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Nov

creamy cheesy potato soup

When it is cold or windy or rainy, ok I guess anytime except a hot summer day, I love soup!! My ultimate comfort food, well except for some dark chocolate. We have been working an a new soup book for my bookstore, a compilation of yummy soup techniques. This is what we did yesterday.

To our large crockpot we added

diced raw potatoes
chunks of broccoli tops
1 package of cream cheese cut in chunks
a package of cooked bacon pieces
enough whole (at our house fresh) milk to cover it all
a dash or two of soul seasoning (healthy seasoned salt sort of)

we turned it on high and ran out the door to go get a horse, about 3-4 hours later we returned and served it up with a half cup grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream topping each serving. It was INCREDIBLE!!! I cannot wait to make it again and will probably add more veggies.

This is just a menu idea would you like to see it made into an ebook with step by step instructions and pictures?

Category: big family meal, bookstore, main dish, side dish or snack, southern cooking, vegetable, vegetable dish Tags: cheese, potato, soup One Comment

Jul

vegetable burritos

Penny

this is another creative recipe – determine your own ingredients and amounts

you will need

large flour tortillas, 1 per serving
cooked rice, about 1/2 cup per serving
diced veggies, squash, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever you like or is growing in your garden
diced fresh tomatoes
olive oil or butter

combine and sauté or stir fry your diced veggies using the butter or oil, all except the tomatoes, set those aside, brown your tortillas in a skillet

on a tortilla add veggies, cooked rice and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper or maybe even teriyaki sauce and fold one end over slightly then roll like a burrito, or eat like a large taco

yummy, fast, healthy, and cheap! but be forewarned your family may want seconds

Category: big family meal, frugal meal, main dish, side dish or snack, vegetable, vegetarian Tags: rice, stir-fry, tortillas, vegetable 2 Comments

Apr

homemade coleslaw

Penny

1 head green cabbage shredded
1/2 head red cabbage shredded
1/2 onion shredded
1 carrot shredded

mix well in very large bowl or pan, then proceed with dressing

add the following to blender and blend

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T sugar
1 T soul seasoning or some sort or pepper blend

mix well then pour over cabbage mixture, let set about three hours in fridge, mixing once per hour, serve cold

Category: salads, side dish or snack, southern cooking, vegetable, vegetarian Tags: cabbage, coleslaw, dressing, slaw 3 Comments

Apr

tropical smoothie

Penny

Guess what we got yesterday? Yep, shredded coconut! And boy is it good! Since pineapples are on sale for 99 cents at Aldis we got 4 of them and bananas are on sale for 33 cents a pound at Wal Mart so we got several bunches of them. And now we are having a tropical party! To the blender we added some

fresh pineapple chunks,
a couple bananas,
a bit of spring water,
a couple spoons of natural sugar
and a spoon or two of wheat germ,

and whipped it up! Then added

several spoons of Tropical Traditions shredded coconut

and whipped for an additional few seconds. And WOW! This is wonderful! Can’t wait to try more recipes!

Category: breakfasts, desserts, side dish or snack Tags: coconut, pineapple Leave a Comment

Mar

spinning salads

Penny

I love salads but I do not especially love making them. I don’t like the bagged greens as much as the fresh in a bundle ones. I especially like fresh spinach and either butter lettuce or green leaf. One huge helper has been this trusty salad spinner. I got one for us and another for my married daughter. You simply rinse your greens then tear them up and put in the spinner, add more water and spin! It spins the excess water right off so you don’t have soggy greens and your dressing isn’t runny and watered down. Then you can add all of your chopped veggies and some dressing and wa la! A wonderful salad! We only like to make as much salad as will be eaten at the meal, but we do go ahead and do the whole amount of greens and keep them in the spinner in the fridge. They keep well this way without getting soggy . So yeah unsoggy salads work for me!

Category: cooking tip, main dish, salads, side dish or snack, vegetable, vegetable dish, vegetarian Tags: salad Leave a Comment

Jul

southern fried okra

Penny

Fried okra is a southern favorite! It is very simple to prepare.

approximately 2 dozen pieces of okra
1 egg beaten
1 cup corn meal mix ( if you can’t buy it, make your own with equal parts flour and corn meal)
vegetable oil about 2 T
couple shakes of Cajun spice

Cut the ends off the okra and cut the okra into thick slices or chunks about 1 inch thick. Add to beaten egg in mixing bowl. Mix well. Then add Cajun spice and corn meal mix. stir well until evenly coated. Heat a skillet to med hot and add oil, then add okra, let cook for a minute or two then turn with spatula. Turn occasionally until evenly browned. It cooks pretty fast. Serve and enjoy!

Category: frugal meal, side dish or snack, southern cooking, vegetable Tags: cooking blog, food blog, okra, recipe Leave a Comment

Jul

incredible chicken salad sandwiches

Penny

These are so tasty we have even served them at showers and luncheons.

4 chicken leg quarters, baked or boiled then deboned and meat diced
1 bunch green onions, diced, use all but the very ends
1/2 bunch celery diced, including the leaves
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced small
2 cups mayo
1 t. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste

homemade bread or rolls
sliced tomatoes
lettuce

Mix all of the top ingredients together and serve on roll with lettuce and tomato. Enough to serve a crowd.

Category: big family meal, frugal meal, main dish, salads, side dish or snack Tags: bread, chicken, chicken salad, cooking, dinner, food blog, lunch, recipe, sandwich 4 Comments

Jul

stir fry squash and rice

Penny

This is one of those throw it in the pan recipes so there are no amounts. It is more a recipe idea. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

diced yellow squash or zucchini
diced red peppers
sliced mushrooms
diced fresh garlic
chopped green onions
about 2 T. olive oil
cooked rice
optional ~ pita pockets
salt and pepper to taste or a little Cajun seasoning

Sauté all of the vegetables in the olive oil in a med hot skillet until the veggies are soft but not mushy. Serve over a bed of rice, or with rice in pita pocket. Really easy and very yummy.

Category: big family meal, frugal meal, main dish, side dish or snack, vegetable, vegetarian Tags: food blog, recipes, rice, vegetable 3 Comments

Jun

chicken pasta salad

Penny

This is one of our favorite summer dishes and a hit at every pot luck or covered dish supper. You can make it with or without the chicken.

1 box colored spiral pasta and one box macaroni, or two bags of wacky pasta
2 bottles of ranch dressing
1 diced onion
diced peppers, any kind you like
diced tomatoes, 2 or 3 or how ever much you want
2 chicken leg quarters, boiled or baked and meat taken off bone and diced

Cook your pasta according to the directions. Drain and put in fridge to cool. When cool, in large pot, add all ingredients and stir well. That is it! Keep cool till you serve. Easy stuff.

Category: big family meal, frugal meal, main dish, salads, side dish or snack Tags: chicken, food blog, frugal, pasta, recipe, salad 8 Comments

Jun

southern grits

Penny

I love grits, actually I love most southern food. Here is my technique of making southern grits.

This will make one serving, so multiply accordingly.

1 cup water
1 dash of salt
1/4 cup yellow corn grits (Bob’s Red Mill is my fav)

In a small sauce pan add water and salt, heat till boiling. Add grits and lower heat to med, stir continually for one minute, then cover and remove from heat. Let sit for three minutes then serve. I just like butter (homemade of course) and salt on mine, but it is also great with any of the following.