I made the cabbage soup on page 52. Instead of frankfurters, I used chicken and bacon. This is delicious and filling. Not expensive to make, and makes a lot. Thank goodness, because my husband ate 3 bowls right away.
This is an oversized, big cookbook with vintage photos. I see so many recipes in this book I am going to make because they are every day ingredients we usually have in our kitchen. I’m not seeing unusual ingredients that I have to go to a specialty store to find, and the dishes sound yummy. I’ll update my review with more photos when I do make the other recipes that are tempting me as I browse this large book.
I enjoy the look of vintage cookbooks and the ease of ingredients.
A neighbor gave us several jars of tomatoes from his garden last year (20 jars) I am finishing them up so I can hand them back to him; my husband goes over and helps him pick and can the tomatoes. Last night I made a tomato soup dish Jim’s grandmother taught me over 20 years ago, which takes brandy. So I’m using the bottle of Brandy she gave me. I wanted to show you the vintage bottle holder her husband made out of metal for her. I adore the look of this bottle holder – it sits proudly on top of my refrigerator.
Grilled Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas were made from a recipe I found in a Better Homes and Garden Ultimate Mexican 20011 magazine. (recipe in photos)
They are delicious!
Mammah’s Tomato Soup
2 jars of tomatoes (probably about 28 to 32 oz each)
½ cup broth (I have used vegetable – this time I used chicken)
3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp Brandy
½ – 2/3 cup heavy cream (taste it after ½ cup and decide)
(If you do not have cream, tear up 3 slices of bread, crusts removed. Add this with the sugar)
Drain tomatoes in colander set over bowl, press lightly to release juice. Pour tomato juice and chicken broth in large measuring cup (this should measure 4 1/2 cups) Set this to the side for later. Set tomatoes to the side.
Melt butter (I used a Dutch Oven) over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft. Add ¾ of the drained tomatoes, bay leaf, and brown sugar. Cook stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. If tomatoes brown before 15 minutes, move on to next step.
Add tomato paste and flour to pot and cook, stirring until paste begins to darken, about 1 or 2 minutes. Stir in reserved tomato juice broth mixture, the remaining tomatoes, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and Brandy; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. When soup has cooled a bit, puree soup in blender (I scooped out enough to fill blender ½ way, pureed, poured in the large measuring cup I had used previously; did this until I had it all pureed. Return the soup to the pot. Stir in cream.
I also made another small pan of the garlic butter, and added mushrooms and onions to have as sides for anyone who wanted those with their dish as well.
We had garlic biscuits with this.
My son is looking forward to the leftovers tonight when we go to bed, and he stays up playing video games (he is home from college)
I added parmesan cheese to the top instead of salsa; I put the salsa in a small dish on same plate for scooping on to the tortillas. The salsa I used had heat so I didn’t want to add more; let that be up to each personal taste. I also added cooked mushrooms and onions to the salsa mixture.
I had leftover chicken from another meal a few days before and I found this recipe; I will make again.
2009 Southern Living Complete Quick & Easy Recipes
Caste Iron Skillet Rotisserie chicken, broccoli, bacon, pasta shells, mozzarella Cheese – Rotisserie from Sams because they are delicious. I used 2% milk. Prepare the pasta per package instructions – this equaled about 2 1/2 to 3 cups, drain, and set aside (I used medium shell pasta) All of the next part was done in the same cast iron skillet. You can cook the bacon whole and then chop it, but I chop the bacon first, and then cook it, then scoop the bacon out and set aside in a dish – Leave the bacon fat in the skillet; stir fry the broccoli just to get that charred look – take the broccoli out of the pan, and set aside; (I put the broccoli in same dish as the cooked bacon pieces); add 1 tsp of garlic; (or more to your liking) add about 1/4 or 1/3 cup flour; (I just scooped it out with a large serving spoon – so that was about what it looked like); mixed that in the bacon drippings; add 2 1/2 cups of milk , start with 2 cups, because after 2 it looked like it needed a bit more; stirred all of this until it got thick; add 1 cup mozzarella (because I have a quantity of this from New Years charcuterie board ); stir until melted; add some kosher salt to your liking, add the chicken (about 3 1/2 to 4 cups – chopped or shredded); add the broccoli and the bacon bits – mix all together; top all of this with 1/2 to 1 cup of mozzarella. Put in oven under broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes until cheese turns brown; I add pepper to the top when I pulled it out of the oven
I made cheese tortellini with mushrooms and sausage, two days ago for the guys, after a long day of taking down a large tree on our property.
I made a lot, so there was plenty of leftover. I remembered this recipe I had made last year, and everyone had enjoyed it. There was a large pot of leftover, I just poured the whole bag of tortellini, as a what the heck moment.
I used this exact recipe with the leftovers, so this one had chicken and sausage, as well as mushrooms. I was out of half and half, so I added 1/3 cup of heavy cream to 2/3 cup of 2% milk.
This recipe was a life saver! They devoured it! I made a lot of it, and I’m glad I did. The guys spent the day, coming in and out of the cold, from working on the tree, to scooping bowls of this. Jim said, “add this to your recipe file!”
I recommend you try this, and make it your own. In the future, I’ll continue to add mushrooms to this; oh, and I used canned tomatoes yesterday, I use what I have on hand.
I made this with leftover turkey last year after Thanksgiving. I froze the remaining filling. This freezes well. I just pulled a bag from the freezer for dinner tonight. I was thrilled there was no freezer burn taste. Jim ate 3 large chimichangas, and said it tasted like I just created it.
Keeper!
If you are using leftover turkey -skip the first step with the chicken in water – you can use a chipotle chile from a can if you don’t want to boil one. I used leftover turkey when I first created this. It is a bit of work the first time, but trust me, you can freeze the leftover filling (and it makes a lot) Once frozen, all you have to do is thaw, and add to fajita shells and fry real quick.
I’m so glad I froze this and didn’t toss or give away. Definitely using this recipe again this year, after Thanksgiving
This is a big, beautiful – oversized book. This is a fun book for us because the recipes are out of our normal creating range and we enjoy the change up.
There are a couple hot drinks I’ll be trying this year from this book.
I made this yesterday and it was yummy. Jim said the potato salad and mixed salad on the side were perfect with this. I really enjoy these large, oversized books from Good Housekeeping. The majority of recipes have step by step photos. The recipes are all mainly pantry staples.
1991 Good Housekeeping Illustrated American Cookbook
Papas Cutting Board 