Today, I made hot pepper jelly. This is a favorite of ours. We serve it with cream cheese and Ritz crackers. When I take it to church on Sunday night, it goes super fast. I did not have enough hot peppers to make it but the pastor’s wife gave me enough. I have been so blessed this year. Even though our garden did not do as well as I would have liked, others have given us so much. Anyway, the recipe I use is on the sure-jell recipe instruction pamphlet. I guess the only different thing I do is that I put the pepper mixture into the blender and pulse instead of trying to chop them up finely. I’m lazy that way. I always put the hot pepper jelly in half pint jars. I did not have enough empty ones so I bought a dozen yesterday at Wal-Mart. I think they are soooo cute, don’t you? The lids came with them.

Saturday, we did go with the Horn’s to Paint Bank. However, I forgot the camera. For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, this probably does not come as a surprise. What might surprise you though, is that Vicki forgot their camera too. We did take a few pictures with the phone but I am not sure how to get them off. Well, anyway, we went to the fish hatchery, to the general store, ate lunch at the Swinging Bridge Restaurant (which was way over priced in our opinion), saw the buffalo, and walked around some at the campground. It was such a fun day.

Yesterday, we went to Sam’s. It rained off and on all day and then in the evening the heavy rains came. We have probably gotten over 5 inches. Our power was off for about 5 hours. We lit some candles and went out to the glassed in front porch. Hubby played guitar for us and we told the girls stories of when we were young. It was fun. We are still getting heavy rain in spurts. We really needed rain-just not the whole years worth in one day.

I also wanted to share this soup recipe with you all. Our local supermarket sells a 15 bean soup mixture. They have it with the dried beans. The brand they carry is http://www.hurstbeans.com/. I follow the instructions on the back of the bag (kinda). Well, I did cook the beans like it said. I added kielbasa sausage to it and a can of my homemade salsa. I used a qt of our fresh canned tomatoes. I then added some potatoes, corn, peas, and spinach to it. It is a really good hearty soup and fairly inexpensive. It is really good without adding the veggies. Either way you like it. I have made it with hamburger, ground turkey, whatever I have on hand. It is also good without any meat but Hubby is a meat eater. We serve it with hot cornbread. YUM! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I do not use the ham powder base that comes inside the bag of beans. Just my personal preference.

I hope you all have a great evening and God bless.

This is a picture of the latest apron I made. Remember last week, I told you all I was taking the laundry soap and some dishcloths to a local store. Well, she wanted them to sell and she said she would try to sell my aprons as well. I hope to take her this one tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be a blesssing if some of my homemade stuff starting selling? I hope to use the money I make from selling my stuff to purchase school books for next year.

Today we are having a new soup recipe I got from a blogger friend, who got it from another blog. I altered the recipe a little to better fit what I had on hand. The recipe is

Super Easy Crockpot Hamburger Veggie Soup

1lb hamburger (I used london broil leftover from the other night chopped into small pieces)
1 onion, chopped and 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 can green beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups water
1 T chicken or beef broth powder
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 can organic cream of mushroom soup (a brand such as Amys, found in health food stores)
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onions until meat is no longer pink and onions are soft. Add to crockpot. Add remaining ingredients, stir. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Serve with some hot homemade dinner rolls for a great meal. I am hoping to do lots more crockpot meals. The crockpot doesn’t heat up the house like using the stove does and it is easy (I think).

When I started making this soup, I realized I did not have any cream of mushroom soup. I went on line and found this easy recipe to make my own. I found it at CheapCooking.com The recipe is:

Make your Own “Cream of …” Soup

Whether you want to control the chemicals or the fat, making your own white sauce and flavoring it is cheaper and better for you than those canned cream of whatever soups.

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup milk

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over it and stir to incorporate. Cook over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk.

Cream of chicken

If you want to make a cream of chicken flavored sauce, use half broth and half milk. If you have troubles getting this to be smooth, try heating the milk or broth before adding to the flour and butter. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, barely simmering, for a few minutes until thick.

Cheese sauce

To make a cheese sauce, add grated cheese and stir until melted.

Cream of celery or mushroom

To make a cream of some vegetable soup, saute 1/4 cup or so finely chopped celery, mushrooms, or onion in the butter before adding the flour and use half broth and half milk.

I am making cinnamon rolls for dessert so I guess I better get busy. Enjoy your day and God bless.

Tag: Soup Recipe

Hot Pepper Relish

New Apron

Make your Own “Cream of …” Soup

Cream of chicken

Cheese sauce

Cream of celery or mushroom