Category: Recipe of the Week

When my family of farm hands come in from a day of work, they like this hardy soup served with (or over) tortilla chips, cornbread, or even warmed-over biscuits. I usually serve it with a big, green salad or with some steamed broccoli. I like it for three reasons– it’s tasty, easy, and economical, in that it helps stretch my costly ground beef! I can start it after lunch in the crock pot and go about my business for a couple of hours in the afternoon. (NOTE: For a large group, Costco sells the BIG cans of Ranch-style beans, so …

This is another 25+ year-old recipe, tried and true. I see many variations of it online, but I swear by this one being the easiest and tastiest of them all. For many years we called it “Christmas Pizza”, as it was tradition for me to pre-make it to a point the day before and then finish it and let it bake Christmas morning while Christmas presents were being enjoyed. Your children will love this. Ingredients: 1 favorite-style pizza crust (I favor a pizza crust box/packet mix as being the perfect middle ground between time-consuming homemade and an expensive premade one. …

Our then-5-year-old son renamed this dish over 25 years ago, and the name stuck. We cannot call it anything else anymore. It’s a simple recipe, perfect for a “meatless Monday”, easy to throw together, and easy to have the ingredients on hand. I serve it with some fresh or canned fruit and call it supper. Ingredients: Note: These sauce ingredients are 1/2 of what was called for in the original recipe I copied. We find the sauce to be just barely enough, but I only have to buy one can of the [expensive, these days] prepared soup, which makes it …

My husband has celiac disease, which is much more serious and complex than just a gluten allergy. The following is an old family recipe that I adjusted to make it gluten free. Ingredients: 1 pound stew meat (I prefer to buy a piece of meat and cut it up myself. I‘ve used boneless chuck roast and sirloin steak among others) 1 can gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (I’ve used both Amy’s and Health Valley) 1 small can mushrooms 1 batch homemade dry onion soup mix (This is comparable to the Lipton’s dry onion-mushroom soup mix that I used to use. …

This is a simple recipe that our family likes to cook using the crock pot. It’s a regular dish. We modified the traditional version to use some green chili and/or jalapeno peppers, which you can use to suit your personal tastes. 1 1/2 to 2 lb round steak, cut into six to eight serving portions 2 Tbsp flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp butter (or oil) 1 onion, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 1 or 2 small cans green chili, chopped 1 can tomato soup (or 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes and omit water below) 1/2 cup …

I am still making these pickles from the original recipe cut out of the Wichita (KS) Eagle newspaper from Sunday 10.29.89 (the newsprint is getting quite yellow and brittle), which is definite proof that this is a recipe that has stood the tests of time. These are what most call a “bread and butter” type pickle, and as the name says, they are truly excellent, as well as being excellently easy. Ingredients: ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. turmeric ¼ tsp. mustard seed ¼ tsp. celery seed ½ c. cider vinegar 1 c. sugar 2 cucumbers, unpeeled and thinly sliced 1 …

I confess I would not have eaten this soup about ten years ago, but since I moved south of the Mason-Dixon Line and west of the Mississippi River I really like this soup. This recipe is also very pantry/emergency-cooking friendly. The only fresh and easily-grown food is the onion. Also, to save on the quantity of chicken broth, drain off the liquid from the beans into a measuring cup (usually about 2 cups) and then add the correct amount of chicken broth to get to 6 cups. Ingredients: 1 lb Hot Pork Sausage (or 1 lb thin sliced Polish Kielbasa) …

I used to never buy canned chicken, considering it too expensive for my thrifty ways. That was before grocery inflation! At only around $2.00/can when purchased at the warehouse store, as something that I can and should keep in my preparedness pantry, and something that stretches so well, I am a convert. This is a recipe I devised as a tasty way to occasionally use those cans of chicken. Ingredients: 1 can (13 oz.) chicken breast chunks, shredded and “fluffed” 3 green onions, with tops, minced 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilis 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning 2 Tbsp. sour …

This somewhat weird-sounding salad is fabulous. It makes too much for any but a very large family to finish; you may want to reserve it for covered-dish dinners and potlucks. Also, when you take it to your occasion, tuck a couple of copies of the recipe in your pocket or purse, because you WILL be asked for the recipe. Ingredients: 2 boxes (8.5 oz.) Jiffy brand corn muffin mix (or any cornbread recipe that makes an 9×13 cake-pan full) 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) whole kernel corn, drained 1 large …

Ingredients: 1 leftover turkey carcass (from a 10- to 12-pound turkey) 2 quarts water 1 medium onion, halved 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 bay leaves 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup uncooked long grain rice 1/3 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, undiluted Directions: Place the turkey carcass in a stockpot; add the water, onion, salt and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil over low heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove carcass; cool. Strain broth and skim off fat. Discard onion and bay leaves. …

Here is a recipe that has wowed people for a few years now, including the hardest group to please– little ones. I prefer to use a large crock pot, as it is cheap to use. Brown 2 to 3 lbs of hamburger adding salt, pepper, onion salt, et cetera. When the meat is well done add 1/4 cup (or more) of taco sauce (not salsa), and simmer for another 10 to 20 minutes. Let the sauce change to a deep red color with the burger juices. You want the flavor in the meat. Combine the cooked burger in the crock …

This is a great way to use green tomatoes on plants that just got hit with a freeze. I found it in an American Heritage Cookbook from 1978. Ingredients: 2 ½ pounds Green Tomatoes ½ cup Sugar 4 tablespoons All Purpose Flour or Wondra Flour 1 ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon grated Lemon Zest ½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground Allspice ½ teaspoon Sea Salt or Kosher Salt 2 tablespoons Butter Pastry for 2 crust 9 inch pie, homemade or store bought (I cheat and use store bought) Sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dunk green tomatoes …

This is a favorite soup of ours. It’s hearty, healthy, and perfect for a cold winter’s day. It is also a wonderful way to slip some healthy spinach into the diets of those in your family who think they don’t like it; they’ll never taste that it’s there. Ingredients: 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) cannellini beans (or any white beans), rinsed and drained 1 tbs. olive oil ½ – 1 c. cooked, diced ham 2 stalks celery, diced 2 carrots, sliced 1 small onion, diced 1 c. thinly-shredded cabbage 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes 3 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) …

This easy and popular recipe can also be used for pan frying catfish and other small fish, but our family prefers tilapia or trout. We have to make a tall platter full, because it is a crowd pleaser in our home. It’s very easy. I usually make this recipe using coconut oil, used for frying the fish and also (with a little more oil sometimes added) a batch of Sweet Hush Puppies. To make the Southern Sweet Hugh Puppies combine two eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar (or less, if you don’t like your cornbread to be sweet), a large finely …

One versatile recipe that we love is Creamed Tuna. This is good comfort food. You can serve it on mashed potatoes (our favorite), noodles, rice, or toast. You can vary the protein, and instead of using canned tuna you can use canned salmon, shrimp, chicken, or even beef. It is easy to make. The recipe can easily be doubled, and you can make it with what you have in your pantry. Basically, it is a white sauce with whatever meat you add to it. Ingredients: 2 generous Tbsp butter 2 generous Tbsp flour 1 to 1 1/3 cup milk (fresh …