Cheeseburger Soup

Happy New Year everyone! We are freezing cold in the Midwest and nothing can warm you up like a bowl of soup. Our family likes cheese so this soup really hits the spot! You can make this gluten-free also, just change the flour.
I couldn't decide on just one New Year's resolution but one of my goals is to work on my organizational skills, especially my project organization skills. In 2014, I have vowed not to be sewing 11 pairs of Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve day! I think maybe I'll start my sewing and holiday knitting projects in June this year! Overall, I'd like to do better this year in many areas of my life, to be more intentional and see what happens. I could go on and on but I won't.
Alright, back to this delicious soup recipe...
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or veggie crumbles, browned and drained
1/4 sweet onion or shallot, diced and cooked with the hamburger
4-5 potatoes, diced
3-4 carrots, sliced unless you use petite carrots (I leave them whole)
2 T flour (all purpose or white rice flour for gluten-free)
4 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 cup evaporated or whole milk
8 oz Colby or cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded (you can also use Velveeta if you like that)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the ground beef and onion, drain the grease. In a glass measuring cup, combine flour with about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Heat in microwave until it thickens. If you make this in a crock pot, add the ground beef, flour mixture and the rest of the chicken stock. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and cook on low heat for 3 hours. When the veggies are tender, add the cheese and heat another 20-30 minutes. If you make this on the stove, your cooking time will be about 30 minutes over medium heat. The most important thing is to add the cheese last or it will get too hot and curdle. This makes about 8-10 servings.
Stay warm and enjoy your soup!
Thanks for spending time with us over the past year and blessings for a wonderful 2014!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Grandma's Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce

I was trying to think of something for dessert last night and homemade bread pudding was my choice. Our Dad was not a dessert lover but bread pudding was one of his favorites. Our grandma made the best bread pudding, hope you like it! Ingredients : 5 cups slightly dried out bread, any kind. I used Italian bread. 1/4 cup raisins (optional) 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 T vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon Caramel Sauce Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla Directions : Cut the bread in cubes. I cut some of the crust off (on about half of the bread). Place bread into a greased casserole dish or an 11x9 inch pan. Add raisins. Microwave milk and butter about 4 minutes on 60% power or heat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly add the mixture to the egg and milk an...

Grilled Orange Roughy

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Homemade Goulash

Last weekend I made meals for the freezer. It takes a few hours but this will save you time during the week (in case you have nights like I do when you don't feel like cooking) and your family will love it! I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen (it's called Bobby's Goulash). I used organic ingredients but use the products of your choice. I would have liked to use fresh tomatoes from the garden but my tomatoes weren't quite ready. You can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free elbow macaroni. It's so tasty - my family loved it! Ingredients : 1 pound ground turkey 1 pound lean ground beef 1 -2 small onions, diced ( I used red onions) 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 3 cups water 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Italian seasoning 3 bay leaves 3 T soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 1 T seasoning salt course ground pepper to taste 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) Putting it together: Brown meat and onions in a lar...

Natural Homemade Living

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