Navy Bean Soup

Navy Bean Soup

1 lb navy beans

7 cups chicken broth

8 ounces tomato sauce

2 ham hocks

1 cup ham, chunks

1 onion, diced

1 -2 carrot, diced

1 -2 stalk celery, diced

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

8 -12 peppercorns, in a teaball stainer

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 23 mins

Rinse and sort out navy beans.

In a crock pot cover beans with 4 cups of chicken broth and soak overnight.

Next day: Do not drain off broth.

Add 2 more cups of chicken broth.

Add remaining ingredients .

Cook on high 3 to 4 hours until ham hocks become tender.

Remove meat from hocks and cut into small pieces, return to mixture.

Continue cooking on low for another 6 to 8 hours.

You may have to add additional chicken broth if soup too thick. If too thin add instant potatoes.

Copy Cat Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

8 cups peeled and cubed potatoes


2 cups peeled and chopped onions


4 cups chopped celery


2 teaspoons salt


4 cups half and half


6 tablespoons butter or margarine


1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; optional garnish

Directions:

Place potatoes, onions, celery and salt in water to cover in a large pot. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Put in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree until chunky. Return to soup pot; add half-and-half, butter and cheese. Stirring, simmer until piping hot. (Do not boil.)

God is Good!

My new goal during this time of unemployment is to create meals for $10 or less. On occasion, I might set a budget of $15 (especially on Friday nights). So I will think about what I can make that my husband will like, that we haven't had, and/or that will be cheap. Every time I think about a dish to make, I get to the grocery store and the meat needed for the dish is on sale! Gotta love it. I made tacos the other night. Well for me, it was a taco salad, but surprisingly my husband liked the tacos.

When I make the ground beef for the taco meat I add tomato sauce (just a small 8 oz can), water and sometimes the frozen potatoes diced into small pieces (obrien hash browns). I let it reduce with the seasonings and it really makes it tasty! Adding a little chorizo makes it yummy too!

I don't usually buy the taco shells that are pre-made but the other day they were on sale and it was $1.25 at Vons for 12 and the corn tortillas (which are hard to find in a package less than 3 dozen) were more expensive. Hmm. they weren't bad either.

You may be asking what does this post have to do with God being good? Well, I think He gives me the ideas for the food to make and prompts me on which local market to shop at. But that's just my thinking...

What, No Rice? Potatoes Instead?

Americans reach for the potatoes when they imagine the perfect side dish; Italians reach for the pasta, and Cubans reach for the white rice. My husband as I have mentioned before is Cuban. So sometimes when I cook something that he ate in Cuba, he will expect that I serve it with rice. Like last night. I was just going to fry some eggs for him but I was going to serve them with a potato dish instead of rice. A country style potato with sauteed onions and green peppers and seasoned with cumin, garlic powder, and salt.

He tasted it, and loved it.

I sauteed the vegies first and then I added the potatoes (the frozen cubed o'brian potatoes) and pan fried them for a few minutes. I wanted the potatoes to get a little crispy so I put the mixture in the oven to finish by roasting them. I put the eggs on the top and he loved it!! Score 2 for potatoes...

Cheesy Potatoes

Potatoes (white or red, not russet)

Cream Cheese

Butter

Garlic

Onion Powder

Parsley Flakes

Paprika

Milk

Worcestershire sauce

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

Cut potatoes in slices and boil in salt water

Don't let them cook too much because you don't want them to turn into mashed potatoes. Drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot.

Melt the cream cheese and butter in sauce pan with garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Take off the heat and add seasonings. Add the cheese, stir until it all melts and pour over the potatoes. . Put the mixture in a baking dish and add additional cheese sprinkled over the top, and parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

So this feels like a duh... but I am trying to remember the things that I make because I get myself in a rut that I can never think of new things to make. Writing down what I cook, the new things I create, and the old things I haven't done in awhile will help me to widen my repertoire.

I bought some country style ribs at the market in a gigantic pack and needed to split them up into different types of dishes so we wouldn't get tired of eating the same thing over and over.

I coked the ribs in the crockpot with:

my favorite (dry) bbq seasoning,

garlic powder,

bay leaf,

chicken broth,

onion powder,

a little Worcestershire sauce.

It cooked on high until it was falling apart.

I shredded it, added more of the bbq seasoning and a little of my favorite sauce.

Then, we had it on rolls as a sandwich.

We ate it with cheesy potatoes.

Curry Ground Beef

Tonight was the night for Asian cuisine. I decided to provide take out flavors without the take out. I made the Ginger Ground Pork and this dish. Both dishes were being created as I went along so I am hoping that I haven't forgotten anything.
When I was a teenager, my brother and I used to make a ground beef with curry and peas. We would eat it over mashed potatoes and I would mix in a little cheese- it was surprisingly yummy. Who would have thought. I know it doesn't sound very good, but it is. I was thinking about it the other day so when the ground beef was on sale at the grocery store, I was ready to make it.
1 lb ground beef
curry powder
salt
ground cinnamon (just a pinch)
ground turmeric
ground ginger
dried basil
garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder
soy sauce
1 cup water
peas and or pea pods
season beef in the pan. Brown ground beef over medium high heat. Once it is fully cooked, add soy sauce and water. Simmer to reduce the sauce. Add peas before fully reduced. Again, my husband had it over brown rice. I ate it over broccoli slaw or you could eat it wrapped in lettuce.
This dish was way better than the version I used to make as a kid. Then it was just curry powder and soy sauce. This was a rich and delicious combination of flavors. I didn't expect my husband to like it, but he loved it!