TOMORROW IS ST. PATRICK'S DAY! I love this holiday. I like it because I love to drink, and I love telling people my ancestors were Irish, and mostly I love to drink!
I can't drink this year, you know. I can eat, though, and I am almost as good at eating as I am drinking.
I decided I wanted to bake something for work today. Something green, but nothing dyed, because that's usually off-putting. I thought of things that are green and are also dessert-worthy. I remembered that spumoni cake I made for Easter a couple years ago and decided I would make pistachio cupcakes. I didn't want to just add a box of pudding or a handful of crushed nuts to a box mix, I wanted to make pistachio cupcakes, dammit. After searching for awhile on the internet, the same recipe came up over and over - a box of mix, a box of pistachio pudding, awful green food coloring. The cupcakes were bright shamrock green, the icing usually a pale minty color. They were awful. I was discouraged.
Then I came across this recipe from Feast on the Cheap and lo and behold! They used real pistachios! And flour! And sugar! And stuff! And no food coloring, so I decided to try it. I am really, really, really glad I did. It is hands down now my favorite cupcake I've ever made (well, no, any time I put candied orange peel on a cupcake is my favorite cupcake in the world). The only change I made was instead of buttercream icing I used cream cheese because I'm just not a huge fan of buttercream, no matter how many different recipes I try.
PISTACHIO CUPCAKES
1 c shelled unsalted pistachios
1 c all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c pistachios for decorating (is what I used)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. In a large bowl, whisk together the ground pistachios, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Combine the milk and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup.
Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time until just combined. On low speed, alternately add the pistachio mixture and the milk in batches, starting and finishing with the flour. Finish mixing by hand and avoid over-beating.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin filling to the top of the liners. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.
(The only thing I would change is they did not need to be filled to the top. I assumed maybe this instruction was because they didn't rise well, but they rise like any other cupcake I've ever made - definitely fill them 2/3 full like you would with any other cupcake batter. I had those big, flat, icky muffin-tops. Also because of that it only made 10...otherwise it would have certainly made a full dozen.)
Anyway, I lightly chopped up the 1/2 cup of pistachios, slapped on some of my cream cheese icing, and sprinkled with the nuts. Delicious! The guys up here really loved them, too!
On that recipe, she also linked to a key lime pie. You know what's special about a key lime pie? IT'S ALSO GREEN, SISTER.
I knew I was taking a chance pulling two recipes from one source and making them the same night, but I threw caution to the wind when I surfed for other pie recipes and realized they're all about the same!
KEY LIME PIE
For the crust:
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
4 egg yolks
14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 c key lime juice
And I had some whipped cream on hand for topping, but I didn't put it on top - I think next time I will since it would be prettier.
Cookie crumbs for decorating:
2/3 c graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the crust. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and spices until blended. Stir in the melted butter, combining well.
Transfer the mixture to the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Lightly spread the crumbs evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Once evenly distributed, use gentle pressure to press the mixture into the bottom and sides, forming a rim slightly raised at the top edge of the dish.
If opting for the cookie crumble topping, prepare in the same manner, through step 2. Transfer the crumbs to a piece of heavy foil, folding up the sides to prevent spilling in the oven. (It looks like a flat-bottomed, square boat.)
Bake the pie shell and “boated” cookie crumbs for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a medium mixing bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, lightly beat the eggs. Add the condensed milk, incorporating fully.
Gradually add the Key lime juice. Be careful not to over beat, if using an electric mixer, as the final product will form air bubbles on the surface.
Transfer the filling to the prepared pie crust. Using a rubber spatula, spread evenly to the edges of the crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. The pie will jiggle – don’t worry as the final setting occurs in the fridge.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate the pie for 8 hours.
Either spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie, or top each slice with a dollop. Sprinkle with the cookie crumbs.
That's it. I do have to admit that while the pie was baking I was cleaning up and noticed the cinnamon for the crust waiting patiently on the counter for me to add it in. Whoops! It didn't seem to make much of a difference to the guys who ate it.
So now I've got a new website I'm going to spend a lot of time browsing, and some ideas for Easter. Key lime pie? Another spumoni cake but this time with cream cheese icing (and maybe a lemon layer instead of a pineapple)? Or another Death by Chocolate trifle? (mmm) Any requests?
Hamburger Steaks (Bonus: Pronto Pups)
Mom gave me this recipe after I had it at her house one night. Dad kept talking about she would make it once a week when "the girls were little" but honestly I don't remember that. I think Dad's getting senile. Don't tell him I said that.
(Speaking of senile...we had this conversation over the phone a couple of weeks ago, didn't we? Crap.)
Anyway, this recipe is so hardcore Will-approved. He said, and I quote, "You finally served some MAN FOOD."
(The outcome of that exclamation is between Will and I only...but I did have to buy more band-aids the next day.)
Hamburger Steaks
Hamburger patties (hee, paddies. hee. heehee.)
Salt, pepper, Tony's
Oil for frying
Brown gravy mix (I used two envelopes - not crazy about Tony's mix)
1 onion, chopped
I AM KEEPING THE EXACT WORDS MOM WROTE ME:
Salt, pepper and Tony's on patties. Brown patties in a little oil. Drain and place in a casserole dish and cover with brown gravy. I just use a brown gravy mix. Don't sprinkle it dry...make it in a saucepan first :-) Sprinkle with chopped onions. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.
DON'T SPRINKLE IT DRY, KRISTA. She knows me pretty well. She served hers over rice, mine was over mashed potatoes (I think I was trying to get the disposal fixed or the bird feeder filled or something). Both ways was delicious!
This was also in the email, but will be one of those things I'll let other people made - there is no way any "deep fat" is getting into my house.
(Also exactly how she wrote it):
Pronto Pups
1/2 cup meal
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsps. salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten
Mix with beater and fry in deep fat.
If you venture down this path of Marksville fast food, save one for me! I like the mustard ones.
(Speaking of senile...we had this conversation over the phone a couple of weeks ago, didn't we? Crap.)
Anyway, this recipe is so hardcore Will-approved. He said, and I quote, "You finally served some MAN FOOD."
(The outcome of that exclamation is between Will and I only...but I did have to buy more band-aids the next day.)
Hamburger Steaks
Hamburger patties (hee, paddies. hee. heehee.)
Salt, pepper, Tony's
Oil for frying
Brown gravy mix (I used two envelopes - not crazy about Tony's mix)
1 onion, chopped
I AM KEEPING THE EXACT WORDS MOM WROTE ME:
Salt, pepper and Tony's on patties. Brown patties in a little oil. Drain and place in a casserole dish and cover with brown gravy. I just use a brown gravy mix. Don't sprinkle it dry...make it in a saucepan first :-) Sprinkle with chopped onions. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.
DON'T SPRINKLE IT DRY, KRISTA. She knows me pretty well. She served hers over rice, mine was over mashed potatoes (I think I was trying to get the disposal fixed or the bird feeder filled or something). Both ways was delicious!
This was also in the email, but will be one of those things I'll let other people made - there is no way any "deep fat" is getting into my house.
(Also exactly how she wrote it):
Pronto Pups
1/2 cup meal
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsps. salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten
Mix with beater and fry in deep fat.
If you venture down this path of Marksville fast food, save one for me! I like the mustard ones.
Labels:
comfort food,
cow,
frying shame
Creamy Jambalaya Pasta
Please disregard the drafts clogging up our dashboard. I'm trying to clean out my recipe basket and the bookmarks on all of my devices - laptop, home computer, work computer, and phone. It's a bit of a mess.
So a mutual high school friend of ours has recently posted some recipes of his on Facebook for his friends to try out. Out of the three he's posted so far, I chose the one that had ingredients I totally already had on hand because I'm not about to go out to the store and buy ginger root and red wine vinegar. (If I could get the money back for every bottle of different types of vinegar I have bought and then had to toss - I wouldn't be cooking, my ass would be sitting at the Red River Grill noshing on duck).
There are three things that I try very, very hard to steer clear of if friends recommend them: books, music, recipes. Books are the hardest, because I'm super picky and most of my friends have shit-tacular taste in books. Music is a bit easier, but still dodgy (file swapping over a six pack of Corona is okay, don't worry). I don't get offered a lot of recipes, but when I do, I ignore them.
(The exception to this rule is actually Jodi who not only has terrific taste in both books and music, but also hoo boy, can that girl cook! Don't tell her I ever paid her a compliment like that, though, okay?)
Anyway, I don't know what made me want to try this. I had the stuff? I was bored? I was already getting my weekly meal plan together? Whatever it was, I decided to throw him a bone and I'm kind of glad I did. I really, really liked this dish and it will probably make it in my rotation.
CREAMY JAMBALAYA PASTA
(it makes a lot)
1 lb curly pasta such as fusili
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
l large red onion, finely diced, divided into 2 equal parts
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb beef kielbasa link sausage or similar (I used turkey, duh)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley, minced*
Prepare the pasta in a large pasta pot in salty water. The water should be salty like sea-water. (I did not test the water - ew) Drain and cover.
Meanwhile, in a large pot such as a Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium/high heat. Sauté half of the onion, the bell pepper, garlic and sausage until tender, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cream and allow it to warm through, but not boil. Add in the pasta to the cream mixture and toss until well combined. Use the remaining red onion, parsley and Parmesan cheese to garnish as desired.
Easy and fast and delicious. Even Willy-pad liked it! I did add a hellacious amount of Tony's and a dash of Tabasco. You can't call something jambalaya and not have it a little spicy, I'm sorry. I will give our friend kudos on something that usually bugs the crap out of me about recipes - his measurements were all spot on. I was a couple ounces shy of a pound of pasta (I used rotini, if that matters to you) so I slimmed down the amount of onion I used, but it all turned out perfect.
(Also, I learned a NEW TRICK. I got this mini-food processor for free for being an old lady and collecting stamps from my grocery store, okay? And I used it to chop up the onion and bell pepper and even though you end up having to drain the juices the pieces end up SO SMALL that a husband cannot detect the vegetables! AH-HA! I GOT YOU, PATRICK BATEMAN!)
Also, I kept thinking how good this would be with shrimp instead of sausage. Or chicken and bacon. This would be so good with chicken and bacon, Kendra.
Pasta dishes are one of my favorites, because I think I like this tag best.
*Do you have herb scissors? Every time I use mine I think of you. I think you need a pair.
So a mutual high school friend of ours has recently posted some recipes of his on Facebook for his friends to try out. Out of the three he's posted so far, I chose the one that had ingredients I totally already had on hand because I'm not about to go out to the store and buy ginger root and red wine vinegar. (If I could get the money back for every bottle of different types of vinegar I have bought and then had to toss - I wouldn't be cooking, my ass would be sitting at the Red River Grill noshing on duck).
There are three things that I try very, very hard to steer clear of if friends recommend them: books, music, recipes. Books are the hardest, because I'm super picky and most of my friends have shit-tacular taste in books. Music is a bit easier, but still dodgy (file swapping over a six pack of Corona is okay, don't worry). I don't get offered a lot of recipes, but when I do, I ignore them.
(The exception to this rule is actually Jodi who not only has terrific taste in both books and music, but also hoo boy, can that girl cook! Don't tell her I ever paid her a compliment like that, though, okay?)
Anyway, I don't know what made me want to try this. I had the stuff? I was bored? I was already getting my weekly meal plan together? Whatever it was, I decided to throw him a bone and I'm kind of glad I did. I really, really liked this dish and it will probably make it in my rotation.
CREAMY JAMBALAYA PASTA
(it makes a lot)
1 lb curly pasta such as fusili
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
l large red onion, finely diced, divided into 2 equal parts
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb beef kielbasa link sausage or similar (I used turkey, duh)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley, minced*
Prepare the pasta in a large pasta pot in salty water. The water should be salty like sea-water. (I did not test the water - ew) Drain and cover.
Meanwhile, in a large pot such as a Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium/high heat. Sauté half of the onion, the bell pepper, garlic and sausage until tender, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cream and allow it to warm through, but not boil. Add in the pasta to the cream mixture and toss until well combined. Use the remaining red onion, parsley and Parmesan cheese to garnish as desired.
Easy and fast and delicious. Even Willy-pad liked it! I did add a hellacious amount of Tony's and a dash of Tabasco. You can't call something jambalaya and not have it a little spicy, I'm sorry. I will give our friend kudos on something that usually bugs the crap out of me about recipes - his measurements were all spot on. I was a couple ounces shy of a pound of pasta (I used rotini, if that matters to you) so I slimmed down the amount of onion I used, but it all turned out perfect.
(Also, I learned a NEW TRICK. I got this mini-food processor for free for being an old lady and collecting stamps from my grocery store, okay? And I used it to chop up the onion and bell pepper and even though you end up having to drain the juices the pieces end up SO SMALL that a husband cannot detect the vegetables! AH-HA! I GOT YOU, PATRICK BATEMAN!)
Also, I kept thinking how good this would be with shrimp instead of sausage. Or chicken and bacon. This would be so good with chicken and bacon, Kendra.
Pasta dishes are one of my favorites, because I think I like this tag best.
*Do you have herb scissors? Every time I use mine I think of you. I think you need a pair.
Labels:
pastatutes
Stuffed Pistolettes
This is a rambling post about how I changed one of my favorite old recipes to make it happier. And it tastes good!
First, pistolettes. If you can't find a bread item called "pistolettes" where you are, just use some other big, fat yeast rolls with a sturdy crust. Anything hardy enough to hollow out and stuff will work just fine. (Ignore that that link describes them as "fried" - they are not bought fried. They are often fried as a method of cooking them, but we're not doing that.)
I prefer whole wheat pistolettes when I can find them, but the Winn Dixie by my house had a bag of 8 white pistolettes on sale for $0.99 the other day. EXCITING. I didn't want to spend any more than that on dinner, so I decided to substitute about half the old recipe with things I already had at home. Let's see how that went...
In the original recipe, you hollow out the rolls, stuff them with a meat/broccoli/cheese mixture, and bake them. We're still doing that, but we're changing the stuffing mixture. We're making it healthier and tastier.*
The original mixture for the stuffing goes like:
Ground beef
Broccoli
Velveeta
Cream of mushroom soup
Cooked white rice
Okay. The first thing we're doing is scrapping the rice. We've already got bread, which is plenty of starch. I image the rice was meant to make this meal stretch farther to feed more people cheaply? We're just a little family, though. And we're watching our carbs.
Next, cream of mushroom soup? I'm fresh out. But I do have a can of mushroom pieces and some milk. And some shredded sharp cheddar cheese instead of Velveeta...because. Just because. You know why.
I ALWAYS keep ground beef and broccoli florets in my freezer. Always have. Always will.
So here's what! Brown the ground beef. I like to flavor mine up with salt, pepper, Tony's, garlic and onion. It never hurts. Drain it.
You steamed some broccoli while you were doing that? Good. Chop it up small, small and throw it in with the beef. Also add in some (drained) canned mushrooms. Stir, stir. Drain it one more time if your veggies cook out a lot.
At this point, I dumped the meat and veggies into a big bowl and put the pan back on the heat. I threw in a little bit of butter (about 1.5 tbs) and melted it, then added the same amount in flour (about 1.5 tbs) to make a quick roux base for the cheese sauce. Stir the roux around until it's pasty, then slowly add in some milk. I don't know, like...1/2 cup? 3/4 cup? I was not measuring at this point. I was ROLLING WITH IT.
Stir and cook it like that until it starts to steam and thicken, then add in some cheese. Again - and you know you love me - I have no idea how much cheese. Maybe 1 cup. Maybe more. Just stir and taste, stir and taste. Season it, if you like! Salt and pepper. I'm sooo tired aaaalll of the time.
Once you don't hate your cheese sauce, dump in the meat and stir everything around. It needs to not be too soupy. It needs to be thick and cheesy and kind of...gluey. Add more cheese until it does that.
NOW you can hollow out your rolls, stuff them to bejesus, and brush the tops of the rolls with a little melted butter. Pop them in the oven (preheated to 400) for about 15-20 minutes. They will be crusty and buttery on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside. They will fill you up and keep you that way.
THE END
* Note: this is not a healthy recipe, exactly, but I count removing the Velveeta as making it more healthy, so...whatever. DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.
First, pistolettes. If you can't find a bread item called "pistolettes" where you are, just use some other big, fat yeast rolls with a sturdy crust. Anything hardy enough to hollow out and stuff will work just fine. (Ignore that that link describes them as "fried" - they are not bought fried. They are often fried as a method of cooking them, but we're not doing that.)
I prefer whole wheat pistolettes when I can find them, but the Winn Dixie by my house had a bag of 8 white pistolettes on sale for $0.99 the other day. EXCITING. I didn't want to spend any more than that on dinner, so I decided to substitute about half the old recipe with things I already had at home. Let's see how that went...
In the original recipe, you hollow out the rolls, stuff them with a meat/broccoli/cheese mixture, and bake them. We're still doing that, but we're changing the stuffing mixture. We're making it healthier and tastier.*
The original mixture for the stuffing goes like:
Ground beef
Broccoli
Velveeta
Cream of mushroom soup
Cooked white rice
Okay. The first thing we're doing is scrapping the rice. We've already got bread, which is plenty of starch. I image the rice was meant to make this meal stretch farther to feed more people cheaply? We're just a little family, though. And we're watching our carbs.
Next, cream of mushroom soup? I'm fresh out. But I do have a can of mushroom pieces and some milk. And some shredded sharp cheddar cheese instead of Velveeta...because. Just because. You know why.
I ALWAYS keep ground beef and broccoli florets in my freezer. Always have. Always will.
So here's what! Brown the ground beef. I like to flavor mine up with salt, pepper, Tony's, garlic and onion. It never hurts. Drain it.
You steamed some broccoli while you were doing that? Good. Chop it up small, small and throw it in with the beef. Also add in some (drained) canned mushrooms. Stir, stir. Drain it one more time if your veggies cook out a lot.
At this point, I dumped the meat and veggies into a big bowl and put the pan back on the heat. I threw in a little bit of butter (about 1.5 tbs) and melted it, then added the same amount in flour (about 1.5 tbs) to make a quick roux base for the cheese sauce. Stir the roux around until it's pasty, then slowly add in some milk. I don't know, like...1/2 cup? 3/4 cup? I was not measuring at this point. I was ROLLING WITH IT.
Stir and cook it like that until it starts to steam and thicken, then add in some cheese. Again - and you know you love me - I have no idea how much cheese. Maybe 1 cup. Maybe more. Just stir and taste, stir and taste. Season it, if you like! Salt and pepper. I'm sooo tired aaaalll of the time.
Once you don't hate your cheese sauce, dump in the meat and stir everything around. It needs to not be too soupy. It needs to be thick and cheesy and kind of...gluey. Add more cheese until it does that.
NOW you can hollow out your rolls, stuff them to bejesus, and brush the tops of the rolls with a little melted butter. Pop them in the oven (preheated to 400) for about 15-20 minutes. They will be crusty and buttery on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside. They will fill you up and keep you that way.
THE END
* Note: this is not a healthy recipe, exactly, but I count removing the Velveeta as making it more healthy, so...whatever. DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.
Labels:
bread type things,
comfort food,
cow,
veggies
Banana Nut Bread
HA! I showed you, cookbook fiasco. Except I need four bananas. I guess I'll be making one loaf and keeping it to myself. I'm not even sure if this is mom's because I can't remember mom EVER having pumpkin pie spice, but it's the one I found in my handwriting, so I'm going with this one.
Banana Nut Bread
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large bananas
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. oil
5 tbsp. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
pecans
Mix all ingredients. Pour into two loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 55 - 65 minutes.
Banana Nut Bread
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large bananas
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. oil
5 tbsp. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
pecans
Mix all ingredients. Pour into two loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 55 - 65 minutes.
Labels:
bread type things,
comfort food,
desserticles,
fruity
Cookbooks
How many do you think you have? I think I only have maybe 30 (counting my Harry Potter cookbook, too, dammit, even though I might never get around to whipping up black pudding, I am quite sure), but I have a giant basket full of loose leaf paper and magazine clippings and notebooks and post-it notes. I think I'm going to start trying to put them here. Like, I'm going to try to use this site for what it was intended.
This morning I have two mushy bananas that I don't want to throw out. I don't have the cream to make banana ice cream (which is a shame - it's so dreary and humid and hot outside, ice cream would perk up the Paddies for sure), but I do have all the fixings for banana nut bread.
Except...I can't find mom's recipe.
I can find Paula Deen's recipe. I can find Miss Mary Bobo's recipe. I bet I could find something JK Rowling would do with two mushy bananas, but all I want is Brenda Fern's banana bread.
I use this site at least once a week to cook. I pull up the recipe I want on my laptop, and get cooking. No leafing through pages and pages of scribbled notes like I used to, just a quick search and I've got what I need.
(note to self: find and add that really good buttercream recipe because if I have to spend one more Saturday googling buttercream...)
Anyway, so hopefully you'll see an onslaught of recipes show up. Some may be silly, but I have to write down everything because I have a terrible memory. I'll try to stick to ones I've tried for now.
And as soon as I've found that banana nut bread recipe, It's going up.
This morning I have two mushy bananas that I don't want to throw out. I don't have the cream to make banana ice cream (which is a shame - it's so dreary and humid and hot outside, ice cream would perk up the Paddies for sure), but I do have all the fixings for banana nut bread.
Except...I can't find mom's recipe.
I can find Paula Deen's recipe. I can find Miss Mary Bobo's recipe. I bet I could find something JK Rowling would do with two mushy bananas, but all I want is Brenda Fern's banana bread.
I use this site at least once a week to cook. I pull up the recipe I want on my laptop, and get cooking. No leafing through pages and pages of scribbled notes like I used to, just a quick search and I've got what I need.
(note to self: find and add that really good buttercream recipe because if I have to spend one more Saturday googling buttercream...)
Anyway, so hopefully you'll see an onslaught of recipes show up. Some may be silly, but I have to write down everything because I have a terrible memory. I'll try to stick to ones I've tried for now.
And as soon as I've found that banana nut bread recipe, It's going up.
Labels:
miscellaneous,
plans for the future,
questions
Mom's Vegetable Soup
AHOY, SISTER-COUSIN!
So awhile back I was making all these promises about sending you the recipe for mom's vegetable soup! You know what I did instead? I sent it to a blog friend, but not you! I'm an awful, awful person! I guess because I wanted to write it to you separately, full of State quotes and inside jokes, but then I never got around to it.
(I cried when Marcel hung this piece. True story.)
I'm going to try to reword my notes into an actual recipe, so, hold on.
Vegetable (Beef) Soup*
(The beef can be left out, I guess. I leave it out of the title, so it sounds less like something they would serve you in the school cafeteria.)
1 lb. stew meat
1 onion, chopped
SOME BUTTER I GUESS
random amounts of water
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 sm. cans of tomato sauce (I have never seen a single person posses the big can of tomato sauce)
3 stalks celery, chopped
salt, pepper, Tony's to taste
2 - 3 potatoes, chopped
5 - 6 carrots, sliced (or frozen, my store doesn't have frozen sliced carrots, WTH)
Small frozen bags of corn, green beans, and butter beans
Melt the butter in a giant pot. Put the meat and onion all up in it, until the meat is just brown. Add water to cover meat and onions plus about 1" over. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, and seasonings.*
Bring to a boil (Call me old fashioned; but I think fire is magic, and it scares me a lot.), cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add potatoes, carrots and simmer for 30 more minutes. (I will often think of you when I'm in less than pants.)
Add frozen vegetables. (I wouldn't wipe my ass with Billy's The Four Food Groups!) This is probably where you would add the spaghetti noodles if you are living in the Lofton house circa 1989. Your call. Bring to a boil again and then simmer, covered, for 15 - 20 more minutes.
EAT WITH GRILLED CHEESE (or cheese on toast, slightly melted in the microwave, which is how Mom and I do it SHUT UP KENDRA IT TASTES GOOD AND IS EASY.)
As you know it makes a shit-ton. As you know, my husband is just like our dad (who, your father?), so I had to freeze a lot for special Krista-meals when he's gone. It's like a tiny healthy surprise in my freezer! Right next to last year's Cadbury eggs and mango popsicles (you should try those, mmm).
Oh, hey, can Curt eat soup without making an ass out of himself? When can kids do that? (CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE WROTE ALLLLL MY PLAYS)
I LOVE YOU.
*it says TO TASTE, but do you REALLY want to taste at this point?
(I don't care about America, all I care about is sex and booze and pills!)
So awhile back I was making all these promises about sending you the recipe for mom's vegetable soup! You know what I did instead? I sent it to a blog friend, but not you! I'm an awful, awful person! I guess because I wanted to write it to you separately, full of State quotes and inside jokes, but then I never got around to it.
(I cried when Marcel hung this piece. True story.)
I'm going to try to reword my notes into an actual recipe, so, hold on.
Vegetable (Beef) Soup*
(The beef can be left out, I guess. I leave it out of the title, so it sounds less like something they would serve you in the school cafeteria.)
1 lb. stew meat
1 onion, chopped
SOME BUTTER I GUESS
random amounts of water
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 sm. cans of tomato sauce (I have never seen a single person posses the big can of tomato sauce)
3 stalks celery, chopped
salt, pepper, Tony's to taste
2 - 3 potatoes, chopped
5 - 6 carrots, sliced (or frozen, my store doesn't have frozen sliced carrots, WTH)
Small frozen bags of corn, green beans, and butter beans
Melt the butter in a giant pot. Put the meat and onion all up in it, until the meat is just brown. Add water to cover meat and onions plus about 1" over. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, and seasonings.*
Bring to a boil (Call me old fashioned; but I think fire is magic, and it scares me a lot.), cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add potatoes, carrots and simmer for 30 more minutes. (I will often think of you when I'm in less than pants.)
Add frozen vegetables. (I wouldn't wipe my ass with Billy's The Four Food Groups!) This is probably where you would add the spaghetti noodles if you are living in the Lofton house circa 1989. Your call. Bring to a boil again and then simmer, covered, for 15 - 20 more minutes.
EAT WITH GRILLED CHEESE (or cheese on toast, slightly melted in the microwave, which is how Mom and I do it SHUT UP KENDRA IT TASTES GOOD AND IS EASY.)
As you know it makes a shit-ton. As you know, my husband is just like our dad (who, your father?), so I had to freeze a lot for special Krista-meals when he's gone. It's like a tiny healthy surprise in my freezer! Right next to last year's Cadbury eggs and mango popsicles (you should try those, mmm).
Oh, hey, can Curt eat soup without making an ass out of himself? When can kids do that? (CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE WROTE ALLLLL MY PLAYS)
I LOVE YOU.
*it says TO TASTE, but do you REALLY want to taste at this point?
(I don't care about America, all I care about is sex and booze and pills!)
Labels:
comfort food,
cow,
soooup,
veggies
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