Foodie Friday ~ Stuffed Green Pepper Soup and Carmel Corn

This soup is quick and easy. A great fall meal. Saute onion, celery, garlic and green pepper in oil until just tender.

Stir in beef.

Add everything else.

Then enjoy:)

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chopped green bell pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (16 ounce) can Hunts Diced Tomato with Basil, Garlic, Oregano

1/2 cup V-8 tomato juice

1/4 cup uncooked white rice

2 cans chicken broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Saute onion, celery, garlic and green pepper in oil until just tender. Do not brown. Stir beef into vegetables; cook until beef is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice.

Add tomatoes, juice, water, broth, parsley, sugars, salt and pepper to the browned beef mixture. Cover, and simmer 45 minutes or until rice is cooked. Adjust liquid if necessary. Stir in cinnamon. Taste for seasoning.

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Next we have Paula Deen's Carmel Corn.

I popped 3 bags of microwave plain popcorn.

Butter, brown sugar, salt and light corn syrup.

Coat well.

It's ready:)

Carmel Corn

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

Over medium heat, combine first four ingredients and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Stir well. Pour over 8 quarts popped corn. Stir to coat well. Bake in large roaster or pan (i used a disposable pan and Pam sprayed it) at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at
"Designs by Gollum"
visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Foodie Friday ~ Hot Buttered Rum and Italian Mellocello

Have you ever had Hot Buttered Rum. This is wonderful:)Mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
Put it in a covered container and keep in the fridge.
Add 2 teaspoons of the mixture, 1 shot of rum and fill with boiling water. Stir well and top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Recipe:
Ingredients-
Hot Buttered Rum
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch salt
Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum (can use dark rum)
Boiling water
Directions-
In a bowl, cream together the butter sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the butter mixture into a small mugs. Add 1 shot of rum. Top with boiling water and stir well. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

(makes 12 servings)

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The next drink takes 2 months. It's called Italian Mellocello, (mello because I add vanilla beans). I started it last weekend so I will have it ready for the holidays. Last year I gave it for presents. It was a big hit.

First wash 20 lemons real good.
Next peel them without getting too much of the pith. The pith is the white part and would make the drink bitter. Oh did my house smell good!
Next slit 5 vanilla beans and scrape out the insides.
You will need 2 750 ml bottles of Everclear.

Add all to a glass gallon jug with a lid. Then place in a dark cabinet for 2 months. There's more......I will tell you the rest of the recipe in two months. For now it has to sit.

So what to do with the juice from the 20 lemons.....

Squeeze them.

Place them in freezer bags and save for next years homemade lemonade.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Foodie Friday ~ Homemade Italian Plum Pie

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

Visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

I found this recipe a long time ago in the food section of the newspaper and have loved it ever since. Last fall I had bought Italian Plums. I pitted and froze them for a special pie. Last weekend as you know was my birthday, so that was a good time to make that special pie. Making it was easy. I used a Pillsbury rolled refrigerated pie crust and then grabbed my plums from the freezer. Mixed the plums with the added ingrediants, put in the pie crust and into the oven.

Recipe:

4 cups pitted Italian plums

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of salt

In a bowl mix together above ingredients. Line 9-inch pie plate with pie crust. Pour ingredients into crust. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon lemon juice; dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam. Seal. Sprinkle top crust with Wilton White Sparkling Sugar. Bake in a 400 degrees oven for 50 minutes.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Cool on top of the oven.

Enjoy:)

Foodie Friday ~ For the Elegant Cook

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

Visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

So.....it's my Birthday Sunday, (September 27th) and I thought someone could bake me a cake. I picked this one. It is Ina Garten's

Birthday Cake with Hot Pink Butter Icing.

I GOT MAIL!!!!!! This came today from my sister Kendra.

This is so cute. I just know you all are going to want one.

It says ~ For the Elegant Cook. Baking Beauty's OVEN GLOVE and it's Machine Washable.
Ok.....I know you all are jealous.
Thanks Kendra......I love it:)

You can visit her web site @

"The Pineapple Tea Room"

in Apex, NC

or you can call Kendra at the Tea Room

919-303-0411

and she will be happy to take your order:)

Foodie Friday ~ Tabasco Pepper Garlic Vinegar

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

Visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

This is my Tabasco Pepper plant.

I picked about twenty of these.

Dropped in 4 garlic, added Tabasco peppers and filled to the top with white vinegar. Closed tightly and leave it set for about one month.
Great for fish, pork chops or...
Season anything you want with it.

Mom and Dad ~ Mana and Pa

Mom is doing so good after her back surgery two weeks ago. She got her sutures out yesterday. She will follow up with her doctor in December. Each day she is getting better and better.

Today, Mom took Dad to the Emergency Room. He had a stroke. Lots of testing tomorrow.

Mosaic Monday ~ Summer Breeze

I have been looking at all the Mosaics and have been trying to figure this out..........Thanks to Rainey at "The Project Table".......I have finally done it. I just needed some encouragement, and guess what, it's easy. Thank you Rainey for your help.

To see all the other beautiful Mosaics

visit Mary at

"Little Red House"