Family Green bean shepherds stew casserole

Green Bean "Casserole" or soup:

Ground beef (I usually use at least 3 lbs... makes great left overs! 

1 med chopped onion

1 Large can corn

1 Large can green beans

1 Family size can of tomato soup

mashed potatoes

-saute onions in butter

-add beef and brown

-drain corn and green beans then add to beef mix in pot

-pour in tomato soup and stir

-add water if needed

top with mashed potatoes

** MAKES GREAT LEFT OVERS... I NEVER HAVE TO THROW OUT ANY!

 Stew for a cold day:

Large package or 2 of stew meat

1 medium onion chopped

1 stalk of celery chopped

1 med bag of baby carrots

1 bag of baby red potatoes

3 cans of v-8 juice

bouillon 

water

saute onion in butter

add meat and cook till browned

salt and pepper meat to taste

add vegetables

pour in v-8

use enough water to cover the meat and veggies

add 4 cubes of beef bouillon 

cover and simmer on medium heat until vegetables are tender

after potatoes get soft, you can smash to make a thicker broth

serve with cornbread or saltines:) 

Canadian Cheese Soup

Helen Corbitt's Canadian Cheese Soup

*this is one of Nana's best!!!

(I think she got the recipe from a cafeteria we frequented EVERY Sunday after church)

(recipe for 8 servings... so we usually doubled the recipe)

1/4 C butter

1/2 C finely diced onion

1/2 C finely diced carrots

1/2 C finely diced celery

1/4 C flour

1 1/2 T cornstarch

1 QT chicken stock (use organic free range best!.. )

1 QT milk

1/8 t soda

1 C shredded cheddar cheese (I use a bit more)

salt and pepper to taste

2 T parsley (chopped fine)

Melt butter in the pot in which you will cook soup.
(to chop veggies, I pour 1/2 stock in blender and then veggies... pulse on chop... then scoop the veggies out of stock from blender into the melted butter in pan, reserve the stock in blender)

Saute veggies in butter over low heat until soft.

Add flour and cornstarch and cook until bubbly.

Add stock and milk to make a smooth sauce.

Add soda and the grated cheese.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add parsley a few minutes before you serve.

hint: if you cook this at too high a temp, it will separate instead of being smooth.

After you've added the soda and cheese.... just let it melt into a smooth hearty soup.

*we like to serve with Sister Shubert rolls and a fruit salad.... Enjoy one of our family favorites!

Chicken and Dumplings X 2 + suggestions

Chicken and Dumplings

*tonight was probably the last cold cold night of 2009 so we took the opportunity for one of the

ultimate Texas comfort food!

Pressure Cooker method...

*fill pot with cut up chicken (I prefer to use some with skin, but most unskinned pieces)

*add 2 handfuls of baby carrots

*2-4 stalks celery cut into pieces

*1 cut up onion

*garlic (I use 7-10 cloves)

*salt/pepper/curry powder to taste

*fill with water to 1-2inches below top of cooker

*put lid on cooker and turn heat to medium

*after the cooker begins to steam from top, cook for 15-20 minutes

(do not let cooker steam dry!! pay attention!)

*remove from heat... DO NOT TAKE OFF LID!!!

*let pressure die down until you can wiggle little top and no steam comes out

*remove lid and let the stew cool
*after cooled... put into refrigerator to let fat harden to be removed before you add dumplings
(thanks Kyle for reminding me!! GREAT easy way to remove fat from broth!!)

Dumplings:
*canned biscuits (organic store have these now) I used Pillsbury dinner rolls to make the dumplings for this batch

*after you skim fat,

*remove bones from chicken (be sure to get the little ones!!)
*put back onto stove and bring to boil
*divide rolls into thirds and roll into balls for dumplings

*drop balls into the boiling broth... they will swell up, but just keep adding (I used 2 cans)

*use spoon to push the new dumplings under the broth

*after you add all dumplings... let it simmer on low for another 20-30 minutes.. stir down a couple of times...make sure all dumplings get cooked through

ENJOY on a cold day with lots of family!!!

makes great leftovers!

below the pictureof our last cold 2009 day,

is Cindy Solomon's grannies recipe... Thanks Cindy for another version

Sue Bradley's Chicken and Dumplings

*cut up a whole chicken and cook till it falls off the bone

*debone and add 1 stick of butter

dumplings

2cups flour

1/2 c salt

1/4 c butter

water to make a stiff dough

Mix all ingredients adding water last

when dough forms a ball, dust counter with flour

pour dough onto flour and dust with flour to work dough

roll out like working a pie crust

cut into strips (you don't want your dough too thin)

have broth of chicken boiling

drop dumplings into broth

after all dumplings are in broth boil for 20 minutes low heat

when done, salt and pepper to taste

yields 4 servings

(Sue always tripled the recipe)

Tahtee's V8 Texas Chili

Early Spring and we never know what kind of weather we are gonna have! This March 2008 is no different. Last night we had typical Texas Hailstone bombard our house for about 15 minutes and leave the skies clear and starry for a beautiful night. So what's for dinner...

Chili Tahtee style (a bit healthier than from the can) and a whole lot more adaptable to different tastes.

* 1/4 lb per person (for the purpose of this recipe we will figure 2 lbs)

Lean natural (or organic) beef (or you can use free range ground turkey)

*4 T good fresh chili powder (you can season more or less according to your taste for heat)

*1 large onion (chopped)

*T butter

*garlic (to taste... I use lots!!!!) minced

*2 pkgs of Taco seasoning

*1 medium size bottle of V8 juice (not the lemon kind... you can use low sodium)

optional: beans, corn, sour cream, avocado, and cheese

-in cast iron pot put 1-2T of butter to melt

-saute onion and garlic in butter till transparent

-add meat

-cook until browned

-add spices and seasonings (Salt and pepper to taste) Stir to mix

-add V8 until it covers mixture and let it simmer for at least an hour to mingle seasonings

*you can add any of the optionals for a fancier bowl of chili (its pretty to layer the chili, cheese, avocado, and then a dollop of sour cream)

*you can also do the good ole standby Frito pie with this great chili... wonderful and better than the can stuff!!!!

*good on a baked potato too

enjoy any time of the year, but especially a great Tornado season dish!

Moddie's Taco Soup (also called Santa Fe Stew by my friend Karen)

Moddie's taco soup! (Will's favorite)

Today is Valentines Day!! Elly called Will's mom, Moddie to get Will's favorite soup recipe. Here it is..... We're having it with warm tortillas and a big ole fresh fruit salad (Em says the strawberries are monstrous at Sams!) blackberry & apple cobbler w/ice cream for dessert! Ymmmm! (Elly and Em are doing the cooking tonight!)

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 9:44 AM

To: Elly Doran

Subject: Taco soup

Good morning. My theme song these days is... If I only had a brain...I found your copy safe and sound in the floor board when we got home. (had to include Gaye's wonderful humor... she's one of the funniest... most fun people I know... I'm glad God put her in Elly's family!)

Regarding the soup.... It is my opinion that the longer you let it simmer,the better it is.

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 pkg ranch style dressing mix

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 cups water

2 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes

1 can pinto beans (drained)1 can black beans (drained)

1 can crean style corn ( 2 if you want)

1 pkg corn torillas

grated cheese

Brown beef and onion, drain

Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 30 mins.

Cut tortillas into 1/2" strips and bake until crisp

Serve with grated cheeseI did not do the tortillas strips. It is probably very good.

Love ya, Gaye

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

heat oven to 350
using a pyrex pan (NEVER USE FOIL OR ALUMINUM COOKWARE!!)
use 1 small potato per person (do NOT peel) and place in pyrex pan
cut up onion and place around potatoes
use whole peeled garlic (or not, to taste) place in pan with onions and potatoes
Bake at 350 until potatoes are soft (about 2 hours for a full pan of vegetables)
(check doneness with fork)
cool vegetables
***********
in a blender
put cooled vegetables 1/2 to top and cover with skim (or whole) milk
blend until smooth, then pour into pot to heat through
**keep doing this until you use all the vegetables you've cooked for servings planned**
add (to preference)
low fat sour cream
crumbled bacon
chives
** when warmed through, put grated cheese on top to serve
best with a country bread and real butter as a side.......... perfect for a Winter Day in Texas
I'm cooking this right now with extra garlic because the FLU has hit our family hard and it is a really wet/icy/coooooollllld day! May we all kick this flu soon! AMEN