Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil

Hello one & all...been canning up a storm with my "barely noticeable" free time and have a nicely stocked pantry in the basement. Will share the totals at the end of the season. (For my own personal satisfaction, if nothing else!) But for now I am still finishing up and have found myself with a few handfuls of tomatoes straggling in every few days. Not enough to can and I have 5 or so bags put up in the already full freezer. So hubby suggested this soup that I made a few years back and it brought to mind how much we enjoyed it. I will be slipping it into the menu this seek and thought I would share.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil

2 cups of cut-up fresh tomatoes, seeded and skinned
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 chopped onion
2 tsp brown sugar

Simmer, covered about 15 minutes. Cool till a manageable temp. and puree in a blender. Simmer again till needed.

Prepare 4 cups white sauce:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp basil, dried or 1 T fresh
1 tsp salt
4 cups milk (dried, reconstituted works fine my notes say...apparently I was short of milk at some point when I made this!)

Gradually add the puree into the white sauce, stirring constantly. Garnish with sour cream if desired.

Make and enjoy! Blessings, Eve

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Hello one & all...been canning up a storm and this little goodie is on the schedule for this week so I thought that I would share! This recipe is wonderful for pies, crisp and other recipes. I make a pork, stuffing apple casserole that is all the better for a jar of these apples from the basement. My hubby likes it with smoked polish sausage as a breakfast side through the fall and winter. (Plus the added benefit of no corn syrup like the store canned version...another one of my "things!")

Canned Apple Pie Filling

4 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
10 cups water
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cook first 5 ingredients until thick and bubbly. Place cold apples in clean, hot jars.

Pour hot syrup over apples, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Seal and process 20 minutes in a hot water canner. This syrup makes enough for about 9 quarts of apples.

Make and Enjoy! Blessings, Eve

Gotta Have a Plan

Hello one & all...been doing a lot of thinking (and let's face it, talking!) about menu planning. Cannot stress enough how much money, time and stress using a menu plan will save you. Different schools of thought on how to best approach a week or month of menus. I have always "shopped" from my freezer for protein and then added on from the store. I have a friend who is coming up with four weeks worth of menus based on her food budget and she plans to rotate these menus each month. (Variations will come based on sale items. For example: turkey breast on sale? Swap for a chicken recipe that week...or for several weeks if you stock up!) I am toying with combining the two. Wouldn't it be grand to simply shop from a master list that has been coupled with a weeks worth of menus? To know that your family enjoys them all and that you can purchase all items at one "discount store" and be done with it? Interested yet?



Not quite far enough in the planning stages to share yet, but I will when the time is right. I do have two weeks of menus for you, though. May give you some ideas...may not.



M- grilled Venison Tenderloin, zucchini sauteed with onions and Italian seasoning, cheesy rice and tomatoes, pickled red cabbage
T- Baked pork chops, stuffing, fried apples & onions, quartered new potatoes (from our garden!) and Parmesan baked tomatoes
W-Sausage, rice and corn, tomato salad, 90 minutes rolls
TH-Spaghetti, garlic bread (one leftover hot dog rolls) and tomatoes with ranch dressing
F-Chuck wagon Chili (see search for recipe), cornbread muffins and apple slices
S-Turkey Breast (in the crock pot), Old fashioned corn pudding (see last post), mashed potatoes and gravy
S-Ramen noodles tossed with turkey and peas (Really! The kiddos love it and the hubby does not mind it...a real winner!)
M-Turkey Barley Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
T-Spanish Rice Enchiladas (this was a crock pot Spanish rice recipe gone bad! Worked great for the enchiladas though...will make it again on purpose...) canned corn
W-Rita's Sausage, Potatoes and Peppers (Search for recipe) and carrots from the garden
TH-Bacon Burgers, FF, baked beans and cucumbers and sour cream dressing
F-Tuna casserole with peas on the side
S-Grilled chicken 1/4's, parsley chunk potatoes, broccoli and cut up tomatoes with ranch
S-Venison roast in the crock pot with mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and applesauce

Blessings, Eve

Old-Fashioned Corn Pudding

Hello one & all...don't let the name throw you. This is absolutely delicious! Sweet, savory side that I served with a turkey breast dinner last night.

Old-Fashioned Corn Pudding

3 TBSP flour
1 cup sugar (will use 2/3 cup next time...a bit too sweet for me!)
2 eggs
15-1/4 oz. can corn
5-oz. can evaporated milk (I used skim milk with perfect results)

Whisk together flour and sugar. Whisk the 2 eggs, milk and sugar. Combine and add corn. Stir well. 2 quart casserole, uncovered. 1 hour at 350. This will easily double...next time I will probably double and decrease the sugar by about 1/3.) So good and very "fallish" (is that a word??)

Make and Enjoy! Blessings, Eve