Here’s my mother’s video on how to make old-fashioned homemade biscuits. Wonderful video, isn’t it?

I just made a large pot of soup - and it turned out delicious! Yea! I just love it when I try something and it turns out so well. I had walked into my pantry earlier to look around to see what I felt like eating. I saw some cans of navy beans, and I thought of making soup, but I wanted something different than what I usually make. I thought of making a chicken and white bean soup - something I’ve never made before. I figured it shouldn’t be that hard to make, and it wasn’t. Here’s how I made it.

2 qts. chicken stock
2 cups cooked, boneless, skinless chopped chicken (mixture of white and dark meat)
1 cup shredded fresh carrots
1 large onion, chopped finely
3 stalks celery, chopped finely
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 16-ounce cans navy beans
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed, rinsed, patted dry)
salt/pepper to taste

Cook the vegetables in the chicken stock until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about an hour. You can thicken the soup with a little flour, if desired. Serving suggestion: sprinkle grated cheese on top before serving. This makes a LARGE pot of soup. When I make soup, I almost always make a large pot. After Ron and I ate soup for lunch, I put away SEVEN small containers of soup for later - three in the refrigerator for meals this week, and four in the freezer for later.

YUMMY! And very healthy - virtually nonfat, lots of veggies, high fiber.

For the past two years I have written about what I make for a New Year’s Day meal. I don’t plan on cooking the meal this year. Somehow, with all that’s going on with Lily, I just don’t have the drive to do a bunch of cooking today. It will mostly be a day to get caught up on some housework.

However, the meal IS delicious - and fun to do. The meal is filled with tradition and symbolism. I thought I would re-print that menu and description of symbolism here. Enjoy!

Here’s the menu, the recipes and the symbolism - some serious and some definitely tongue-in-cheek:

Hoppin’ John

1 can mild tomato/jalopena mixture (RoTel) If you like things a little spicier, use regular RoTel.
2 cans black-eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes (optional - I love tomatoes)
1/2 lb link of turkey sausage

Cut the turkey sausage into bite-size pieces - dump everything together and cook. You can serve this over rice or mix some rice in it, or eat it by itself with no rice. It’s delicious riceless or not.

Tossed Salad

Lots of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, grated carrots, diced bell peppers with grated cheddar cheese on top.

Cornbread Sticks

2 cups cornmeal MIX
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, well-beaten
buttermilk (enough to make a good batter)

Pour into cast iron cornstick pans that have been sprayed with Pam and pre-heated in a 425 oven. The batter should sizzle when you pour it into the pans. Bake until golden brown. Serve hot. I like to crumble a cornstick or two into my hoppin’ john.

Sweet Iced Tea

4 family-size tea bags
1 gallon distilled water (You don’t HAVE to use distilled water, but that’s what I always use).
1 cup Splenda

Put the tea bags in a 4-cup measuring cup, fill with some of the water and microwave on high for about 6 minutes. Let it sit (steep) for about 5 minutes. Pour into a pitcher and add the remaining water to make one gallon. Add the Splenda and stir. DELICIOUS and refreshing!

The blackeyed peas in the Hoppin’ John symbolize coins - a sign of prosperity for the new year. May there be lots of that in 2009. The turkey sausage symbolizes my American heritage - the wild turkeys from the first Thanksgiving. For me, it also reminds me of the land where RT and I live - dozens of wild turkeys reside here. The tomatoes and jalopenas symbolize good taste and spiciness. May I never grow too old to be spicy.

The leaves of lettuce in the salad are a symbol of folding money - currency. Again, may there be lots of that in 2009. The tomatoes remind me of the fruits of summer, the carrots for year-round bounty, and the cheese for the perfection of aging (I wish!).

The corn in the cornsticks is another symbol of my American heritage. Enough corn for good health (and we want to eat LOTS of corn this year!), enough oil to smooth out the rough places in life, an egg to remind me of the newness of life, and the buttermilk to remind me that the sour places in life make the good places all the more sweet. Baking the cornsticks in cast-iron pans reminds me of what the American pioneers used in their travels cross country to explore new lands.

The iced tea is symbolic of my Southern roots. Sweet iced tea is pure Southern! The Splenda makes it something I can drink without worrying about calories. RT and I go through a gallon of this tea about every two or three days. I make several gallons every single week. I have to admit that I almost always used decaf tea so I can drink it in the evenings without worrying about it affecting my sleep.

There you have it! A New Year’s day feast with some traditional and some Carol-grown symbolism attached.

This is a delicious cake - one of my all-time favorites. I am quite proud that I only ate the equivalent of one slice over the Thanksgiving holidays. I had a “sliver” (i.e. half a slice) immediately after Thanksgiving dinner. Then later that evening had another sliver. RT’s mother asked about wrapping up some for me to take home today, but I declined. So YEA for my willpower. The lemon filling is what makes this so delicious. Here’s the recipe.

Coconut-Lemon Cake

Coconut-Lemon Cake

Direction for the Cake
1 Duncan Hines Butter Recipe yellow cake mix
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix the cake according to the directions on the box. Add the sour cream to the batter and mix well. Divide the batter evening between three cake pans. Bake according to the box directions.

Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
3 egg yolks lightly beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons of butter

Combine sugar and cornstarch in double boiler, stir in boiling water stirring until sugar and cornstarch dissolve , then gradually stir in beaten egg yolks stirring constantly, stir in lemon juice and zest and butter and cook til thickened. remove from heat cool stirring occasionally. When cool put between layers and on top of cake.

Coconut Frosting
1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut (divided)

In a mixing bowl, combine the Cool Whip, powdered sugar, sour cream and 1 cup of the coconut.
Cover the cake with the coconut frosting on sides and top of cake leaving small amount of lemon filling showing on top of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on the sides and top of the cake.

My niece, Molly, made buckeye candy that was a hit with the peanut butter lovers in the family. Molly says this recipe is child-friendly. Her 8-year old daughter helped her make these. Except for melting the chocolate, there is no other cooking involved.

Molly’s Buckeyes

Molly’s Buckeyes
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter (softened)
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 bag wilton cocoa candy morsels

Mix the peanut butter and butter in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for one hour.

Melt the cocoa candy morself in a Wilton melting pot or in a double boiler.

Dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate using a toothpick. Leave a small portion of the center uncovered. Place the dipped balls onto waxed paper. Let sit until the chocolate is firm.

My niece, Molly, made this delicious salad for today’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was very tasty, and I plan on making it myself for our family Christmas get-together next month. Here’s the recipe:

Fluffy Cranberry Congealed Salad

Fluffy Cranberry Congealed Salad
1 6-oz. pkg. strawverry jello
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 16-oz can whole cranberry sauce
1 14-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 small tub Cool Whip

In a large bowl dissolve the jello in the hot water. Mix the cranberry sauce and the pineapple into the jello mixture. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart glass dish. Refrigerate until the jello is firm. Put the jello into a large bowl and stir until it is mixed well. Stir in the pecans and marshallows. In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and Cool Whip. Then combine the two mixtures and stir until fluffy. Spoon into a decorate bowl and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Here’s a great recipe for delicious meatloaf - and it’s enough to make three meals. One to enjoy now, and two to freeze for later.

Carol’s Meat Loaf

Carol’s Meatloaf
3 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I use no more than 4% fat)
1 large onion, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced peppers (any combination of red, yellow and green peppers)
3 tablespoons finely diced parsley
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 eggs
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
bread crumbs (approximately 3 cups - I save hamburger buns, rolls and the heels from loaves of bread in the freezer - and then take them out to use when I make meatloaf. If you use commercially prepared bread crumbs, use less since commercial crumbs are so fine. I prefer larger pieces of bread crumbs in my meatloaf.)

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Diced vegetables ready to be mixed with the other ingredients

Mix well - using your hands. (I always put gloves on for this step).

Put those hands to work! Using a spoon just doesn’t work as well!

Form the mixture into three meatloaves. To bake, cook for each loaf for approximately 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

This recipe makes three meatloaves. Each loaf will provide 4 generous servings.

If you’re freezing the loaves, wrap them in aluminum foil and mark with the date. I keep a Sharpie in a kitchen drawer for this purpose.

I always make a tomato sauce to go with my meatloaf. Here is the recipe that I use.

Tomato Sauce for Meatloaf

1 large can petite diced tomotoes
1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
salt/pepper to taste
1 small can tomato sauce

Mix all ingredients well. Bring to a boil in a small saucepans. Simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon over meatloaf before serving.

It cold and rainy here in middle Tennessee. I’m recovering from some type of respiratory ailment, and RT is only a couple weeks away from his battle with a more aggressive respiratory bug. Last weekend I made chili. This weekend is made for a big pot of chicken soup. Following my new resolution, I will photograph as I go. However, as I was chopping the onions, peppers and celery, I figured I might as well make meatloaf at the same time - since I’d bought several packages of lean ground beef yesterday for that specific purpose. Chopping the vegetables is the most labor-intensive part of cooking these dishes. By the time I’m finished, I’ll have at least five meals in the freezer for later on, in addition to tonight’s soup and tomorrow’s mealoaf. The recipe for the meatloaf will follow this post.

Homemade Chicken Soup

Carol’s Homemade Chicken Soup

1 pkg chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, approx. 1 lb.)
1 pkg. chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, approx. 1 lb.)
salt, pepper, poultlry seasoning - to taste
1 large onion, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced bell peppers (any comibination of red, yellow, green)
2 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, grated or diced
3 tablespoons diced parsley
3 tablespoons corn starch
a few drops of yellow food coloring

Put two quarts of water in a large stock pot and set on high heat. Add the diced onion, bell peppers, celery, carrots and parsley. Add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, to taste (approx. 1 Tablespoon each).

Add the chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Add chicken to the pot of boiling veggies

Remove the chicken with tongs and place on a plate to cool. Once the chicken is cool, chop it finely and add it back into the pot.

In a small bowl mix the corn starch with 1/2 cup water. Stir until dissolved and add to the soup mixture. Add the yellow food coloring and stir well. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Simmer for 30 minutes and ENJOY!

If the soup is too thick, you can add chicken stock. You can include other vegetables, as desired - corn, beans, peas, tomatoes. You can also add some noodles or rice.

I made this Sunday evening, and we’re still eating leftovers. It’s great! This is my own recipe, but it’s pretty standard. It takes only about 15 minutes to get the dish going with the majority of those fifteen minutes being spent on dicing the onion and pappers. Otherwise, there’s very little work involved, and RT swears it’s the best chili he’s ever tasted. He’s pre-diabetic, too, and his blood sugar doesn’t elevate at all after eating this. It’s a great Weight Watchers meal, too.

Carol’s Easy Homemade Chili
1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (any combination of green, yellow, red)
4 cans diced tomatoes (Less is okay - I just happen to love tomatoes - as you can tell by the photo above)
3 cans navy beans (or kidney beans - I just prefer the milder navy beans)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chili powder (more or less, to taste)
A little grated cheese to sprinkle on top of each serving (optional)

Place the olive oil into a large saucepan, add the ground beef and brown it. Add the diced onions and peppers. Cook until onions and peppers are cooked through. Drain the beans and rinse. (You don’t HAVE to drain the beans but I think the chili is better if you do.) Dump the diced tomatoes and beans into the pot and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper and chili powder. You can add a little water at a time to get the right consistency. Simmer for about and hour, and it’s ready to eat. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for later. I generally put some in small containers to take to work for easy lunches.

By the way, these ingredient amounts are not written in stone. I’ve used more or less of each ingredient, and it still works out well. So don’t worry about getting exact amounts. If you really like tomato-y chily, add an extra can of tomatoes. If you don’t like tomatoes, then add tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes. You can use chopped chicken instead of ground beef. You can use black beans, kidney beans - any beans that you particularly enjoy.

My sister, Debi, gave me this recipe, and I just made a pot of this delicious chowder to take to church tomorrow to help feed the folks who are staying after church to pack boxes to send to our soldiers serving in combat zones overseas. We will probably pack 30-40 boxes, and then we’ll ship them out on Monday.

It has been a year or two since I made this, and I had forgotten how good it is. I had a bowl for dinner, and it is wonderful. I also made a pot of chili, but I’ve posted my recipe for chili before.

Here’s the recipe for Chicken Cheese Corn Chowder

Chicken Cheese Corn Chowder

1 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 17-ounce can creamed corn
3 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta
8 ounces Colby-Jack or cheddar cheese
salt/pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash seasoning to taste
Chopped parsley (optional - I add this because it makes it look so nice to have the bits of green in it)

In a soup pot, cook the onion in butter until transparent. Add chicken brother, chicken, potatoes, salt, pepper Mrs. Dash. Simmer until the meat and potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Add corn, ilk and cheese until the cheese is melted and blended.