Full House

Mmmmmm.......Chowder!

When I was a little girl, my family would all congregate at my Grandma Betty's house for a special Christmas Eve party.  We would swap gifts, occasionally Santa would make an appearance and it was always a great time.  The thing I remember most however is the food!!  Go figure!  Anyway, one year my Aunt Jackie thought it would be a great idea to add clam chowder to our yearly Christmas Even menu.  It's one of the only times during the year I remember eating it, so it was always special.  I have kept that tradition going with my little family as well, but we like to eat it throughout the year.  This is the recipe my Grandma Betty would always use.

Clam Chowder

1 Cup minced Onions

1 Cup diced Celery

2 Cups diced Potatoes

3-4 Cans Clams (I use a mixuture of minced and chopped)

2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Pepper to taste

3/4 Cup Butter

3/4 Cup Flour

1 quart Milk

1 pint cream

Open clams and squeeze juice over vegetables.  Add vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add just enough water to cover the vegetables (you won't be draining the water).  Simmer until veggies are tender. 

In a separate pan, melt butter and add flour.  Add clams to mixture.  Mix in milk and cream.  Heat through.  Add to vegetables and boil until it thickens to your liking. 

Hints:

I typically use more potatoes than it calls for.  I like my chowder to be chunky.  Play with your recipe until you find the right amount for you.

I tend to buy half and half instead of combining milk and cream.  Either way works great.  It's basically the same thing but with the half and half you only have to measure one thing!   

Takeout Times

How many uses are there for a Lo Mein noodle?  Apparently more than I thought!

 

Weather for Soup!

The last few days have been chilly here in Savannah.  A stark contrast to what it was last week.  During the winter we range from mid-day in the high 70's and even lower 80's to days like today when it's freezing!  The humidity in the air gives the cold a nasty bite that cuts right through you.  I have been making a lot of soup lately, but today is the first day that the weather really calls for soup.  I think I'll make my sister's Tortilla Soup. 

On Sunday we had an awesome pot of my Grandma Betty's clam chowder, which is my absolute favorite.  Much to my shagrin, my waistline can't take me eating it very often.  Last week I also tried out a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe that I found online.  It also turned out great.  I thought I would post them all so you could enjoy them too.  Plus, I can use it as my little file box for those times when I don't want to dig out the recipe!  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 Cup shredded chicken                                        1 tsp. chili powder

1 - 15 oz. can enchilada sauce                                    1 tsp. salt

1 onion, chopped                                                             1/4 tsp. pepper

1 - 4 oz. can green chili's                                               1 bay leaf

1 clover garlic, minced                                                 1 - 10 oz. can corn, drained

2 Cups water                                                                     1 TBSP cilantro, chopped

1 - 14 oz. can chicken broth                                        1 1/2 Cups carrots, shredded

1 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients together.  Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve over tortilla chips and top with sour cream and shredded cheese.

 

Grandma Betty's Clam Chowder

1 Cup minced onion                                                            3/4 Cup butter

1 Cup diced celery                                                                3/4 Cup Flour

2 Cups diced potatoes (or more!)                                 1 quart half & half

4 Can chopped or minced clams

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

Open clams and squeeze juice over vegetables.  Add vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add enough water to just barely cover the veggies.  Simmer until tender.

In a seperate saucepan, melt butter.  Add  flour until it makes a smooth paste.  Mix in half and half.  When vegetables are cooked through, add white sauce (do not drain water from vegetables).  Warm through and serve!

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

1 TBSP butter                                                  1 1/2 Cup egg noodles

1/2 Cup chopped onion                             1 Cup sliced carrots

1/2Cup chopped celery                             1/2 tsp. dried basil

4 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth                1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 (14.5 oz.) can vegetable broth            salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. chopped, cooked chicken breast

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes.  Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

(I actually cooked the veggies halfway through before I added the noodles.  I didn't want crunchy carrots or mushy noodles)

Redneck Girl

So I got this email from my friend and laughed when I saw it. Just then, Ella walked into the room and said......"oooooooh, that looks yummy!".  (It was three of her favorite foods.)  Do you think she qualifies as a Redneck Girl???

Red Neck Seafood Dinner

  

 

Naps and Breakfast...Two beautiful things!!

Yesterday was very hectic.  I had to be out the door by 7:45 A.M. and didn't have much time to breathe until I picked Hailey up from a birthday party around 6:30 P.M.   After that, it was home to mow the lawn, bathe the kids, get ready for church and hope to get to bed before midnight.  When soccer season is upon us, there is not much time to think on the weekends.  I am certainly looking forward to the fall when Joe is home to help share the burden.   

So today was a pretty good day with much more time for relaxation.  We were actually able to go to church this week.  The kids are all finally feeling better, and other than a touch of allergies (an unavoidable part of living in the South) I am also feeling good.  Church doesn't start until 11:00 A.M. this year and I love it!!!  Time to relax in the mornings and still enough time to take a nap in the afternoons!!!!!  Brady cooperated today and went down for his own nap at precisely the right time.  Ella stayed downstairs watching a movie with the older kids.  This allowed me to have an uninterrupted nap for about an hour.  It was like heaven!!!!  I know some people aren't nappers, but boy I am!!!!  Not having Joe around to take turns when the dilemma of  "who gets up with the baby/screaming child this time"  comes around has taken a tole on my mind.  A good Sunday nap usually does the trick to re-set my psyche and get me going again.  When I woke up, I was happy to see that the kids didn't completely tare up the house.  We did a quick "tidy up" and then it was time to make dinner.

The kids have been asking for awhile if we could have breakfast for dinner.  I have fallen down on Betty Crocker duty lately and the kids have been lucky to get Mac-n-Cheese some nights.  I know pancakes doesn't sound like a good substitute for the traditional Sunday roast, but it's a favorite in our household (especially for Joe).  We all like things a little different.  Joe is a fan of french toast, but I prefer pancakes......or pan-a-cakes as Ella calls them.  I don't make waffles very often because there are so many of us to feed and only one lone waffle maker.  Anywhoooo.......Joe, Cooper and Ella all love bacon while me, Sadie and Hailey choose sausage.  As for eggs, Joe always "orders" fried hard with broken yokes and I opt for the basic scrambled eggs (sometimes with cheese).  I love a good batch of hashbrowns (my favorite are from I.H.O.P), but I haven't perfected the science yet.  I think I cook too many at at time.  Again, I digress.......back to my point.  Being that Joe isn't home right now, I just went with what I had on hand.  Bacon and pancakes.  What really topped it off was a special batch of Grandma Marcia's (Joe's Mom) orange syrup.  It is my favorite!!!!!  If you've never had it before, you have to try it!!!  If you're eating pancakes you obviously don't care about the carbs, so you might as well go all out and top them off with someting great.  It's super easy, uses things you have on hand, makes a large batch that you can share or store in the fridge and it turns an ordinary breakfast into something special!!!  Here is the recipe:

Orange Sauce

2 C Sugar

1/4 C Corn Starch

6 oz. Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice

1/2 C (1 stick) butter

3 tsp lemon juice or 1 lemon

Grated rind of 1 lemon

2 C Boiling Water

In saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil to thicken.  Serve warm.  (can easily be re-heated in the microwave)

Goals

So now that we are back in the swing of things again, I feel the need to get things accomplished.  A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and made a "to-do" list which also included the things I would like to do on a daily and weekly basis.  Some things I have done pretty good on, others......not so much.  I am trying though.  They say a goal isn't a goal until it's written down, and I find that to be true.  My list has been helping me keep a perspective on what is important and what isn't. 

The biggest difference to come from my "goal list" is that we are not eating so much fast food.  There for a while I think Ella was surviving solely on hot dogs and chicken nuggets.  I'm not one who loves to cook, so it's always a chore for me, especially when there are dishes to do when the meal is over.  With Joe being gone, I have even less ambition to cook every night, but it's important for the family.  I was finding that I felt horrible each day, and I'm sure it had a lot to do with my diet.  If I wasn't feeling great, neither were my kids and that meant that they may not do as well at school.  So now, I have set a rule that we only eat out once a week.  For some that may still seem like a lot, but for us it's cutting back significantly.  I have started cooking more and I'm starting to feel a lot better.  I'm not nearly as sluggish in the mornings and the kids are just as happy eating at home.  No matter where we eat, we always eat as a family and talk about our day.  I think that helps us keep some sense of normalcy with Joe being gone as well. 

As I said before, cooking is a chore for me.  I cook the same old things and I always seem to be missing one key ingredient.  My mother-in-law ordered all of the wives in the family a subscription to "Simple & Delicious" magazine and I also get the one from Kraft.  When I take the time to look at them, they have great recipes that I know my family would like.  Problem is, I haven't been so great about planning a meal calendar.  Last night, fate smiled on me and when I found a recipe I wanted to try, I actually had everything on hand.  It was quick, easy and all of the kids liked it (minus a picked out veggie or two).  The creamy sauce is yummy and reminds me of a mild version of "Bayou Shrimp Pasta" from O'Charley's (my favorite).  I used turkey sausage and doubled the recipe for my family.  If you don't like sausage, I think it would be great with shrimp, chicken or even steak strips.

        

Smoked Sausage Primavera

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1-1/2 cups frozen broccoli cuts
• 1/2 cup julienned sweet red, yellow and/or green pepper (I used a frozen blend)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a Dutch oven, cook spaghetti according to package directions, adding vegetables during the last 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring sausage and water to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until heated through.  Add milk, butter and Italian seasoning; cook and stir until butter is melted.  Drain spaghetti and vegetables; return to the pan.  Add Parmesan cheese and sausage mixture; toss to coat.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just visited my sister-in-law Mary's blog and she posed a question about what to do with some canned pumpkin she had left over.  We just made a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies earlier in the week to send to Joe.  I got the recipe several years ago from my sister and it has turned into one of our favorite family recipes.  I thought I would share. 

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Stir Together:

3 C Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Power

3/4 tsp Nutmet

3/4 tsp Cinnamon

. 

Cream together:

3/4 C Butter (beaten with a hand mixer for 30 seconds)

1 1/2 C Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 C Pumpkin

2 eggs

Add creamed mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.  Drop from teaspoon 2" apart onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Frost when completely cool.  See recipe below. 

*Optional 1 bag of chocolate chips - a MUST in our house

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 C butter

2-3 C powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar.