Hamburger Soup

This soup is in our monthly wintertime dinner rotation. It is so delicious! It is a twist on traditional vegetable soup. Very simple and very satisfying.

We always put cheese on top because we can.

Hamburger Soup

2 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped (I use an assortment of red, orange & yellow)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
One pound carrots, chopped
28 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
4 cups beef stock (homemade chicken stock is good too)
small can tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat, brown the beef with onions, peppers, celery and the carrots, crumbling the beef as it cooks. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.

Chocolate Cake with Fudge Buttercream

It's my middlest middle baby's birthday today. He requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I made him this cake. It's so good, so easy and did I mention it's delicious? Moist chocolate cake topped with fudgy chocolate buttercream. You should make it, even if it's no one's birthday.

You'll be glad you did.

Chocolate Cake with Fudge Buttercream

1 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tap baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hot water

Icing:
1.5 sticks butter, softened
6 T whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 T cocoa powder
5 cups powdered sugar

For the cake, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except hot water, and whisk until combined. Do not over mix. Pour in the hot water and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 baking dish and bake on 350ﾟfor about 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs sticking to it. Allow it to cool.

 For the icing, beat together the Butter, milk and vanilla. Add the cocoa and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled cake.

Cauliflower 'n Cheese (Keto)

Well, instead of Mac 'n Cheese, this is Cauliflower 'n Cheese. Matthew and my daddy especially loved it. (The rest of us enjoyed it too, but they were scraping the dish.)

It's simple to make, it only requires a small saucepan and a dish to bake it in. I'm a minimalist when it comes to dishes these days. My daily challenge is to only run my dishwasher ONCE a day. I'm not always successful. But tomorrow is a new day!

So all you do is mix the sauce together in a saucepan (just to get the cheese melty and the cream cheese to incorporate completely). Toss it together - in the baking dish - with the RAW cauliflower (I'm into eliminating cooking steps whenever possible, too), cover it with foil and bake. When the cauliflower is done, take the foil off, sprinkle a little more cheese on top and bake for a few more mins. That's it! Easy. Delicious. Keto. Yum.

Cauliflower 'n Cheese

7.5 oz. tub onion & chive cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar-jack blend cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together the cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, half-and-half and salt & pepper. Stir until just combined (no need to cook it; we're just melting it here).

Spread the cauliflower in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce on top and mix well. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350, remove the foil, sprinkle the other half cup of cheese over the top and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork and the cheese is bubbly.

Garlic Green Beans

I made these for dinner on Friday. I'm making them again for dinner tonight (it's Monday in case you wondered). They were delicious. My family loved them. My 4-year-old scarfed them down and asked for more.

Garlic Green Beans

1 lb. string beans (or any green beans will work)
1/4 cup water
2 T butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T minced garlic

Place the water and green beans in a saucepan with a lid. Steam them until tender (but not falling apart), about 10 minutes or so. Drain. If needed, at this point you can set the green beans aside until you're ready to saute them right before you serve.

Add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, green beans, salt & pepper. Stir around and saute until heated through. Serve immediately.

2017 Year in Review

Well, I just found this post. I wrote it a year ago and never posted it. It's now 2019. February already. Levi is 2 and sang me "Jesus Loves Me" today after he climbed onto the kitchen island and plopped down in the middle of it. I loved every word.

It's 2018. Did y'all get the memo? Life is marching on. I'm going to try to remember 2017 because it went super fast. Here goes.

Levi changed SO MUCH this year! He started 2017 as an itty bitty baby and ended the year walking, climbing, hollering mama and dada, and loving his brother and sisters more than I can even say. His hobby is making messes. He's had a lot of practice, does it every waking moment and is quite skilled at this hobby. He also loves to take the tops off of markers and pens (generally permanent ones) and scribble on anything he can reach. You know, normal 1-year-old behavior.

Mary Beth turned 9 and finished 3rd grade. Wow. She loves Little House on the Prairie and she and I have almost finished reading the entire series. It's taken us several years and has been so fun!

Anna Leigh finished first grade in May and brought home two chicks that her class hatched. They were so cute! And noisy. The kids loved them. They're about as messy as a 1-year-old.

The most exciting thing we did this summer was raise a baby deer. The kids named her Pippen (have you read the kids' story Kate & Pippen, a real story of a dog and a fawn? So cute.) and we got her when she was a week old. Oh my, she was darling. The kids adored her. And I'm pretty sure she loved all of us too...even Teddy! She was so fun.

We had a MASSIVE yield from our apple & pear trees! I made apple butter in the CrockPot (um, yum), pear butter, apple sauce, pear sauce, canned pears in syrup and a few other pear & apple things that I can't remember.

Oh! We made apple cider with my dad. Livin' off the land, I tell you. (Ha!) Yes, cider-making was a hit. Pick the apples, grind the apples into chunks, press the apples, drink the cider. Repeat. We can't wait to do that again.

Stephen turned 5 in August and he gave up his passie on his 5th birthday (not his choice, just so ya know). Judge me if you need to, I don't care. Because a 5-year-old sucking a pacifier is so cute! We decided that he was ready for preschool in January, so he just started preschool on Tuesdays & Thursdays. He loves it so much. And the girls love having him at school with him.

And Sarah Kate. She is so independent and bossy and sure of herself. She has a pretty good spot in the family with a big brother and a little brother. She LOVED Pippen this summer!

Spaghetti Squash Mexican Casserole

So last year, we grew spaghetti squash in our garden. It was a good decision. (Do you know how much spaghetti squash costs at the grocery???? Too much, I tell you. Too much.)

But! What to do with all of this squash? Sometimes I roast it, cut it in half (across, not long-ways like you normally see it - this way you get long strands of spaghetti, not short stubby pieces), and then, after I scrape it out of the skin, I spread it on a baking sheet, sprinkle it with salt, pepper, garlic powder & olive oil and broil it until it's starting to brown. Then spoon meat sauce over it. Delicious.

But other times, I make this Mexican casserole. We all love it. If we're doing a Whole30, I make it as is. If we're not, I sprinkle cheese on top toward the end of baking and then serve it with sour cream. Either way, I always serve it with a jar of pickled jalapenos. My kids skip those but love the casserole.

Spaghetti Squash Mexican Casserole
Adapted from My Heart Beets

1 lb ground beef
1 sweet onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 T cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 spaghetti squash, roasted until tender and seeds removed, strands separated from skin with a fork
1 egg, beaten
Optional: Mexican blend shredded cheese (sprinkle on top at the end of baking until just melted)
For serving: chopped cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, pickled sliced jalapenos

In a large pot, brown the beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper. Stir and crumble until cooked through. If it seems greasy, drain the grease. Add the spices/seasonings and stir around to mix thoroughly. Stir in the tomatoes (juice and all) and the spaghetti squash strands. Stir in the egg, mix completely, and pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Greek Couscous Salad

I've made this salad a couple of times lately and it's just so good! I love Israeli couscous. The size and texture are nothing short of perfect. And this salad has pickled banana peppers in it - I've never added those to salad before and I LOVE it! AND it has a Cubanelle pepper, which I now love. (I'm pretty sure I've never used a Cubanelle before.) It's the light green pepper right with the other peppers and its flavor is less in-your-face than a green pepper.

This is the perfect summer salad. Fresh, tangy, colorful. Make it. You'll be glad you did.

Greek Couscous Salad
Inspired by Geoffrey Zakarian

1 cup uncooked Israeli Couscous
8 oz. baby arugula, thinly sliced/chopped
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives (I leave them whole so my husband can pick them out; otherwise I would chop them finely)
1/2 cup chopped pickled banana peppers
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped finely
about a cup of grape tomatoes, chopped into thirds
1 English cucumber, chopped finely
6 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Cook the couscous in salted boiling water until it's cooked through. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Place in a large salad bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except the feta, and toss to combine. Add the feta and stir gently as to not break it up too much. Serve immediately or chill first and then serve.

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

We added a member to our family. No, not a human this time. A guinea pig! I've always wanted a guinea pig. So when the opportunity came our way, we snatched her up.

Her name is Cookie. I mean, how appropriate.

We all love her. She talks - a lot. I had no idea guinea pigs were so expressive?!? She's a fun little creature. She gets along well with Ari the bunny and she doesn't mind being stalked by Tubby the cat.

Next pet on my list? A mini longhair weiner dog. As in, a dachshund. They're a bit hard to find within reasonable driving distance of central Kentucky. But I'm working on it. Plus, I might as well potty train a puppy while Levi potty trains. Right? Right. So stay tuned.

Okay, enough news about the animals I am collecting and planning to collect. Let's talk about this soup. I was wanting something with Thai flavors - I love cilantro, lime, spice, curry, coconut...Yum. The inspiration for this soup came from Core Life - they have a coconut curry stock that's delicious. Here's what I created and it turned out just like I wanted. I do have to leave the jalapenos only for my bowl because my kids' spice sensitivity isn't quite at my level, but that's fine. This was a hit with everyone!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

2 T coconut oil
1 onion, diced
10 oz. bag shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 T red curry paste
1 T grated fresh ginger root
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
14 oz. (give or take) Thai rice noodles
3 cups cooked chicken
Juice 1 lime
Chopped Cilantro
1 bunch green onions
Sliced jalapenos

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot and saute the onions, carrot and bell pepper until soft, about 10 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the salt, pepper, curry paste, ginger and garlic and stir well. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the noodles and remove from heat. Cover for 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, chicken and lime juice. Serve with cilantro, green onions and jalapenos on top.

Italian Veggie Soup

Happy New Year, friends! I've written a Year in Review post in my head but I've yet to type it out on my keyboard. Someday, people. Someday.

But! In the meantime (while you're waiting with baited breath for the Jones family year in review), would you like to see Baby #5? He's almost 16 months old and he climbs on/in/out of everything. He stands on the kitchen island. And the dining room table. All of the furniture. It's never ending. And he's so cute, it makes us all laugh. Being the baby is a sweet deal.

And on to the actual point of this post. Here's a totally healthy, Paleo, Whole30 Italian Veggie Soup recipe. My sister-in-law texted this to me one night and I made it soon thereafter. It's got flavor, texture and it will warm you up while it's 4 degrees. Like it was today.

I snapped this picture with my phone right before I inhaled this mug of soup for lunch. So don't judge the soup by the sloppy picture. The soup has just the right amount of spice and texture from the veggies and it's sweet from the onions and carrots and the kale is the perfect finish. Parmesan would be a perfect finish, too, if you're not a Paleo person.

Italian Veggie Soup

1 T olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
15 oz. tomato sauce
15 oz. diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 bunch kale, leaves torn into small pieces

Saute the onion, carrots & celery in olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes and stir for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & stock and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the torn kale and remove from the heat. Give the kale about 5-10 minutes to wilt a bit and then serve.

Chopped Salad

This salad just sort of evolved...I've made it so many times this summer, each a little different than the last. Oh summer, how are you already giving way to fall? I love fall...but I really love summer.

And I loved tossed salads. Quinoa gives this wonderful texture and flavor to salads...if you haven't tried it, you've got to.

Really you can toss just about anything in and it would be yummy. Roasted red peppers would be great...I might need to try that next time.

The Garlic Expressions Vinaigrette is amazing...it's in regular stores like Kroger but usually in a random spot, like some shelf in the produce department. But the best part is that it has whole garlic cloves at the bottom. They. are. amazing. My friend brought me this dressing when Levi was born and I've been eating it ever since.

On that note, Levi is fixin' to be 1 (do y'all say fixin'? Or is that South speech?). What in the world. He is an absolute joy.

Here is the baby, helping himself to an Asian pear we just picked. Our apples and pears have been abundant. We've made apple butter, pear butter, canned pears, applesauce, baked apples, skillet apple pie (oh my word. it was amazing)...

And yes, I will still call him "the baby" when he's 4...and 6...and probably 15.

Chopped Salad
4 oz. arugula
1 heart of romaine, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in 1 cup water & 1/2 tsp salt until done and cooled to room temperature
15 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped small
8 oz. grape tomatoes, cut in half or thirds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed (optional)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup sliced toasted almonds
Garlic Expressions Vinaigrette (delicious) or Italian dressing...or Greek Feta dressing...whatever you like

Toss ingredients in a large bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten (but not too much!)....you can always add more if you need it. Serve immediately.