Hamburger Chowder

Hamburger Chowder has been in my family for at least three generations.  The recipe has changed some over the years based on people's preferences. 




Hamburger Chowder The Original


1 lb. ground beef, brown until crumbles
2 c water
2 c tomato juice
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 c potatoes peeled and diced
1/2 c celery sliced
1/4 c onion diced
1/4 c barley


Mix together ground beef, water and tomato juice.  Add vegetables, potatoes, celery, onion and barely.  Cook until vegetables and barley are done (approximately 30 min). 

Hamburger Chowder my mother's version


1 lb ground beef, brown until crumbles
1 large can tomato juice
1 large tomato can full of water
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
peeled and diced potatoes

Hamburger Chowder my version!


1 lb ground beef, brown until crumbles
1 large can tomato juice
1 large tomato juice can of water
1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
up to 5 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes!

My mother never had any use for the left over tomato juice, so she added the entire can and upped the amount of water.  She also likes a lot of broth in the soups she eats.  She also dropped the added celery, onion and barley probably for ease or because she's picky (its true).  I on the other hand, do not like a lot of broth in my soup and upped the amount of potatoes.  I've been known to peel and dice an entire 5 lb bag of potatoes for this soup. 

Of note!  Don't get the mixed vegetables with lima beans, though honestly I'd eat them.  They don't have much taste.

Above I my mother's bowl with a lot of broth and below is my bowl with little to no broth.

I made this Christmas day and served it to my parents with baked garlic rolls (store made) and a small fruit salad.  We had pie leftover from our holiday gather on Christmas Eve.

Other than having them over for lunch and doing a few chores that morning, I spent most of Christmas cross stitching with this big baby in my lap.  I think I'll repeat this for New Years Eve night and New Years Day, especially with highs only in the single digits and wind chills well below zero.

 

Christmas Greetings!

As mentioned in my previous post, some years I like decorating, other years not as much. The same applies to sending Christmas cards. While I didn't decorate much this year, I did manage to send fifty plus Christmas cards out and forget to send several others! Those were sent out at News Years. Along with my cards I sent a short letter that included three of my favorite recipes from the previous year. All three recipes can be found in previous posts. While I don't know that I'll mail as many cards next year (or maybe I'll send more!), I hope to repeat sharing a few of my favorite recipes. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a few recipes in return! 

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happt New Year! 

Winter Decorations

Some years I’m in the mood to decorate for Christmas, other years not as much.  This is one of the latter years.  I brought up the Christmas tree, but took it back down after a few days having decided not to decorate it this year.  Rather I decorated the mantle and the front porch and called it good for this year. 

As a reminder, where was my autumn mantle;

 

And here is my winter mantle;

 

This will remain up through February.  I think its still missing something, but I don’t know what.  Maybe I’ll figure it out by next year!  It's certainly better than last years;

 

Josey and Lyncoln were a lot of help (not)!

 

 

Heres how I decorated the porch;

 

Nothing too exciting, but pretty at night. There are also plastic, flickering candles in most of the windows.  

A New Roof!

I always knew that as you aged birthdays became less and less the celebration.  You can say that was the case for this year.  Instead of celebrating or even eating out, I bought myself a new roof.  A much needed roof!  After a year and a half of roof leaks and stress every time it rained, I can now say that headache is behind me! 

Here's a wet picture taken of the fireplace chimney and roof before;

 

And what that roof looks like now; 

 

They added a cricket behind the fireplace chimney and much better flashing than was there before the new roof. 

 

They removed the south chimney at the roof line and added a pipe to exhaust the gas hot water heater. 

I could have done without all the nails and such that was left behind though they rolled their magnets twice.  

 

Especially these sharp razor blades.

 

I found two.  I’m thankful I was able to find them with my magnet and didn’t have dogs or kids runs running around barefoot!

So, Happy Birthday to me! I do love it and am thankful not to be worrying about roof leaks any longer! 

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love Chick-Fil-A’s Chicken Tortilla Soup. I can stretch a bowl to last two meals, but knew there must be a way to make my own at home.  Baker Mama  to the rescue!  This recipe is quick, easy and delicious! Try it soon!

 

Purée two cans of cannellini beans in a food processor or blender.  The recipe calls for three cans of cannellini beans, but I only had one, so I used two cans of great northern beans.  Do not drain the beans. Someone please come tell me how to use my mini food processor! I made a mess! Suppose I should read the instructions! 

 

Apple Market has a sale every fall on Best Choice canned beans and tomatoes for $0.44. I always stock up on both when they do. 

Heat up some oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add 1 medium diced onion and some minced garlic (I used the type already minced and sold in jars).  Saute until onions become translucent.  Add seasoning.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through. 

 

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 med white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano (I substituted Italian Seasoning as I didn’t have oregano on hand)

1 tsp kosher salt

3 15 oz cans cannellini beans

2 10 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilies  (Rotel, I used mild, but use Hot for a spicy kick!)

1 15 oz can cream of corn

1 15 oz can whole kernel corn

1 15 oz can black beans

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bones and shredded (or 4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken)

*Do not drain any of the cans, the liquid gets added to the dish!*

Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and minced garlic.  Let saute over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cumin, oregano and salt.
 

Puree 2 cans of cannellini beans in a food processor or blender.  Do not drain beans before processing.  Add pureed beans and all other ingredients to the pot.  Do not drain any of the cans!  Stir to combine.  Let soup simmer over medium heat until heated through.  

Serve with crushed tortilla chips, tortilla strips or corn bread and shredded cheese. 

 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Cookbook Club has come to an ending.  While there is interest, only two others were willing to commit to meeting once a month.  Maybe it'll work out another time. 


For our first meeting I was a terrible hostess and made baked mac and cheese having forgotten that my friend doesn't like cheese and oh my did this dish have the cheese!  If you like cheese, I'd recommend this recipe.  The recipe comes from The Deen Bros. Cookbook Recipe from the Road.  If my memory serves me correctly, I found this cookbook at our local library's bookstore. 

Baked Mac and Cheese


2 c uncooked elbow macaroni
8 oz cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
8 oz American cheese shredded (about 2 cups, I substituted Colby)
1 c whole milk
1/2 c sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 c unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce or to taste (optional, I omitted)
1/2 tsp salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish; set aside.  In a saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.  Return macaroni to saucepan. 


While the macaroni is hot, add the cheeses to the pan, stir well.  Spread the macaroni mixture in the prepared baking dish.  In a bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs, butter, hot sauce and salt.  Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni. 


Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until brown and bubbling.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Not the prettiest of dishes, but it tasted great!

The other dishes were these chicken pockets (so good) and this refreshing salad.