Faith, Folklore, and Friends

2015 came in cold, and it has been cold every day of this new year. We have had some sick days, when all we wanted to do in sit in front of the fire, under a quilt with a book and something hot to drink.  On these days, nothing is as good as hot soup for lunch. I found this recipe for corn soup that is perfect for cold day lunches and very filling, in addition to being very easy to make. Chop up about a quart of potatoes, 6 or 7 medium. Cover with water and boil until they are tender. Chop up two onions,  and saute them in some bacon fat until they are transparent and tender. When they are tender, mash up the potatoes until all large chunks are gone.  I like using this old potato masher; the electric mixer gets them too thin. Add the cooked onions to the potatoes and stir. Add a teaspoon of salt.  Stir. You will need two cans of cream style corn, whatever brand you prefer. You could use the same amount of fres...

A pot of chili is perfect for cold weather suppers.  I make mine in the crock pot, and it takes a little planning ahead.  But once it is made, you can have several meals just by heating it up.  The chili is started the night before we plan to eat it. I start with three cups of dried pinto beans.  You can buy canned chili beans, but all they are is pinto beans with chili powder.  This was is less expensive and you don't have cans to throw away. You can buy chili powder just about anywhere now.  I put 3 heaping tablespoons in the dried beans. I heat 2 quarts of water in the tea kettle until it boils.  It takes the crock pot a long time to heat this much water, and the boiling water just gets the beans to cooking right away.  I usually add additional water before I go to bed, and check them first thing when I get up.  All crock pots are different, so check the beans often and don't let them run out of water. In the m...

If you can't think of anything to be thankful for during this season of thanksgiving, think about corn bread. Corn bread is the oldest bread in the United States.  The Native Americans had been feasting on it for years before the colonists got off their boats.  Thanks to the generosity of the Native Americans, many colonists were kept from starving by this staple. Corn bread is the cornerstone of Southern cooking.  Because the early settlers could grow and grind their own corn, corn bread was served three times a day in many homes.  For breakfast, the hot corn bread was covered with butter and molasses.  For dinner and supper, it was served with meat and vegetables.  My mother would not have thought about setting the table without some corn bread. For Sunday supper, we had beans with ham and corn bread, with a little onion on the side.  It is Hub's favorite meal. He loves cooking bread in this skillet with wedges, because every piece ...