Taco Soup

Growing up, my mom always made the effort to ask my sister and me what meal we would like to have for dinner. Grace and I had our usual meals we would request but one of my favorite was tacos. Taco night was a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons, we would all try and see who could not make a mess on their plate because lord knows we were usually messy eaters that night and because it was not often a meal we would have, but when we did it always seemed special. 

Now that I am in a house of my own I have been trying to come up with a list of soups I can make and store for the winter or heat up for dinner one night I do not want to cook. One night I was making tacos and thought taco soup would be a great one I could add to my list. So I took the basics of tacos with the meat the seasoning and thought about what I could put on a taco. I decided that lettuce was definitely a no, no to put into a soup so I had to think outside the box. 

After much thinking and experimenting in the kitchen I have finally come up with my Taco Soup. I have plenty stored in my freezer for a cold winter’s night.

Hope you all enjoy!!

Emily’s Taco Soup

1 lbs. ground lean beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cloves minced garlic

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 can sweet yellow corn

2 cans of beans (you can anything you prefer…I used 1 can black bean and 1 can kidney beans)

2 cans tomato sauce

1) In a skillet, add your beef, onion and garlic. While your meat is browning the onions and garlic will sauté. Once the beef is browned throughout, drain off the excess grease.

2) In a Dutch oven or stock pot, which ever you may have, add tomato sauce, taco seasoning, yellow corn, beans, and beef mixture.

3) Bring to a simmer on medium heat for about 30 to 45 minutes.

* Garnish with your choice of shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, or tortilla chips. *

**Note: If you are daring and want, you can add a can of Rotel to the mix for a good kick**

Apples, Apples, and more Apples

As some of you might know, I became a homeowner back in July. My family was very supportive of my decision, so naturally, they would naturally want to and see the house once I was unpacked and was settled. Well until now I have not had a housewarming party or had a causal showing of my new home due to me taking my time to make my house my own. Now, little over 3 months later, I am almost, finally done with the little changes to my house that I have planned a housewarming.

So for this event I have thought about what food I should serve: should it be light finger food or heavy hor d'oeuvres. I want something that is going to make my house smell warm and inviting. I have been searching Pinterest for any inspiration I can find and I finally found my solution, apples.

I have alway seen an apple fruit I cut up, dip in caramel or bake in pie. After my discovery, I have found there are numerous things you can do with the apple its self.

***Use the apple itself as the serving piece.***

Warm Apple Cider...in and Apple Cup (recipe below)

Ice Cream in and Apple bowl...add some warm caramel

Warm Apple Pie...baked in an APPLE!!! (recipe below)

Simple Warm Apple Cider

1 gallon apple cider

1 qt. orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1 qt. Pineapple juice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ ground all spice

3 cups water

Pour all ingredients into crock pot and mix well. Set crock pot to low.

By using a crock pot, you can keep the cider warm and it will be ready to serve whenever your guests are thirsty.

As all of the ingredients start to heat up the aroma will seep out and fill your home. 

 

The recipe I recently made was Warm Apple Pie baked in a hollowed out apple. I have not usually been a fan of apple pie (I know so not-American) but I actually liked this recipe.

Warm Apple Pie....baked in an apple

6 Granny Smith Apples
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
Pie Crust (pre-made or homemade)

Apple Wash

2 cans Sprite
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice

 1) Slice off tops of apples and discard. Use a melon baller to remove the flesh of the apple. BE CAREFUL not to puncture the peel.

(If you want to salvage the apple flesh you can use it for the filling for the apple pie)

2) Once all apples have had the flesh scooped out place apples upside down in bowl of apple wash. This will help the apples not turn brown.

3) With your other 2 apples, remove the skin and chop into small pieces.

4) In a bowl mix chopped apples, sugars, flour, and cinnamon. Scoop apple mixture into hollowed out apples.

5) Roll out your pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with the pie crust strips.

6) Place apples in an 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Hollowed out apples filled with apple pieces

 Apples covered in pie crust in lattice pattern before baking

Apple after baking...Yummy!!!

Hamburger Casserole

A popular southern tradition we hold in the highest regard is the passing down of recipes from generation to generation. Some of these recipes are secret and are only shared amongst family but others are one we make for potlucks, dinner parties, and church dinners. These recipes are the younger generation’s ties to the history of their family.

One recipe Mammy, my mother’s mom, passed down to my mom and which she has passed down to me is what I know as Hamburger Casserole. The recipe has changed names but the ingredients have stayed the same with some new additions.

WARNING: If you have a meat and potato kind of person in your family, this is a recipe that will keep them asking for more.

So here’s my Mammy’s recipe with my twist. Hope you enjoy.

Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lean beef (you can use ground chuck or ground round if you prefer)

3 medium potatoes

2 cans of Peas and Carrots (can use one bag of frozen, if you choose)

2 cans Tomato Sauce (you can use Tomato Soup as well)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tbsp. Seasoning Salt

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grab a 13x9 inch baking dish.

2)      In a skillet, brown lean beef and add onion and garlic to sauté. Drain mixture of excess grease once beef is completely browned.

3)      Wash, peel and dice your potatoes. Once done place the potatoes in a stock pot, add just enough water to cover the top of the potatoes and place on stove to cook. You will need to cook potatoes until tender. You should be able to easily stick a fork in them.

4)      While your potatoes are cooking take your 13x9 inch baking dish, pour beef mixture on the bottom of the baking dish and spread out an even layer. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp. of seasoning salt over top.

5)      Once the potatoes are done cooking, drain off any excess water. Layer the potatoes over top of the beef mixture. Take your melted butter and drizzle over top of your potatoes. Add your salt and pepper.

6)      In a mixing bowl, combine your peas and carrots and tomato sauce; once mixed, pour over potatoes. (Note: If you want to thin the mixture out some, add a little water and mix again.)

7)      Bake in oven for 25- 30 minutes until edges are bubbling. Pull casserole dish out and sprinkle cheese over top. Put back into oven for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 

 

 

 CHALLENGE FOR YOU THE READER: Since family recipes are ones we like to enjoy and share. Leave me a comment with your favorite family recipe/ or name of dish you and your family enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash: 2 ways

I love me some squash!! Ever since I was a little girl I would to go the garden with Dada and pick the fresh vegetables. Squash was always one of my top 10 vegetables I had enjoyed picking. To a little girl it was unfathomable how you get a yellow crooked neck squash from a pretty, fuzzy yellow flower. I later learned that pretty, fuzzy yellow flower was the beginning of the squash’s life and that it was not known by a different name, it was a squash blossom.

Recently I have developed an interest in butternut squash. For those who do not know, butternut squash are considered to be a winter squash due to the time of the year when they are ready for harvest. They have a yellow skin and an orange fleshy pulp that turns deep orange and becomes sweeter and richer when ripe. A butternut squash has a sweet, nutty taste like a pumpkin, which if you love pumpkin, you are sure to love yourself a butternut squash!

 The first time I ever cooked one I had no idea what I was doing. I took the squash, cut it in half, scooped out the pulp, and then seasoned w/ salt and pepper, garlic, and butter. My goal was to roast the squash halves, which I did, but when it came to eating the roasted squash I ended with as a big pile of orange looking mashed potatoes. My dear sweet boyfriend was my guinea pig and ate it like a champ! We decided next time it might be better cubed and then roasted. So that’s exactly what I decided to do this time.

 Big shout out to my dad, thanks to him, he has been supplying me with a plethora of butternut squash I had plenty for experimentation.

 So here are the creations thus far: 

 Savory Roasted Butternut Squash:

 2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp thyme, fresh

1 teaspoon salt & pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 In bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside

 If desired, use a vegetable peeler to remove skin. Then half the butternut squash, scoop out the pulp, and cut into cubes 1-inch large.

 After you have cut squash into cubes, dump into bowl with olive oil mixture and toss. Make you give a good coating.

 Pour out coated mixture onto a cookie sheet cover in aluminum foil (very easy clean up).

 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Balsamic Honey Glazed Butternut Squash

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter, melted

Dash of light brown sugar


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
In bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt. Set aside

If desired, use a vegetable peeler to remove skin. Then half the butternut squash, scoop out the pulp, and cut into cubes 1-inch large.

After you have cut squash into cubes, dump into bowl with olive and vinegar mix and toss. Make you give a good coating.

Pour out coated mixture onto a cookie sheet cover in aluminum foil (very easy clean up). Drizzle melted butter over pieces once they are on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Once done, let squash pieces cool for 2-3 minutes, put into a bowl to dress before serving. Sprinkle the dash of light brown sugar and add a little splash of balsamic vinegar and toss.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and it's the perfect time for some soup!

After having visited Panera for the 1st time when in Knoxville, TN for a UT football game, I discovered my love of broccoli cheese soup. Since that visit I have been trying to find a recipe that is as close as possible to their delicious, soul warming, recipe but of course, they are not going to just come out and tell us their secret.

So after much research and trial and error I think I have found my "copycat" recipe of Panera's soup.

Hope you enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
4 cups chicken stock
1 lb broccoli, fresh or frozen
2 cups carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
16 ounces grated cheddar cheese (sharp or mild)
salt and pepper, to taste

1) Saute onion and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of melted butter

2) Add 1/4 cup of butter to sauteed onions and add flour. Whisk in flour and let it set over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir in half-and-half, stir constantly for about 3 minutes until well mixed.

3) Next add in 4 cups of chicken stock, whisk together. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4) While mixture is simmering, add broccoli and carrots into a food processor and chop. (At this point you can decide to have a fine chop on your vegetables or just give the food processor a few pulses to create a course chop)

5) Once you have chopped your vegetables to your liking, add to simmering mixture. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.

6) Remove from heat. Add nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper for taste. Added cheese and return to heat just until cheese is melted.

My Southern Roots

My love of cooking began many generations ago when my ancestors settled in the south. The earliest memories of true Southern cooking I have are from my mother's parents, Delma Aileen Ragan (Wall) and William Earl Ragan, otherwise known as Mammy and Dada. My grandfather was a WWII veteran who vowed when he returned from the war to never leave his home again and that was a promise he kept. He and my grandmother settled down in the little community of Woods Valley in Dickson County, Tennessee.

Dada tended to his black angus cattle farm and a huge garden full of wonderful fruits and vegetables that I enjoyed helping him pick/ dig up as a child. One of my most fond memories with my grandfather was picking raspberries and blackberries the plentiful bushes he grew; I was supposed to put them in the pail my grandmother had given me but I instead decided it was more fun to eat the delicious berries. My grandfather came around the corner to see what I was doing, had a great chuckle and told me, "Keep picking the berries Red, Mammy is going to be making homemade preserves." When hearing this I stopped my munching and started picking again.

 I may be bias but in the time I spent out at my grandparents, I thoroughly enjoyed the blackberry preserves my grandmother made; I did not like to eat any someone else had made. We had a tradition every morning for breakfast, you were to mix your butter and preserves together and spread that yummy goodness over your toast. As I grew up I always enjoyed our breakfast morning tradition, it was not until I was in college did I realize how much the little things I did with my grandmother meant so much to me. During my freshman year of college I was homesick and all I wanted was to be close to my family. I took a trip to the grocery and picked up a jar of blackberry preserves...granted it was NOT my grandmother's but it would do the trick to sooth my aching heart.

Speaking of my grandmother, my Mammy was the greatest cook of all time. She was one of those cooks who did not leave a recipe book for her children and grandchildren to fight over having the prized family recipes. She cooked from her heart and her soul. I can remember as a child pulling up a chair to the kitchen counter and standing in the chair to see what I could do to help with dinner (known to other folks as lunch) or supper (dinner).

My other inspiration for cooking has been my mother, Pam. Mammy and Dada did a wonderful job raising such a wonderful person who I get to call my mom. She taught me that cooking is fun, not something you have to do. Without her encouragement to continue to experiment with cooking I probably would not love cooking as much as I do.

So to finish off my story, I hope you enjoy my blog about the food I love to cook. I don't feel like I have to cook a certain way to please; my food is cooked from the love in my heart and the fire in my belly to enjoy my creations!! Hope you enjoy the recipes and stories I share, please share with your family any recipes you love, that's how we make memories that are cherish forever.

-Emily