Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : New Year's Day Black Eyed Pea Broccoli CheeseSoup

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.
Consider doing this one for New Year's Day. You might want to substitute cabbage for broccoli if you are from the south.

Black Eyed Pea Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients :

• 1 pound of ground beef, browned and drained
• 1 (12 ounce) can of black eyed peas, drained
• 1 cup of chopped onions
• 1 (12 ounce) can of creamed corn
• 1 cup of cornmeal
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 cup of cooking oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pound package of frozen or fresh broccoli ( or fresh green cabbage pieces)
• 2 cups of water

Directions :

1. In a medium to large pot, boil the broccoli in the two cups of water.
2. Then add one ingredient at a time starting with the ground beef down to the cheddar cheese on the ingredient list. Stir between ingredients.
3. Let everything simmer together for about thirty minutes before serving,

Serve with hot buttered cornbread.
I also like to eat fried okra with my black eyed peas. Try it!

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup
This is a simple, inexpensive soup to make. Adapt this recipe to personal preferences. Consider adding broccoli or sausage for variation. My dad made this one when I was little. Now that I'm the cook, I top iit with shredded cheese, chives and bacon bits. It's like a baked potato soup! You could even consider leaving the peelings on the cooked cubed potatoes.

Ingredients :

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 (14-ounce) can vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk, divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups milk

Cooking Instructions :

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add potatoes, carrots, onion, and vegetable or chicken broth. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat.
2. While vegetables are cooking, make cream sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter; add flour, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese and dill weed. Stir until cheese is melted. Set aside.
3. In a food processor or blender, in small batches, puree potato mixture with some of the milk. Pour blended potato mixture back into the soup pot. Add the cheese sauce, sour cream, remaining milk, salt, pepper, and chili pepper. Stir until thoroughly blended. Return to medium heat and heat until warm. Remove from heat and serve in soup bowls.

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Holiday Leftovers Soup

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Holiday Leftover Vegetable Beef Soup

Take a little of that roast, turkey, ham or chicken, whatever you have left over and almost every vegetable in the fridge and combine it with a few simple ingredients for a tantalizing hot soup to warm those cold bones on winter days yet to come.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs leftover cooked meat: beef, turkey, chicken, ham or sausage
• 64 ounces beef stock or beef broth or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• ketchup, to taste
• 2 cups of cooked green beans ( you can also use any vegetables you have on hand or in the fridge, be creative)
• 2 cups of cooked green peas
• 2 cups of cooked corn
• 2 cups of cooked carrots ( use the carrot sticks from the party trays, cook and chop into pieces)
• 2 cups of cooked diced potatoes
• cherry tomatoes and chopped green or bell pepper if desired (party tray leftovers)
• 1 (32 ounce) can of vegetable juice or tomato juice
• 1 packet of instant au jus or instant onion soup

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook onions, celery, and garlic in butter or oil until onions are golden.
2. Stir in the chopped cooked meat
3. Add the broth, vegetable juice and the Worcestershire, stirring to mix, and seasoning to taste with Italian seasoning and ketchup (how much you add will depend on how seasoned the meat and broth already are, so be careful here).
4. Once the soup base is set, add the vegetables one by one
5. Add the au jus or instant onion soup and additional water or beef broth if needed.
6. Let the soup simmer on the stove for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Cool, divide into cartons and containers and freeze until needed

Serve with hot buttered cornbread.
If you haven't added potatoes, this will freeze well. Potatoes become mushy when frozen.

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Easy Taco Soup

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Easy Taco Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 large family size can of ready to eat pinto beans
• 1 pound of ground turkey seasoned with taco or Mexican seasoning
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes & green chillis
• 2 cups of tomato juice
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 cup of taco seasoning
• 1 can of corn
• 2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Brown the ground turkey and onions together, drain any fat off
2. In a large 4 Qt soup pot, bring to a bowl the water and tomato juice
3. Reduce down to a simmer
4. Add the taco seasoning and blend well
5. Now add the beans, taco meat, onions, tomatoes, green chilies and corn. It's fine to dump everything into the pot.
6. Stir and keep warm until ready to serve.

* This soup can easily be dished up into individual serving or family size cartons and frozen until needed**
I love this with saltine crackers.

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Easy Bowtie Chicken Alfredo Soup

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Easy Cream of Chicken Alfredo Bow Tie Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. of canned or fresh cooked and de-boned chopped chicken breasts
• 1 15 oz. Classic Alfredo sauce
• 12 oz. box of bowtie pasta (cooked to package directions)
• 1 10oz can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup of milk
• Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper ( to taste)

Directions:

1. Start off by combining the condensed soup, milk and Alfredo sauce in a soup pot on the stove.
2. Stir well and heat until warm.
3. Add the cooked or canned chicken and the cooked bow tie noodles. Stir well again and keep warm.
4. Lastly, stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste

This makes about 4 servings depending on the size of the soup bowls

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Chicken and Dumplings

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Chicken & Dumplings

• 1 large can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 large can of chicken breast
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 6 cups of flour
• 1 cup of shortening
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1. Dumpling dough is made by combining the flour and baking powder first. Stir well.
2. Then cut in the shortening and keep mixing well with your hands.
3. Slowly add a little of the milk at a time until a rich dough is formed.
4. Flour a flat surface. Roll and flatten out dough into a large rectangle about a 1/4" thick
5. With a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/2" X 1/2" squares
6. Boil the 6 cups of chicken broth and after it starts to boil, slowly add the dumpling a little at a time.
7. Keep a constant watch on it and stir continuously. Do not let dumplings stick to sides or bottom of the pot. Continue to cook and stir dumplings for at least 10 minutes in the boiling broth.
8. Then stir in the cream of chicken soup, chicken and a little milk.
9. This is the crucial part. Turn off the heat and stir continuously for the next five minutes to avoid scorching of the cram and milk.
10. Let everything stand and thicken up for 15 minutes before serving.

This does not freeze well, but makes enough for about 14 servings.

Wonderful with cornbread.

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Mild Texas Chili

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Mild Texas Chili

• 4 pounds of ground beef, cooked & drained
• 1 can of tomato juice
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Large chopped and minced onion
• garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste
• Add a large can of pinto beans if desired

1. Combine all ingredients together.
2. Stir and simmer at least an hour

Again, makes a lot, freezes well

Winter Time Comfort Food Recipes : Easy Hamburger Stew

As the weather outside gets colder, my thoughts go to hot chocolate, hot soups, cornbread, chili and crackers.
Are you with me?
Here are some of my favorite winter time recipes.

Easy Hamburger Stew

• 3 pounds of ground beef, cooked and drained
• 6 cups of beef broth
• 3 cups of mixed vegetables frozen or canned
• 1/2 cup of worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper & garlic to taste

1. In a large soup pot, combine the 6 cups of beef broth with the 3 cups of vegetables and bring to rolling boil and cook and stir occasionally for 20 minutes.
2. Stir in cooked ground beef, worcestershire sauce, ketchup and sugar.
3. Now add seasoning as you like. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes before eating.

This makes a bunch and freezes well.

I Gave My Baby A Bumbo This Year

This has been an adventurous year for us. On January 17, 2011, we found out that God had blessed us with a baby for New Years, and although she wasn't due to arrive until the end of September, Miss Kaitlyn made her appearance into this world on August 16, 2011, about 6 weeks early. She's a little bitty thing but the joy she brings to our family is immeasurable!.

She'll only be 4 months this Christmas and she still can't hold herself up well or grasp a toy, but she loves to sit and watch everything. She enjoys talking to you, cooing, smiling and babbling. Her favorite toy? Me, of course!
So, what did I get my little bundle of smiles for Christmas this year?
I got her a Bumbo!

This little chair is so cool.
I first saw one in March. A friend of mine brought her Bumbo to an Easter Egg hunt/ church family picnic so her little 7 month old could sit up and watch everything.

It's a special seat designed for babies that can't yet hold themselves up in an upright, sitting position. This little booster seat is made of a lightweight foam material and special designed to hold a baby in a sitting position so he can sit up and see what's going on. It can be used for a baby as young as 3 months old as long as the baby can hold its head up by itself. It's recommended for babies 3 months to 14 months up to 22 pounds. 

Take it anywhere and everywhere. The Bumbo can be placed on any level surface to be used as a booster seat, feeding chair, and more. There are no straps or fasteners: it is designed to have baby's bottom slightly lower than the leg openings so that baby's weight is what actually holds them securely in the seat. The Bumbo can purchased by itself or with the tray attachment and it comes in a variety of colors.

The Bumbo chair is not cheap. The average cost of a brand new Bumbo is around $35. However, I ended up with two for $27. How?
Well, I first saw these chairs at  ToysRUs for $40 and thought, " Well, I can't afford that."
So, I started looking at my local Goodwill. I found one, but another lady beat me to it.
So, I began to shop  Ebay and I asked for one on Freecycle. I won one on Ebay for $27 the same day someone gave me one from Freecycle. So I sold the one I didn't need back on Ebay to cover the  $27 cost of the one I wanted to keep. So actually, I practically my purple Bumbo with tray for FREE!!!! YES!!!! 
Merry Christmas to me and Kaitlyn!