December Recipes – Chill Chasers

It’s not even winter and we’ve had massive snow storms and freezing temperatures. I’m stocking my cabinets with items for quick and delicious meals. I’ll be posting some hearty soup and stew recipes this month. I’ll add something to this article as much as possible, so check in once a week for new recipes.

I made this for dinner tonight. I had all the ingredients in the pantry. We had a whole roasted chicken yesterday, and I removed the leftover chicken and diced it.

Chicken Corn Soup

6 cups  canned chicken stock

2 cups chopped potatoes

2 cups frozen corn

2 cups diced, cooked chicken

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

In a large pot, add chicken stock , bring to boil. Add potatoes, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender. Add corn and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken, marjoram and parsley, add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the soup is bubbly, cover and remove from heat.

I always keep Bisquick,  block cheddar cheese, margarine and milk handy for cooking.

I made these quick and easy drop biscuits to go with the soup. Preheat the oven to 400, and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

Sage and Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick mix

4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

About 3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons finely minced dried or fresh sage leaves

In a medium bowl, combine the Bisquick, melted butter, cheese, milk and sage. Stir until well blended. Fill muffin cups 1/2 full of biscuit mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

While I was doing the baking and the soup was simmering, I made some peach jam. I got the peaches at the Farmers Market. Really ripe too. I peeled them, and diced them in small chunks, placed them in a sauce pan, added about a teaspoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Over low heat, I cooked the peaches until they were soft. I mashed them with a fork, let them cool, and put them in a glass bowl which I placed in the fridge.

We’re having omelets tomorrow night for dinner and English muffins. The peach jam will go on those muffins.

More recipes later on.

I was out shopping today, the ground beef was on sale, so I bought 3 pounds. Extra lean ground beef that is. I also bought some Italian bread crumbs, Lipton onion soup mix, grape jelly and ketchup. I also bought ziti noodles, 2 jars of Ragu sauce, 2 onions, and some sub rolls. I’ll get quite a few meals from the ground beef. Tonight after dinner, I’ll add the ground beef, soup mix and bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl, add about 3/4 cup of milk and mix well. Line a big cookie sheet with foil, and preheat the oven to 375. I’ll pat/roll out dozens of meatballs a little bigger than a quarter. The cookie sheet will be full. I know this sounds like a lot of meatballs, and it is. I’ll bake them at 375 for about 15 minutes. I’ll remove them from the cookie sheet and let them cool on a tray.

I’ll have ready to fill freezer bags [ quart size ] and in each bag I’ll add a dozen meatballs. These I will label/date and place in the freezer. When I’m in a hurry or have had a busy day, I’ll pull out a bag and thaw it in the fridge. I’ll use some of the meatballs in a Ragu sauce and serve it over cooked ziti noodles. Some of the meatballs will go in some Ragu sauce for meatball subs. I’ll stir-fry those onions and a little green pepper add them to the bubbling sauce. Quick and delicious subs on a cold and busy evening

This soup is hearty enough  for dinner, and all you’ll need is a slice of French bread or a corn muffin to go with it.

Bow-Tie, Bean and Meatball Soup

1 medium onion, minced

1 cup of sliced zucchini

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cans diced Italian tomatoes

4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

1 can of white beans, great northern, etc, drained and rinsed

12 to 15 thawed meatballs

1 cup of cooked farfalle pasta [ bow-ties ]

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook onions and zucchini in oil for 3 minutes. Stir in next 3 ingredients, reduce heat, and simmer. Stir in meatballs and the pasta. Cook 5 minutes longer, remove from heat, stir in some fresh or dried basil, and serve the soup piping hot.

Holiday Tea

2 cups of loose, black tea. Lipton sells black tea in a box. Look for it along side the Lipton tea bags in the grocery store. In a large bowl, add 2 cups black tea, 2 tablespoons dried orange peel, 2 small cinnamon sticks cut in small pieces, 2 whole nutmeg, 5 whole cloves, and one cup of either dried lemon balm, lemon basil, or peppermint. Mix all ingredients well. Place the tea in glass jars or tins with lids, and let it age for one week, Use 1 heaping tablespoon per cup, tea ball or infuser. Steep 3 minutes and enjoy. Lemon balm is soothing, peppermint helps to calm a rumbly tummy, and lemon basil will help curb your appetite. Make a batch of each of these herbal teas and give them as gifts or keep them for when guests drop in during the holidays.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

2 pounds of beef stew meat, or you can use 2 pounds of rump roast, or chuck roast, cut in cubes.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley

1 large onion, chopped

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 large carrots, peeled and cubed

1 -16 ounce can of beef broth

Place the meat in a large crock pot. In a small bowl add the flour, salt, and pepper; sprinkle evenly over meat. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Makes six servings.

Eggnog Scones

2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup eggnog

1/2 golden raisins

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with a little flour. Combine flour and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Pour in the eggnog and gently stir with a spoon until well blended. Fold in the raisins. Dough will be sticky. Spoon  dough onto parchment. Pat into a 10-inch round. Sprinkle with a little sugar if you wish. Spray a serrated knife with cooking spray and score dough into 8 wedges. Bake 20 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 8 wedges. Serves 4 to 8.

Blessed be, sweet ones.

~ Meadow Walker

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