Thursday, October 24, 2013

Mamaw's Potato Soup with Egg Dumplings for Cold Weather

It's that time of year again. I was so grateful to see all the kids with their legs covered up this morning. Summer is long. I get tired of looking at their knobby knees! (I'm not being mean -- I'll say the opposite in March.)

It seemed like the perfect day to post Mamaw's Potato Soup Recipe.  I grew up on this soup and it is still my go-to comfort food.  A word of warning, this is the over-large family version. You may need to scale it down for your family, or just eat it two days in a row. When you refrigerate it, it appears to turn into mashed potatos, just add milk and water in equal amounts when reheating to re-liquify it. (No picture, sorry. We are always too excited to get to the eating!)

Mamaw's Potato Soup with Egg Dumplings 

5# Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" pieces (rough cut) (I like white or russet for this)
3 large stalks celery, cleaned and chopped.
1 Tablespoon butter
Water,
Salt,
Milk (lots - probably about 4 cups)
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
1 to 1-1/2 cups flour

Cook the celery in the butter in a saute pan. Just cover the potatoes with salted water and bring to boil. Add the celery to this. Once they boil, reduce heat to simmer and let cook 10 minutes. Test with a fork to see if they are almost done.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a fork and slowly add the flour until it is a thick batter. 1-1/4 cups of flour should be about right. Add about a tsp. of salt to the mix. These are your egg dumplings.

When the potatoes are nearly done, drop the dumplings on top of the potatoes and replace the lid on the pot. Simmer 15 minutes. Test dumplings to make sure they are done; they should be dry inside.

By now your water should be down to less than half the level of potatoes. Slowly add milk until it is up to the level of the potaotes; heat this until bubbly. When the milk is hot, add the cheese and turn off the heat. Slowly stir the cheese in.

Enjoy!

Variations:
Add cooked, crumbled bacon to the top
Include two peeled chopped carrots with the potatoes
Add a chopped onion to the celery (we're allergic)
Top with chives or green onions

This is also a very good potato soup recipe made with a really special cheese, Cougar Gold.


Monday, October 14, 2013

Menu Plan Monday! Woot, woot!

I'm joining Org Junkie in her Menu Plan Monday link-up. Our Texas weather is still saying, "summer", but Mama is lighting the oven anyway, ready for fall food!

Monday Lunch Bento boxes: Ginger pork medallions (this recipe sans the asparagus), cooked carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach knobs with sesame sauce, white rice. (The ginger-teriyaki sauce for the pork is amazing).

Monday Dinner: Mamaw's Hamburger Pie, with green salad

Tuesday Lunch: Snack Plate (cheese cubes, crackers, ham roll ups, raw veggies, strawberries)
Tuesday Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, "fat" couscous, Cucumber Raita

Wednesday Lunch: Leftovers!
Wednesday Dinner: (Irish Night) Homemade Sausage, Colcannon, Homemade Applesauce (all three simple recipes found here)

Thursday Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit, grape tomatoes, baby carrots
Thursday Dinner: Regular spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Friday Lunch: School lunch day
Friday Dinner: Shrimp Salad, Cornbread Muffins

Saturday Dinner: Calorie-Wise Cheese Enchiladas, shredded lettuce, non-fat refried beans

Sunday Dinner:  Marie's Spaghetti Pie, green beans, fresh fruit. (Okay, this is not a low-cal or heart-healthy dish so plan your week with this amazing meal in mind. This dish is worth it!)

Have a wonderful week.


Friday, October 4, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday

I'm joining Jennifer Fulwiler in her "Seven Quick Takes" today. I waved at her Sunday when we made a rare foray to 11:30 Mass and it reminded me I wanted to do this!

1. Pepper had a birthday. The worst mom ever is just now posting it. She's 17!  Where did the time go? No, seriously -- it has gone by so quickly. In typical Pepper fashion she opted for a low-key family birthday with one friend over and next weekend she'll have a couple friends over for Vietnamese food. Here is a cute shot of her with her friend Nik.  Her chosen menu was Pad Thai and Asian Salad followed by an Italian dessert, Panne Cotta. Sunshine made her a cake but we forgot to take a pic. Of course.


2. Mamaw and Papa finally got here in their motor-home from Idaho. It's about a 2300 mile drive, y'all, a pretty serious commitment. We've been playing cards, reading with the Littles and generally soaking up the love. They got here just in time for Pepper's birthday. Hopefully we'll have them till December at least.

3.  I have been learning a lot about pigs. Someone gave me the book, The Good, Good Pig by Sy Montgomery. This is a great book. It's interesting and so well written. I'm not much of a pig-lover, or wasn't, but this is just plain good reading. It's also a very good example of a memoir for all you organized people

4. Sunshine had her first day of school. The nice thing about homeschooling is that it is so laid back, you don't necessarily even get around to taking your first day of school pictures for a month. You will still have to wait a couple days because she refused to get dressed today. She is doing very well keeping up with her schoolwork and showing a lot of responsibility. I have it so easy in the homeschooling department.

5. Soapberries. You know I am a secret hippie. I have been shampoo-less for almost 2 years - wait, 3?  And my homemade body butter is working out great. Now I am thinking about experimenting with soapberries. I plan to hunt some up this weekend and give them a try. You can buy them but I am planning to find them wild around here!  Wish me luck!

6. My meal team is planing an All Saints Day surprise for the parish teens (340+).  I need some software to make saint icons for cupcakes but I want it cartoony. Any suggestions? These are my favorites but not affordable given the variety I'm hoping for. I think I may bite the bullet and buy two sets of Happy Saints and then share them with my friends so I don't feel so guilty! Just let me know if you want to borrow them.

7. I'm tired. I think several (or all) of us have a latent little virus that makes us tired and stupid. The boys are both running fevers so got a day off from school. We all look like we haven't slept in days. This too shall pass! I'm planning 6 hours of work followed by an early bedtime and sleeping in for everyone tomorrow. Yay Saturday.