Beef & Vegetable Soup

When it comes to soup I tend to be a chowder and gumbo kind of gal; my dad likes his soup with plenty of meat and lots of vegetables.  So, when I took lunch out to him last week I made a hearty vegetable beef soup to go with our hot ham and two cheese sliders on pretzel rolls. Rounded out with brownies for dessert, it was a pretty tasty lunch.

Vegetable beef soup is pretty easy to make because almost any combination of vegetables works. The secret to a particularly good vegetable beef soup, however, is a good flavorful beef (I use short ribs), a tasty broth, and a heavy hand with the seasonings, seasoned salt in particular. Here's my recipe, adapted from one by Paula Deen.  Think of this as more of a guideline than a recipe carved in stone. The beef to liquid combination probably shouldn't be tampered with, but from there on out use your favorite vegetables (or what you happen to have on hand) and season liberally with your favorite herb combination. Do make it one to two days prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Beef & Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Paula Deen

3 pounds beef short ribs

3 quarts cold water
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons beef soup base
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 can cut green beans
1 11-oz. package Melissa’s steamed black-eyed peas
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

Place the short ribs in a large stockpot.  Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Remove short ribs from the pot.  Refrigerate meat and stock separately overnight.  In the morning, remove the solidified fat from the stock.  Much of the seasoning will rise and be embedded in the fat, so re-season to taste. Cut the meat from the bones, discarding bones and fat, and return the meat to the de-fatted stock. Add the remaining vegetables and the pasta and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 55 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley.  Yield: 6 quarts

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Herbed Chicken Casserole

It is the rare occasion when I give myself the day off, but I did just that on Sunday, spending the entire day in front of the fire beneath my favorite ruby red, fleece-lined throw watching the mystery movie marathon on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel. No one does fluffy mysteries quite like Hallmark, and while some of them are a bit camp for my taste they are nonetheless lighthearted, mindless fun and I truly enjoyed myself. During the commercials I put together this comforting casserole that used to be one of my favorites growing up.  I had lost the recipe decades ago, but came across it last month while going through my mother's recipe box.

As a kid I remember being quite wary of the wormy look of the baked chow mein noodles, the memory of which made me smile while enjoying it this time.  Despite the sophistication of my tastes over the years, I found that I still loved this homey dish from its crunchy topping to the smooth and creamy interior. Yes, it contains two cans of the evil condensed soup (What recipe from the seventies didn't?), but I like to think that I redeemed myself with a healthy side salad tossed with a light vinaigrette.

Herbed Chicken Casserole

3 cups cooked and diced chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup whole milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chicken with rice soup
1 medium can chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together above ingredients and spread evenly in the bottom of a 9" x 9" pan. Make topping and spread evenly over the top and bake for 1 hour.

Topping

1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm Herb Dressing

Melt butter in a 10" sauté pan. Stir in almonds and dressing, and sauté until lightly brown and crispy.

This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

The Scoop

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

What We Accomplished Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

The Weekend Social

Foodie Friday

Express Yourself!

Here's a little weekend tidbit to get your creative juices flowing.

This past week both my number two son and Mr. O-P celebrated birthdays.  The apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to my son (a regular contributor to this blog, most recently with this scrumptious dish) who absolutely delighted me with one item on his wish list, namely this set of Dr. Who snack plates. Both he and my daughter-in-law are Dr. Who fans and this love is reflected in their cozy home. Naturally, I had to buy them for him and cannot wait to see what he does with them.  As I was wrapping them, I kept envisioning what I might pair them with, and came up with a variety of settings.  Whatever they do, this is going to be a fun item to share with their friends.

My point in telling you this is to encourage you to embrace your passion, whatever it may be, and let it be reflected in your tables.  It will be great fun for your guests, and give you the opportunity to share what you love.

Have a great weekend everyone!

This post is linked to:

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

Hot Buns & a Spicy Cookbook

It's National Hot Sauce Day!  Time to heat up this quirky holiday with a spicy cookbook and some taste-tempting treats to start your day with a bang. 

If you are looking for eye-opening deliciousness at breakfast, you need look no further than this amazing book, Cooking with Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce by Rachel Rappaport, where you can find this decadent recipe for kicked up cinnamon rolls.   

Honestly, did you ever once consider putting hot sauce in cinnamon rolls? I didn't think so, me neither, but what a great little flavor enhancer it proves to be, turning your ho-hum rolls into something that the crowd will be talking about for days. 

There will be no excuses for not opening your eyes in the morning once you taste one of these. Tasty and spicy and not at all overt, you'll have no cause to worry about a hot sauce kick in the face while enjoying your morning cup of Joe. 

If you like your food with additional zing, there are tons of great recipes and inspirational ideas here to help you heat things up. This page from the table of contents features just a fraction of the mouthwatering offerings. 

These Bloody Mary Gelatin Shots are as perfect for brunch as they are an afternoon cocktail party.

Doesn’t this Hot Ranch Fried Chicken look mouthwatering?

Whatever you want to kick up, from breakfast to seafood, to soups, salads, main dishes, and dessert (even ice cream!) this book has it all.

Have a look, and then run out and buy yourself a case of hot sauce and this fabulous book! Then heat yourself up while cooling yourself down with some deliciously refreshing Mango Hot Paletas.  Oh, yeah!

This post is linked to:

Cookbook Wednesday

Beef Gravy

We all have recipe boxes, stuffed to overflowing, with recipes that have been passed down through the family, given to us by friends, or simply plucked from various sources for future experimentation, but I wonder just how many of these recipes, if any, are for sauces or gravies?  A basic knowledge of how to make a good Béchamel, vanilla custard, perfect hollandaise, and well-seasoned gravy are worth their weight in gold.  Each one of these sauces can turn something ordinary into something extraordinary.

Take, for example, Béchamel.  It can be infused with flavor and used to top an already prepared dish, as I have done here with crepes, or spiced up a bit to enhance the flavor of a delicate vegetable as done here. Simpler yet, stir in a variety of cheeses, fold in cooked pasta, and you have a delicious macaroni and cheese.

My grandmother's vanilla custard sauce (recipe to come) has turned a handful of fresh strawberries and many a biscuit into a decadently delicious strawberry shortcake dessert, and saved many a slice of pound cake from being mundane.

Today I'm going to talk about gravy. While much of the gravy we make comes from pan drippings, there are those occasions when we find ourselves, well, dripless.  When all of the gravy from Sunday's pot roast has been used up on the mounds of creamy whipped potatoes served as a side, what are you to do with the slices of gravy-less beef that remain? You make your own, of course!

This recipe is based on one by Emeril, but I have to say that mine is better. I always find that a pinch of espresso powder enhances anything having to do with beef, and a bit of cognac (or brandy) adds incredible richness. Give this a try and let me know what you think.  It freezes beautifully, so feel free to double the recipe.  It is excellent on slices of roast beef, meatloaf, hamburgers (even cheeseburgers, I kid you not!), stirred into soup for an added burst of flavor, and is always so good to have on hand when a hot sandwich in front of a crackling fire sounds so satisfying. 

Beef Gravy

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pinch of espresso powder

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 cups beef broth

1 Tablespoon cognac or brandy

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Add flour and espresso powder to pan and stir to incorporate and form a roux. Continue to stir until roux becomes medium brown in color, 6 to 8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme and continue to cook, stirring often, until shallots and garlic are fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour Worcestershire sauce into pan and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add beef broth, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and continue to cook until sauce has reduced, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in brandy. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat when ready to use.

Yields about 2 cups

 This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

What We Accomplished Wednesday

The Weekend Social

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Time for a libation!

Well, I've gotta tell you, last week was not a good one. I was so far under the weather that I was almost underground.  I mean, you know you're in trouble when you walk into the ER (for the 4th time in five days) and everyone greets you like an old friend. But, I appear to have survived my injury, and am ready to get back on the blogging horse, as it were.

A replenishing of supplies was certainly in order after this past week, so we stopped at Sam's on the way home from what I hope was my final view of the ER...ever!  It's no coincidence that I headed straight for the liquor department.  In the going, look what I found!  Is this adorable, or what?

I'm not sure if this is a holdover from the holidays or what, but one went into the cart immediately.  I'm a fan of small, cute bottles of anything, so this appealed on that level, but I also appreciated the great assortment, in some cases of liqueurs that I had wanted to try anyway, but didn't want to buy a full-size bottle. I also love the little recipe suggestions on the side.  This is not a sponsored post, these are just the words of a half-crazed woman ready for a warm and satisfying cocktail.  I'll let you know which ones I make and like the best.

In the meantime, tell me what you all have been doing, and which of these drinks that you would make?

Did anybody miss me?!

This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Thursday Favorite Things

American Hot Toddy

Happy National Hot Toddy Day!

I don't know about you, but this is one holiday that I can really embrace, particularly with cold temps and freezing rain coming down.  The Hot Toddy has is origins in Ireland, I believe, undoubtedly when some poor sap suffering with a cold decided to have shot of whiskey and added water and spices in order to pass it off as therapeutic, bless him. This version includes a shot of Irish whiskey, brown sugar, a lemon slice studded with cloves, and hot water.

There is also a Scottish version that involves whiskey, honey, cloves, a lemon slice, a cinnamon stick, and hot water.

Americans tend to make their toddies with hot tea, something that I find appalling as it totally negates the deliciousness of the whiskey.

Whichever version you decide is for you, here is the basic, American recipe. Add, subtract, or alter in any way that you see fit. I like mine spicy so use lemon juice, cloves, a cinnamon stick, sometimes a shot of applejack in place of the whiskey, and hot water – I never use tea. I imagine a shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey would be mighty warming on a cold winter night as well. After a couple of these in front of a roaring fire, you really won't care which combination is used. So have fun with the recipe, make it your own, celebrate this fun holiday, and stave off the winter weather and a potential cold.

To your health!

American Hot Toddy

1 1/2 ounces brandy, whiskey, or rum

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon slice

4-5 whole cloves

1 cup hot water

1 tea bag

In the bottom of a mug or an Irish coffee glass, pour honey, liquor of choice, and the juice of the lemon.  Set aside.  Meanwhile, boil water and add the tea bag to make a weak tea.  Remove bag and pour steaming tea into the glass and serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday 

Amaze Me Monday

Teach Me Tuesday

Inspire Me Tuesday