs ground beef, raw

4 cups rice, cooked

small onion, chopped

1 large can tomato sauce

1 tsp fresh chopped garlic 

or 1/2 tsp garlic salt  1 tsp Italian seasoning 

cumin powder (pinch)

3 - TBSP brown sugar
salt & pepper
sprinkle with love

Slice tops off peppers and save.  Place hollowed peppers in large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs or large slotted spoon and set aside.

Chop the saved pepper tops to put in rice mixture. 

Prepare rice. I use Brown Minute rice with microwave directions.

Combine cooked rice, chopped peppers, chopped onion, seasonings, brown sugar and 1/2 can tomato sauce.  Using a teaspoon, place chunks of raw ground beef in rice mixture. Fold gently so pieces of ground beef don't turn to mush. Prepare large baking dish with Pam. Place about 1/2 of rice mixture in bottom of dish. Fill each pepper with rice and set on top of rice in dish.  If you have any rice mixture left, place it in between peppers. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.  Covered and bake at 350˚ for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Vegetable Soup

Whenever I have left over roast beef I freeze it for soup. It might be summer  but with air conditioning it's usually comfortable enough to enjoy a bowl of soup. Today I used 2 of our own tomatoes and that made it even more special!

Ingredients:

Left over roast beef, cut into bite-size pieces

1 can beef broth
1 can vegetable broth

2 cups tomato juice

2 cups water

Carrots

Onion

Cabbage, chopped (optional)
Potato, diced (optional)

1 can whole corn

1 can green beans

1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh, diced)

1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 clove garlic
squirt of Worchestershire

salt & pepper to taste
a pinch of love

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT canned vegetables in a large stock pot. Simmer for an half an hour then add canned vegetables. Continue simmering 1 or more hours.

Soup for A Thousand

1 elephant, freshly butchered
2 bushels of potatoes
1 bushel of carrots
1/2 bushel onions
1/2 bushel celery
salt and pepper to taste

Chop elephant into bite sized pieces. Simmer for 24 hours in 5 gallons of beef broth.
Add diced vegetables one hour before serving.

If you have more than a thousand guests and need more soup, add a squirrel.

Submitted by Debbie Bishop

Crock Pot Beef Vegetable Stew

We had another calamity day because of the freezing temperatures and it seemed perfect for Beef Stew. We like lots of different vegetables and the meat is much more tender in the crock pot.

1 pound beef, cut for stew
1 onion, chopped
4 potatoes, 1 inch cubes
6 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, 1 inch pieces
3 - 4 squirts Worchestershire Sauce

French Onion Soup

1 lb onions sliced (about 5 med onions)
2 T. oil Cook for 15 minutes, add salt, pepper and 1 T. brown sugar. This has a tendency to burn So keep an eye on it and add a little water. Cook for additional 35 minutes until onions caramelize. Then add one or two cans of beef broth. Heat and serve with a slice of bread, cheese on top ( I used provolone) and put in microwave to melt cheese.
I got this recipe from a diabetic cookbook.

 from Sharon

Cream of Mushroom Soup

 Richard created this amazing Cream of mushroom soup!

2- Large jars of sliced mushrooms, Not the stems and pieces but the sliced ones

1-can beef broth 16 oz

1-Can vegetable broth, 16 oz

¼ cup flour

½ cup cream (increases richness)

½ cup sour cream (gives nice texture and smooth taste)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dill weed

¼ cup water

1-Medium onion diced thinly

1-Tbsp minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1-beef bouillon cube (adds flavor like it has cooked for many hours)

In large skillet put in butter and oil and cook onion and garlic until transparent. Do not overcook.

Add the dill weed and mushrooms and cook three minutes.

Add the beef broth, vegetable broth and bouillon cube and bring to low boil.

Mix flour and cold water together, making sure all the lumps are out and slowly stir into the low boiling mixture.  Add cream and sour cream whisking in until smooth. Continue cooking until the desired thickness is reached.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While you could use an immersion blender on the mixture you miss out on the large slices of mushroom and the little bits of onion and garlic that give added texture to the taste.

Tri-Soup Supper

We got the family together for a Tri-Soup Supper yesterday. We made Cream of Broccoli, Potato  and Chicken Noodle soup for everyone to try which fit nicely in the Buffet Server I got for my birthday. Carol brought rolls and apple pie. No one wanted to vote on their favorite but I think I could have filled all three crock pots with Cream of Broccoli and most would have been happy. I doubled the Broccoli recipe but only made a single recipe of Potato and Chicken Noodle. The noodles started getting mushie after time in the crock pot but Tommy likes it that way. There was plenty left for everyone to take a bowl home. 

Potato Soup

1 med. onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup flour

4 cups milk

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can kernel or creamed corn

bits of ham for flavor

8 cups potatoes, diced, cooked

1 tsp seasoned salt

Saute’ onion, celery, carrot, and ham in butter.  Stir in flour, add milk gradually.  Cook until thickened.  Add cheese soup, corn and cooked potatoes. Simmer on very low heat. Turn off, let set for 10 minutes. Serve.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 large bunch fresh broccoli, chunks

1 small onion, chopped

1 small can chicken broth

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 stick butter

8 oz Velvetta cheese

salt, pepper to taste

Steam broccoli and onion in chicken broth for 8-10 minutes, covered. Make White Sauce with butter, flour, milk. (see below). Add white sauce to steamed broccoli.  Add chunks of cheese.  Simmer on low heat until cheese melts.   

Serve immediately. If cooks too long milk will curdle and broccoli will get too done.

May use cauliflower with carrots instead of onion.

White Sauce

I use white sauce for the Broccoli soup, scalloped potatoes, potato soup, chicken a la king.  It comes in handy for making hamburg or sausage gravy too.

First, melt 1/2 stick margarine in sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup flour. With a fork blend until all flour is 

gone.  This is the secret part -  Slowly add 2 cups milk while stirring vigorously with a whisk.  Stop adding milk periodically until mixture thickens then add more.  It’s sort of like trying to get the lumps out of a can of tomato soup.  Start with a little milk.  It’s easier to season the sauce with salt and pepper before adding it to the other items.

Comfort Food

I just returned from having out patient surgery (nothing serious) and thought I'd better post this blog before the lidocaine wears off. Every time we passed fast food coming home, Richard asked if I wanted him to stop. I wasn't interested. But when we got home and I looked at all the leftovers I suddenly knew what I wanted...Katie's new Chicken Noodle Soup. We had the baked chicken from my experiment with Miracle Whip and Ritz crackers, enough celery and the most important ingredient, one can of vegetable broth. I sauted' the onion and celery, opened the cans of broth, all while keeping my left arm close to my side. Now, it's simmering while the carrots get tender. Noodles will be added in a few minutes. I can smell it already.
I know I'll be thinking about the hot soup every time I apply the ice pack!

Stuffed Green Peppers

The secret, cumin powder and brown sugar

This will make the house smell delicious!
Use left overs to make Stuffed Pepper Soup, recipe below.

4 - 6  green peppers

1 - 2 lbs ground beef, raw

4 cups rice, cooked

small onion, chopped

1 large can tomato sauce

1 tsp fresh chopped garlic 

or 1/2 tsp garlic salt 

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

cumin powder (pinch)

3 - TBSP brown sugar
salt & pepper

Slice tops off peppers and save.  Place hollowed peppers in large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs or large slotted spoon and set aside.

Chop the saved pepper tops to put in rice mixture. 

Prepare rice. I use Brown Minute rice with microwave directions.

Combine cooked rice, chopped peppers, chopped onion, seasonings, brown sugar and 1/2 can tomato sauce.  Using a teaspoon, place chunks of raw ground beef in rice mixture. Fold gently so pieces of ground beef don't turn to mush. Prepare large baking dish with Pam. Place about 1/2 of rice mixture in bottom of dish. Fill each pepper with rice and set on top of rice in dish.  If you have any rice mixture left, place it in between peppers. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.  Covered and bake at 350˚ for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Large can tomato juice
2 cubes or tsp beef bullion
2-3 TBSP brown sugar
2 shots of Tabasco Sauce 
salt & pepper
Add leftover rice and beef mixture (which contains chopped green peppers). Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. 

Beef Vegetable Soup

Richard serving soup

Left over roast beef, cut into bite-size pieces

1 can beef broth

2 cups tomato juice

2 cups water

2 Tbsp onion soup bullion

Carrots

Onion

Cabbage

1 can whole corn

1 can green beans

1 can whole tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT canned vegetables in a large stock pot. Simmer for an hour then add canned vegetables. Continue simmering 1 or more hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth

1-1/2 pound cooked chicken breast, cut up

1 - 8 ounce bag noodles, narrow not wide

1 cup sliced carrots

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Bake 2 -3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Use any bottled chicken seasoning on both sides before baking. Let cool and then cut up.

Katie discovered this recipe 

In large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter just until tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths, add chicken, carrots, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Bring to boil covered for 15 - 20 minutes. Add uncooked noodles, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.