Ham & Bean Soup

This is a recipe from my daughter, Kadie.  She exclaimed that it was really yummy

 Ham & Bean Soup

Mince 2 Garlic Cloves
Chop 1 Onion

Heat butter and/or bacon grease.  Add the minced cloves and chopped onion.  

Chop 1 or 2 celery stalks and add to the onion/garlic saute.

Cut ham into 1 inch cubes and add to the saute.

Grate 1 or 2 carrots into the sauté

Drained 2 can of Great Northern Beans and add to the saute.
Saute for a minute or two.

Stir in a pint of cream.

Turn to low to cook for about 10 minutes.

In another pot, boil 1 chopped potato in 1 pint (bone or chicken) broth.  When soft blend in a blender.

Mix the 2 pots together.

Cook on low for another 15 mins (or so).

Enjoy!

Easy Shepherds Pie

This is one of those easy meals that can be made with a lot of variety and little fuss.

Easy Shepherds Pie

Choose what kind of meat you want to use.  If it is uncooked, you will need cook it until almost done,  With chicken, you will want to cut into smaller pieces and if it is ground beef, just chop it up as you brown it. If you use stew meat, cook it until it is almost done.  Season your meat with salt and pepper.  You can even used canned meat, including ham.

Next, add vegetables.  If you are browning or cooking meat, you can add celery or onions with the meat when it is almost done.  Add either canned or frozen vegetables after they are mostly cooked and heat through.  You can also add different spices such as: basil, garlic, parsley, season all, cumin, sage or any others that you want to try.  Add a can of cream of mushroom soup or make a white gravy using the following recipe:

       White Gravy
        1/4 cup flour
        1 Tablespoon Butter
        1 cup milk
       In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Sprinkle the flour over the top and quickly stir with a fork or a whisk. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until it is well blended.  Heat until bubbly.  Add a little more milk or water if it is too thick.

After you have stirred the meat, vegetables and sauce together, put in the bottom of a pan that can go in the oven.

You can make the topping by either putting refrigerated crescent rolls, biscuits or make your homemade biscuits.

        Homemade Biscuits
         1/3 cup shortening or butter, softened
         2 cups flour
         1 Tablespoon baking powder
         1 teaspoon salt
         1 Tablespoon sugar
         About 3/4 cup cold milk

         Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl.  Add the shortening or butter and mix it with a fork or knife, until it is crumbly.  Slowly add most of the milk and mix until it is no longer sticky.  Either add more milk or more flour, a little at a time.  You want it soft, but not sticking to your fingers.  Knead it on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Roll out the biscuit dough until it is the shape of the pan you are using.  Don't have it more than 1/2 inch thick or it will not cook when the top is done.  Put on top of the hot meat and vegetable mixture.  Bake in a 350 oven for 12-15 minutes (Until the top is golden).

Chicken (or Turkey) a la King

As requested, here is an old stand-by of mine for leftover chicken or turkey.

Chicken - You can use either fresh chicken or leftover.  If you use fresh chicken, cut it in bite size pieces and cook in Olive oil, stirring to lightly brown it.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes until they are the right crispness.

If you are using left over chicken, start by sauteing the vegetables and wait to add the chicken when the vegetables are almost cooked.

Vegetables = You can use a variety of vegetables.  If you are pressed for time, you can use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and just add them to the cooked fresh chicken or cook in some water and then add to the chicken.

Vegetables I like to use: Celery, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, carrots, corn, onion.

After you have the chicken and vegetables together, add a can of cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, garlic salt, parsley, (basil is also a good flavor) and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat it all together and serve over noodles or rice.

Creamy Aspargus Soup

Asparagus Soup

This is the recipe that my youngest daughter wanted to learn to make. She needed to make it while I was gone and so, putting it in Step-by-step form was how it worked best for her.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Chop up:

1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped

1-2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb. Fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped

Put ¼ cup butter in pan and as it melts, add chopped onion, celery and carrot. Saute for 4 minutes. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp flour over butter mixture and stir well.

Add:

4 cups water
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed chicken broth
4 tsp. Chicken bouillon powder
Bring to a boil.

Add: potatoes, asparagus. Simmer for 20 minutes. Puree soup in blender in smaller batches (it would be good to let it cool for a few minutes so it doesn’t break the blender). Return to pot and add Half and Half cream, soy sauce and black and white pepper and salt.

3/4 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground black and white pepper
salt to taste

Bring it to a boil and don’t burn it. Serve hot. Serves 6-8