Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Cold Weather Food Coming Right Up!

Actually I think it's supposed to be in the 60s today, but I am still craving cold weather food. Here are a few of the things I plan to make this week:

Tonight I am going to do a crazy casserole based on scalloped potatoes, but with cabbage, cheese, and ham added in. I just hate to throw food away and I have a cabbage and some potatoes that need to be used up pretty soon.  Not to mention that my freezer is so full I can't get anything else in it, so a bag of ham chunks would make some welcome space. I have a lot of cheese I bought for recipes I didn't make, so some of that is going in, too.

It is definitely time for another round of chili and cornbread.

Soup!  I want to make at least two huge pots of soup, with lots of leftovers to can.  I'm thinking ham and bean soup and chicken vegetable.  I still have two or three quarts of soup adapted from Bernice and Paul Nolls' recipe for Beef Vegetable in the pantry. I didn't use the cauliflower, and next time I will cut way back on the potatoes, but this was pretty tasty soup.  Have you visited their website?  I just love them to pieces.  They were among the first of my canning heroes and have inspired many a jar of homemade goodness.

This weekend I want to make large quantities of stock and get that canned up.  I have lots of odds and ends in the freezer and I plan to make a run to the butcher shop for beef soup bones and a chicken or three.

That ought to hold me for a while.  What's cooking in your kitchen?

16 comments:

  1. wow, that casserole, made my mouth water! just that description :Phope you can check out my blog for some +vibes and inspiration!

    Check out the unique hand tailored apron I am giving away
    here

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Nina. I will check you out right now.

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  2. Mmmm. I love scalloped potatoes, especially with cheese and ham. Must try the cabbage too! Since my potatoes didn't do well last summer, I've been substituting sweet potatoes and it's yummy! I did one casserole, scalloped sweet potatoes and ham, yum! Then for Christmas I did scalloped sweet potatoes with dried cranberries. Double yum!

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    1. I love the sound of scalloped sweet potatoes, Leigh, and with the addition of cranberries? Just yummy!

      My potatoes didn't do much last year either.

      This actually turned out pretty well with the cabbage in it, kind of scalloped potatoes meets colcannon. It took an awful lot of salt, though. I have tons of leftovers, we will be eating this for days, so maybe I will hold off on the chili.

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  3. I needed to use up some cabbage, too, and was trying to find some way to hide it in a dish so that my boyfriend would be more inclined to eat it. I came across a recipe called Pancit (google search will give you many different recipes), and boy, it was delicious!

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  4. Thank you, Prairie Cat, I will look for that. The cabbage made a nice addition.

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  5. Well we're trying to eat more meatless meals so I'm going to make Slow Cooker No Hurry Vegetable Curry from Woman Day mag. Had squash soup for lunch.

    I always make scalloped potato and ham casserole as a way to use up leftover ham. I must say, adding cabbage sounds tasty!

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    1. Manuela, I am trying to make more meatless meals, myself, but I'm running into some slight opposition at home. I do think we eat too much meat,though, and I would like to dial it back just a bit.

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  6. What a great website the Nolls have!

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    1. They are such interesting people, aren't they? Their tutorials just crack me up.

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  7. I'm with you on less meat. My solution has been more casseroles and stir-fry dishes rather than meals that feature big hunks of meat as the entree. The casserole you made with cabbage sounds yummy.

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    1. Unfortunately my picky spouse is not much for casseroles. I can get one by without complaint once in a while, but not often, which is too bad because casseroles are my best thing. Stir-fry dishes might be just the ticket, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

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    2. Stir fry is totally my answer, too! I love casseroles and quiches, but husband doesn't :( Sounds like we're all in the same boat with that one ;)
      -Jaime

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    3. Yep, Jaime, sometimes it's all about finding something to make that everyone will eat! Stir fry always goes over well, though.

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  8. What's cooking in my kitchen? Eggs, LOL. We have tons of eggs and with the kitchen the way it is, that's about all I'm able to do these days. Your plans sound great and your casserole yummy.

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  9. Oh, Leigh, I'm so looking forward to having to figure out what to do with a glut of eggs. Sigh, closer and closer every day.

    I know it must be a pain with your kitchen remodel, but it looks like it is really going to be wonderful when it is all behind you.

    Are you trying again with potatoes this year? I'm going to give it another shot, although my Great Dane puppy ate my big potato growing pot. I'll think of something...

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