recipe swap

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Poor Man’s Soup

As promised, here’s my grandmother’s “Poor Man’s Soup” recipe. It’s Quick, Frugal, and Easy! Hope ya’ll enjoy it as much as I have.

Poor Man’s Soup

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  • 6 to 8 medium potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 to 4 quarts of tomatoes
  • 1 can of vegetable soup (I did not have any so I used 1 can of green beans and some l/o frozen peas and corn that I had in the freezer.  I usually use dehydrated green beans, peas, & corn.)
  • ditalini or elbow macaroni pasta (1/2 lb)
  • approx. 1 to 2 Tbs bacon drippings – depending on the amount of soup you’re fixing (not pictured) – it’s not the same without it.
  • salt & pepper to taste (not pictured)
  • a generous splash of heavy cream or milk

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Peel and cube potatoes.; boil until fork tender.

Peel and chop onion

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and saute in about 1 tsp of bacon drippings in a skillet until translucent.

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My grandmother cooks her potatoes and onions in a pressure cooker, but I don’t have one. This works just as well.

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Once potatoes are done, drain well.

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Add to the pot tomatoes, onions, and bacon drippings and heat to a gentle boil.

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Add in vegetable soup. If you use canned veggies, make sure and drain well before adding.

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After it returns to a gentle boil, add the potatoes back in and add in the pasta. Place lid on pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook another 15 minutes or until adente (until pasta is cooked to your preference).  Add cream/milk.

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Here’s your finished product. Enjoy!

This whole pot costs less than $5.00 and it’ll feed you at least 2 meals, sometimes more if you freeze some for later!

My grandmother always uses elbow macaroni, but we really like the ditalini pasta better. One thing to remember is that if you add in extra pasta, you will need to add more tomatoes later because the pasta will continue to soak up the liquid even after you refrigerate it. We like lots of pasta in the soup, so this just equals more yummy goodness for us!

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do. I have very fond memories of growing up on this. When I first asked my grandmother for the recipe, she gave me all of the ingredients except the bacon drippings. Let me tell you, it’s close in taste, but it is definitely NOT the same. You can tell a huge difference. When I asked her again several years later, she did give me the missing ingredient and was afraid that I would never ask her to make it for me again.  I will have to say that even though I know how to make it, having her make it makes it taste even better! I think there’s still a missing ingredient in mine that I’ll never been able to duplicate – her love for me! I love you Mammaw!!

Oh! I almost forgot! Don’t forget to check out The Grocery Chart Challenge for more great recipes!

 

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Recipe Swap: Diabetic Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I have not tried this recipe yet, but I’m making it today as a birthday cake for my mother-in-law, so I’ll let you know how it turns out. It sounds really yummy! I’ll try to remember to take pictures, too.

Diabetic Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sifted cake flour, not self-rising
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
12 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 375* F. Sift flour, cocoa and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together 3 times; set aside.
2. Beat egg whites at low speed in a large mixer bowl until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually increase speed to medium while beating in remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, 5 minutes. When sugar is incorporated, continue beating to stiff peaks, 2 minutes more.
3. Sift 1/3 of dry ingredients over whites; gently fold in with rubber spatula. Repeat process 2 more times.
4. Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter to remove air pockets. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until top springs back when gently pressed. Invert and hang pan on neck of bottle to cool.
5. To unmold, run a thin knife around side of pan and tube; invert pan. Turn cake upright onto serving plate. Garnish with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

Per Serving Daily Goal Calories 120 2,000 (F), 2,500 (M) Total Fat .5 g 60 g or less (F), 70 g or less (M) Saturated Fat 0 g 20 g or less (F), 23 g or less (M) Cholesterol 0 mg 300 mg or less Sodium 126 mg 2,400 mg or less Carbohydrates 27 g 250 g or more Protein 4 g 55 g to 90 g Calcium 6 mg 1,000 mg

Notes: Chocolate lovers, rejoice! Here’s a no-fat cake you can truly enjoy. Best of all, you can slice and freeze it for future guilt-free indulgence!

Prep time: 25 minutes plus cooling Baking time: 40 to 45 minutes Moderate, low-fat, low-calorie, can be frozen up to 1, 3, 6, or 9 months.

Copyright © 1998, 1997 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t forget to check out The Grocery Chart Challenge for more great recipes!

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Recipe Swap: Chicken Noodle Soup

Since I’ve gone one home sick today, I thought I would post my recipe for chicken noodle soup. It’s one the my family really loves. It’s one that I’ve been making for years and have tweaked for my family’s tastes. Since I just eyeball the ingredients, I’ll give you the best guestimates that I can on the measurements.

For Broth:

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 large or 2 small onions, halved or quartered
  • 2 carrots, very roughly chopped
  • 2 to 3 stalks celery, very roughly chopped
  • approx. 15 to 20 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • approx. 1 to 2 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning
  • approx. 2 tsp Thyme
  • approx. 2 tsp Rosemary
  • kosher salt, to taste

Place everything in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until chicken is done and falling off the bone, approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Strain all veggies from pot and return broth to pot. Veggies need to be discarded as they are rendered all of their flavor into the broth. When chicken is cool enough to handle, debone, chop, and set aside.

*You can use half the broth and reserve half for another meal and/or freeze/can it. If you do this, you will need to add water and chicken bouillon to your stock pot to have enough broth for your chicken.

Soup:

  • cooked chicken
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • approx. 2 tsp. thyme
  • approx 2 tsp. rosemary
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 bag egg noodles

Chop veggies to desired size and add to pot, and add seasonings. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, simmering until veggies are cooked. Add cooked chicken and cook until heated through. Add noodles approximately 15 minutes before ready to serve. Enjoy! This makes a HUGE pot full, so be sure and plan for plenty of leftovers.