Soup N Stuff For The Soul

From scratch....Hot Cocoa!!!

2011-11-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

Grab a blankie and your favorite socks....

put in your favorite Winter time movie and sip this delicious drink....

enjoy a cozy night!

Ingredients: 4 cups Milk, 1/2 cup Sugar,1/4 cup Cocoa, 1 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Vanilla, 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Take Cocoa, sugar and Salt add to pan, slowly put in water and make a syrup. Watch close it will burn while you are bringing it to a boil.

Add milk and heat to desired temperature

This is a yummy find!!!

ENJOY!!!!

What did you say???? GREEN CHILI!!!! OH YEAH!!!

2011-11-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

Green Chili!!! Oh my goodness...such a great amazing yummy food on a cold day!!! Left overs are amazing and better the next day! Great over breakfast eggs, baked potatoes, Spaghetti squash, Grits...you name it! So get ready to copy this down to your favorite recipe book...ready go!

1-2 lbs pork roast

1 medium onion

Lots O garlic!

2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 can rotel tomatoes

2 quarts of green chili (roasted when in season)

2 Tablespoons cumin

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

cilantro

chicken broth

water

Sides: sour cream, guacamole, chips, corn tortillas, cheese

Put pork roast in covered roasting pan ( I use my stoneware baker) and cover with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake for 10-12 hours!!

After baking is complete, saute' butter and garlic and onion in soup pot!

Shred pork and add to the onion and garlic mix

Add green chili's

Add diced tomatoes and rotel tomatoes

Add seasonings

MMMMMMMMM good!!!

Home Made Yummy Egg Noodles!!!!

2011-11-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Homemade Egg Noodels!

Here is the scoop...Okay recipe!

2 3/4 cups flour

3 eggs 2 Tablespoons water

sift flour, beat eggs in glass measuring bowl add water. Make sure it measures 3/4 liquid. Add slowly to flour mixture. Use flat beater for 30 seconds, then change to hook beater for 2 minutes. Hand knead for 2 more minutes. Cook in boiling water with olive oil and salt for 6-10 minutes depending on preference. YUM!!!

TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS!!!!

2011-10-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

Well..after many many many years....I have finally been able to get some really wonderful and amazing tools for my kitchen. I finally understand after all the years of my husband needing the "right" tool to fix something what it is like to have the right thing! My husband is the best!!!

New vs. Old....I bought the one on the right at a garage sale for 25 dollars. It has been AWESOME! If you do not yet have a kitchen aid save up and buy one!!!! They are worth it! Have a garage sale...sell your first born puppy...whatever you can do to earn the money...It makes cooking a dream!

My new kitchen aid was refurbished. It is a professional series 550 HD. It normall sells for 419.00....we saved 250 dollars by buying refurbished and an addition 20 dollars because we waited until it was on sale!!! So folks you do the numbers...we saved for it...so it was not out of pocket expense....totally worth it!!!

We have been cooking with pans that we have purchased at garages sales. They have done the job but drive me crazy. They do not cook even (with the only exceptions being my cast iron..I LOVE them) So we have saved, gathered coupons and my husband bought these two beautiful pieces for my birthday . We had a coupon for 40% off and shopped the clearance racks. This sells for 290.00. We did NOT even come close to that price! Do your homework...we also asked for the imperfection stock. They are marked by stickers. The white stickers are considered grade A. The orange stickers have imperfections. I am okay with a bit of discolor from the outside of the pan to the inside. Works for me and still has the same warranty and quality assurance!

I am totally excited about this one it is normally 300.00!!! And yes folks you guessed it....we had a coupon and saved! My husband actually worked over time to spoil me this year and saved for me to have some decent cookware. First time in my life that I have had truely good cookware!

You can see how this is a multifunction set. It serves as a lid as well as a skillet. I LOVE it!

Killer grips to pull things out of the oven! Just a cool find and only 6 dollars!

I can't WAIT to get started in cooking with these!!!! See you soon!!!

Biscuits and Gravy!!!

2011-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tips for the very old fashion biscuits and gravy...

When making biscuits, a key is to add just a tad bit more milk to the batter. Dust your board with a good amount of flour. You will have very sticky dough....the flour on your board will give you enough to make it not stick to your hands. Knead it a few times and fold it in half. Pat it out without a rolling pin...the less you mess with it the better it will behave! When you bake them, wait until the last few minutes and then paint them with milk...they will be golden with a crispy outside!!! Totally yum-lo-lishis!!!

As far as the gravy goes....a few secrets....cook your breakfast sausage in a pan...add salt and pepper, a good amount. After it is cooked, add enough flour to soak up the grease and create a "dry" look to the sausage. Cook it for a few minutes and then add milk to the consistency you want. Once you do that, add several shakes of tabasco! ENJOY YA'LL

Toldja I was back!

2011-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is the deal...I am trying to decide what to cook next. I haven't done any baking...yet...I love to cook everything...so anyone have a request????

Wellll.....I"MMMMMMMMM BAAAAACKKKKKK!!!!!!

2011-10-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hello all...been a WHILE! We had a crazy spring and summer. I am back and will be posting all sorts of new yummy dishes for winter! Can't wait! Gonna clip coupons now! See you in a day or two!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce!!!!

2011-02-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is my families favorite! Seriously...they actually beg for it. It is the best when we pull everything fresh from the garden. So this would be the winter version. We will cover the summer version...well...in summer! Enjoy!

Winter ingredients. I use a small jar of spaghetti sauce to get a base going. In the summer, we make it from scratch. This also kick starts it for a faster dinner.

Brown ground beef.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of garlic.

Add fresh veggies to garlic and butter. We use yellow squash, purple onion, zucchini, mushrooms and red and yellow bell pepper,.

Add fresh parmesan cheese and a little merlot.

Let simmer. I prefer to simmer for a few hours and if I really plan ahead, in the crock pot the night before.

Time to serve it up!

Just to busy eating to smile! Gotta love it!

Nothing speaks louder than a picky 3 year old!

Goin KooKoo!

2011-02-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Frittata has become a more popular dish in the last 10 years. At least with me it has. Here is a little bit of trivia on the Frittata!

(Thanks to Wikipedia, the follow information was not extracted from my brain...)

"In Western cuisine, the frittata is usually associated with Italy.

Frittata is equivalent to an Iranian dish called kookoo. There are different types of kookoo such as kookoo sabzi (Herb frittata) and Kookoo sibzamini (Potato frittata)

A frittata may be baked, or it may be started in a cast iron pan. When started on a stove top the frittata can be finished in an oven, under a broiler, or it may be flipped and finished in the pan.

Frittata preparation differs from omelette preparation in that the eggs are beaten to incorporate air where the eggs for omelettes usually are stirred with less air incorporated. The additional air in the frittata mixture allows for a deeper filling and a fluffier result. Ingredients to be incorporated into a fritatta are added to the pan after the egg mixture and before the egg is done in the cast iron pan (in a French omelette they are added before).

A frittata is usually divided into slices. It may also be accompanied with fresh salads, bread, beans, olives etc. "

You may use any ingredients you prefer...this is what I used for tonight! You will need oil for the bottom of the pan, so you may use olive oil, bacon grease, butter...I recommend using olive oil if you don't use bacon grease.

Chop veggies and add to the pan. I used bell peppers, onions, and asparagus.

I then added potatoes and fried them all up together. Just enough to make the veggies tender and the potatoes hot.

I would recommend using about 10 eggs for a 10" pan with a little milk. Beating them gently for about 5 minutes adds plenty of air to them and makes for some nice eggs!

Let the eggs cook to where they are holding shape a little bit but still have some runny eggs throughout.

This is the second pan that I made with not potatoes and no bacon grease. A little less calories! I added mushrooms and a little bit of bacon.

Cover in cheese and put in the oven until the cheese bubbles and barely turns golden brown on top. I usually bake it for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

THEN I turn the broiler on and broil it for just a few minutes to get the cheese golden brown! ***Tip...NEVER walk away from food under a broiler, you will most likely have a charcoal cheese!

I cut it in pie pieces and add garnishes...there are apples and cinnamon sprinkled around the plate. It really was tasty!

Seriously yummy Tacoritos!!

2011-02-13T22:28:00.001-08:00

This is another family favorite. It requires a little more effort and time, but is a real winner!

Ingredients: ground beef, onion, green chiles, tomatos, chili powder, sage, cumin, flour tortillas, salt, garlic, cheese, lettuce, flour, milk.

While the ground beef, garlic and onion are cooking. In another pan, melt butter, this will be for the white sauce that you will season for everything.

Add flour to the butter and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add milk until it is the constancy of gravy. Add Cheese, Cumin, Salt, Sage and Green Chilis.

Add enough sauce to the ground beef. The consistency should be similar to pudding. Thick not runny. Save the rest of the sauce for later.

Add 1 ladle (about 3/4 cup) of meat mixture to tortilla. Hint: warm tortilla a little to keep it from tearing when you fold it!

Line up each wrap but make sure you don't stack them. It makes it much harder to get out later.

Bake in over at 350 until cheese bubbles all over....incase you are wondering, your mouth should be watering at this point and your house smells amazing!

Finale! Add Sour Cream, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro...whatever you want! Enjoy!!!

TacOle' Soup!!

2011-02-12T21:43:00.001-08:00

Here is a quick soup that is yummy at the same time. Easy easy easy and tasty tasty tasty!

Ingredients:

Ground beef

Diced tomatoes

Tomato sauce

Tomato paste

Rotel tomatoes

Corn

Black beans

Hominy

Taco seasoning

Cook ground beef, drain, add all other ingredients let simmer for 30-60 minutes to allow flavors to sit.

Great soup for the crock pot!

Add garnish to your liking...and Voila! You are done!

Garnish:

Cilantro

Sour cream

Fritos

Corn tortillas

Cheese

Holy Cow Mashed Taters!

2011-02-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

Something so simple can be so hard. Mashed potatoes have a tendency to become very starchy. That is when they are thick and sticky. Not to good to the taste buds! I will give you some tips that were passed down to me...that made an amazing difference in them....

Russet potatoes, scrub with a veggie brush to remove any dirt.

Peel potatoes. I love to leave the skin on and have old fashion potatoes too they are awesome and easier when I don't have as much time to peel them. Cut them in half, not into small pieces. If you cook them whole or in halves it reduces the starch factor.

Drain and add to your mixer. ** Note** Don't ever run water over them it creates sticky starchy yuck!

Add milk and butter. **Note** always warm the milk and butter, this makes a perfect potato every time.

Mix until smooth. You may add all sorts of additional ingredients here are a few I suggest!
Bacon and cheese, sour cream, chives, ranch dressing, peas, garlic. Really anything that you like is fun to try. Be creative and have fun with it.

Enjoy!!!

Homemade Country Fried Steak...Mmmmmm!

2011-02-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

Well here it is...the very first recipe! I am soooo excited to share this with you. Here is a little background on what it is and where it came from.

My Grandma Maurine is a mother of 7 children. She raised her family on a farm in Nebraska. She always cooked in a cast iron skillet and let me tell you it makes a world of difference!!! I believe cast iron is a staple in cookware and each person should have 3 pieces. Two skillets and a dutch oven. You can find them at Walmart, Army Surplus, Bed Bath and Beyond...even Emeril has a set you can chose from! It does require some maintenance but once they are seasoned well, it is very easy to maintain.

This is a very well seasoned cast iron skillet. The more black it becomes the better. The pores seal with the oils and grease and make the surface a dream to cook on. You need to know it takes time to season, so don't lose patience you have to age it in order for it to really be at it's best.

Back to my Grandma, she is one of the most amazing women God created. She could make a shopping mall out of a Q-tip and a ! (yes, I borrowed that line from the movie 6 days and 7 nights, good flick!) She is very resourceful, frugal and fun! She never let anything hold her back and still doesn't. She is going to be 98 this year! She has taught me so much, cooking is only one thing and I treasure all I learned from her. I will be sharing lot's of tips and recipes that I learned from her.

Here are the main ingredients you will need. A cast iron skillet is a must! Cubed beef steak, flour, Potatoes, Salt, and Pepper...Are you ready? Here we go!!

Take about 1 cup of flour (per 4 cube steaks) and mix in Salt and Pepper. We will be using a LOT of salt and pepper so be ready. I would recommend about 2 tsp of each to start. Take the cube steak one at a time and in the bowl, use your fist to imbed the flour, flip and do the other side the same way. It does not need to be thick just covered well.

While you are covering the steak with flour, heat your skillet and oil. It needs to be hot before you sear the meat. Add the steak. Salt and Pepper it again, yes I said again. Once it is very brown you will flip it. Continue to flip it until there is no blood coming to the surface of the meat.

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Once the steak has been cooked thoroughly. I add it to a skillet that holds the cooked steak. Here is the secret!!! Pay attention, it is what makes the world of difference. At this point you want to pour a good portion of water, say half a cup and cover. Let it sit and steam for at least 30 minutes. I also put it in the oven at about 275 for an hour or two when I have time. You may need to add additional water. I also take the steak from the bottom and move it to the top of the stack in order to keep it all even. This makes it soooo yummy!

The pan that you used to fry the steak in has all sorts of really yummy seasonings and steak pieces. Don't take them out. Add flour instead, about half a cup and cook the flour for a minute or two. Then slowly add milk and let it cook. It will start to thicken. Add milk until the gravy is the consistency you prefer. CLUE: the more flour you use the more milk it will require, and the more gravy it will produce.

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Completed Gravy! Looks good...yeah...it tastes better...such a bummer this isn't a scratch n' sniff!

Country Fried Steak like you have never had before! Tender and so tasty! Enjoy!!!

Tomorrow we will make the potatoes that accompany this. I will introduce you to some creative ways to make them as well...see you then!

Opening Day!

2011-02-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

So glad you stopped by on opening day of Soup N Stuff For The Soul! Please follow this blog! There will be some great and wonderful things to make life easier from many different angles!

Would LOVE it if you would say hi and comment here! Would also LOVE it if you would share this on your facebook or twitter email whatever! This will be great fun! Can't wait to see who stops in!

Plans to expand....

2011-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I officially have the first recipe that I will be posting in a few days. I have to get the ingredients and then I will walk you through the process of making it. Yes, it is an original recipe and my family loves it! I will also take pictures so you can see things in action! So sorry...but this is not a scratch and sniff blog...wish it was!

I am really getting excited at what will be coming. You will notice that quite a few pages are being created! I am going to include a page that is dedicated to my Grandma and Grandmother's recipes and how they put their own special touch on them. Great wonderful women in my life. I am proud to say they belong to me. I treasure the time they gave me in the kitchen and the words of wisdom on the phone as I attempted to cook in my early twenties. Lot's of great stories...I think I will share with you as well.

I will also be adding a page for kids. How to include them in the kitchen as well as teaching them safety. Crafts in the kitchen and gifts. Teaching them how to serve others and not themselves. Great pages!

Looking forward to the upcoming days! Good talk!

It's that time again....save money...

2011-02-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

One of the things I do every week is cut coupons. Let me tell you...this is NOT something I enjoy...as a matter of fact, I rather dread it. However, each week, I save my family a minimum of 62% of our grocery bill. This past week, I saved $244.00!! Guess how much I spent? I'm not tellin...ok ok...I spent on one week, $169.00! That is a savings of 69%! Now, I am getting better at this as time goes by. But a good friend of mine saves generally over 80% a week!!

I will give weekly savings to not only help you learn how to do it, but to encourage you.

One of the best things about couponing is not only the fact that we are saving money, but the fact that we can help other people. We are a family of 9 at home. We don't have a lot of money, but we can still find a way to give and help people. Nothing is better than a chance to bless someone with what God saved us!

This is the binder I created to hold coupons. The plastic organizer is actually for baseball cards and then I added labels. Makes it much easier to see what I have at a glance and I don't have to go through a file system blindly.

This is how it starts. News papers, adds, and coupons. I try to gather multiple Sunday papers from friends that don't want them or recycle bins.

I then take the coupon magazines in the paper, separate each page and stack them in duplicate etc. Then I can cut the same coupon out but only 1 time. Then file and I am done.

An action shot of me cutting....don't blink, I am pretty fast at this now...it's so impressive!

Choosing the products that you use is important. I have a separate stack of coupons for things that are great deals or even free that I DON'T use and give them to a local food bank or a family in need.

The Hunt Is On...

2011-02-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I spent a good portion of my day searching for the perfect pot and pan set. So many to chose from, colors, shapes, signatures....you name it. My husband and I love to cook together, my son is wanting to become a chef...so we all know what a bad pan is like. The pans that I really want are going to be the price of my first born, so I am going to need to come up with a plan...my children are priceless and that is just not an option for me.

For those of you that are interested I am inserting a link for you to see what I am trying to accomplish.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cookware/cookware-sets/

There....now you understand don't you. My husband always told me, "I won't do a job without the proper tools." Well, I can honestly say, he is right! It is so much harder to cook in thin aluminum. The heat does not even through the pan. cleaning is a hazard. Food doesn't brown right. It is important to have the proper equipment.

Now I cook in cast iron as well, but we will talk about that in another post. Cast iron is amazing and everyone should own at least two pieces of it. Well worth the effort in learning about it and the cooking difference is amazing!!!

I will keep you posted, I am hoping to make a purchase in the next week if possible. We have been saving for a while, but it may only be one or two pieces.

We pay cash for everything, so the process can be slow at times and frustrating. But my husband and I refuse to go into debt. It is just to hard to get out! We will talk about that another time as well...oh and about teaching your kids how to be smart shoppers...we could talk about the weather but, I find that boring...wait...bunny trail...

AND we're back.......! I will be very excited to see how this all pans out...lol...sorry couldn't resist.

Dilemma

2011-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Well, with all of the excitement of getting my first recipe online, I realized that I do not have a gourmet kitchen! Then, as I looked around my kitchen, I realized that my knives and pots and pans weren't very pretty, and because I am going to post pics of all the food, it needs to be pretty! What a dilemma! (I am sure this is changing gas prices with each character I type!). I am going to need to do something about this. We are a frugal family, and much of what we have in our kitchen is second hand. I don't mind that, but when I post picture, I want it shiny! So, for my first posting, I will be very creative in how I shoot the pictures! In the meantime, I am on the hunt for amazing deals of stainless steel and beautiful carving and chopping knives! Oh, and of course a new outfit, because that would just make me feel pretty....it is a necessity...makes the food taste better too...I am sure you agree!

WELCOME!!!

2011-02-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggers!

I am totally excited about this blog! I have been blogging for about 4 years. But I got this idea over the last few months. I thought, as I was spending time with me, that I would love if I had a place to just go and get some real life with some comfort food as well. My goal....to make a crazy life a little more fun and easy for someone that may be walking the same road...I have a tendency to have run on sentences, but for those of you that know me...it is how I roll! It can be very funny...think of me as this....I am Monica, Phoebe and Rachel in one....throw a dose of Chonda Pierce and a tsp of Merriweather from Sleeping Beauty and we have our Lori Ratatouille! Savor each moment...and Enjoy!