Category: Tried and True Thursdays – classic recipes

Vegetable Beef Soup

I’ve been out of town for several days and the trip included lots of eating out. Eating out is definitely what I would call a hobby of mine and I loved every second of it, but even a girl whose passion is to explore food can get ready to hole up at home and eat simply. If I’m not craving a good old hamburger after a long trip, this soup runs a close second. This recipe is also a sweet reminder of the family reunions I grew up going to in the summers. The first week of June, every year, we would gather with my mother’s 4 sisters and their families for a 10 day family reunion at Lake Stamford. We camped in campers and had a lake house that we would all eat our meals in together. One of the meals was this soup and it was always a favorite of mine! It brings back back the sweetest of memories for me! Top it with shredded cheese and a sprinkling of Lawry’s seasoned salt. MMM, MMM good.

1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
fresh black pepper, to taste
2 (10.5 oz.) cans Campbell’s soup beef broth
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (14.5 oz.) can green beans
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 small russet potatoes, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped

Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef, minced garlic and diced onions. After breaking the meat up and stirring everything good, season with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a bit of fresh ground pepper. Once the meat is browned, add the rest of the ingredients, including the juices from the canned ingredients. At this point, you can add a little water if it looks like it needs more liquid for the soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a nice simmer. Cook for about an hour or until all of the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasonings and serve with shredded cheese for topping.

Sunday Pot Roast

My mom always would prepare pot roast on Sunday, as it was, and hopefully still is, the tradition in many southern homes! This has to be my favorite meal. My daughter Fallon, has been asking for “pot roast beef” from the time she could talk. And I do believe this is her favorite meal as well. And did I mention my niece Jodi? She asks for this on her birthday. See where I’m going with this?

4 lb. chuck roast
Lawry’s Salt
kosher salt
pepper
2 cups water
3-5 potatoes, peeled
3 onions, peeled and quartered
5-6 carrots, peeled

Season the pot roast well with Lawry’s season salt, salt, and pepper. Place in a dutch oven sprayed with cooking spray. Add 2 cups water, surrounding your roast, and place your carrots, potatoes, and onions on top. Sprinkle vegetables with a little more salt and pepper. Place the lid on your dutch oven and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours, depending on the size of your roast. After it is fork tender, it is done.

Remove the meat and vegetables from your dutch oven to a platter to make your gravy with the drippings left in the pan.

Add 2 to 3 heaping T. of flour, whisking well to remove lumps. Add salt and pepper and around 1 cup of milk (give or take some). This always varies for me, depending on how many drippings are in the pan and how much flour actually lands in there. So the milk can be eyeballed, so to speak. Too much milk and not enough flour will be too thin of gravy. Too much flour and not enough milk will be too thick. So go with your instincts! Stir and heat over medium until your gravy starts bubbling and is thickened. Serve alongside your meat and veggies.

Serves 4 with leftovers

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

It’s Chicken Alfredo! What else can I say?……Maybe that it is addicting, amazingly delicious, best recipe ever, and NOT for the calorie counters! But totally worth it, I might add. Make it for date night or as a special birthday meal! Trisha Yearwood is responsible for this recipe and I found it on Food Network’s website. Now let’s get cooking!

1 lb. fettuccine
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T. salted butter
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups grated Parmesan (I buy grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in the deli section of bigger grocery stores)
2 T. finely chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Season the chicken with 1 tsp. salt and some pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Carefully place the dredged chicken into the pan. Add the grated garlic. Cook until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Pour the cream into the same pan and bring to a simmer. Stir in the Parmesan. Add the pasta to the mixture and toss to combine. Add the cooked chicken and gently toss. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe was shared with me by my sweet sister-in-law, Laurel. One evening she brought these over along with a pan of caramel brownies. For the life of me, I cannot remember what I was ailing from, but I do remember this yummy meal! Easily doubled, this can be made to comfort your own family and those of a friend in need.

3 or 4 chicken breasts
1 (32 oz.) Chicken Broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 count) can Pillsbury layers biscuits
salt and pepper to taste
flour

Cook the chicken breasts in 4 cups water. Add more to cover the chicken if you need to. Boil until cooked. 45 minutes should be good, but be sure and check for doneness beforehand too. No need for dried out chicken here!

Pour the broth into a medium to large size pot and stir the cream of chicken soup into the boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pull the biscuits apart into three layers and dip each layer into flour coating both sides. Tear the floured layers into three pieces and drop into the gently boiling, seasoned broth. Try not to stir the biscuits too much. Just push them down with a spoon into the broth as they float to the top.

Cook for ten minutes after the last dumplings have been added. Shred your chicken breasts and add to the dumplings and turn the stove to low until you are ready to serve.
Taste for salt and pepper adjustments.