By Andy Bedwell
I love homemade soups during the winter, and I’m always willing to experiment with what I have on hand. Soup recipes are different from most because the exact measurements are not needed as much as the ingredients. I like to tweak recipes to my own specifications by trying this and that. It is extremely difficult for me to put any soup together without adding a can of Rotel tomatoes and a sprinkle of sugar.
Cowboy Soup
1 pound of ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
½ medium bell
pepper, chopped
2 cans of minestrone soup
1 can shoe peg corn
1 can hot chili beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes
Salt
Water, if needed
Brown ground chuck and drain. Add remaining ingredients. Add water to desired consistency. Stirring consistently, simmer for at least two hours.
Andy’s Note: I ran into a former Gaston student the other day who said, “Mrs. Bedwell, we love your Cowboy soup.” This is an easy recipe for a small group of friends on a cold day. It is delicious with cornbread muffins.
Crock Pot Camp Stew
1 pound ground chuck
1 (10-ounce) can white chicken in water, drained
1 cup cooked leftover BBQ pork (can use a can of BBQ)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 (16-ounce) package frozen baby limas, thawed
1 (14 ¾ ounce) can creamed corn
1 (8 ¾ can Shoe Peg corn, drained
2 (14 ½ ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Brown the ground chuck and onion in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Layer potatoes, baby limas, beef mixture, cream corn and remaining ingredients in a six-quart crockpot. Cook on low for eight hours or until potatoes are tender.
Andy’s Note: This soup does not take as long to prepare as did my mother’s all-day soup, but it is so tasty it brings back fond memories of my childhood. My mother could season any dish and it would taste wonderful. I always told her that she could season a rock and it would taste good!
Chewey Squares
1 ½ sticks margarine
1 pound light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Melt margarine; add sugar. Stir until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla and flour. Stir in nuts. Bake in a greased 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. Cut into squares immediately! Remove from pan within 20 minutes.
Andy’s Note: My cousin brought us some of these when Mac was in the hospital, and they were delicious. Every afternoon, Mary and I drank a latte from Starbucks that was located in the hospital. We had a dear couple who sent us Starbuck cards regularly when they discovered that was our afternoon routine.
Yeah, Alabama and Auburn football!
Happy Soup Cooking, Andy
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at The Messenger newspaper located at 1957 Rainbow Drive.