Rainy Day Recipes

Oh look!  It's raining!

Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?

I finally gave in today after endless days of cold, clouds and rain and did two things that are out of the ordinary for me.

1.  I bought a cup of coffee.
2.  I stayed in my sweats!

I know, I know.  Talk about living life on the edge!  That's me!  Usually the craziest I get is neglecting to make my bed (gasp), but this cold weather is doing strange things to my brain!

Sarcasm aside, I have to tell you about this delectable soup recipe I got from my mom.  I made it a couple of days ago, and the fam ate it ALL!  Yes, I said ALL of it!  This a monster-size recipe, ok!  I planned on freezing half of it for a rainy day (har, har), but they discovered the tupperware container hidden in plain sight right there in the freezer and before I knew it, my Williamsburg Inn Turkey Soup Made With Chicken was gone.

So, my friends, grab your slippers, change into sweats and prepare yourself for some good ole rainy day comfort food.   

Williamsburg Inn Turkey Soup

Combine in large saucepan:
1 chopped onion
3 sticks chopped celery
2 large chopped carrots
1 quart chicken or turkey broth
Cook for 20 minutes.

In separate saucepan, blend:
1 cup melted butter (I never said this was fat-free)
1 1/2 cups flour
Cook together until bubbly.  Add to vegetable mixture.  Turn heat to low and stir slowly.

Then add:

1/3 cup cooked rice
1 pint half and half
2 more quarts chicken or turkey broth
3 cups cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 teas chicken boullion
salt and pepper to taste

Heat slowly to serving temperature.  Freezes well unless the kids find it.





Now, I want to hear from you!  I'm hosting my first linky party!  At the bottom of this post, you can link up to your blog to tell us about your favorite winter recipes.   All I ask is that you grab my button on the sidebar and link back to me somewhere on your blog.

Link away!


You might also like:

Joy of Desserts

Peaches!

My family preserves many different kinds of food, but the one we get the most compliments on is our peaches.  Already this summer I've received several phone calls about "how do you can those peaches"?  So, I thought, "why not blog about it and share the joy with the world?"

If canning sounds overwhelmingly difficult to you, let me surprise you.  It's not!  It's actually quite simple and I will lay out the steps one by one to help you through the process.  An added benefit to canning your own food is knowing just what all is going into your families tummies!  After a long days work of preserving food, it feels good to step back and see what you've accomplished in caring for your families needs!

Now, peaches.  First of all, if you want awesome canned peaches - you have to use awesome peaches, and (this is for all you seasoned peach preservers) believe it or not, we use Baby Golds.  Baby Gold's are usually ready sometime in September.  Yes, they are harder to peel.  Yes, the pit is difficult to extract.  But enjoying the delicious taste of canned peaches (that haven't turned to mush) five months later is, oh, so worth it!

On the Stutzman Farm, my SIL's, Christy (who's having a birthday today), Elizabeth and Karista, all join in to help can several bushels in one day.  Sometimes we even have a few friends join us, and the day is full of chatter, laughter and back-breaking work.

Here's how we do it:

1.  Fill a large tub with water and get the kids to start washing the fuzzies off.

2.  Peeling Baby Gold's is much like you would an apple and removing the pit is much easier if you use a grapefruit spoon.  Usually my mom starts peeling, while one of us girls twist open the peaches and remove the pits.

3.  Drop peeled peaches into a bowl of cold water until ready to dice.

4.  We dice our peaches with a Veg-O-Matic.  These are not very easy to find, but they are WONDERFUL to use!  If you have little ones in the house, dicing your peaches is a great way for little fingers and mouths to easily enjoy the sweet taste. Here's what a Veg-O-Matic looks like and even a link to where you can purchase one yourself!

5.  Prepare syrup.  My grandma used equal parts water and sugar.  I tend to use 6 cups of sugar to 8 cups of water.  You are welcome to adjust the sugar levels to whatever makes you comfortable.  Mix your sugar and water together in a large kettle and heat just until sugar is dissolved.

6.  Fill quart jars with diced peaches and then pour syrup over peaches until it reaches the neck of the jar.

7.  Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a wet rag and place lid and ring on jar. I always boil my lids (not the rings) before using them, but we don't boil the jars as some suggest.

8.  Place filled jars in large canner.  I fill the canner with water until it just covers the top of the jars.  Bring canner to a boil. This is called a hot water bath.

9.  After jars have boiled for 20 minutes, remove and let them cool.  We lay old bath towels on a table or counter and line the jars up there when they've gone through the water bath part.

10.  Listen for the delightful popping sound as the lids begin to seal and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.  (See that wasn't hard, was it?)

These peaches will be a great addition to any meal.  We eat them plain, with cottage cheese, in a cobbler and mixed with blueberries.  You can even use them for pies, as a gift or as a cheesecake topping.

Enjoy!

Summertime Recipes

This isn't really an organizational post like I normally do on Wednesdays, but it does have to do with caring for our families - unless yours do not like to eat!  :) 

Today got a little crazy since I went to Ft. Wayne with Erin Eve where she was invited to speak with on a radio program hosted by the director of Indiana's Right to Life!  I'll be blogging about that soon, but for now, here's my "Home" blog for Wednesday!

******

To celebrate summer, here are some delicious recipes perfect for those picnics at the park or evening by the grill.  My first favorite is Cornbread Salad.  This salad is bursting with texture, color and flavor - what more could you ask for? 

Corn Bread Salad

1 small box corn bread mix

Mix as directed and add:

¼ t cumin

¼ t oregano

¼ t sage

Bake in 9 x 13 pan and cool.  Crumble corn bread and leave in bottom of pan. 

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 pk dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix

Pour over corn bread then layer:

1 can black beans – drained

1 can red kidney beans – drained

1 can whole kernel corn – drained

1 cup green onions – chopped

3 med tomatoes – diced

1 green pepper – diced

10 slices bacon – crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Another favorite summertime recipe is something my family calls Susan's Cheesecake.  Plus, it's a freezer recipe!  How much better can it get?


Susan's Cheesecake

Crust:
2 pkgs graham crackers - crushed
6 T sugar
1 stick butter


Mix together and pour into 9x13 cake pan.  Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat together:
2 pkgs cream cheese
1 cup sugar

Add:
4 beaten eggs
1 tsp clear vanilla
2 cups Cool Whip


Pour over crust and freeze at least 12 hours before serving.  Before serving pour pie filling of choice over top.  My preference is blueberry.  Here's how I make it.


Mix in saucepan:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 T clear jel


Boil until thick.  Remove from heat and add:


3 T blueberry jello


When completely cool, add blueberries - amount is optional.  Just put in as many as your family likes.  I would suggest 3 cups.


Enjoy!!

What's for Dinner?

I’m hungry!  When can we eat?

How many times a day do we as mothers hear that?  I never cease to be amazed at the amount of food my kids can pack away in a day.  The challenges for me are two-fold – quantity and quality.

I don’t claim to be the healthiest eater (is that a word?) – or cooker (now, that is a word, my kids use it often – “Mom, you’re the best cooker in the whole world!”), but I do continue to add tips, recipes and other ideas to my mental database.

Plan Ahead!  The best advice any cook will give you!  As a mother especially, it is crucial to plan meals and snacks before they occur – otherwise it’s likely to be chips and candy.  In my Notebook, I have a section titled Meal Ideas.  In there, I write down our family’s favorite meals, appetizers, desserts, etc.  It’s a lifesaver when I sit down to plan out our weekly menu.

Freeze Ahead!  My mother-in-law has always amazed and inspired me with her ability to whip together a meal at the drop of a hat.  I guarantee you could call her right now and tell her there will be twenty people coming over for lunch and she would hardly bat an eye.  There’s something going on in that freezer of hers.  It’s a bottomless array of casseroles, meats, cinnamon rolls, vegetables, desserts, etc.  Though she doesn’t even know it, I have learned much just by observing her!

My goal has been to try to keep at least one casserole and one dessert in my freezer at all times.  (Don’t call me out on it today – we just used the last meatloaf last week.)  About once a month, I like to take a day to put together several dishes for my freezer.  Another option is to double recipes every time you cook and freeze the extra.  You might be amazed at what all you can freeze for later.

Keep your head ! I cannot stress enough how important it is to be flexible.  Some of my friends would laugh that I, Lynette Carpenter, would say that!  I’m learning.  As a mother, it’s easy to place such high expectations on oneself.  Caring for small, sometimes-demanding children is difficult enough.  Don’t make extra demands of yourself that aren’t necessary. 

For example – yesterday I had three extra kids here for the day.  We were all having a blast together!  Then it was time for lunch.  I had to come up with something for them to eat, clean up the mess, take Ty to the orthodontist and get home QUICK cause they wanted to go swimming.  All within a two hour time frame. 

Rush, rush, rush….  I began racing through my repertoire of meal ideas for the seven hungry humans and was coming up short.  I finally decided on spaghetti, when Amy’s friend Madi pipes up, “How about some good ole PB&J?”  I stopped for a second, surprised.  “Of course!  That’s a great idea!”  I like that girl!  Sometimes it’s better to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sweetie), in order to save your sanity.  And that is something I’d like to keep!

I hope to post more recipes in the future – some for freezing, some not.  Today though, here is one of my favorite soups that you can freeze ahead. 

Creamy Potato Sausage Soup

Soup base:

4 potatoes – peeled and diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 lb sausage – browned with a little onion

½ teas. Mother Nature Seasoning

1 teas. Chicken boullion

2 cups water (approx.)

Bring to a boil and simmer.  Mash potatoes and carrots slightly when soft.

Just before serving, add:

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup Velveeta cheese

Serves 4-6

To freeze, cook only the soup base until potatoes are partially soft.  Cool.  Then freeze for later. 

To prepare, I like to place the frozen soup base in a crockpot in the morning and allow it to simmer all day.  Add the remaining ingredients right before supper and serve with yummy buttermilk biscuits or a fruit cobbler.

Enjoy!