March 14 2019

Karen’s Veggie Soup Recipe

I created this recipe many years ago because I wanted to see if I could make a really good tasting vegetable soup that even my kids would eat. This is quick

and easy to make and Hubby says it is the best veggie soup he has ever eaten. I think that is due for the most part to my secret ingredient, beef bouillon cubes. Don’t tell, now, but this is my secret to making things taste “beefy”. In this case, it takes some of the “bite” out of the tomato and makes the vegetables go down easier. It also gives it a beefy taste without breaking your meat budget if that is a concern, just put less meat in. I used to use round steak for all things that others would use stew beef for because it was usually leaner and if found on sale, cheaper. Now it is much more difficult to find the round steak in the meat case at our local groceries, so I have had to resort to using stew beef myself. I usually cut the beef into much smaller chunks so you get some meat in almost every bite.

Vegetable Soup

2 (46 oz) Bottles or cans of Tomato Juice
1½ – 2 lb Beef Round Steak (or stew beef) cut into bite-sized pieces (all visible fat removed)
4 (15 oz) cans Mixed Vegetables
1 (12 oz) box Alphabet pasta (optional)
8 Beef Bouillon Cubes

Brown meat over medium or high heat until no longer pink. Drain off any fat. Pour in tomato juice. Add bouillon cubes. Pour in mixed vegetables and any liquid from the cans. Bring to a boil. Pour in pasta. Continue to cook over medium heat for at least 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn’t stick. Can be simmered until you are ready to serve it. Serve with bread and butter.

All ingredients may be generic; the taste will still be great. Makes a big stockpot full, so plan on a big crowd or leftovers. Also just as good without the pasta letters, but the kids love them. Any small pasta is fine, but the letters are just more fun. (A Karen Beidelman Original Recipe)

This is before it starts cooking.

This is what it looks like when it is ready to eat. Didn’t have the pasta so I left it out this time, which also saves calories. The pasta started out as a way to stretch it and make it more filling while getting the kids to eat it, and it became a normal part of the recipe after that.

If you want to stretch it, add more veggies or tomato juice or both. You can make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat, it all depends on what you like and who you are feeding. Refrigerate any leftovers in a tightly closed container.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you.

Category: Money Saving, Recipes | Comments Off on Karen’s Veggie Soup Recipe
February 28 2019

Review: Imperfect Produce

We are subscribed to get a Mixed Fruit & Veggie Small Box every other week from Imperfect Produce. It came highly recommended by my friend Jayme. I decided to at least give it a try because the first week would be really cheap because I would get $10 off my first order. I knew it would also give my friend a $10 credit for referring me, so it was a no-brainer.

Here is what the website looks like when I log in. It is so cute! The site is easy to use and navigate, so keep reading to see the awesome photos of my first three orders.

Our first delivery 1/18/2019 Total Cost: $8.09 (included the $10 off 1st order deal)

Second Delivery 2/1/2019 Total Cost: $15.99

Third Delivery 2/15/2019 Total Cost: $19.37

Note this is the blurb and my referral link:

“Hey, check out Imperfect! They have amazing produce, delivered to your door. Here’s $10 to shop and create your imperfect box. You can thank me later 🙂”  

If you think getting produce delivered might be right for your household, please consider using my link to start your subscription. You can customize, pause to stop your subscription at any time.

We decided to save on shipping costs by getting it delivered only every other week for now. So far we have used everything from our deliveries. The only imperfections we have noticed have been either very small or very large sized produce as compared to what we are used to seeing in the stores. The 2nd order had 6 mandarins and they were a good size, but the 3rd order when we got them again came with 6 mandarins that were smaller than the tiniest cuties we have ever seen. The apples are very tiny also, but really good. This is a great way to try new produce. They also have many recipes on the website to help you find ways to use the produce you order. In case you don’t want to be surprised by what is in your box, you can customize the order for a window of time the week before delivery. We tinkered a bit with ours and I let Hubby help me decide what to opt out of and what to add in. The 3rd order, we opted for 3 pounds of sweet potatoes, and we got three huge individual sweet potatoes in our box. Some items are offered in both organic and regular versions for just a slight price increase.

I was poking around on the website after customizing my 3rd order and found several good looking recipes. Hubby was excited to try Butternut Squash Brownies so I printed it out and even though we didn’t get the butternut squash from Imperfect Produce, we did try this recipe and the brownies are truly amazing! I got my super picky sister to try them (she still doesn’t know what was in them) and she thought they were too chocolatey (like that is even possible!), hubby said the same thing. I loved them but wouldn’t have wanted to take the time and make the effort to make them myself. The squash we bought had enough to make three plus batches of this recipe. Think of the veggies you could sneak into your family while reinstating dessert in their lives!

I feel like the box is worth getting because the produce is fresher than what we find in the grocery stores. I have included screenshots of the order summaries in this post in an effort to show you what it is really like to use this service. I would imagine prices would be different depending on where you live, we are in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Have you tried a subscription food delivery service? Which one and what did you think? Are there others you would like to have us test for you?

Category: Recipes, Review | Comments Off on Review: Imperfect Produce
February 14 2019

Recipe: Creole Steak

I really must apologize for the bad photo below, but this was the only photo I could find of this delicious family favorite.

I’m not responsible for the name of this recipe, this is what it has always been called for as long as I can remember, just try it, you’ll like it.

I record these recipes here because I know many people who don’t cook or don’t think they can cook or don’t know what to cook, but want to make delicious meals for themselves and those they love. I have been sharing some of the family favorites here because in my opinion, if you can read a recipe you can follow it and cook a decent meal. These recipes are tried and true. This one has been through a few alterations. When my mom married the first time, this was one of her mother-in-law’s recipes. That marriage only last about three years, but the recipe has been handed down in our family anyway for many years. I have never met anyone else who makes this or had anything like it, so I think it needs to be shared. It isn’t difficult to make.

Creole Steak
1½ – 2 lb. Beef Round Steak cut into bite-sized pieces (can also use stew beef)
¼  Cup Flour
1 cup each green pepper and onion (fresh diced or dried flakes)
4 (15  oz.) cans Tomato Sauce
5 (15  oz.) cans Peas

Trim fat from meat.  Tenderize with meat hammer if you like before cutting it up.  Brown meat pieces in a large stockpot.  Add flour and stir until all meat is coated.  Pour in tomato sauce, and use the liquid from the peas to rinse tomato sauce cans, then pour into the pot as well.  Set peas aside to add just before serving.  Stir.  Add green pepper and onion if desired.  Stir.  Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.  While this is cooking, I make my rice in a separate pot.  When the rice is ready, add the peas to the big pot and stir.  Serve over the rice or just dump the cooked rice in and give it a stir.

(Eva Lauerman’s adaptation of her former Mother-in-Law, Mrs. Parrish’s recipe)

Note, if I can ever find the original recipe I will add it in here, but I had no luck when I searched for it.

Category: Recipes | Comments Off on Recipe: Creole Steak
January 10 2019

Recipe: Spinach & Tortellini Soup

As I work on this post, it is a brisk 22 degrees outside, so soup wins for the recipe to share. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law who clipped it from the newspaper. Unfortunately, I have no idea what newspaper or when but I do have a scan of the original if that makes you feel better. This is a great soup because it combines the indulgence of pasta with the healthy stuff like spinach, so it tastes good and you can stop feeling guilty because you ate spinach.

I usually buy cheese or sometimes chicken tortellini and I often use chicken broth I have “made” myself by boiling chicken breasts with the skin and fat removed before cooking. I then cut the cooked chicken and freeze it in 2 cup portions to make things like chicken salad with, but that is a recipe for another day. I have also been known to but the Fit & Active brand of fat-free chicken broth from Aldi and that works great too.

Extra spinach is not a problem, throw it in. Fresh spinach works great too, though I’m not sure how much you would use to replace the frozen spinach since the texture is so different. I also confess that I usually skip the egg and the parmesan cheese at the end, especially if I’m using cheese tortellini, because to be honest, the cheese sticks to the silverware and that is more trouble than I am willing to deal with. This is a very forgiving recipe, as long as you don’t go too far astray, it will turn out delicious.

If you try it out, I’d love to hear how it went over with you and anyone you deemed worthy of sharing home cooking with. I have to admit when my mother-in-law first mentioned this recipe, I was doubtful, but for some reason, I eventually tried it and it has been a hit in our house since then.

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach                  1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes

2 cans (14½ oz each) Fat-free chicken broth        1 tsp. Sugar (granulated)

1 medium onion (or ¾ cup chopped)                   1 pkg (9-10 oz) tortellini

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic                                   ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups water

Remove the spinach from pkg and place on microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 5 minutes to defrost.

Meanwhile, heat the oil on medium in a 4½-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Peel and finely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Add the garlic, and stir and cook for 1 minute or until the onion is tender. Add the water and broth. Raise the heat to high and bring the pot to boil.

Drain the spinach well, squeezing out the excess water. Add it to the pot. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the sugar. Stir to mix well.

Add the tortellini and bring the pot back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, maintaining a slow boil, and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a 1-cup or larger glass measure, combine the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and egg. Stir vigorously with a fork or small whisk.

When the soup has cooked for 5 minutes, slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the pot, stirring constantly. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon into shallow soup bowls and serve immediately.

Notes: If you can’t find seasoned chicken broth, plain chicken broth is fine. Any kind of tortellini is wonderful in this soup. Makes 4 generous servings.

 

Category: Recipes | Comments Off on Recipe: Spinach & Tortellini Soup
December 13 2018

Recipe: Macaroni & Hotdog Casserole

Macaroni & Hotdog Casserole

In our family, this recipe is called trash. Yes, that’s right trash. Not because it is bad, but because it isn’t. You see, my mother-in-law used to run a daycare from her home, which just happens to be the hose we currently live in. She was old school. She cooked from scratch and did so on occasion even for the daycare kids. One day the kids asked Mrs. Beidelman what they were having for lunch. Feeling ornery or overwhelmed or just playful perhaps, she told them she was serving trash for lunch. After they saw it and tasted it, they asked if they could have trash again the next day. This is how the meal became known as trash in our family. The rest of the world might choose to call it Mac and Cheese or some other traditional type name, but not our family. We eat trash, and by golly, we love it!

Macaroni & Hotdog Casserole (TRASH)
3 cups elbow macaroni
½ lb. Kraft NY State extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ lb. thinly sliced hotdogs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. Butter (1/2 stick)
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk (I use skim milk, but whole or 2% would work too)
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. Salt (I never use salt when cooking)

Topping:
½ cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. margarine

Cook macaroni as directed on package. Melt butter, add flour, slowly add milk, and cook until thickened. Add Parmesan and cheddar cheeses (slice the cheddar) and cook until melted. Pour over noodles and hotdogs in a large casserole dish. Add topping. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.
(A Jackie Beidelman Original Recipe)

My family always doubles this recipe and we make it in a 9 x 13 metal cake pan.

I also cheat on the topping and often just sprinkle liberally with bread crumbs, seasoned works fine if you have them, plain if not. You can make it p ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator overnight if you want, but if it is cold you will need longer to cook it.

It works great as leftovers, I usually sprinkle some milk on top to make sure it doesn’t dry out while reheating.

Category: Family, Recipes | Comments Off on Recipe: Macaroni & Hotdog Casserole