In The Kitchen With Tobo: Soups On Our Menu: Ground Beef & Beans Soup

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Soups On Our Menu: Ground Beef & Beans Soup: I found this recipe on Leanna's pages here . When I first read it, I thought I would make the soup for us. The day came yesterday - I was ready to cook... - click on the link above to read more.

My Texas Alphabet: S for Southern Cuisine

The idea for this alphabet post series comes from ' The Alphabet of My Emigration' by Dee Dorota L., a member of The Polish Ladies Abroad Club, who has relocated to England.
I have also decided to join the project and write about My Texas Alphabet twice a week.

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I think it is the right time to mention Southern Cuisine in my alphabet. I do like traditional Southern dishes as they taste similar to what I had at home in Poland. My favorite one is fried catfish with fries and coleslaw. I had never eaten catfish before coming to Texas. Since I used to live by the Baltic Sea, we most often had cod, herrings, or other cold sea fish. On the other hand, I have always liked coleslaw (it is a popular side dish in Poland too), but I did not know it is a Southern thing. Anyway, I am glad I can have it here.

In Texas, hushpuppies are usually served with fried fish. At first, I had no idea what they were. Later I learned they are little cornmeal balls, deep fried in hot oil and I got used to them too. Hush puppies are crunchy and sometimes a bit spicy so they improve the taste of the fish meal.

Hush puppies, catfish with French fries and coleslaw - my favorite Southern meal

Although I enjoy eating out, in my opinion, home made food is the best. And usually healthier as well.  That is why I have learned to make quite a few Southern dishes from scratch. I follow traditional Southern recipes but sometimes I alter them a bit (e.g. I coat the meat - before frying it - with a thinner layer of batter).

 

Some examples of my Southern cooking achievements:

Dinner

Cornbread Dressing

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Baked Beans

Baked Mac & Cheese

Southern Style Shepherd's Pie

Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes & Cream Gravy

 

Bread & Muffins

Irish Soda Bread

Sugar Donut Muffins

Cinnamon Rolls

White Bread

Dinner Rolls

 

Desserts 

most Southern cakes and pies are often very sweet - so, if possible, I try to make them less sugary

Oatmeal Cookies

Banana Pudding

Cherry Cheese Pie

Texas Sheet Cake

Carrot Cake

Pecan Pie

I enjoy cooking and baking for us. It is time for me to make our Thanksgiving cake now.
So, off to see the the kitchen/baking wizard! :)

You will find more on my cooking and baking adventures in The Kitchen with Tobo.

Other 'S' entries by Polish Ladies Abroad:

Karolina: S jak Smutek i Plotkara

Taste of (Polish) Summer

Summer in Poland means, besides warmer weather, fresh fruit based dishes. At least to me.
Strawberries served with cream and sugar, blueberry pierogi, plum knedle, blueberry soup and cherry soup made by my mum. All so very tasty and refreshing at the same time!
I enjoy having and making various kinds of food: Southern, Tex-Mex, Asian, Italian or, generally speaking, European. But, sometimes I do crave the meals we had at home in Poland. The familiar/favorite tastes of the cuisine not available here. Since I am not good at making any type of pierogi (I have tried a few times but the results were rather miserable), I do not even attempt to cook anything like that these days. That is why, missing the summer Polish dishes, I finally cooked cherry soup. Easy to make and so enjoyable! All you need is the fruit, water, sugar and some cornstarch ( I used Polish potato flour instead). Some time ago I bought a bag of frozen, pitted cherries - I thought I would make a pie. Later I forgot about them. When the crave for the fruit meals came, I had the key ingredient in the freezer, ready to be cooked.

What I used (for two servings):

• 1 bag (12 oz) frozen (pitted) sweet, dark cherries  - I used about 99% of the bag content
• water,
• 3 TBS sugar,
• about 1 TBS potato flour (cornstarch),
• 2 qt pan.
• And: 1/2 cup elbow pasta.

 

What to do with it:

1. Cover frozen cherries with water and cook (at 4) to boil, add sugar (the soup should be refreshing, not too sweet). 
2. Mix potato flour (or cornstarch) with a bit of cold water, add this mixture to the soup, to thicken it (do not make it too thick!), stir, cook for about two minutes. If it happens that the soup gets too thick, add some more cold water.
3. Remove from heat and chill.
4. Cook the pasta according to the instructions provided by its manufacturer.
5. Serve the chilled soup with pasta.

I had not eaten this kind of soup for about four years, so I was quite happy when I made it. It was sooooooooo good! Next time I will make blueberry soup - soon!

Baked Mac & Cheese

before baking...

First time when I was asked whether I would like some mac & cheese, I did not know what the 'mac' stood for. When I learned that fish is traditionally served here with macaroni and cheese, I was quite surprised. I would have never thought of such a meal configuration before. Where I come from, fish is always served with potatoes - either fried (french fries) or boiled, but never with elbow shaped pasta and cheese! Nevertheless, the two and fish match quite well and I learned to like it. Mac & Cheese goes nicely with fried meat too.
I have tried quite a few mac & cheese recipes, including making it on the stove, but this one seems to be the best of all.

After baking....

Blogging: 3 in 1

I have decided it is time for me to merge the three blogs which I run, and make them one and the same Internet space called FavTreats.

My other blogs are: In The Kitchen With Tobo and Our Cats & Friends. I started the previous one when I moved to the US. I shared my kitchen - cooking and baking - experiences there, meaning  learning, trying new recipes  + something more.  At first I posted pictures only, later I was adding some texts also.

In The Kitchen With Tobo

From the blog description: This blog has never meant to be just another cookery Internet space or a cook blog. There are so many such pages with interesting, useful recipes you can try in your kitchen. Another one is not really needed then. That is why if you are searching any particular recipes, probably you won't find them here.
Somebody has said that kitchen is the heart of home. I do agree that kitchen is not only about cooking. It is also about sharing and being together - with your family and friends. And about learning too, which means not only cooking again. Anyway, I do love learning the Southern cooking and trying new recipes.
But it is only a part of it all which really matters.

 Our Cats & Friends

The other blog had its beginning much earlier, in 2008. It is dedicated to all the pets and animals we meet on our ways who have made our days brighter and more joyful. Just to save them from being forgotten. Not many words but much love.

Our cats