Creamy Potato Soup

It is cold outside!  We received our first winter snow yesterday on top of a sizable amount of sleet. Today is an inside day and I've been busy purging and organizing the pantry so everything starts out fresh and organized for the new year.

I've also been battling a cold, so the cleaning and organizing job was just the ticket; not to strenuous and I could easily pause for a nap attack.  
After a little break in my work, I was chilly and the hunger pangs set in.  My tummy was rumbling and I wanted something easy and something that would warm me inside out.  I spied potatoes and onions on the counter; in the pantry, a carton of chicken stock. Instantly I knew lunch was going to be a nice steaming bowl of potato soup with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.  Yummers!

This recipe is easy and quick to make.  Enjoy reading through it as I go grab a second helping!

...and oh, by the way, my pantry and cupboards are looking neat and tidy now!

Microwave Beef Stew

Let me begin by saying that this is not a quick recipe.  It is cooked in the microwave, but on a lower power.  I know it seems odd to use a microwave for lengthy cooking, but this beef stew is delicious and worth it!  It's very easy, you just layer the ingredients in the casserole, pour the liquid mixture over the top, pop it in the microwave and let it cook.  No checking, no peeking!  Do be sure you have a large covered casserole before undertaking this recipe.

I got this recipe from my mother, who received it when she took a class after purchasing her new microwave well over 15 years ago.  A local appliance store offered a class with the purchase of a new microwave.  I don't know that I've known of any stores doing that then or since that time.  Between mom and I we have made this stew dozens of times. 

The stew is perfect for chilly winter evenings,  Pair it with a nice salad and some crusty bread for a hearty meal.

Lentil Chili

While the sun shines bright, there is still a nip in the air and that equals  "soup weather" as far as I'm concerned.  Also, I'll admit it, I'm lazy.  I love cooking big on the weekend and having a big pot of soup to draw on for lunches and suppers makes the week meal preparation a breeze.  Often at the end of the workday, the last thing I want to do is spent a lot of time in the kitchen!

When I first made this, I was skeptical.  Chili without meat?  That's just not right!  However, with a vegetarian in my life, I have to branch out and try new things!  Adventures in cooking and eating, what can be more fun!  I was very pleasantly surprised in the hearty results of this recipe.  I found that I didn't miss the meat.  Lentils were not a pantry item for me before this recipe, but now they are.  This is easily made with things I generally have on hand and mixes up quickly.

This is a very easy, economical recipe. I vary the veggies from time to time for variety, but always use the red bell peppers, they add a nice sweetness to balance the chili.

I hope you find this thick, spicy chili tasty and that it becomes a staple in your recipe box!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Soup for Supper?  Absolutely!  Brrr, it is cold here in Kansas and a nice hot soup that is thick and as smooth as velvet is just the ticket.  I typically don't get very excited about cream or bisque soups, but this one is absolutely yummy.  A bowl of this is perfect for family suppers yet stunning and impressive enough to serve dinner guests.

You can adjust the hot sauce to your taste, but it has a nice "after burn" to it as written.  Serve it with grilled sandwiches made with my Pimento Cheese Spread or make a grown up grilled cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and bacon on ciabatta bread with a smidgen of mayo and yellow mustard) or simply serve it with some Ritz or your favorite crackers.

I won't lie, this recipe takes a bit of time to make, but I assure you that if you do make a batch, your tastebuds will be tickled pink.  Besides, what's better than spending time in the kitchen on a cold winter day making a tummy warming soup?

Be on the lookout for bell peppers on sale.  My local grocery occasionally has red bell peppers on sale 10/$10 and when that happens, you can guarantee that this will be on my weekly menu.  As written, this recipe is perfect for one or two people.  However, it  is easily doubled, so don't hesitate to double it for a larger batch if you have more mouths to feed or want leftovers (trust me, you will).

I hope you enjoy this recipe and keep warm this winter!

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

I have a new found love for tomato sauce.  This recipe is quick, easy and versatile.  You can use it for pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or as a base for a wonderful creamy soup.  Best of all you are controlling what you eat!  Say good-bye to high fructose corn syrup and hello flavor!   No more added sugar or other ingredients that you can't pronounce or know what they are.  Plus, this sauce packs a ton more flavor than the name brands we all have in our pantry for the sake of convenience!

You can tailor this sauce to include additional vegetables such as red or green bell pepper for a slightly different taste and additional nutrition.  The flavor will knock your socks off and the wonderful aroma you have wafting from your kitchen will have your family salivating!

I've always been a "from scratch" kinda cook. However, "from scratch" spaghetti sauce never included making the tomato portion of the sauce.  I have always seasoned up a can of tomato sauce and tomato paste to make my pasta sauce.  This oven roasted sauce is fresh and tasty.

I can only imagine how much better it will be when summer finally arrives and the tomatoes are fresh from my farmer's market along and the herbs fresh from my garden!  I suspect I'll be making big batches and freezing some for the long winter months!

Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Chowder

I don't know how the weather has been where you live, but here in Kansas it has been very cold. We didn't get the significant sleet and snow that many areas south and east received and I've been a little envious, of the snowfall part.  I love snow and figure that if it is going to be this cold, snow is in order.

As much as I like winter and snow, it requires a nice hot soup to warm  up after being outside.  I tried this recipe over the weekend and it was tasty!  So when you are in need of a nice hot soup to warm you up from the inside out, give this a try.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

What are lentils anyway?  They sort of look like split peas, flat and about a quarter of an inch in size.
Lentils have been around for a very long time.  Lentil artifacts have been found on archaeological digs dating back 8,000 years.  The Bible also has various references to lentils. So they have quite a history.

Lentils belong to the legume family (peas, beans, soybeans and peanuts) and are a tasty and plentiful source of protein and have loads of fiber. They come in many varieties.

I used what was readily available in my local supermarket which are pictured above.  You can find them with the dry beans.  Since I really like this soup, I am inclined to branch out and try other varieties and other methods of preparation.

This hearty soup is an excellent way to try lentils for the first time!

Ham and Beans

Steaming Hot Ham and Beans

As the heat of the summer turned into cool fall days this past weekend, my thoughts turned to warm comfort food.  Immediately, ham and beans came to mind.  I just couldn't shake the thoughts.  A quick check of the pantry and I had nearly all the ingredients.  The only thing missing was the ham....now that is kinda important, so a trip to the store for groceries and I was all set.

There are a couple of methods for soaking beans, you can do a quick soak method or just put them in water overnight.  I wasn't in a hurry so I opted for the overnight method.  Of course, if you are in a huge hurry, you can buy canned navy beans and speed up the process even faster!

I tend to make Ham 'n' Beans without a recipe.  I'll share what I did, but I did measure just so I could include the measurements in the event you aren't comfortable "winging it".

Corn Chowder

Roasting Corn

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. bacon

1 lb. fully cooked diced ham

1 large sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 48 oz. box of low sodium chicken stock

1 quart of 2% milk

3 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

4 cups of fresh corn kernels

1 tsp. white pepper (black will work, just more visible)

1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

2 dashes cayenne pepper

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil. Heat pan over medium heat.

Slice the package of bacon across the sort end, making 1/4 inch pieces. Add bacon to the pan and stir.

Continue until bacon pieces are crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Pour grease into a bowl. leave the brown bits in the bottom of the pan, they add flavor.

While the bacon is cooking, start chopping the garlic, onion and carrots.

Measure 2 Tbsp. of grease back into the pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and thyme.

Stir until the vegetables are good and soft, approxmately 8-10- minutes.

Dust the vegetables with the flour and stir to coat everything well.

 Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add the potatoes and milk, stir to mix the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a hard boil and boil for 8 minutes or until the potatoes break down (this will aid in thickening the soup and provide texture).

Cut the kernels off the cob, scraping the cob with your knife to extract all the juice. Add the corn to the pot and stir.

Next add the diced ham and season with the Old Bay Seasoning, pepper and cayenne.

Simmer until the corn is soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Taste the chowder and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Ladle the soup into bowls, top with crumbled bacon and serve with a hearty bread.

....and that my friends, is Whats Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Cathy's Chili

With the cooler weather making an appearance and giving us a taste of fall. I had to make a big ol' pot of chili.  I love fall and pefer to  open the windows, put on a flannel shirt and enjoy it by making and eating fall comfort foods.

My chili recipe won't be for everyone.  If you like spicy chili then I'd suggest giving it a try.  If you don't like spicy chili, you can still give it a try, just back off the spices, adding smaller amounts at a time and tasting to suit it for your palate.

I normally just make it by using the dump and taste method.  In order for me to share it with you, I had to measure and write down the ingredients as I went along. 



Cathy's Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 40 ounce can of Brook's Chili Beans
1 46 ounce can of Tomato Juice
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Drizzle the 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil into  a large soup pot (or dutch oven).
Heat over medium high heat.
Add the turkey, ground beef and onions along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

Add 1 Tablespoon each of Chili Powder, Ground Cinnamon and Ground Cumin.  Browning the meat along with the spices helps improve the color of the ground turkey and also adds a layer of spices to the meat.
Mix well and cook the mixture until meat is cooked through.

Drain any excess grease.  If you ground beef is very lean, you shouldn't need to drain any fat.
To the meat mixture add the Chili Beans and Tomato Juice.
Stir to mix well. Lower the heat to medium low (you want the mixture to not boil).
Add the remaining seasonings 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder, 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon, 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cumin and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Mix thoroughly, scraping seasonings from sides of pot.
Reduce heat to simmer.  After 15 minutes and all ingredients are heated through, taste and adjust seasonings.

Chili is always better left over, so I often make it a day before I want to eat it.  The longer it sits before serving, the spices will continue to blend and develop.   Just be careful if you microwave a bowl otherwise you will have a mess.  I created a mess by having my bowl too full!

I prefer mine topped with shredded cheese and Frito's. 

I also have used leftovers to create chili burgers or chili dogs as well. 
You can also serve it over spaghetti or add cooked pasta.  However, I typically do not recommend putting cooked pasta directly into the chili.  The texture of the pasta gets mushy and it adds additional thickening to the chili. 

.....and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Cathy's Vegetable Soup

Most of us think of soup as a winter dish.  However, with the modern convenience of air conditioning, soup is really appropriate all year round. 

I love soups and make them often.  It makes preparing supper a breeze after a long day at work and because it makes so much, I enjoy the leftovers packed for my lunch.

This soup is quick, easy and healthy. I threw it together one afternoon when I didn't know what to fix for dinner. 

This recipe and chili are the soups I most frequently prepare.
You can easily adjust this to use ingredients what you have on hand.  I typically use both ground beef and ground turkey, but you can also use all ground beef if you prefer. 
Like my chili, I always just make this, never following a written recipe (not that I'd necessarily follow it precisely if I had one).  Today, while making the soup, I decided to measure and write down the ingredients and directions so I could share it with you.

I missed adding beef soup base to my shopping list so I had to use beef broth today. It isn't necessary to use soup base but it adds a richer flavor to the soup that I prefer.

Like many soups, this one gets better with age, so get out your biggest soup pot and make it a day ahead so the flavors have a chance to fully develop.

Cathy's Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups shredded carrots (I buy them pre-shredded)
6 cups shredded cabbage (1/2 a medium sized head)
3 15 oz. cans of pinto beans
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
8 cups of beef soup base
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

Directions:

1. Add the olive oil to a large stock pot.  Place over medium heat. 
2. Add the ground turkey, ground beef, chopped onion, salt and pepper to the pot and cook, crumbling meat until it is browned.
3. Drain any fat from the pan.
4. Add carrots, pinto beans, tomato sauce and beef broth to the pan, stirring to mix ingredients.
5. Add fennel seed and thyme and shredded cabbage.
6. Stir to mix well.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cabbage and carrots are cooked.
8. Sample and adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan and crusty loaf of bread.