Cold Weather Means Soup!

Happy New Year everyone.  I have finally rested and recouped from the holidays.  How about you?  Hope yours was as much fun as ours.  There were good friends, gifts, grandsons, and lots of fabulous food.  What more could you ask for?

We received a marvelous gift from our children that brought us into the present century - a flat screen television!   Yes, we still had a big old dinosaur television.  The funny thing is, we had bought one for ourselves as a Christmas gift to us the morning of Christmas Eve.  We decided it was time.  (Ya think?)  As our two daughters and I were preparing to put food on the table for Christmas Eve I casually said, "Hey, guess what we got today."  They both turned and looked at me and asked, "What?"  They had that look on their face.  You know the one - like something's up?  Anyway, I said a flat screen television.  They looked at each other and then looked at me and one of them said, "Well, now you have two I guess."  We laughed hysterically.  It was a truly funny moment.  Our second daughter said, "We waited until yesterday to get it for you because we were afraid this would happen.  When you hadn't gotten one by yesterday, we went ahead and got it."  Oops.  How did I know?  The good thing is, we took the one back that we had bought and now we can get something else with the money.  That, my friends, is a good thing.  We have a new television and a choice to get something else.  We're still thinking.

The other spectacular gift we received was a Keurig coffee maker.  We have really come into the present century, let me tell you!  Coffee on demand, one cup at a time and a flat screen television.  Could life get any better?

I suppose you all are experiencing the polar vortex (a new weather term for me) just like the rest of us?  Cold?  No thanks.  Not a fan at all.  It can leave and not return for the rest of the winter and it will not hurt my feelings in the least.  It  was 2 degrees this morning.  Ugh.  Hasn't been this cold in Nashville for 20 years.  It's supposed to be 60 on Saturday.  Now that's what I'm talking about!!  I'll take  all of that I can get.  Maybe a sweater in the evening, no heavy coats, hats, gloves, scarves, boots and whatever else you have to put on to stay warm.  I.  Am.  Over.  It.

In case it's not going to warm up that much where you are, I have a great soup for you that I made for dinner tonight.  To us, cold weather means soup - really hot soup.  Do you like your soup really hot?   Please, don't serve me luke warm soup.  Ew.  Hot.  Hot.  Hot.  The only way to eat soup.  Sorry, I digressed.  Actually, I could eat soup every day - even in hot weather.  I know.  I'm weird that way.

We had chili on Sunday and Monday, because I make lots of soup when I make it.  It gets better each day AND you don't have to cook again.  That is a super benefit for making a big pot of delicious soup. Tonight, I was going to make potato soup.  Yum.  One of our favorites.  I peeled the potatoes, and chopped an onion.  When I got the onion out of the fridge (yes, I keep my onions there), I noticed there was a pound of breakfast sausage that needed to be used.  Okay, I'll throw it in the soup.  So, I browned it up in a saute pan.  Oh, and there was a 10 ounce box of spinach I had thawed for another recipe that I didn't make.  It needed to be used.  Okay, I'll throw it in the soup.  Why not?

I didn't want the soup to be bland, so I added a can of Ro-Tel for a little zip.  Well, why not add some cannellini beans too?  Sure, drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and throw them in.  Yes, there was a parmesan cheese rind in the fridge too.  Toss it in.  Add a box of chicken stock and enough water to cover everything.  Add a couple pinches of red pepper flakes, and let it all cook until the potatoes were done.   Dynamite!

When I was ready to serve the soup, I poured a drizzle of olive oil over the soup and added some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  For the coup de gras, we had big pieces of crusty garlic bread drizzled with olive oil to mop up that delicious broth.  If I do say so myself, it was one fantastic meal!  Yum.  Yum.

If you wanted to make this soup vegetarian, just leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.  It is also gluten free for all of you who have to watch your gluten intake.  Don't you love one pot meals?  I sure do.  Here is what you need to make this soup.  I really don't know what to call it.  If you have an idea, let me know.

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP butter
1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild, or 1 pound Italian sausage, browned
1 10 ounce box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry*
1 14 ounce can cannellini beans (or you could use kidney beans)
as many potatoes as you would like, peeled and cut in chunks - I used about 2 pounds
1 32 ounce box low sodium chicken stock
1 can Ro-Tel
parmesan cheese rind optional

salt and pepper to taste
a couple pinches crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil for drizzling
freshly grated parmesan cheese

*If you don't want to use spinach, you could use chopped kale or swiss chard.  Either one would be delicious.  I used the spinach because I had it.


In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent.  Add the minced garlic.  While you are cooking the onions, brown the sausage in a saute skillet and drain.  Add the sausage, cannellini beans, spinach, Ro-Tel, and chicken stock to the onions and garlic.  Use enough water to completely cover all the vegetables.  Add a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook until the potatoes are fork tender.  Taste and season with salt if needed.  I used freshly ground black pepper in each bowl when served or you can add it to the soup pot.

When you serve the soup, drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl and grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top.    Serve with some crusty bread and ENJOY!

This soup was so hearty and delicious and really good for a "throw together" soup.  I really wish you could have shared a bowl with us because it sure hit the spot on this frigid arctic night.  And then, you should have seen what we had for dessert.  Oh my.  Come back tomorrow and I will show you and give you the recipe.  It's fantabulous.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home.  Edith Sitwell

Lebanese Potato Salad - Salatat Al Bataata

Hope your weekend was as fantastic as ours.  The weather was amazing!  It was raining Saturday morning, but the clouds dissipated and the sun came out in all it's glory.  The temperature was perfect.  I will take all of that weather we can get.

Sunday, our grandson had a make up fall little league game.  Everyone was invited here to dinner afterwards and it needed to be something kind of simple that could mostly be made ahead.  So, I went with a tailgating kind of theme.  You can tailgate for baseball right?  If it's not really de rigueur for baseball like it is for football, perhaps we will start a new trend.

All the grandsons think hot dogs are something magical as my daughter says.  They don't get them often and we don't either, so I thought we would grill some hot dogs, Irish bangers, and some good old Polska Kielbasa.  I mean, who doesn't love a good Polish sausage?  I made chili early in the day so everyone could have a big old chili dog, or a bowl of chili, whichever they preferred.  There were all the "fixins" for the hot dogs and sausages, and I made chocolate rice krispie treats for dessert.  Now, that is a meal fit for a kid if there ever was one.  The adults seem to enjoy it quite a bit too now that I think of it.

For the adults in the group (I do try to consider them too), if they didn't want chili, I made some lebanese potato salad with a recipe my daughter got from her mother in love who came to America from Lebanon when she was 18.  This is some good potato salad, let me tell you!  There is NO mayonnaise so it won't spoil.  Something  you might consider next time you need a pot luck dish!

This potato salad has a really bright lemony flavor that I love.  (Remember, I never met a potato I didn't like.)  The parsley adds a wonderful flavor.  Other countries use lots of parsley in their recipes, but we don't.  I think it's time to start another treat.  It's

This recipe is  easy to make (even better) and is super delicious!  Here is what you need:

 7/8 good sized potatoes, scrubbed (I'd say about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 big lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
salt
fresh parsley

Boil the potatoes until fork tender.  Remove from stove and pour off the hot water.  Cover with cold water and let sit until you can handle the potatoes without burning your hands.

Remove the skins by simply pulling them off.  (It's kind of fun)  Cut the potatoes into cubes and salt to taste.

Mix the dressing of olive oil, and lemon juice.  Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss.

Remove the leaves from the parsley until you have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup.  Rough chop and sprinkle over the potato salad.  Toss.

That's it!  How easy is that?

I love potato salad of all varieties and this one has become one of my favorites!  If you feel it may need a little more dressing, just make sure you use the olive oil and lemon juice in the same quantity.

This is an excellent side dish when you want something different and it's GREAT for tailgaiting since you don't have to worry about spoilage.  The only thing I might add next time are some chopped scallions, green and white parts.  Some recipes also call for a little chopped mint.  I'm not a big mint fan, but you may love it.  Remember, mint is a strong flavor, so add about 1/4 cup of chopped mint if you want.

Give this recipe a try!  Dan loved it and he is VERY picky about potato salad. And, thanks Alma for sharing another of your fabulous native dishes!  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Parsley - the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate.  Albert Stockli

Potatoes Au Gratin With Harp Accompaniment

Hello everyone!  Sorry to have been absent for a while.  Dan and I had the totally creepy crud, the kind that lasts for a week and then takes another week to recover.  Whew.  I hope we don't ever have that again.  It was NOT fun, but we are on the mend.

In the meantime, I have undergone two laser procedures for my glaucoma.  Last week I had the left eye done and today the right eye.  I have had glaucoma for 30 years and am on maximum medications and my pressures won't stay down where they would like them to be.  So, they zapped each eyeball with a fancy little laser (the procedure is called an SLT).  The purpose is to create new drainage pathways.  It took about 5 minutes for each eye.  My eye felt a little irritated for a couple of days, and then it cleared up.  Today, the pressure in my left eye (first eye done) had dropped 7  points in one week.  The pressure usually runs about 23/24 with 4 medications twice a day which is way higher than they would like it to be.  Today, after just one week, the pressure was down to 16!!  Hip, hip, hooray!!  My pressures have not been in the teens for 20 years.  So grateful for the miracles of science and Dr. Bergman.  : )  I will return in six weeks for pressure checks and then my medications will be adjusted, hopefully eliminating  a couple of them!

Now that we are on the mend from our bout of creepy crudiness and our appetites are beginning to return, I had the in town family over for dinner last night.  Do you every get a craving for something and you just have to make it?  Mine was potatoes au gratin. Had to have them.  Cheese, potatoes, onions, creamy goodness.  Yum.  I made a 9x13 pan and there were absolutely none left.  Not.  One.  Bite.  Soooooo good and not hard to make at all.  Here is what you need.

4 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 cups whole milk
1 small onion, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon corn starch
8 ounce block of cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt
lots of fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Peel potatoes and slice about 1/4 inch thick.  Mince small onion and add to potatoes.  Mince clove of garlic.  Add butter to deep saucepan and melt at medium temp.  Add 2 cups of milk, heaping tablespoon of corn starch, minced garlic, salt, and lots of black pepper.   Stir until milk begins to simmer.  Add all of the grated cheese.  Mix until cheese is melted.  Remove pan from stove.

Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Add potatoes and onions.  Pour sauce over potatoes, should just barely cover potatoes.  Cover with aluminum foil and put in oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 35/40 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and the cheese has started to brown.  Remove from oven.  Serve.

These are SOOOOOOOOOOO delicious, you really need to make some as soon as you can.  They are good with any meat.  We had them with grilled barbecued pork chops and grilled asparagus.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  

If you know me at all, you know I never met a potato I didn't like and these are one of my most favorite ways to enjoy them.  What's not to like?  Seriously?  Cheese, potatoes, onions, deliciousness.  Is your mouth watering?  Mine is and there are no left overs.  (Insert sad face here).  Guess you know what that means.  Will have to make some more sometime soon.  Give them a try.  You can cut the recipe in half if you don't want to make such a huge pan of them, but you will be sorry later.  They are worth the effort.  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My friend Ken is staying with us for a bit while he gets settled in Nashville.  He is a harpist and he is practicing while I type this.  He plays so beautifully.  What a treat, our own personal harpist.  Wish you were here to enjoy.  Haven't felt this peaceful in a while.  Thanks Ken.

Clam Chowder - One Of My Most Favorite Soups

Hello October!  Where is this year going?  Oh my.  It is Monday once again and I hope you all are having some lovely early fall weather.  It has been raining all day here in Nashville, but the leaves are starting to show signs of color changes which makes my heart happy.  The days have been somewhat cooler and the evenings have required a light sweater or jacket.  Yes, that is what I am talking about!  To me, this is the perfect time of year.  We don't have to bundle up yet, but we are also not baking in the hot, humid weather of summer.  Perfect.

I volunteered at the East Nashville CoOp Ministry today cooking lunch.  We made vegetable beef soup which was welcomed by all on this cool, rainy day.  Don't think I have lost my mind, that is NOT a picture of vegetable beef soup, but one of my all time favorites, clam chowder.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Soup is something that I could eat every day, even on really hot days.  Soup is nutritious, delicious and you can make enough to enjoy for a second meal.   That way you don't have to cook something every time you turn around  - and that on one reason why soup is worth the effort!  It also tastes really, really good - even better the second time after all the flavors really meld together!  There are so many soups to enjoy, you could have a different one every week of the year.  Here is what you need for this clam chowder.

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (I may, or may not, put a few more potatoes in the pot)
chicken stock in a box
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup half and half (I use milk, works fine)
2 6.5 ounce cans minced clams, drain juice and save
1.5 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1.5 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 bottle clam juice
2 TBSP flour

Before we go any further, I double this recipe so that we do have left overs.  Now, how to make the soup.

In a large pot, place all the veggies and pour the saved clam juice on top.  Add enough stock to barely cover the veggies.  Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are almost tender, about 5-10 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add 2 TBSP. flour to make a roux by stirring the flour into the butter and cooking until the raw flour taste is gone.  Add the half and half (or milk) slowly, continuing to stir.  Cook until smooth and thick without letting the soup boil.  Add the sauce to the vegetables, then add the clams, bottled clam juice, salt and pepper to taste.   Serve.

I topped our soup with some chopped chives from my herb garden.  You could also make some nice croutons to go on top of the soup if you wanted.  Croutons with parmesan or cheddar cheese would be even better.  There are no set rules with soup.  It can be like an artists canvas, create as you will.

As the days continue to get cooler, ramp up your soup recipe repertoire.  Soup is lovely to share with friends and family.  Take some to your neighbors, they will love you for it!

I keep clams in my pantry just in case I get a hankerin' for clam chowder.  (Hankerin' is a southern word requiring dropping of the "g").  Clam chowder is quick and easy to make and is so, so good. Serve it with a salad or sandwich and voila, you have one great meal.   Give this recipe a try the next time you are in the mood for some really tasty soup.  You will love it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. 
Marge Kennedy

Ode To Potato Salad And My Favorite Recipe

Who loves potato salad?  I love potato salad.  Almost every kind I've ever had, but I like to make it this way.  With just a little mustard for some zip.  I like shallot (or onion) and celery in it for crunch.  I like it made with mayonnaise with olive oil for the binder (such delicious flavor) and I like white potatoes.  They are my favorite.  You can use red potatoes if you want, but I like white potatoes.

Do you love potato salad?   Ooh doggies, I love potato salad - especially with a good baked ham.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  This bowl was made for a recent Sunday family dinner when I had baked a ham and what goes with it?  Why, potato salad of course.

Potato salad is relatively easy to make, and I have always made it by the big bowl full because I want left overs to enjoy.  You know how the flavors all meld together and it tastes better the second day?  Yes, that is why I want to make sure there are some left overs.

On labor day, we made a very festive holiday picnic type lunch for all of our clients at the East Nashville CoOp Ministry to enjoy.  Let me tell you, I was a bit intimidated by the thought of cooking 20 pounds - yes your read that right - 20 pounds of potatoes and turning it into potato salad.  I just did the same thing I always do in much larger quantities and it turned out fabulously.  So fabulously, that there was not one eensy bitsy tiny bit left.  Not one sliver of onion, or celery or anything.  Guess that means they liked it.

Here is how I make my potato salad.  Wash however many potatoes you want to use.  I used 12 for this bowl full.  Put in a large pan and cover with water.  Boil until potatoes are soft.  I like to cover the pan with a lid so the steam is trapped and they cook faster.  When the potatoes are fork tender, remove the pot from the stove, drain the hot water and cover the potatoes with cold water.

As soon as you can handle them, remove the skins by simply peeling them off with your hands.  No knife needed.  Place potatoes on a cutting board, halve and then quarter each potato.  Cut into bite sized pieces, about 1 to 1.5 inches in size.

Clean 3 ribs of celery.  Cut each rib down the center and then dice in small pieces.  I used on large shallot and diced in small pieces.  Shallot are a bit milder than onions, but if you don't have a shallot on hand a medium onion works fine.

If you like bell pepper, dice 1/2 of a red or green one and toss it in.  Peppers don't agree with Dan, so I leave them out.

Place all the potatoes in the bowl and add salt.  I can't tell you how much salt, because it will depend on your taste buds.  I start with some and then add if it needs more.  You can always add, you cannot remove, so use salt sparingly.  Add fresh cracked black pepper.

Next, add about 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like mayo with olive oil).  Squirt about a tablespoon of yellow mustard or dijon mustard on the top of the mayo.  Now, mix, mix, mix, mix, until everything is combined and coated with the mayo and mustard.  Taste and see if more salt is needed.  Add the salt and a little more fresh cracked black pepper, mix, mix, mix some more and ta da!  You are done and ready to dive in.

Just make sure and save a little for later, or the next day.  Potato salad is one of those things that gets better and better as it sits.  It is such a guilty pleasure, I just can't explain it.  Just be sure and refrigerate it overnight.

We are enjoying some of the last late days of summer and maybe this weekend would be a perfect time for a cookout and a nice big bowl of fabulous potato salad.  You know how to make it, now go!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.”

Jack Handy quotes

(Sorry, this quote cracked me up and I just had to use it!)

Dutch Oven Pot Roast With Onions, Potatoes and Carrots

Well, that weekend certainly flew by now didn't it?  Wow.  Here it is Monday once again and there were errands to run and projects to work on and of course, dinner to be made.  Do you have favorite meals from childhood that you consider comfort food or "go to" meals?  Today was one of those days when I wanted something fabulously delicious (at least in my book), so I decided to make pot roast in my dutch oven with carrots, onions and potatoes.  This was one of my all time childhood favorite meals.  It was usually served for Sunday dinner in our house, but who said it's only for Sunday?  I decided to make it Monday dinner because I had the time, a roast in the freezer and it was what I wanted.  I cook, I make the menu.  Dan has to go along for the ride.  He didn't seem to mind at all! And, it's doctored up a bit from the ones we had at home.

I have a slow cooker and I use it often, but today I wanted a roast cooked in the dutch oven the "old fashioned" way.  Cooking in the dutch oven gives food so much flavor and makes a roast super tender.  I buy my meat from a local farmer at the farmers' market.  All his meat is grass fed, all natural, no hormones or antibiotics added and it is processed locally.  It is fabulous, lean beyond belief and so flavorful that it is reminiscent of childhood days.  It seems that so much of the meat sold in grocery stores today is somewhat flavorless, but not his.  

Here is what you need:

2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1 3-4 pound chuck or shoulder roast
salt and pepper
2 large onions
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves chopped
2 cups low sodium beef broth
6-7 large carrots
3 pounds potatoes

The roast was a 4 pound shoulder roast that I had purchased a while back and put in the freezer.  I knew it was there waiting for just the right day and time to make its appearance.  Today was that day.  First, I defrosted it in the microwave.  Now to begin.  It's important to sear meat to help it retain its flavor and keep all the important juices in.  I put about two teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of the dutch oven and let it get screaming hot.  Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and place it in the bottom of the plan.  Listen to that sizzle.  Boy oh boy, does it smell good.  Let is sear for a couple of minutes until it is brown and flip it over.  Sear on the second side until brown and remove the roast from the pan to a plate.

Slice two large onions in half top to bottom and cut each half into eights.  Throw the onions in the pan and saute until translucent.  Put the meat back in the pan and add about 2 cups of low sodium beef broth and 3 cloves of chopped garlic.  Toss in 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh time, put the lid on and place the dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for one and one half hours.  (don't peek)

While the roast is in the oven, peel 6 or 7 carrots and cut into chunks.  Peel about 3 pounds of potatoes and cut into chunks also.  I like to use what my grandmother called "irish" potatoes.  Back in those days we had red potatoes and irish potatoes.  (We didn't have Yukon golds, fingerlings or any of the fancy varieties we have to choose from now).  These will go in the pan at the end of the 1.5 hours cooking time.  Put the lid back on the pan and continue to cook for at least one more hour until the vegetables and meat are tender.  Remove the pan from the oven (it's heavy and hot, use pot holders), slice the roast and serve with the carrots and potatoes.  The onions have pretty much disintigrated at this point, but add soooooo much flavor to the pan juices, meat and other vegetables.

You can see the roast peaking through all the vegetables.  I wish you could enjoy how incredible this smells.   Oh so wonderful.  Garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, thyme and beef filling the air, making your mouth water.  The beef was so tender you didn't even need a knife to cut it.  Yum!

We had a green salad with radishes right out of our garden and cornbread.  Talk about childhood memories.  Dan just kept saying over and over how good it all was.  Made it all worthwhile and there are leftovers!!

Next time you are in the mood for some delicious comfort food, give this recipe a try.  There are alternatives to a slow cooker.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

A favorite childhood memory:  Mashing up the potatoes cooked with the roast and putting some of the pot liquor over them and the carrots.  One of my all time favorites.  It's the little things.  donna

Grilled Salmon With Herbed Lime Butter

What an absolutely glorious day we had today with a perfect temperature of 75 degrees and a nice breeze blowing all day.  Wow, I will take a day like this any time!  It is just warm enough to be invigorating and not so hot that you feel exhausted working outside.  We are planting our garden and doing lots of yard work and soaking up lots of essential Vitamin D in the process.  I have to say, I love these beautiful spring days.

This was a day where I really didn't want to spend a lot of time slaving over a stove inside when I could be outside.  You know what that's like right?  So, I decided it would be a meal fixed on the grill and that means very few dishes to wash afterward.  Yes!

I had a craving for salmon - grilled salmon.  I had some fresh spring asparagus from the farmer's market and I always have potatoes that can be fixed in some way or the other.  So, I sliced some potatoes and onions and made what we call a veggie pack in aluminum foil.  I drizzled the potatoes with some olive oil, added about 10 pats of butter, salt and pepper and put them on the grill to cook until done.  Oh, there is nothing like the smell of onions grilling.   I cook the potatoes first because they take longer than the salmon or asparagus.  They will stay warm in the foil until the salmon and asparagus is done.

Next was the salmon, which was sustainable wild caught salmon, not farm raised.  Wild salmon is better for you and the environment.  Salmon is so good for you as it is very high in Omega 3 acids and is very low in calories.  Our bodies do not make Omega 3s, so salmon is an excellent source for us.  Salmon also contains a lot of good vitamins and nutrients like selenium.  It helps lower blood pressure and helps with the absorption of insulin.  The other thing is, it just tastes so good which is why we like to eat it and it is an outstanding source of protein.

To grill the salmon, put a piece of aluminum foil on the grill.  Salt and pepper the salmon and spray the foil with some cooking spray.  Start by cooking the skin side of the salmon first until the fish starts to get sort of white next to the skin.  You can see how it looks in the picture.  Cook for about 10 minutes or so, then turn.  Cook this side for about 10 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the filet, until it gets sort of white on the outside, but still pink in the middle.  You don't want it too be too dry.  Remove from the grill.

Cut the woody ends off the asparagus, drizzle with some olive oil.  Place the asparagus directly on the grill.  Wait until the salmon has cooked about half way because it doesn't take very long for the asparagus to cook.  You just want some color/grill marks on it and remove it.  I like it nice and crisp, not soggy.

To make the herbed lime butter, simply melt a stick of butter and add the juice of one whole lime.  Mince one small clove of garlic and add to the butter along with 1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill, chopped and 1 to 1.5 tsps of fresh thyme, stripped from the stems.  Stir and pour a couple of tablespoons of the butter over the cooked salmon and asparagus.  Outstanding is all I have to say!

This is a perfect meal for a warm day (any day actually) and you have practically no clean up - just a couple of dishes and that is it.  Everything else was done on the grill except the herbed lime butter.  Now THAT is my kind of dinner.

Next time you need a quick and easy meal or want something different for dinner, this is a great one to try.  It is also nutritious AND delicious.   The herbed lime butter is just like "icing on the cake."  It takes the salmon and asparagus to a whole new level.   All I can say is yum, yum, yum.  Give it a try, it's delicious.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:


The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Confessions of a Soup-a-holic (and A Tuscan Inspired Soup)

Is it a childhood thing?  Or, is it because there is something comforting and totally soul satisfying about soup?  Growing up, we usually just had good old Campbell's soup and sometimes some home made vegetable soup.   Nevertheless,  I have always loved soup.  Maybe it's because it is relatively easy to make, and you can get by with one pot, and it feeds a lot of people and there are left overs. Of course, the perfect meal!  Or, it could be the simplicity and honesty that soup brings to the table.   I don't really know why or how I came to love soup so much, but I really could eat it every day.  Really.  Seriously.  Every day.

I am not a big fan of leftovers per se, but soup is the one thing I don't mind reheating and eating again and again.  Actually, home made soup gets better with a little reheating, don't  you think?  The flavors all meld together and it just tastes good - plain old good.  Just don't give it to me luke warm - I want my soup "burn your mouth" hot!

This morning, I woke up early and had soup on my mind.  Couldn't tell you why, but I did.  I knew today would be a home made soup day, just didn't know what kind.  We did a lot of running around today -  lunch with the grandsons who were out of school for a teacher in service, a foray to a new toy store that is absolutely wonderful, and then a quick stop at Trader Joe's because we were on that side of town.  One pass down the first aisle and I knew it was going to be a Tuscan inspired soup with Italian sausage in it.  Why?  Because Trader Joe's sweet Italian sausage is delicious and it is in a case in the first aisle. ( Using Italian sausage is like having little meatballs in your soup without having to make them.) I picked up a bag of baby spinach, a fresh bagguette, and a couple of other items and headed home.  A recipe was formulating in my mind.  There were some fire roasted tomatoes and red kidney beans in the pantry, some Butoni three cheese tortellini in the fridge and there are always onions and garlic, so I was good to go.

If you don't know a lot about Tuscan cuisine, it is hearty and rustic food made with seasonal ingredients grown in the region.  This is a little info I found about Tuscan food.

Tuscan cooking is characterized today by simple food without heavy sauces. Cooking is done with olive oil, which is used as salad dressing, poured over bread, and used in soups and stews. Beans are a staple. Sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram are popular herbs. The farmland produces olive oil, wine, wheat, and fruits. Chickens, ducks, rabbits, cows, and pigs are raised on small estates. Vegetables grown there include artichokes, asparagus, spinach, beans, and peas. There are also a great number of wild mushrooms, including porcini and morels.    www.annamariavolpi.com

Now, who can have a problem with good, wholesome rustic food - especially soup?   Not me!  Here is what you need for the soup I made today.  I don't mind saying, it was so good that we were both bordering on overeating.

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage links
1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (use dried if you don't have fresh)
1 14 ounce can red kidney beans, drained
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 6 oz. bag baby spinach
1 6 oz. package Butoni 3 cheese filled tortellini
1.5 boxes chicken stock
Extra virgin Olive Oil

Remove the casings from the Italian sausage and discard.  Cut the sausage into 1 inch pieces.  Pour one good round of olive oil in the bottom of a 5 qt. dutch oven.  Add the sausage and brown.  When sausage is about half done, add the diced onion and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic, 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, the potato chunks, 1 can of red kidney beans and one and a half boxes of chicken stock.  Strip the leaves from the thyme stems and add to the soup.  Put the lid on the pan and let simmer about 30-40 minutes.  Next, add the tortellini and cook until done, about 15 minutes.  It will puff up and get very tender and delicious.  Add the spinach a few hands full at a time and let it wilt down, stirring to incorporate into the soup.  You are ready to serve as soon as the spinach has all been added.

I added some big shavings of fresh parmesan cheese to the top of the soup, and if there had been a parmesan rind in the refrigerator, I would have added it to the soup while it cooked.  Using a parmesan rind adds so much flavor to any soup.  Never throw away the remains of a piece of fresh parmesan!  I will tell you that I did not add one grain of salt to this soup because it did not need it.  Taste first before you add any salt!

I sliced some of the crusty bagguette and rubbed a smashed garlic clove over the slices and drizzled a little olive oil on it.  Put it in the oven at 350 until it starts to brown (watch closely).  Now, serve it with your soup and don't be shy about dipping this delicious crusty bread in the fabulously tasty broth of the soup.  I really think I could have eaten just that for my meal it was so good.  Yummmmmmmmy yum!

This is a delicious and flavorful soup that I will make again and again.  The tomatoey broth with the vegetables and creamy cheese filled tortellini was truly outstanding.  Sometimes, being a little adventurous when cooking pays off.  Hopefully, you will give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we did.  Maybe, we could start a group for fellow soup-a-holics and just try out recipes together.  Hmmmm, note to self.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.
Abraham Maslow

Hey Gillian - Here's Your Vegetable Soup Recipe

So let's talk about vegetable soup and all the ways it can be made.  I had a request from my friend Gillian yesterday asking if I had a recipe for vegetable soup that I would be willing to share.  Why yes, Gillian.  I am more than happy to discuss the beauty of vegetable soup and tell you how I make it.  There are so many ways to make it actually and they are all good.  For me, it just depends on what I have available.
You can make vegetable soup vegetarian style with no meat, or you can use beef, chicken, Italian sausage, hamburger, turkey or kielbasa.  I have used all of the above.

The most important feature of vegetable soup is the stock you start with.  You can make it from scratch (which is a lot of work) by using beef bones, chicken bones, a ham bone, turkey bones - whatever you have available and then you simmer it in water with onions and spices to get a nice, rich broth.  Or, you can use "stock in a box" which is so much easier and available in so many flavors at really reasonable prices.  Trader Joe's has lot of different flavors and so does Whole Foods.  I get mine at Aldis.  Theirs is MSG and gluten free  and low sodium which is very important to me - especially no MSG!   I either use my 12 quart stock pot or my dutch oven, depending on how much soup I am making.  This vegetable soup I made in my stock pot.   I made it almost full to the top so I could share it with some "sickly" family.  That left enough for us to have here at home also.

Here is a sidetrack, which may happen several times during this post.  If you are making soup, make a lot!  You can put some in zip lock bags and freeze it for later without having to go to the trouble to make it all over again.  It keeps very well and is just as good when thawed and reheated as when you first made it.  Or, share it with a friend or family - even co workers.  Soup is a really budget friendly meal and everyone loves soup!

Okay, back to where I was.  If I am making chicken vegetable soup (like in the picture above) I put in two boxes of chicken stock and an equal amount of water.  So that is about 8-10 cups of stock and 8-10 cups of water.  I add 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cook them for about 30 minutes until done through.  Remove the chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces and add back to the soup at the end of cooking to heat through.

While the chicken is cooking, I peel and cut up potatoes (about 4-5), carrots (about 4-5 whole carrots), 2 medium sized onions, and 2 ribs of celery.  This is the "vegetable" base for my soup.  I also add a 32 oz can of whole tomatoes with juice and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.  (Right now, I am using the quart bags of frozen tomatoes I put up this summer.  Yum.)  I also like to add a couple of diced turnips or some cabbage that I have cut into bite sized wedges.  The turnips and/or cabbage give the soup a really delicious, delicate flavor that we love.   Cook all these vegetables first, since they take longer than the frozen vegetables and beans that you may add.

After you have removed the chicken breasts from the pot, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, and turnips or cabbage.  Let them cook until the potatoes and carrots are beginning to get soft.

Now, you can add any vegetables that you want or have on hand.  Be imaginative.  Use things you like. I added  frozen green peas, frozen corn, frozen green beans, a can of kidney beans, and some kale which I had chopped into bite sized pieces.  You can use cannellini beans (which are white kidney beans), great northern beans, black beans, butter beans, black eyed peas, or everybody's favorite - lime beans.  (not)  I also added some zucchini which we love.  At this point, it's your vegetable choice in any amounts you choose.  You may need to add a little more water as some of it evaporates during cooking.

Sometimes I add spinach toward the end because it cooks very quickly.  You can also use some turnip greens or collard greens cut into small pieces.  How about some asparagus cut in bite sized pieces?  There are so many vegetables to choose from.  Be inventive!

Now, here is my secret for really flavorful soup.  Add the end piece or "rind" from a parmesan cheese wedge.  Don't EVER throw those lovely pieces away.  Save them in a baggie in your fridge for special events like soup making!!  I learned this trick from my son in love Todd and it is well worth passing on.  The parmesan adds a lovely saltiness  and flavor without making the soup too salty and you won't really taste the parmesan!  The stock in a box is salty (I use low sodium) already so I rarely have to add much additional salt.   Salt to your preference.  Vegetables can soak up a lot of salt, but be careful and don't over salt.  If you do, add a whole potato for a bit and then remove.  It will soak up the extra salt.  Also, use lots of fresh cracked black pepper.

Now, my other secret.  I like to add macaroni or rice to the soup.  Usually, I use elbow macaroni. I throw in several hands full and let it cook until done.   If you like alphabet soup, use the cute little alphabet pasta you can buy in a box.  Your kids will love it!  The pasta takes on the wonderful tomato/vegetable flavors and is soooooo good.  It may be my favorite part of the soup.  If you eat gluten free, just use gluten free pasta.  If you want to use rice, add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup depending on how much soup you are making.

Now, it's time to add your meat back into the soup.  I cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch bite sized pieces and put it back into the pot just to warm it up.  Ta dah! You are done.  Ladle into a serving bowl and eat. Oh my goodness good!

If you are using left over beef - say from a roast - now is the time to add it back in.  If you are using beef bones or beef ribs, use beef stock in place of chicken stock, add the bones or ribs to the stock and cook them until done like the chicken breasts.  Remove them from the soup when they are done, dice up the meat and add it back in at the end.  If using sausage like kielbasa, it is already cooked, so add it in about halfway through so it flavors the soup.  Italian sausage is uncooked.  Remove the casing and cut into 1 inch pieces, add it at the beginning with your "core" vegetables and let it cook all the way through.  Italian sausage makes a really tasty soup.

 This is what I have been trying to say through this whole post.   Vegetable soup is an individual thing.   Ours is a little different every time I make it, depending on what I have to throw in.  The base is always the same  - otherwise, who knows?  You can add vegetables in any quantity you want - make as little or as much as you want.  You always want enough for the second day. because soups always taste better the second day!

If it is as cold where  you are as it is here, it's a perfect day for vegetable soup!  Allow yourself a couple of hours for the whole process, but it is more than worth it.  The chopping and cooking is sort of Zen.  It's relaxing and who doesn't love the final outcome?  Delicious, nutritious, cost effective vegetable soup.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  You may want to add some hot, crusty bread, or a grilled cheese sandwich and you are good to go!  For me, the soup is all I need!

So Gillian, I don't know if this helps or answers your question, but I hope so.  If you make some soup, let me know how it goes and how much you like it!  Everyone else,  you let me know too.  Now, I am dreaming of soup.  Oh look, it's lunch time.  Yay!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Soup is soul satisfying in so many ways.  Make some and share it!  donna

Yeah Baby - Parmesan Potato Wedges

Last week I posted the recipe for the sloppy joe's in this picture with the promise of posting the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges.  In the meantime, I got a request for my chicken pot pie recipe which interrupted my recipe post.  Well, today is the day.  I didn't take a picture of just the potatoes, so I had to reuse the picture from last week.  Sorry.  I'll try to remember next time.  

The first time I had these potatoes was at a Christmas party given by my boss at the time back in the early 90's.  I will tell you they really are super pungent when they bake!  If you don't like the smell of parmesan -  do NOT let that stop you from making these delectable potato wedges.  My husband is not a fan of parmesan cheese for the most part, but he loves these!  He doesn't even complain about the smell when they are baking.  I am not trying to discourage you here, just giving you a heads up. Here is the "recipe" if you can call it that they are so super easy to do.

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes, allow at least one whole potato per person

1 stick butter, melted (this is to start)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (like Kraft, the kind in a shaker container.  You will need more depending on how many potatoes you do.  Same with the butter)

 You will want to allow one medium to large potato per person.  Scrub each potato.  Leaving the skin on, cut each potato in half long wise.  Place each potato half cut side down and cut each half in half so you have 4 wedges.  You need no salt because the butter and parmesan cheese are salty.

I melt the butter in a corning ware dish in the microwave.  Put at least 1 cup grated parmesan cheese in another corning ware dish.  ( I like to use the square corning ware dishes because it makes it easy to roll the potatoes without making a mess.)   Take a potato wedge, roll all sides in melted butter, then roll all sides in the parmesan cheese covering as much surface as possible.  Place each wedge side by side on a baking sheet leaving about 1 inch between each potato wedge.  Add more parmesan cheese to the dish if you run out before you are finished, same with the butter.  When the baking sheet is full, place in a 350 degree oven and bake until potatoes are brown and soft when pierced with a fork - about 30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using a spatula, remove them from the baking sheet to a serving tray or plate.  You may want to place a bowl of heated marinara sauce with them for dipping.  These are DEE- licious!

This is a great recipe for a party where you are serving finger foods, as a side with burgers or sloppy joe's, or just plain good by themselves!  They are also great to take when you need a "dish" for a potluck.  They do reheat, but do it in the oven.  The parmesan gets kind of gooey if you do it in the microwave.  I think they are much better crisp, but that is up to you.

As I have said before, I have never met a potato I didn't like and these are spectacular!  It's so nice to have something besides french fries, mashed potatoes - you know the same old, same old.  Give this easy recipe a try.  Parmesan cheese, butter and potatoes all brown and crispy?  Oh yes!!  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I love my friends neither with
my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forget...
Rumi ♥

Last week I posted the recipe for the sloppy joe's in this picture with the promise of posting the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges.  In the meantime, I got a request for my chicken pot pie recipe which interrupted my recipe post.  Well, today is the day.  I didn't take a picture of just the potatoes, so I had to reuse the picture from last week.  Sorry.  I'll try to remember next time.  

The first time I had these potatoes was at a Christmas party given by my boss at the time back in the early 90's.  I will tell you they really are super pungent when they bake!  If you don't like the smell of parmesan -  do NOT let that stop you from making these delectable potato wedges.  My husband is not a fan of parmesan cheese for the most part, but he loves these!  He doesn't even complain about the smell when they are baking.  I am not trying to discourage you here, just giving you a heads up. Here is the "recipe" if you can call it that they are so super easy to do.

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes, allow at least one whole potato per person

1 stick butter, melted (this is to start)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (like Kraft, the kind in a shaker container.  You will need more depending on how many potatoes you do.  Same with the butter)

 You will want to allow one medium to large potato per person.  Scrub each potato.  Leaving the skin on, cut each potato in half long wise.  Place each potato half cut side down and cut each half in half so you have 4 wedges.  You need no salt because the butter and parmesan cheese are salty.

I melt the butter in a corning ware dish in the microwave.  Put at least 1 cup grated parmesan cheese in another corning ware dish.  ( I like to use the square corning ware dishes because it makes it easy to roll the potatoes without making a mess.)   Take a potato wedge, roll all sides in melted butter, then roll all sides in the parmesan cheese covering as much surface as possible.  Place each wedge side by side on a baking sheet leaving about 1 inch between each potato wedge.  Add more parmesan cheese to the dish if you run out before you are finished, same with the butter.  When the baking sheet is full, place in a 350 degree oven and bake until potatoes are brown and soft when pierced with a fork - about 30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using a spatula, remove them from the baking sheet to a serving tray or plate.  You may want to place a bowl of heated marinara sauce with them for dipping.  These are DEE- licious!

This is a great recipe for a party where you are serving finger foods, as a side with burgers or sloppy joe's, or just plain good by themselves!  They are also great to take when you need a "dish" for a potluck.  They do reheat, but do it in the oven.  The parmesan gets kind of gooey if you do it in the microwave.  I think they are much better crisp, but that is up to you.

As I have said before, I have never met a potato I didn't like and these are spectacular!  It's so nice to have something besides french fries, mashed potatoes - you know the same old, same old.  Give this easy recipe a try.  Parmesan cheese, butter and potatoes all brown and crispy?  Oh yes!!  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I love my friends neither with
my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forget...
Rumi ♥

Chicken Pot Pie Is Comfort Food!

I promised in my last blog that I would post the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges and I will do that tomorrow night.   Tonight I am posting my chicken pot pie recipe especially for my friend Robert.  On Saturday I made chicken pot pie, brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, fried apples, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I posted on Facebook that I was making these for dinner and Robert sent me a message and asked if chicken pot pie was hard to make.  I told him it is not really hard (and so good) and told him I would post the recipe.  I decided to do it today so he didn't have to wait.   This is a rich, creamy recipe filled with lots of goodness - tender  chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, green peas, gravy and pie crust.  I mean, what could be better?  Is your mouth watering yet?

This is a meal our children loved.  Mom loved it too because it is pretty much a one dish meal.  You can add a salad if you want, but you get your protein and vegetables all in one dish with the added deliciousness of gravy and pie crust.  Yum!  This is the way I make mine - you can add your own tweaks if there is something you don't like or prefer a different vegetable.  Anyway you do it will be good!  You could also make it in individual dishes, but this is the easy way and you know that is one of my favorite words!

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I get mine at Aldi's)
4/5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
3/4 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch medallions
6 ounces of pearl onions (got mine at Trader Joe's already peeled)
1 rib celery, cut in very small pieces
1 cup frozen green peas
salt, black pepper, thyme
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk

Crust:

2 cups Bisquick
enough milk to moisten Bisquick, approximately 1/3 cup

Cook chicken breasts in salted water until done.  Remove chicken from water and let cool.  Peel potatoes and carrots and cut in approximately 1 inch pieces.  Slice celery rib in half and cut in very small pieces.  Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions to pan and cover with water.  Add salt.  Cook just until potatoes and carrots are  beginning to soften.  Remove pan from stove and drain water.  Place vegetables in a bowl.  Add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 soup can milk to pan.  Put on stove and heat through, stirring until mixed together.  Remove from heat.

Cut cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Place in bottom of 9 x 13 casserole.  Pour cooked vegetables over tops of chicken.  Add 1 cup frozen peas and carefully stir vegetables and chicken all together.  Pour soup mixture over vegetables/chicken mixture.  Cover with fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of thyme.

Mix enough milk in Bisquick to blend so that all is moistened.  Place Bisquick on wax paper, sprinkle some dry Bisquick over dough and roll out like pie crust, very thin.  (If you prefer, you can make a regular pie crust.)  Place the rolled out dough over the mixture in the casserole leaving the edges open so steam can vent while baking in oven.  Place the casserole in a 350 oven and bake until crust is brown and casserole is bubbly.  Serve and eat!  Yummmmmmy!

Chicken pot pie is one of the real comfort foods.  This also reheats well for a "left over meal".  Good?  You bet!  Hope you give it a try.  The rich, creamy goodness of this pie will convince you to make it again and again.  And Robert, I hope you give this recipe a try.  Enjoy!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

We'd eat chicken pie, country ham, home made butter on the bread
But the best darned thing about Grandma's house was the great big feather bed!
John Denver
Grandma's Feather Bed

A Fall Comfort Food - Beef Stew

Fall is definitely in the air.  Today the temperature was up to 76 and within two hours it was down to 59 as a cold front moved through following a quick thunderstorm.  Now, there is a steady rain falling and I had to turn the lights on in the living room at 5:30.  It makes me realize that it won't be long until winter will be here and I am not quite ready to even think about cold weather yet.  The fall days here in middle Tennessee have been remarkable - sunny days with cool evenings.  The trees are just beginning to show a little color.  If it were up to me, this would be the ideal weather for most of the year.  The kind of weather where you are warm during the day, but may need a light jacket or sweater in the evening.  Perhaps a fire in the fire pit while sitting on the deck or patio enjoying an evening desert and cup of coffee.  Yes, that is the ideal for me.  The older I get, the less I like cold weather!

These cooler evenings are the perfect time for one of our "comfort food" favorites.  This evening I made beef stew.  It's easy, economical and can be made in one pot.  I use my cheery red dutch oven.  Just setting it on the stove makes me smile.  I know, you probably don't smile at your pots and pans, but this bright, shiny red dutch oven does make me smile, especially since I know that it will make the meat super tender and the flavors meld together in an amazing way.

I have been buying my beef at the Nashville Farmer's Market.  It is grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free and is super lean and delicious.  It is so tender when cooked and there is virtually no fat to drain.  One pound of super lean beef stew meat cost me $4.76.  Not much different than the grocery store and so much better.   This gives you a delicious protein for less than $5.00.   Check your farmer's market or phonebook for farmers in you area who produce grass fed meat.  It is so much better for you and the price here is comparable to the grocery store.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
Approximately one pound  of beef stew meat
 white starchy potatoes peeled and cut into chunks - approximately 8 cups
carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces - approximately 2.5 cups
1 large onion, cut in half and then into about 7 or 8 wedges
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 32 ounce box beef broth (I use low sodium, no msg)
about 4 cups water
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (substitute 1/2 amount rosemary and thyme if using dried)
salt and black pepper to taste  (I add very little salt, lots of fresh cracked black pepper)

Melt the butter in the dutch oven.  Cut the stew meat into bite sized pieces.  Add it to the melted butter and cook until lightly browned.  Add onions and continue to brown meat, cooking until onions are translucent.  Add garlic, potatoes, and carrots.  Add 1 box (32 oz) beef broth and enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot.  (It took about 4 cups)  You can use two boxes of beef broth if you want, I prefer it this way.  Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until all the vegetables are fork tender.  Add salt, black pepper and frozen peas.  Cook until peas are done.  Serve.

This can be served this with a green salad and warm bread if you like.  There is nothing better on a cool fall evening.  It is easier and much less expensive than a pot roast, but has the same delicious flavors and I love one dish meals.  It also really stretches a buck!  If you are a camper and spend time out of doors in the fall, this is a great recipe to use.  Easy.  Inexpensive.  Delicious.  You could even put some drop biscuits on the top and let them cook until done.  Yummmmmm!

  Our children always loved beef stew night and it's a recipe that I have made over and over through the years.  You have your protein and vegetables all in one bowl.  Yes!  That's the way to make a quick and easy dinner.  It can even be made the night before and reheated.   I get to use my shiny red dutch oven and that is good.  We also have left overs for tomorrow.   How much better could that be?

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Don't dwell on who let you down, cherish those who lift you up!

Comfort Food

It's Sunday evening, you've had a long week and you are hungry, but you don't want to cook a huge meal.  You want comfort food, something that makes you feel good and doesn't take all evening to prepare.  What do I turn to?  Potato soup - my ultimate comfort food.  The soup mom always fixed for us when we were not feeling well.  She made hers quite a bit differently, but I always loved it.   I fix it when I'm tired and want an easy meal that's quick and tastes wonderful.  It's got potatoes, cheese and bacon.  What can I say?

Now I have to confess, I have never met a potato I didn't like.  Guess you could call me an addict.  I could eat potatoes every meal.  This soup is easy to prepare and tastes so good.  I actually took this soup up a notch by turning it into a corn and potato chowder.  Even better.  Here is what you do.

Ingredients:

8 cups diced potatoes, peeled

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp. butter

1 box chicken stock (4 cups)

3 ears corn, scrape kernels from cob

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1/2 pound bacon, fried extra crisp

grated cheddar cheese

To make soup, peel and dice potatoes until you have 8 cups.  Chop 1 large onion.

Take 5 qt dutch oven or large pan that you can cover, add 4 TBSP butter, melt over low heat.

Add chopped onions and minced garlic, sweat onions until softened, stirring so garlic does not burn.  Add potatoes and chicken stock.  If stock does not cover potatoes, add enough water to cover.  Place lid on pan and cook until potatoes are soft.  About 20 minutes.  While potatoes are cooking, cut corn from the cob.

Potatoes will take about 20 minutes or so to soften.  Just as they are fork tender, add corn.   Corn cooks quickly in the hot soup.  Add salt and pepper at this point.  Potatoes absorb a lot of salt.  It is better to add salt toward the end of cook time so as not to over salt.  Add fresh cracked pepper.  Let cook about 8-10 minutes and add 1/2 cup sour cream.  Stir to blend, turn off heat, add the chopped dill and replace lid.   Let sit a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend.    The starch from the corn will thicken the soup.  

While the soup is cooking, fry bacon extra crisp.  Drain on paper towels, crumble in a bowl.  Place grated cheddar cheese in bowl.   Serve the potato corn soup in individual bowls, allowing everyone to add as much bacon and cheese as they like.

You may want to serve a sandwich or salad with the soup.  We like to eat just the soup!  This is so good and it is not like wall paper paste which is something I do not like about the potato soup served in most restaurants.  There are actually potatoes in the soup which is another plus.  And, you can control the amount of cheese.  It melts quickly into the hot soup.  Many restaurant potato soups are too cheesy for my liking.  

For me, this is a quick and easy meal that is so comforting, filling, and super delicious.  Give it a try.  You are going to like it I know!  It is the ultimate comfort food.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

The quieter you become, the more you can hear. – Baba Ram Dass