January 9th through January 12th

01/12/10:
I made another one of my personal favorites tonight, vegetable soup.

2-2 1/2 lbs. of a beef roast, cooked and cut in bite size peices
1 lg. can vegetable juice
3-4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into large bite size pieces
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced or half bag of baby carrots
1 med. onion, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 can green beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. frozen peas
half head of cabbage (I hate cabbage so I don't add it)

I usually will cook my meat in a crock pot the day before and then shred into large bite size chunks.

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook at a low boil until potatoes and carrots are soft. Simmer until ready to serve.

01/11/10:
I went easy tonight and fried up some pork chops and made a mushroom gravy and served with stuffing and peas.

01/10/10:
I made chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes tonight which is one of my favorite meals.

I cook 1 young fryer chicken in enough water to cover and add 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, 1/2 an onion, 1 stick butter and kosher salt and pepper. After cooking, run through a colander with a bowl underneath to save the broth. Remove vegetables. Let chicken cool before handling.

After it's cooled remove all meat from bones and discard. Depending on the size of the chicken, I'll usually save some for another meal. Return chicken to pan along with about 4 cups of the broth. Add 1 can of (Campbell's) Cream of Chicken soup and some wide egg noodles (approx. 2 cups) I used to make my own noodles before I had kids and it's one of the things I'd like to start making again. If it seems a little dry, add more broth. I freeze the additional broth in 1 cup portions.

Simmer for about an hour before serving. I've learned that this is one dish that tastes better the next day.
01/09/10:
I made biscuits and sausage gravy and fried potatoes tonight. It's one of the few foods that everyone eats without complaint. I will usually make this when I have milk that's about to expire.

1/2 roll mild sausage (I fry up it all and use half for another dish)
couple tablespoons of flour (I do half flour and half Kentucky Kernel's seasoned flour)
couple tablespoons of vegetable oil
enough milk to reach desired consistancy (usually around 1/2 gallon for me at room temp)
about 5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and either sliced or cubed (to save cooking time on the potatoes, I will usually cook them on the potato setting in the microwave before peeling)
salt & pepper to taste

Fry up the sausage. I usually make mine a little crispy so that it gives some color to the gravy and gives it a deeper flavor. After it is fully brown, divide and set half aside. I then add a little bit of vegetable oil if there isn't much fat from the sausage. Add in enough flour until all oil is absorbed and then start adding milk. I was taught to remove the sausage before starting the gravy, but after many tries, I've found that adding the flour to the sausage makes it better.

Let the gravy reach a soft boil and then reduce heat and make sure you're stirring often. Meanwhile, I've got my potatoes frying in a bit of vegetable oil until browned. We like ours a little crunchy.

I will use the left over sausage for either breakfast or lunch the next day. I will combine it with 3 or 4 cooked scrambled eggs, the leftover potatoes and cheese and heat through.