| I am one of those people who anticipate
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| | put together out of a combination of
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| with glee the clear crisp autumn
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| | financial necessity and love. I know
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| mornings. Give me gloomy gray clouds
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| | that now.
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| with a slight rainy mist moving over the
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| | Just last night I peeked in the fridge
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| blooms of spring and two things will
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| | and pawed through the cupboards pulling
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| immediately happen: the closet will
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| | out the left over ground beef, some
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| resemble an end-of-summer department
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| | broth, an assortment of canned
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| store clearance rack as the fall wardrobe
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| | vegetables, and the ubiquitous jar of
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| takes over, and the stovetop will brim
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| | spaghetti sauce. I made my (mom's,
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| with comfort food. And of all the
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| | really) Minestrone Mumbo for my husband,
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| politically incorrect comfort dishes
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| | my parents, and my daughters. It tasted
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| bursting from my flour-dusted and
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| | just like those old school days. Mom
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| grease-stained mid-1950's edition Betty
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| | smiled, "You got this out of great
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| Crocker cookbook, my favorite fall
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| | grandma's secret recipe trunk, didnt
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| cuisine would have to be soup.
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| | you?"
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| Soup (the creamier, the better!)
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| | "Sure did Mom, just like you did."
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| transports me to my grade school days,
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| | Minestrone Mumbo
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| wearing my little red jumper dress, where
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| | (Serves six)
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| upon twisting the plastic cap on my
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| | 1 lb. ground beef
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| Partridge Family thermos I am rewarded
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| | 4 potatoes (diced)
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| with a whiff of mom's Slumgullion soup.
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| | 1 can of corn with liquid
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| To this day I'd lay bets that the smell
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| | 1 can of green beans drainedto bag of
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| of that soup wafting on a stiff fall
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| | shell noodles (any noodle will do)
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| afternoon breeze brought my test scores
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| | 1 cup of fresh vegetables (zucchini is
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| up at least twenty percent.
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| | what I prefer)
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| Once a week mom would magically create a
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| | 6 tsps, or cubes of beef bouillon
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| soup our huge pot she jokingly called
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| | 1 jar of red spaghetti sauce
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| "the cauldron." and the resulting aroma
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| | Salt and pepper to taste
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| that would seep into every corner and
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| | Instructions: Brown the ground beef in
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| crevice of our home wasn't of this world.
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| | pan and drain out fat. Salt and pepper
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| Like the cartoons of the day, I could
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| | the meat.
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| imagine my feet being lifted off the
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| | Boil the potatoes in water until soft.
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| ground, nose sniffing the air, as I
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| | Once potatoes are soft, drain out enough
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| floated toward the simmering taste of
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| | water so that the potatoes are just
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| heaven coming from the kitchen.
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| | covered.
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| Mom had many names for her consomme
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| | Adjust stove temperature to medium and
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| concoctions; Italian Delight, Everything
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| | add drained ground beef. Make sure the
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| but the Kitchen Sink, or my favorite:
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| | water is at a small boil and add your dry
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| Slumgullion Soup. And I loved every
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| | noodles. Cook until noodles are tender.
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| slurp, despite the outrageous names.
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| | Add can of corn with juice, can of green
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| When I grew older, and asked mom for the
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| | beans drained, any other vegetable you
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| recipes to her incredible soups, she let
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| | would like, and 6 tsps or cubes of beef
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| me in on The Big Secret: every one of
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| | bouillon, then simmer. Taste to make
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| her soups was made from leftovers. They
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| | sure there is enough beef flavor from the
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| weren't exactly recipes, she stammered, a
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| | bouillon. (Sometimes it can need more or
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| little embarrassed at the thought. How
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| | less bouillon; it just depends on the
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| could she not have recipes for her
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| | day, so make sure to taste.
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| incredible gourmet soups?
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| | At this point, pour in the jar of
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| I couldn't fathom that these bowls of
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| | spaghetti and bring the pot back up to a
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| bliss which I so closely connected with
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| | simmer. (This soup can also be made with
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| my wonder years weren't going to be
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| | chicken and chicken broth instead of beef
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| passed down for future generations. I
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| | broth, and Alfredo sauce in place of red
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| was almost incensed until I realized that
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| | sauce. Its great with a little bit of
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| while they may not have been pulled from
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| | parmesan cheese and cornbread, or French
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| the pages of a gourmet magazine or from
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| | rolls. Youll probably even have
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| hand-scrawled notes long-stored in great
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| | leftovers to pour into the school
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| grandma's recipe trunk, these soups were
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| | Thermos, as well.
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