Freezer Stuffing - Mama's Beef Vegetable

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This past weekend we did some major stuffing of our freezer. We made both lunches and dinners for future grab-n-go use and stocked our stand up freezer heavily with the goodies. We did the Adult Beanie-weanies, Minestrone & Beef Vegetable Soups (see recipe below), and Chili. I also made some trail mix that is super yummy for some healthy snacking! These were low cost meals that were easy to make in big batches and freeze well.

Having homemade grab-n-go lunches and dinners will allow us to eat more at home even when we're too busy to cook.

I've been eating this Beef Vegetable soup recipe all my life. My mother got the recipe from my Nannie and although it uses a lot of canned vegetables instead of fresh, for me you can't substitute the canned. It just doesn't have the flavor. My mom and grandmother would cook this soup for a minimum of 3 hours but I've had success condensing it down to 1.5 hours before. I would go any less than that.

This is also fabulous reheated. I remember coming home from school, pulling out the big pot with leftovers in it and heating up a small bowl in the microwave for a snack. This is great for lunches the next day or week.

This soup is very forgiving. You can't mess it up and you can use just about anything in it but I stick to my tried and true ingredients. I've also added my own touches to the soup, just as my mother did when she got the recipe from my Nannie. With each generation it gets better.

This is the kind of soup you want to take your time with. Open the windows on a fall afternoon, sit down with a good book, and pour all your love into the pot while the wonderful aromas fill your house. Patience is important for this one, it's not a quick fix. This soup will fill your tummy with warmth and love.

If I'm making a double batch I'll make it in two pots so as not to mess with the flavor too much. Great for freezing or on a cold day with some warm cornbread-everyone will love this one.


Mama's Beef Vegetable Soup

Servings: 6-8

1 lb Ground Beef
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 large cans of Stewed Tomatoes (Or 2 Quarts of home-canned tomatoes)
1 can Succotash (between canned veggies and tomatoes at the store)
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 can Veg-all (don't get the low or no sodium)
1 small can of whole corn kernels
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup Elbow Mac noodles
Kosher Salt, to taste

Add beef & seasonings to a large soup pot and cook until browned. Drain grease.
Add tomatoes, succotash, and tomato paste. Then fill tomato can twice with water and add. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes to and hour.
Add Veg-all and simmer 30 minutes to an hour. Add water if needed.
Add potato and corn and simmer 30 more minutes
Taste broth and season with salt, pepper, or other seasonings as you see fit.
Add Mac and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with cornbread or cool and freeze.

Enjoy this tummy warming meal made with love.

Note: We have tried canning this soup and the noodles didn't hold up to well. If you want to can this soup leave out the noodles and follow canning instruction for tomato based soups.

Canning and Homemade Chicken Broth

Friday, September 11, 2009

We had a great labor day weekend. We spent most of the time around the house canning but we did make it up to NC to visit two wineries and picnic. Which was a lot of fun. Both were right outside of Charlotte, so not too far of a drive. We visited Owl's Eye and Baker Buffalo Creek vineyards.

We also went up to the Asheville Farmers market to pick up some yummy local produce to can for winter. We canned:

Green Beans

Froze our favorite, Silver Queen, corn. We have only been able to find this corn at the Asheville Farmers market. It's so good and super sweet and crisp.

Canned some homemade Dill Pickles! This was a first for me and was my project. I found a great recipe online. I have to wait 8 long weeks before I can open them and try them though. Hope they turn out good!

Lots of canned tomatoes

Terri tries to make most of our chicken broth. We buy most of our chicken on the bone or as a whole chicken. Terri does the butchering and she freezes the leftover chicken bones. She also has a veggie scraps bag in the freezer so when we have some scraps she tosses them into the freezer bag.

When she thinks she has enough to make a big batch of broth she throws everything into a big pot, covers it with water and boils it for an hour or better. Then she puts the finished broth into mason jars and they go into the freezer. There is no beating the taste of her homemade, made with love, chicken broth!

Antipasto

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

We treated ourselves Sat to an amazing antipasto spread. We didn't eat all of this but we sure tried. It was just delicious. For ours we did some bruschetta, salomi, pepperoni, three kinds of cheese, grapes, pickles, artichoke hearts, and some wine.

Antipasto (plural antipasti), means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, roasted garlic, pepperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella) and peperone (marinated small green bell peppers, not to be confused with pepperoni). The antipasto is usually topped off with olive oil. -Wikipedia

Although it's suppose to act as a first course, with just the two of us, this was the main course. This would be a great romantic picnic with some wine. It was truly a delicious treat!

Almond Bars - Guest Post

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Some friends of ours came up to camp with us over the weekend and Heather brought these delicious, mouth watering almond bars. They were just super yum and the almond flavor with the crunch was just on point. I asked her to do a guest post for us and, lucky us, she agreed. So here's Heather with the recipe for her Yummy Almond Bars!



If you like almonds, then you'll love this no-fail recipe. These bars were not only easy to make, but they have gotten rave reviews from my family and friends. Perfect for a fundraiser, elegant enough for a holiday party, etc. You can also try variations of extract & nuts such as banana extract and walnuts. Love these bar cookies for the ease of preparation and burst of flavor. This recipe will definitely be used again and again!

~~~
Almond Bars

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 bottle almond extract
1 cup oil
2 cups flour
sliced almonds

Mix first 5 ingredients with a mixer. Spread onto greased and floured medium sized cookie sheet(preferably one with 1 inch sides). Top with sliced almonds. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioner sugar. Cool and cut. Makes approximately 24.

That's all there is to it! So simple.

Wine Wednesday - Allison Oaks Orchard White

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Allison Oaks Vineyards was our NC wine of the month for July. The white selection was this Orchard White. We enjoyed this on a hot summer evening with friends during a special dinner and it was delicious and refreshing!

Allison Oaks is a family owned vineyard located in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina. The Orchard White is a 50% Chardonnay, 25% Riesling, 25% Viognier blend and turned out to be very smooth and a little lighter and sweeter than I expected. This one is very fruity and would be great on a hot summer evening. We all enjoyed this one.

Rachel's Rating:

Baked Shrimp Scampi

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A few weeks ago I grabbed Ina Garten's cookbook Back to the Basics. I am in love with this book because the recipes are easy yet impressive. Terri and I made a deal that I would cook once every couple of weeks, mostly out of this book. The first recipe I tried was the Baked Shrimp Scampi and oh man was it good! It was easy to make and tasted amazing, just like from a restaurant! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Wine Suggestion:
Chardonnay





Ingredients:
* 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
* 3 tablespoons good olive oil
* 2 tablespoons dry white wine
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
* 1/4 cup minced shallots
* 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1 extra-large egg yolk
* 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
* Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly.

If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Menu Planning Monday - We're back!

Monday, August 17, 2009

After trying to move our grocery day from Sunday to a weekday we've decided it just wasn't working for us so we're back to our Sun shopping. This week is a little different because Terri will probably be working late most evenings which leaves me doing the cooking. So we're pulling stuff from the freezer and making some easy, quick meals this week.

Monday: Chicken and Rice Casserole

Tuesday: Rustic Summer Squash Tart (Vegetarian night)

Wednesday: Shredded Venison Burritos

Thursday: Pasta

Friday: Buffalo Burgers

Tips 'n' Tools - Grilled Corn

Friday, August 14, 2009

We LOVE fresh grilled corn. But we don't like fire hazards. We soak the corn first for a few minutes to a hour. That not only cuts down on your chance of a flaming ear of popcorn but the wet husk will act as an insulator, give it more flavor, helping to steam the corn, and locking in that goodness.

Problem is corn floats. So our tip today is to fill the sink with cold water. Remove the silk (the little strings inside the husk) by gently pulling back the outer layers. Place they layer back in place. Next put it in the sink and place a bowl, dish drainer (shown), small cutting board, or any other flat heavy object on it. Tah-dah

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Thursday, August 13, 2009

So as I mentioned a couple of days ago we are really getting into Grilled Pizza's. Yea, that's right, we're throwing pizza's on the grill and it's amazingly yummy!

Our favorite recipe has been this BBQ Chicken Pizza. I can not begin to describe how good this pizza is. Kids, oh, they will clean their rooms for some of this.

What's also great is you can add to it or take away as you see fit but I wouldn't. This is a tried and true blue recipe. The smoked gouda and cilantro are not to be skipped over. We always use smoked pulled chicken and the flavor combination is just outstanding!

Now call your best gal or guy, light some candles, and make this a date night. Or have the kids get creative with their pizza's. The individual portioned pizza's only add to the fun-factor.

Wine Pairing Suggestion:
Zinfandel, Chianti




Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1/2 Italian dough goodness recipe or store-bought dough
1 pound pulled chicken, smoked/grilled or store bought rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
2 med balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Roll out dough to preferred size and thickness. Grill one side on well oiled grate for about two minutes. Move dough often to prevent sticking and burning. Remove dough from grill and place grilled side up onto platters or cook sheet.


Top with 1/2 sauce on grilled side of dough.

Add the rest of the sauce to the pulled chicken and mix well. Top pizza with chicken, cheeses, and cilantro.

Put back onto well oiled grill grate and cook with top down, moving pizza's often, until cheeses are melted.

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Wine Wednesday - Georges Dubceuf's Beaujolais Villages

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

We're currently in the process of 'spring' cleaning our house. While dusting off the tops of our kitchen cabinets we found this bottle of wine in a wine box. It's a 2002 that my grandmother had given me a long time ago. I was so excited to see that it was an uncorked bottle! After just hanging out for 7 years, I was thinking this should be killer!

I'd learned a while back that the Beaujolais, a red wine, is typically served slightly chilled so we put this in the fridge for just a few minutes before we drank it.

WOW. It didn't disappoint! The taste was very sweet and very port-like. The aroma was just intense and the flavor was just amazing. I'm not really knowledgeable enough to accurately describe the taste of this wine. It was just really awesome. It makes me want to put a pinot or cab on the cabinets and forget about it for a few years.

Rachel's Rating: