I have a new recipe and it's a keeper!!! Trish (a.k.a. Mom, a.k.a. Mimi) had this in her files and decided to give it a try. I think she said she found it in the newspaper ages ago. I happened to be around at just the right time and came home with a bowl to try. Mmmmm! It was good. The forecast is pretty dreary around here this week - damp and cool-ish - and this is a dish to warm the soul!
Trish's recipe is called
CABBAGE PATCH STEW.
Here's what's written on her recipe tearout -
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
7 cups cabbage, chopped
2 (16oz) cans kidney beans
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups beef broth
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the beef, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until cabbage and carrots are tender.
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I used a whole cabbage and didn't worry about how many cups that was. I had leftover celery. I cut it up and froze it so it would be ready for the next time I make this recipe.
It would be easy to make variations. When Trish made it, she skipped the celery and it was still yummy. I used the celery, but skipped the onions. Still delicious! I used a lot less meat and it still had plenty of flavor. I'll bet the meat could be skipped entirely. Other beans would do in place of the kidney beans - pintos, navy, lentils, etc.
I found a similar recipe on Allrecipes.com. It's called Italian Vegetable Soup. It also calls for green beans, corn, a few spices and MACARONI. Reviewers recommend cooking the macaroni separately and stirring it in just before serving.
A number of reviewers also mentioned that this soup is particularly good with some French Bread fresh out of the oven. Want to know what was in my oven? Dirt. I kid you not. Four pans of dirt from where I had been sterilizing the soil for another batch of greens in my salad garden.
My dear hubby LOVED it ("it" being the soup, not the dirt)! He enthusiastically declared it the best soup he's had in a long time! ...Which immediately made me wonder what soups I've made recently and were they not so good? :-D I have to admit, creative cooking hasn't been a high priority for me lately.
On a side note: While at the grocery store picking up a few ingredients for this recipe, hubby and I struck up a conversation with the lady in front of us in line. She had the largest and most organized coupon notebook I had ever seen. That notebook was at least 8 inches thick --- she had ordered it online. She paid about $13 for her groceries and saved over $80. I have played with coupons on and off over the years, like here, where I declared myself a coupon queen. I have to admit, I have fallen off the coupon wagon. The lady at the grocery store has inspired me to get back on it. I wrote down a few things she told me and hopefully I can post about it sometime soon. My sister has also become a major coupon queen with deals as great as the lady at the grocery store. I'll try to get tips from her as well. I should have already gone to her for inpspiration. Since I keep coming across coupon people, I'm thinking somebody up there is trying to tell me something.
We RE-do, RE-decorate, RE-organize, RE-pair, RE-upholster, RE-furbish, RE-finish, RE-purpose,
and of course, we love to RE-lax!
and of course, we love to RE-lax!
This party celebrates the RE-'s in our lives!
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Take a look at these other wonderful link parties for more clever ideas.
I'm linking this post with them!
- Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven
- All Things Domestic at Crazy Domestic
- Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
- Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs
- Creative Share Wednesday at Trendy Treehouse