Big Batch Of Chili Recipe

It's fall here in Michigan (although it's been in the 70's which is very unusual)! This time of the year I make soups and do more cooking than in the summer months. It's just usually too hot to use an oven and we do more grilling. Here is my recipe for chili which my family really likes.

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

2 quarts (or cans) tomatoes

2 cans tomato soup

4 cans light kidney beans

1 can tomato soup

2 stalks diced celery

1 large onion diced

1 tbsp. garlic diced 

1/2 red pepper diced

1/2 green pepper diced

4 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)

salt and pepper (to taste)

2 or 3 cans of water using the empty bean cans

Tabasco sauce (If you like your chili spicier, I add a couple of shakes to my bowl)

You need a 4 quart kettle for this recipe. I use my canned tomatoes and use 2 quarts jars of them. Cut recipe in half if you have a small family. We like leftover chili at our house.

Brown ground chuck, along with celery, onions, peppers and garlic in the large kettle. Drain grease off. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or more till veggies are tender.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

It was cold and dreary out today, so I asked my husband if he wanted me to make chicken noodle soup. He said "yes" right away and didn't hesitate, so it was a done deal! I had everything to make the soup and started to clean celery and onions. It tastes better than canned soup any time - at least my family thinks so! :)  You can use less carrots if you like, but my family loves lots of carrots in soups. We also like the fine noodles instead of the wide or medium size, but you could use whatever you like.

Here's my recipe.

1 - large (12.5 oz.) can of chicken breast
1 - large bag of fresh carrots - sliced
4 - stalks of celery - chopped or cut in small pieces
3 - medium onions - chopped or cut in small pieces
About 1/2 to 3/4 - bag of fine noodles
1 - tbsp.salt
1/8 tsp.pepper

Get a large kettle and fill with about 3 quarts of water. Open can of chicken breast and drain liquid. Shred the chicken so it's not in such big chunks. Place in kettle, along with the celery and onions that have been cleaned and chopped. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour or until the vegetables are tender.You can add a little more water if you like because it boils away as it cooks. Add carrots and cook for another half hour or until they are cooked. At the end you add the noodles.They only have to cook about 5 to 7 minutes or so. It depends if you like thick or thinner soup, but we like it thick so I add about 3/4 of the bag of noodles.

Little Kettle Bean Soup

Little Kettle Bean Soup

Here is a great recipe for a cool day like today! It's cheap to make and is very tasty. 

l lb. dry navy beans                                           

2 and 1/2 qts. water

3/4 c. celery, diced

3/4 c. carrots, diced

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 meaty ham bone

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 lb. bacon ends and pieces

1 T. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Soak beans overnight.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer two to four hours, until beans reach desired tenderness.  Add additional water if necessary as it simmers.

Beef Vegetable Soup

Big Batch of Beef Vegetable Soup 

1 to 1-1/2 pound of beef (use can use any you prefer...chuck roast, rump roast, or stew meat)

6-8 carrots, peeled and sliced

6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, cut finely

1 stalk celery, cut finely

3 cloves of garlic (I used my garlic press) to shred

1 bag frozen whole kernel corn

1 bag frozen lima beans

1 bag frozen peas

1 can green beans (you could also use frozen but I like the canned ones)

1 to 1-1/2 tbsp. salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

Get a large pot (8 qt. size or larger) and fill half with water. Add the beef, onion, garlic, celery, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and cover. Cook for an hour or so and remove beef. Cut beef in little pieces or however you like it. 

Return the meat to the pot, along with the carrots and cook till the carrots are near tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook about 10 minutes. Then add frozen vegetables and cook till the vegetables are done. Lastly I add the green beans. No need to cook after adding green beans, unless you want to simmer a bit.

When you make it yourself you can vary on some of the ingredients and sizes. I make this batch size for my family of five and it's great for leftovers for another day. You could also freeze some if you prefer.

Little Kettle Bean Soup

Here's a good soup on a cold winter's day! It is delicious and warms you up! I got the recipe from a grain elevator and it turns out just right every time.

Little Kettle Bean Soup

l lb. dry navy beans                                           

2 and 1/2 qts. water

3/4 c. celery, diced

3/4 c. carrots, diced

1 med. onion, chopped

1 meaty ham bone

1/2 c. catsup

1/4 lb. bacon ends and pieces

1 T. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Soak beans overnight.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer two to four hours, until beans reach desired tenderness.  Add additional water if necessary as it simmers.