Hometown Girl

what's for dinner? chicken noodle soup & homemade biscuits

Nothing says comfort food to me like soup. I made a pot of this homemade favorite in no time all. I almost always start with a goggle search or a quick look at my recipe books for the general lay of the land. Then I improvise based on what I have in my own refrigerator and pantry. I used Tyler Florence's recipe, it's easy and straight forward. My only change was dried herbs instead of fresh and Kluski noodles which I prefer to the wide noodles. You could easily turn this into a Thanksgiving leftover meal using turkey instead of chicken and your leftover carrots.

To accompany my soup I made the The Neely's biscuit recipe. I used dried herbs instead of fresh and less cayenne pepper then called for. These cheesy biscuits have a kick!

I have so much to be thankful for. For my sweet little family, my husband and children. My family near and far away. My friends, old and new that keep me going. For our home, all our little everyday luxuries that I sometime take for granted. So many blessings, too many to count, all from the Dear Lord.

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving with all your families.

~ Susan 

what's for breakfast? Nell's pancakes

When I think of pancakes, I think of my grandmother, Nellie. She was a wonderful grandmother. We stayed with her and my grandfather often as children and she was famous for her pancakes. They are not your typical thick, fluffy ones, but more like crepes. I make them for my children and think of her and my grandfather fondly whenever I do. I can still picture the two of them in their tiny little kitchen feeding us with smiles like there was no place on earth they'd rather have been. Makes me miss them both.

Nell's Famous Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

dash of salt

1 tsp of sugar

Whisk all ingredients together. (Batter is very soupy). Heat vegetable oil until hot before pouring batter into pan. Makes enough for three hungry children. When I make them for all of us (5), I double the recipe. Serve with warmed maple syrup & fresh berries!

Hope you all enjoy this beautiful Fall day.

Thank you to all our Veterans for serving our Country so bravely.

God Bless.

~ Susan

what's for dinner? crockpot minestrone

Fall has definitely settled in here. The cool air and dark evenings make me crave soup!  This beef minestrone is perfect for any day of the week when you want a hearty home cooked meal to sit down to.

I started with a 1.5 lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into cubes. Coat with flour seasoned with salt, paper, garlic powder (whatever spices you like) brown all sides quickly and remove from pan, add to slow cooker.

I took a great shortcut and used the precut veggies from the grocery store, carrots, celery, onions, leeks, potatoes. Saute them for just a couple of minutes to soften and then add to the crockpot.

Add one carton beef stock, I used one small can of tomato puree (I think the recipe called for tomato sauce) one small can of seasoned diced tomatoes.  Use whatever you have on hand.

Cook for about 7 hours on low. I added a can of rinsed garbanzo beans and 3/4 cup of ditalini uncooked. Let cook for another hour. Last I added a bag of baby spinach and stirred it in until wilted. I served with my garlic cheese crescent rolls. Original recipe from Wegmans Menu.

I'm going through estate sale withdrawal today (it's been a few weeks). I'm hoping to be able to get to one some time over the weekend and with a little luck I'll have some things to share with you all!

Enjoy your weekend. ~ Susan

what's for dinner? lemon rice soup with chicken

There's a little family restaurant that we frequent that has really great lemon rice soup. I had a craving for some so I thought I'd try making some. I goggled "lemon rice soup" and went from there. I sauteed 1/2 an onion and two cloves of garlic, not the most traditional start to this soup, but that's me. I added six cups of chicken stock and one cup of white rice. I took a shortcut when it came to the chicken and bought a rotisserie chicken all cooked and cut it into bite size pieces. Before adding the chicken I added three eggs and the juice of two lemons that I tempered with the stock and then mixed in. Added the chicken and a bag of spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I was in the homemade mood so I also made some easy popovers. It's a Giada recipe and sounds pretty odd when you it tells you to put everything in a blender. The mixture is really soupy but fear not, they cook up beautifully! I used a mini muffin tin like the recipe said.

Keeping with the homemade theme I also baked a batch of good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I simply used the recipe on the Tollhouse chips package, they never disappoint!

Happy Wednesday! ~ Susan 

what's for dinner? mac & cheese with beef

Come on in and stay awhile.

Join us for some homemade mac & cheese. I make this for the kids and they love it. I figure it's better than the boxed stuff, I know exactly what's inside. I add ground sirloin to make it hearty.

Cook up some elbow macaroni til it's al dente. I use one pound of ground sirloin, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and whatever cheeses I have on hand. Cook and break apart the meat as you go til it's thoroughly cooked. This version I used fontina,  velveta and parm. I cook until everything is melted nicely together. I usually add  a little water so it's not too thick. Mixed in the cooked pasta and put into a baking dish. I sprinkle with bread crumbs and a couple bits of butter. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until the top is crusty.

I always buy the low fat crescent rolls to have on hand. Before rolling them up I put some Olivio, garlic powder and a sprinkle of cheese. It makes them a litte more special.

Hope you enjoyed your visit. See you soon. ~ Susan

New banner made by Abby of Mavora. Thanks Abb, you rock!
 

what's for dinner? risotto with bacon, leeks & peas

I made this for dinner yesterday. It was perfect for a cool Fall evening. Anything with bacon is good in my book. I buy the lower sodium, lower fat bacon to cut out some of the calories. The leeks add wonderful flavor, the peas beautiful color and of course a sprinkle of pecorino romano! From the Ocotober issue of Everyday Food.

Once you get the method down, the possibilites for risotto are endless. 

Happy Monday!

~ Susan 

What's for Dinner, a Chill in the Air & Chili on the Stove

Fall has arrived here, with it's cool days & cooler nights. There is nothing is better than gathering with family, a warm pot of chili on the stove, and a football game on TV.

I love to cook and entertain our family & friends. I tend to keep things simple from the menu to the setup. With that said I still spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing this simple menu. I made a pot of chicken chili, I use Ina Garten's recipe for the most part.  I keep the pot of chili right on the stove and let everyone help themself. I serve it with bowls filled with tortilla chips, sour cream & shredded cheddar cheese. The kids love dressing up their chili!

Picture from Foodnetwork! I forgot to photograph the chili :)

I made my now famous homemade bread and a beautiful apple crisp.

I really need to invest in an apple peeler for these times, that's the worst part of baking with apples. I looked up several recipes but since this is one thing you can bake without measuring I was in business. I peeled about 12 apples, three different varieties, I always squeeze with lemon juice to keep them from getting brown. I add sugar, cinamom & a touch of nutmeg to the apples. For the topping I used oatmeal, flour, brown sugar & butter. I didn't measure I just mixed it all up with my fingers until I got a nice crumbly mixture.

A good time was had by all! Enjoy the weekend, thanks for visiting.

~Susan

what's for dinner? zuppa (soup)

It's no secret I love to cook, I'm half Italian, and I love magazines! Put it all together and you get an Italian foodie with a stack of magazines, corners folded to mark must try recipes! Sometimes it's just inspiration for something that's all your own!

I started with half an onion, mainly because that's all I had in the house normally I'd use a whole one. Two cloves of garlic. I sauteed them in olive oil until soft.

Meanwhile, I made little meatballs just like I make when I make sauce. One pound of ground veal, pork & beef mixture (sometimes called meatloaf mix). It has great flavor.  Other times I just used straight ground beef, depends on my mood. I add one egg, handful of Italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper, couple cloves of freshly minced garlic, parsley if I have some on hand and pecorino romano cheese. Form into little meatballs and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Back to the soup, add a whole bag of fresh spinach, a can of rinsed cannellini beans, a 32 oz box of chicken stock if you like more broth, add one can of stock too. Meanwhile cook a cup or so of ditalini or any small pasta you have on hand part way, drain and add to soup. Remove meatballs from oven, add them to the soup. The pasta and meatballs will finish cooking in the soup. About 20 minutes on low heat, don't let the soup boil, just a simmer. 

This soup is delicious and it's perfect for the cooler months ahead. The meatballs make it hearty and the beans and spinach make it healthy. I serve with fresh bread and a salad. Enjoy!

I have some finds to share with you so be sure to stop back.

Have a great day. ~Susan

what's for dinner? spinach- mushroom fritatta with potato crust

I went back trying to find where I found this recipe but for the life of me I can't. I'm fairly certain it was a Rachael Ray recipe possibly from her magazine. I made it awhile back. It took a little time but was really great. My kids call stuff like this egg pie. I made a crust from freshly grated potatoes. After I did all that work, I was thinking you could buy shredded hash browns in the refrigerated section and save yourself a lot of time. I shredded 4 decent size potatoes and put them in a hot oiled pan and flatten them to form a crust. I let them sit for probably 10 minutes without touching them, don't stir. Let them brown then very carefully I flipped the whole crust into a pie plate, and baked for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees to crisp up the outside.  This is before i flipped it into the pie plate.

Mix up 3-4 eggs with some half-n-half, salt & pepper & set aside. 

I sauteed a whole bag of baby spinach and drained it. I added that to my small containter of button mushrooms that I sliced, cook the mushrooms til soft.

I poured everything into my cooked potato crust, added some shredded mozzarella over the top and baked at 350 degrees til the center was set (I think it was about 30 minutes), let cool slightly before cutting.

This was delicious and hearty! See you soon. ~ Susan

what's for dinner? easy zucchini bake

This time of year zucchini is everywhere! I made a simple bake using things I had in the house. It was fantastic! This is adapted from a recipe in a cookbook of  Giada's I have. I cut up two small zucchini, half an onion, half a container of button mushrooms. I tossed them into my cute vintage baking dish, coated them with olive oil, added salt, pepper, grated pecorino romano, Italian bread crumbs & shredded mozzarella. I drizzled the top with half n half. I baked at 350 degrees for about (well i admit I'd forgotten about it so it was about 40 minutes) but 30 should do the trick. The top was crispy and the liquid was bubbling. Even the people in my family who don't really love zucchini, loved this dish! I didn't measure a thing, I  just put in what looked good. You can easily adapt this to your liking with any combination of veggies.

Here is the crispy finished product!

 

Thank you for visiting! See you soon. ~ Susan