Chunky Pizza Soup

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground hot sausage
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 green pepper, cubed
1 (28 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup thinly sliced pepperoni
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 chicken or beef bouillon cube
1 cup shredded mozzarella

In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook sausage in the oil until browned. Add onion, mushroom and green pepper, stirring until soft but not browned. Add tomatoes, water, pepperoni, basil and bouillon cube. Cook until heated through. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

This really tastes like eating pizza with a spoon.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Sauerkraut Soup

Don’t be too judgmental...this is something worth trying.

4 1/2 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. kielbasa, cut into slices and each slice into fourths
1 large (16 oz) can sauerkraut (do not drain)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. flour

In Dutch oven, bring water, potatoes and salt to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add kielbasa (or any smoked sausage you prefer), sauerkraut, and onion. Bring to a boil again, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour. Gradually stir in about 1 cup of the hot soup mixture. This is so the sour cream warms up slowly and doesn't curdle. Return the sour cream mixture back into the soup. Blend well. Heat thoroughly, but do not let boil.

This recipe was developed over my daughters’ love of sauerkraut as well as my own immense love for it.

It is very easy to make and freezes well for serving later. I would make this and always have a few small containers frozen in the freezer for when the girls would be home on break from college. Who knows, my daughter Kate loves this soup so much, I’m sure there may be a song written about it someday. Just joking.

I put no black pepper in this recipe, but when I serve myself a cup of this soup, I load it up with several sprinkles to my taste. It usually is a lot. I’m a true pepper lover...it is probably my favorite spice.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Spaetzle

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients. together in a small bowl Mix with a spoon until a stiff dough is formed. Spoon the dough onto the end of a plate. Using a spoon, break off kidney bean-sized pieces of dough into a pot of boiling, salted water. When all the dough is in the water, boil for 2 minutes. Drain and serve with butter and salt, or add to your favorite soup recipes.

Adding the black pepper and onion powder to the dough recipe creates a
boost in flavor.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Ham Topping for Baked Potatoes

1 chicken bouillon cube
½ cup boiling water
1 ½ cup milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
½ cup shredded cheese (Your choice, I use Cheddar or American)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cubed, cooked ham
1/3 cup sliced olives
2 Tbsp. diced pimiento
1 Tbsp. dried parsley

Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water. Stir in milk and set aside. Melt butter in saucepan; add flour, stirring, over medium heat until smooth. Cook 1 minute. Gradually add bouillon mix. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and Worcestershire. When cheese melts, add ham, olives, pimiento and parsley. Heat thoroughly. Serve over baked potatoes.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Beginnings

It was tradition in my family that soup was served almost every Sunday. There were probably only a few Sundays that I really don’t remember a pot of soup being on our stove top. On those Sundays, we were probably taking a trip down to Rivesville, West Virginia to visit with my Grandma, who probably had that pot of soup on, or at the least homemade bread to sink our teeth into.

Mom would put a pot of soup on early in the morning, and by noon it was time to sample the wares. You could tell time at our house by the Sunday plan of meals. A lot of them were based on the time of a Sunday football game on TV. Soup was always served as the noontime meal on Sunday, followed by a hearty meatloaf, roast beef, stuffed cabbage, chicken paprikas or the such at suppertime (usually around 4 o’clock).

Sundays seemed like all we did was eat and relax.

After returning from mass, we would have breakfast. One of my favorite Sunday breakfasts’ was palachintas (yum). Then off for the noontime, one, 2 o’clock soup feast. Then, you would wonder how you would be hungry for supper at 4 or 5 o’clock. Amazingly, you were.

There were times I would remember that if there wasn’t enough roast beef to make you content, Mom would give you a slice of bread on your plate and cover it with gravy (Gravy Bread). What an added feast we thought we were getting. Little did we know that there probably wasn’t enough meat for seconds, and who cared, because there was always plenty of gravy for that oh so special Gravy Bread.

I really don’t remember a lot of desserts. I know we probably had them from time to time, but even if there were, I don’t know how one would find, or want to find, the room to fit in.

Well, all this talk is making me hungry. Now that you have the water turned on, let’s do something with it.

Simple Hint

A major tip that I have used tremendously over all my years of cooking is:

**REMEMBER**

When serving a dish that you have worked so long and hard to create, the reactions of those you are out to please are influenced by the presentation.

Sometimes a recipe isn't that difficult to make, and we can put it together in a flash. However, remember to present it as a masterpiece.

It’s all in the presentation!!!

Dedication

I dedicate this website to the 4 best cooks I know: My mother, Anna, who nourished me from the day of my first breath, both physically and spiritually; my mother-in-law, Mag, introducing me to her family favorites and customs; my husband’s grandmother, Louise (Little Grammie), who had a unique, physical and verbal way of teaching me all her different techniques, to pass on traditional dishes; and last, and foremost, my heavenly mother, Mary, who is always by my side guiding me with spiritual intervention every step, and ingredient, of the way.

It is with a deep love of my heritage that I also dedicate this collection of recipes to all the cooks who are just starting out and continuing the tradition of using recipes that are "family recipes". I hope that this website will serve to preserve some of my "family recipes" and to kindle an interest in traditional cooking among the younger families in a not always traditional way.

Enjoy !

With much love,
Beve