Vegetable Soup with Hamburger

By: Abby Gertge
This is my Mom's Soup Recipe & it is Perfect for a cool day!

Ingredients:
*1 Pound Hamburger Cooked, drained & Rinsed. Then add Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt & Onion Powder. Put in Fridge...This goes in at the end.

*3 Potatoes peeled & Cubed
*2 Cups chopped Carrots
*3 Celery Stalks thinly Sliced
*1/2 Onion Chopped

*2 Cans seasoned, cut Stewed Tomatos
*3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes... & some Salt & Pepper
*1 Can Green Beans
*Grated Cheese

Put chopped veggies (potatoes, carrots, celery & onion) in Large pot
Add water...just enough to cover the veggies.
Add 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes & some Salt & Pepper
Bring to a Boil.
Boil till veggies are Soft , but Not Mushy

Add 2 cans Stewed Tomatos with the juice.
Also Add the Hamburger
Remove from Heat & cover. Let stand for 30 min.

Add 1 Can of green beans (drained)
& then Refridegerate.

It's best when all the flavors get a chance to mesh together. I like to make this soup in the Morning or even the night before.

Re-heat Soup & Serve with Grated Cheese on top.

It's always a hit & my kids love it too.

Peanut Butter Snack Balls

This recipe is from one of the my favorite food blogs, unfortunately I don't remember which one (I think it was Bountiful Kitchen). I found it on my snack hunt. I made them and they were great!!! Perfect size, curbs a sweet tooth, and they are filling enough that you don't keep downing the little snack balls of goodness. To me they taste like a mini candy bar or something. My kids love them too! I made a few adjustments but nothing major. I added some wheat germ, and I used the cereals I had on hand (raisin bran, rice krispies, and honey bunches of oats) I am positive you can use whatever cereals you have on hand and it will turn out just as great. (I did a third of what this recipe calls for and got two cookie sheets full of them).

2 cups honey

6 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

3 cups rice krispies
1½ cups grape nuts
3/4 cup applesauce
2 cups coconut
3 cups crushed cereal
1½ cups chocolate or butterscotch chips - or substitute dried fruit, like raisins, or apricots
5-8 tablespoons powdered milk
4 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal

Mix all but last two ingredients and mix until well combined. Add powdered milk, like flour, to make a soft, cookie-like dough. Form into 1” ball and roll in crushed mini-wheats. A scoop works very well for this. Refrigerate or freeze for a couple of hours until hard.

Pudding

My favorite snack is to whip up some fat-free, sugar free Pudding, and then top it with some spray Cool Whip. It's a great treat for under 100 calories, AND it gets me some milk, which I don't really love. Your kids will love it too!!

If your a tuna fan

Ok so I don't know that this is really a recipe its just something i eat...a lot.

Tuna with sliced cucumbers and green onions with a little lemon pepper all on top of saltine crackers! YUM!

Snack Challenge...

Okay guys, our blog is slacking a bit. I need your help. I need snacks!! I am ALWAYS hungry. I forget how nursing does that to you. Anyway, I would like some recipes for snacks so I can quit eating such unhealthy things. If anyone has some snack recipes please post them.

Paula Deans incredible Peach Cobbler

Paula Dean's incredible Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs and made them for Tom last night. He loves chocolate more than anyone I know, and he thought they were great. They are over-the-top chocolaty, so beware!!

Brownie Cupcakes

Brownie:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Line 10-12 muffin cups with paper or foil baking cups.

Melt the chocolate and butter in double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove and let cool for a few minutes. Mix in sugar a little at a time, until all sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the flour and salt just until blended. Don't over mix*.

Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE*. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula, or if piping, use a medium to large closed star tip to make little rosebuds.

Chocolate Frosting:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Beat the butter in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat until all ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed on mixer and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 minutes).