Annie Belle's Hearty Potato Soup

Wellll (as Granny would say with a sweet smile as she replies to you because she has no idea what you just said so she just says "well" really sweetly), it is officially soup season, and 2bit couldn't be more happy about it. So, we have yet another soup for you and, in fact, another potato soup!! This is 2bit Granny's recipe... Somehow I inherited Granny's recipe box, yes, 2bit lucked out. Granny lived in the good ole days when women carried around recipe boxes in their purses. Well, they may not have carried them in their purses, but everyone had their recipes in their recipe boxes. 2Bit for two, thinks that real women probably do this and thinks 2Bits might should do it.

Anyhoo, this is a nice hearty potato soup.. It has not an ounce of cheese in it (sorry Meg!); so 2Bit for 2 would like to think it is a pretty healthy potato soup recipe. The only really unhealthy things in it are butter and a little bit of flour, but when you consider how much soup the recipe can yield, the fatty factors are not too shabby. So you can still wear that scandalous costume tonight when you go trick or treating!! You know 2Bit will; so watch out Lexington!                                          

The recipe:

Annie Belle's Hearty Potato Soup

6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

5 carrots, diced

6 celery stalks, diced

2 quarts of water

1/2 onion chopped

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt (a lot more than this to your taste)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (again, 2bit used a lot more)

1-1/2 cups milk

1. So let's start by choppin' up the potatoes, carrots, and celery. 2Bit added more carrots than what the recipe called for (2 measly carrots!); because the carrot to other veggie ratio was low.

Look at that beautiful tater.. 2Bit simply used diced white potatoes. Don't be fooled if the potato bag only says that they are good for mashing, roasting, and frying, 2Bit tote was... FYI, they are also good for making soup.

2Bit couldn't remember the last time she used an adult, non-baby carrot! It took 2bit back to her youth. For those of you who don't remember these old school wonders, you have to shave off the nasty outer skin with a knife before you use them, JIC any 14 year olds are viewing the blog and want to make some soup.

Next get your celery and chop off the white ends, leaves, and generally, anything that just don't look right. This is when your women's (or men's- 2bit is a proud supporter of cooking men) intuition comes in.

This is the part of the celery that made the "cut"... Oh haha. Pun intended.

These are all the chopped veggies...

See the steamy heartiness?

2. In a large kettle (you don't need a pot this massive, necessarily, but 2Bit did not know that at the time), cook potatoes, carrots and celery in water until tender, about 20 minutes.  

While the other veggies are cooking, go ahead and dice your onion. Granny called for 1 onion, but 2Bit just used 1/2 of a large onion.

3. Drain, reserving liquid (gonna add it later) and setting vegetables aside.

4. In the same kettle, saute onion in butter until soft. 

2Bit used a wonderful thing called light butter... Granny didn't have this in her day nor would she probably pay extra to use it now... Yet she was always skinny. How, Granny? How?

  5. Stir in flour, salt and pepper, and gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. 

6. Gently stir in cooked vegetables (or just dump them in the pot like 2Bit did).

 

7. The recipe says to add 2 cup or more of reserved cooking liquid until soup is desired consistency.

This is where the recipe and 2Bit are not of one mind because 2Bit added probably over 8 cups of the liquid because it wouldn't be very soupy otherwise. 2Bit can't see how you could only add 1 cup of the liquid. 2Bit would say add 6 cups of the reserved liquid and keep going until you get your desired liquid to veggie ratio, while maintaining the creamy flavor and adding salt and pepper as you go. 

Add a little Italian parsley (purely for looks b/c it kinda tastes strange)

And Voila!

2Bit truly hopes you enjoy this soup.. From Granny's box to your belly :)

2Bit has an exclusive peak of Granny's recipe box... So many years preparing meals with love. Sorry if this post was too Granny-focused, but she is kinda a 2Bit family hero.

Chocolate-Pb Krispy Oat Treats

Halloween is here!! 2Bit loves candy, costumes, parties, and festive treats. We are not the biggest spoooooky treat fans. So, 2Bit thought owls were a fun, festive alternative, that doesn't creep the crap outta you! Hope your halloween is a hoooot!!

What you'll need:

1/2 c. Alaga cane syrup (or corn syrup) 

1/3 c. Peanut butter

1 c. Mini marshmallows

1/4 c. Turbinado sugar

1/3 c. Butter

2-3 c. Rice krispy cereal

2-3 c. Rolled oats, blended in coffee grinder or blender

3 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the owls:

Oreos

Brown m&ms

Candy corn

Milk duds

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar and alaga syrup in saucepan on mediumm heat for 3-5 minutes.

Once the mixture has melted, add marshmallows, which sometimes take a while to melt. Continue to stir.

Once melted,  turn off heat and add rice krispy/oat mixture. You could just do rice krispies, but doing half oats and half krispies is healthier. Gotta get yo fiber in, ya'll.

Thoroughly stir until completely mixed. Then pour contents into a 13x9 inch pan and press down evenly.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave, just be sure to stop it and stir every 30 seconds so the chocolate doesn't burn.

Smooth real nice like over the pb-rice krispies that you pressed down.

Build a tower of Oreos or something.

Assemble your owl faces. 

Cut those owls up and stuff yo face, people!!

*Got the owl idea from Real Simple magazine. (check it) The milk duds and candy corn were a 2Bit tweak. 

Spaghetti Squash

We promised you fall produce, so fall produce you shall have...

Spaghetti squash is that kind of delicious produce that makes you feel so native and true to America and to Fall. It's so versatile. This is just one of many recipes out there, because it's simply quick and requires very few ingredients. It's so easy to fix that, again, it's just stupid. 2Bit loves easy. 2Bit NEEDS easy. And so do you.

All you need:

1 Spaghetti Squash

2-4 tbsp butter

2-4 tbsp minced garlic

Salt & pepper

Marinara sauce (optional)

Cut the squash in half. It's gonna take a big, strong man... or knife. 

Scoop all the innards out. If you like roasted pumpkin seeds, you will love squash seeds just the same, so save them to dry out and roast later!

Now is the fun part. Add to each half whatever ingredients you desire. 2Bit put 2 tbsp of light butter, 2 tbsp minced garlic, salt and fresh ground pepper.

The way you know it's done is if it easily pulls apart like spaghetti with a fork. Don't burn your hand now chillens!

2Bit made actual spaghetti out of my squash. It's a delightful alternative to pasta. I just added marinara, sliced cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes.

Or just enjoy it as a side dish with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a 2Bit fav!

We heart Biscuits & Gravy

2Bit doesn't know about you, but we LOVE breakfast, especially Sunday mornings or ANY time of the day really. And if we are feeling crazy, we might even like to have breakfast for dinner!! Yes, way!

Biscuits and gravy is a classic breakfast dish that everyone should know how to make. It's too easy. And too satisfying. And 2Bit loves being satisfied.

What you need for biscuits:

2 c. white whole wheat flour (unbleached, of course)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 c. shortening/butter/oil

3/4 c. milk

2 tbsp turbinado sugar

What you need for gravy:    

Turkey sausage/bacon

1 tbsp butter (optional)

2 tbsp wheat flour

1 c. milk

Salt & pepper

Thyme (optional)

Cook your sausage or bacon. 2Bit likes turkey sausage and Morningstar Soy sausage links.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 450 degrees. Start making your biscuit dough, but don't forget to check your frying sausage.  Combine flour, 2 tbsp turbinado sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Add 1/4 cup of all-vegetable oil shortening or butter or oil. Whatever choice of fat you want... Shortening is better for making biscuits oh so flaky

You can get this at kroger in the healthy section. 2Bit likes healthy, ok!

Stir flour mixture and shortening/butter with fork until it separates into small lumps. This is the only time in life you wanna embrace lumps.

Add 3/4 cup of milk and stir just until mixed. 

Once it is no longer sticky, but feels like a baby's bottom, place it on a floured surface to roll or press.

2Bit couldn't find her trusty roller, but found that pressing the dough works just as well.

You can use cookie cutters or just a glass for round biscuits. 2Bit just used a heart shaped dish, no lie...

While the biscuits bake, you will have plenty of time to make the gravy. (Since I was only cooking for me and my husband, I reserved half the dough to bake later.)

Take the sausage out and use the grease in that same skillet. Or in 2Bit's case, soy sausage does not leave that much grease so I added 1 tbsp of light butter. Add the 2 tbsps of flour and stir continuously, so it doesn't burn.

It should start to lump up and look just like this, which means it's time to add part of the milk.

Once you have added 1/4 of the milk,  just periodically whisk until it starts to boil as shown in the picture below.

Add about 1 tsp salt and continue to whisk. Every time it starts to boil, add a little more milk.

And pepper of course. Gravy has to have pepper. This is a fabulous pepper 2Bit found on sale in the healthy section of Kroger. 2Bit loves exotic.

Add any remaining milk and whisk until it's the right consistency. Remember that gravy will thicken a little as it cools, so it's ok if it seems a tad bit runny.

*Also, I was not sure if my husband would like Thyme in the gravy, so I added it after i dished out his; but it is amazing. 2Bit had gone to one of our most favorites, Good Foods, for brunch recently and they had added some kind of wonderful herb in their gravy and it was delish. So I took a chance with thyme, and man was it good. Husband approved too, btw.

Take those bad boys outta the oven before they burn. Make sure you check them while you are making the gravy cuz nobody wants a hard heart.

Recipe taken from Wycliffe International Cookbook, where I get many of my recipes. It's simply wonderful.

Peanutty-Candy Popcorn Balls

What You'll Need:
3/4 bag of mini marshmallows
3 tbsp butter
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 c. unpopped popcorn=6 cups popped popcorn
1 c. peanuts
1 bag of candy corn or whatever candy you prefer

- Place 3 tbsp of butter in pot, on low heat. As the butter starts to melt, add the peanut butter. Lick the spoon.

-Meanwhile, pop the crap outta that popcorn.

-Allow to melt on low heat, then add marshmallows 1 cup at a time, constantly stirring. Be patient; 2Bit wanted to give up, but Ashley, 2Bit's guest, convinced me that marshmallows just take a while to melt.

2Bit found that the best tool was a spatuala/scraper

-Once the marshmallow mixture is completely smooth, pour a PORTION of it over 2-3 cups of the popped popcorn. You want to separate it into stages or you become overwhelmed with all that melted stickiness over all 6 cups of popcorn. So pace yourself... that way this is enjoyable. Repeat until all the marshmallow-peanut butter mixture has been mixed in with all the popcorn.

That's 2Bit's guest, Ashley Haggin. 2Bit loves Ash!!  Way to stir that popcorn. What a great ball roller you are!! It's only appropriate that Ashley was 2Bit's guest to make popcorn balls this October evening, because the one person 2Bit thinks of when having popcorn in the Fall is Ash.

-Cover your hands in straight vegetable oil or else your hands will be a tar baby. (For those of you unfamiliar with the tar baby story, Wikipedia informs that...In modern usage, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. The only way to solve such a situation is by separation.)or by slathering oil on your hands...

-You can add peanuts or candy corn or any candy, but if it has not cooled, chocolate will melt. So some of our popcorn balls were chocolatey..which is never a bad thing.

-Roll the popcorn and melted mixture in your oily hands to form tennis ball-sized popcorn balls. The oil was a life saver, however the candy will try to fall out. It's ok....Just force them back in.

See Ashley's lovely spread of food she has every Thursday night for the Office party!
All are invited...


Even scarecrows named, Festive Friend are welcome... cuz he ain't got a freakin brain. (4 dolla at Kroger, Ashley wants you to know)

This is from http://caloriecount.about.com/foods  Just put in the contents of your recipe and the serving size and it will tell you the nutrition facts. Try to be pretty basic though as it sometimes does not recognize certain ingredients. This is helpful because 2Bit often changes recipes around, for the better, but we never knew how the improved recipe's calorie count changed. Now you can know!