Veggie Soup

For Wild Card Wednesday I’ve chosen a recipe that I personally use to hate as a kid. My dad’s Vegetable Beef Soup!! I could smell it walking in the front door and I would cringe when I’d see the cut up potatoes, onions and celery. I mean really veggies and I just didn’t get along as well back then. Mmmm…maybe this isn’t the best way to start a recipe post when the hope is you’ll want to try it. So let’s start again.

Today’s Wild Card Wednesday is my dad’s Veggie Beef Soup!!! Yummy. Seriously though I really do love this hearty, not to mention healthy, soup. It’s crammed full of all sorts of veggies and warms you up on those cold days. To top it all off it’s very easy to make.

VEGGIE BEEF SOUP

Ingredients:

1 lb Stew Beef
1 Yellow Onion (diced)
2 Med. Brown Potatoes (diced)
1 pkg Celery (chopped)
Salt (to taste)
1 tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tsps Italian Seasoning
16 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach
32 oz Mixed Veggies
29 oz Tomato Sauce
28 oz Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
about 2-3 qts water

Brown beef in 1-2 tbs vegetable oil. Half way through add onion, potatoes, Montreal seasoning, Italian seasoning and salt. After meat is browned add everything except tomato sauce & diced tomatoes bring to a boil. Once boiling add tomato sauce and tomatoes, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hrs. Enjoy!!

I really like to make Garlicky Cheese Biscuits to go with it, but that’s a whole other post!!

From the Kitchen of Taffata Tadpoles

Spring is in the Air

I love the fall and winter months. I love to decorate for harvest time and Christmas. My house feels so cozy and warm compared to the blustery and damp day outside. The anticipation of the holidays fills me with joy and I can hardly wait to see friends and family from so far away. And New Years brings the excitement of the unknown. A new year filled with endless possibilities. But with that said once the decorations are down and family and friends have gone back home there’s a kind of sadness that comes with each cold and rainy day.

I am once again looking forward to sunshine, flip-flops, pools and picnics. Long walks with my girlfriends and just sitting outside enjoying the beauty God has created. Thus the inspiration for this week Final Course Fridays. It’s perfect for those warm or even hot days because it doesn’t require heating up your kitchen by using the oven, stove or even microwave!!

Banana Pudding Squares

20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
3 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 pkg. (8oz) Cream Cheese
½ c. Powdered Sugar
1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip, thawed & divided
3 med. Ripe Bananas
3 c. Milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Vanilla Instant Pudding
½ square Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, grated

Mix crushed wafers & butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9 inch dish.

Mix cream cheese & powdered sugar with spoon until well blended. Gently stir in 1 ½ cups of the whipped topping. Spoon mixture evenly onto crust; spread carefully.

Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut each piece lengthwise in half. Arrange bananas over cream cheese mixture.

Pour milk into bowl & add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Spoon over bananas.

Spread with remaining whipped topping & sprinkle evenly with chocolate.

Refrigerate at least 3hrs before serving.


Goes great with a large cold glass of milk!!

Now for those of you who want to make it a little healthier (after all shorts and bathing suit season right around the corner) it’s quite simple. Take every thing and substitute low fat or even fat free when available. I know you can find fat free pudding mixes, milk and cool whip, plus there are wonderful low fat cream cheeses and even Nilla wafers. So whichever way you decided to make it I hope it brings a sense of excitement of the wonderful seasons to come!

From the Kitchen of
Taffeta Tadpoles