Coddle is a traditional Irish dish and makes a perfect hardy lunch on St. Patty’s Day. It is considered a comfort food in Ireland and is typically eaten during the winter months. Coddle is steamed not boiled so a tight fitting lid on the soup pot is essential. Remember to check your coddle during cooking to ensure it is not boiling. Should it begin to boil, lower your heat to the lowest setting and adjust your cooking time to 2 hours.

• 1 (1 lb.) pkg. of bacon
• 2 (1 lb.) pkg. sausage links
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 whole garlic cloves
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thick
• 2 carrots, peeled and chunked
• 1 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• 4 C apple cider
• 2 t parsley flakes

Place the bacon in a skillet positioned over medium heat. Fry it until it’s nice and crispy. Remove it from the pan and allow it to drain on some paper towels.

Pour most of the bacon grease out and brown the sausage links in the same pan. When they are done, remove them and set them aside with the bacon.

Cook the onions in the same pan drippings.  Adjust the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes or until just beginning to soften.

Crumble the bacon into the bottom of large soup pot. Place the cooked sausage into the pot with the bacon. Add the softened onions and garlic cloves. Place the potatoes and carrots into the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour enough of the apple cider over the mixture in the pot to just cover.

Cover the pot and cook over medium low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle the parsley over the coddle  just before serving.

On St. Patrick’s Day Everyone Can Be Irish

St. Patrick’s Day gives us all an excuse to have some fun and eat delicious comfort foods.

Just thinking about corned beef, cabbage & soda bread give me goose bumps.  Those classic Irish dishes are among some of my favorite but it’s fun when you can find new recipes that make your tummy happy.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner I thought it would be nice to put together some recipes and crafts and create a kindle ebook to celebrate.

You’ll find delicious Irish food along with a bunch of crafts that your family will enjoy creating together.

And remember, with all Kindle ebooks, you don’t need a Kindle to download them. Amazon makes it easy to put right on your computer, laptop, or other e-reader or device. And the price is right, too!

http://www.amazon.com/St-Patricks-Everyone-Irish-ebook/dp/B00BS9LGJG

This cold weather we’ve been having is making me crave soups and stews. Here’s another quick favorite, a pork and potato stew recipe. It’s a filling one pot meal that makes for easy cooking and cleanup. Give it a try.

Don’t forget to check out “Soups, Stews and Supper Stretchers” for more delicious recipes.

I make this particular chicken stew quite a bit when I can find chicken and bell peppers on sale. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual chicken pot pie, chicken dumplings and or chicken noodle soup.

You can make it with chunks of chicken breast, chicken tenders or my personal favorite boneless, skinless chicken tights. Use whatever is on sale that day. I’ve also made it with pork instead of chicken, but prefer the chicken version.

If you’re craving Chinese food, skip the takeout menu and make a batch of this delicious stew instead.

This is a great Asian inspired meal. I like the fact that it’s cheaper and healthier than takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken. Stretch this meal by serving it over cooked brown or white rice.

This also freezes really well. I usually make a double or triple batch of this, serve one portion for dinner and freeze the rest. To serve, I put the frozen stew in a pot with a little bit of water in the bottom and allow it to thaw on medium low heat. If the sauce seems too think, add a little more cornstarch to help it thicken. To do this I mix a teaspoon or two of cornstarch in a little cool water and add it to to the stew mixture.

Don’t forget to check out “Soups, Stews and Supper Stretchers” for more delicious recipes.

The latest HBHW Kindle Cookbook came out today and it is full of Winter soup and stew recipes. I thought I’d share one of my favorites with you here. It’s a hardy kale soup with plenty of yummy sausage in it. I love making it with smoked Kielbasa sausage, but it’s also great with a leaner turkey version.

If you’re not a big fan of kale, I encourage you to give it a try anyway. My husband and daughter usually groan whenever there’s Kale on the menu, but both love this dish. Of course you can easily replace the kale with spinach, collard greens or something similar.

Don’t forget to check out “Soups, Stews and Supper Stretchers” for more delicious recipes.

Borscht is one of those universal dishes that you find all over this part of the world. Each country, each region and each family has their own variation on this dish (similar to what we do with Beef Stew for example). Here’s a Ukrainian version for you to try.

Ukrainian Borscht Soup

• 1 (16 ounce) package pork sausage
• 3 medium beets
• 3 carrots
• 3 potatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 medium head cabbage
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• sour cream (topping)

Start by peeling and shredding your beets. Lay some old newspapers on the table and put on your apron before you start. Beet juice will stain anything and everything! Do the same with your carrots and then peel and dice the potatoes. Chop your onion and shred the cabbage while you’re at it.

I cook the entire soup in one large pot. Start by crumbling up the sausage and cook it until no longer pink. Add the chopped onion while the sausage is cooking and continue to saute until the onion is tender. Drain off all the fat. Fill the same pot about halfway with water. Bring it to a boil. This will go faster if you add a lid to the pot.

Once the water is boiling, add the beets, and cook until they are tender. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and then drain the juice from the canned tomatoes and add them as well.

Mince the garlic and add it to the soup along with your tomato paste. Turn off the heat, add a lid and let the soup stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Season it with salt, pepper and a bit of sugar, then ladle it into bowls and top with a bit of sour cream.

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lg yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 large cans vegetable stock
• ½ lb potatoes (cut into chunks)
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lg can of diced tomatoes
• ¼ lb green beans

Place the olive oil into a stock pot and let it warm up. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook them until they are soft.

Next, add water potatoes and seasonings and bring soup to a boil. After that you should turn down the heat to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes.

After the potatoes feel tender add tomatoes and green beans. Let your soup simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Serve with a big hunk of crusty bread.

This soup will warm you all the way down to your toes. Its great to serve on those cold winter nights.

If you want to make vegetable beef soup all you need to do is add browned ground beef or cooked stew beef. You can also add chicken or turkey if you like white meats better.

• 7 cups water
• 1-28oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 1 cup cubed potatoes
• 1 cup cubed carrots (frozen)
• 1-10oz bag peas (frozen)
• 1-10oz bag lima beans (frozen)
• 1-10oz bag  corn (frozen)
• 4 chicken or beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp pepper

Place all of the ingredients into a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 1 ½ hours or until all of the vegetables are fork tender.

*Tip : This soup is great with cornbread, corn muffins, cheese bread and even garlic bread.

For a vegetarian version leave out the ham and replace the chicken or beef bullion with vegetarian bullion cubes. You may want to add a little more for a stronger flavor.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 whole chicken boiled and deboned
• (save the liquid from the chicken)
• 1 lb sliced carrots
• 4 stalks celery (sliced)
• 2 cans small sweet peas
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 bag egg noodles
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine the broth from your chicken, carrots,celery,peas and onion with the chicken bouillon cubes. Cook on high heat until vegetables are fork tender. Place chicken,noodles and seasoning in the pot. Cook until noodles are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 bag egg noodles
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil the chicken breasts for about 45 minutes in a large pot in plenty of water. Remove from the liquid and pull chicken apart. Return the chicken to the cooking liquid and add bouillon cubes and egg noodles. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recommended – Crockpot Cooking Made Simple

Ready to learn more about crockpot cooking? Get my Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook today and find out how you can work this into your meal plan, how to choose a good crockpot and most importantly how to convert your favorite recipes to work in a slow cooker.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ebooks/crockpotcooking.htm

My children don’t like peas so I made this soup and called it “Shrek” soup. They love it! Now they are eating their veggies and they don’t even know it!

Split Pea Soup Ingredients:

• Meaty ham bone
• 8 cups water
• 1 pkg split peas
• 1 cup carrots (grated)
• 1 cup onions (diced)
• 1 cup celery (chopped)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients into a large pot and cook on low heat for about 3 hours. Most of the meat will fall off the bone while cooking. You should remove the remaining meat from the bone to put back into the soup and dispose of the bone.

For a finer, smooth consistency place soup into a blender after cooking and “pulse” until you get your desired consistency.

You can also cook this soup in the crockpot. About 3 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low will do the trick.

Recommended – Crockpot Cooking Made Simple

Ready to learn more about crockpot cooking? Get my Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook today and find out how you can work this into your meal plan, how to choose a good crockpot and most importantly how to convert your favorite recipes to work in a slow cooker.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ebooks/crockpotcooking.htm

You can either brown some hamburger to start or what I do most often is boil up some chicken (I use thighs) in water with bouillon cubes and seasoning to taste. When the chicken is done I take it out to cool and debone. Then I throw in a can of cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom soup with beef). When that is heated up, I literally take all the leftover veggies in my fridge and put them in the pot. I live alone, so I always have leftovers. You can also add potatoes, noodles, canned tomatoes, etc. I take the boneless chicken and add it. All you have to do then is heat it through.

The wonderful things about this, it gets rid of leftovers and the flavor is always different depending what you put in it.

The Hillbilly Housewife Recommends – Dining On A Dime

The Dining On A Dime Cookbook is packed with over 1,200 money saving recipes and tips, kids tips and snack ideas, gift baskets, menus, food storage directions, Cleaning Cents and Pretty for Pennies. The recipes are easy to cook with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. To make shopping easy and economical, it also includes a pantry list and a shopping list.

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There’s just something special about a good pot of homemade french onion soup with it’s complex mixture of deep flavors. I usually make a big pot of this delicious soup on New Year’s eve and we all enjoy it with a hunk of homemade bread after coming inside from watching the fireworks at midnight. There’s just nothing better to warm you back up. Here’s how I make it.

• 3 pounds Vidalia onions, sliced thin
• 6 Tbsp butter (margarine or oil for vegetarian soup)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 7-8 cups beef broth
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, ground, or to taste
• 3 bay leaves, whole
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 1/2 cup dry white wine

I am using both butter and oil to brown the onions. Butter gives it a nice rich flavor, but without the oil it would burn to easily. Heat the butter and oil in a large stock pot until all the butter has melted. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook them slowly over medium to medium low heat for a good half an hour or a bit longer until they are nice and brown. This will allow the onions to slowly release their natural sugars, crating a rich, deep flavor.

Add the garlic and sugar to the stock pot and cook it another 10 to 15 minutes until the garlic is tender and fragrant. Then sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and while constantly moving it around with a wooden spoon or spatula, cook the flour for a few minutes until it makes a thick paste or rue. Keep moving the flour mixture around to keep it from burning at the bottom of your pot.

Slowly add the broth and keep stirring. You will notice that the soup starts to thicken. Add the seasonings (except for the wine) and simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Continue to stir it so it doesn’t start to stick to the bottom. Turn off the burner, remove the bay leave and add the wine.

I don’t remember where I found this recipe, but it’s tasty, quick, nutritious, easy and vegetarian/vegan. Gluten, dairy, nut and egg free for those with allergies.

1 medium butternut squash, cubed.
1 large onion, diced.
2 vegatable bullion cubes.
1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, curry and chili.
2 litres of water.

Put all ingredients together into a pot, and simmer until squash and onions are tender. Enjoy!

2 qts water
2 tbsp powdered beef soup base
1 c. barley
2 small diced potatoes
1 chopped celery
3 diced large carrots
1/2 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic minced

Saute onion, garlic and ground beef. Drain fat. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1-2 hours.

If mushrooms are cheap they add a nice touch.

This is a great filling winter stew. Everyone loves it, including the men in the family. It really stretches a small amount of meat to feed everyone.

CHILEW (Recipe 1)
This is for the ‘cooking challenged’.

1 large can Dinty Moore or Callahan’s Beef Stew
1 can of your favorite Chili
1 package Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1/2 package of Yellow Cake Mix
1 egg
Milk (*amount needed for Corn Bread listed on box)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Get a good sized casserole dish. Empty the contents of the canned chili and canned stew into the dish, and stir together.
In a separate bowl, add the Corn Bread mix, and 1/2 package of yellow cake mix, and then prepare the batter for the Corn Bread off the box. (1 egg, and the milk). Pour the batter over the top of the chili and stew mixture, and place in the oven. Bake until the corn bread has risen to the top of the Chilew, and has cooked all the way though. (Test with a toothpick).

While this cooks, you can set the table, and include some butter and/or honeybutter. Serve with cold milk, and you’ve got a pretty balanced meal!

This is a great ‘fall’ and winter recipe – veggies from the stew, protein from the beef and beans, grains and fiber from the corn bread. Quick, easy, 1 dish meal that doesn’t cost a lot to make!

Potato Soup

This is one of those recipes where there are not any exact measurements.

To serve 4-6 people (approximately)

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin (optional)

1 small onion, diced (optional)

1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

Ham or Bacon crumbles – a handful or two

2 eggs

flour

broth- chicken broth or a little ham broth with chicken broth (2-3 cups)

milk

salt/pepper

Boil your veggies until the potatoes are nearly done but not quite. While these are cooking, beat eggs in a shallow, small pan like a pie plate or something similar. Add a couple handfuls of flour and mix with a fork, smashing and stirring to combine the two ingredients. This dough should be slightly sticky but you should be able to remove the dough from your fingers by rubbing your hands together. The drier the dough, the tougher the “rivels” will be. Add more flour as needed to get the sticky but not “snotty” texture. Set this glob aside.

When the veggies are nearly done, drain the water off. Return them to the stove and add enough broth to cover them twice. Throw in your meat and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat slightly. Get your glob of “rivels” and drop them into the boiling broth one glob at at time. the globs should be about the size of grapes but can be smaller or larger depending on how you like it. BTW- “rivels” are really just homemade noodles. Whatever crumbs or flour remain in your pie plate should be scraped into the boiling broth as well (if there is no flour remaining, sprinkle a tablespoon or so into the broth). This will thicken it as the rivels cook. When the rivels are cooked through (10 min or so- test them by cutting one in half and tasting it) or when the broth gets too thick, add milk to make it the consistancy you prefer. Serve with shredded cheese if you’d like.