Mom Veenendaal's Old Fashioned Sunday Soup

Hey all! ok, so this one is a special request. I recently made a pan of soup for friends of ours who were blessed with a newborn, and who probably have better things to do than to worry about dinner. They requested the recipe of this soup, and I am more than happy to share our families secret sunday soup recipe! (just don't tell my mom...) :)

PLEASE NOTE: the photos are of a DOUBLE batch that i made...so, it's not going to be that huge of a pot with the recipe i have down. just thought you should know. :)

Since this recipe was put together by my mom, my original recipe was based around the ingredients that she had on hand...and those consisted of things from Ramaakers Dutch Imports in St. Catharines. Since I don't get down there as often as I should, I had to adapt this to things you could find in regular grocery stores...so although my recipe looks like this...

 I will give you the alternate "normal" version of this recipe. :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef made into meatballs

(to do this, i add salt, pepper, 1-2 eggs, and enough bread crumbs to absorb excess moisture. you can also add any spices and herbs you may like in your meatballs)

 ok, so i made a DOUBLE batch, remember...this is over 100 meatballs. :) i found using a melon baller worked amazing for shaping these little guys.

• 4 large beef boullion cubes

(I get my boullion at bulk barn, and they look like this:

   so add the equivalent in whatever beef boullion you may use)

• pepper and all spice to taste.

(I have added photos of what i added to my double batch of soup...it is not an exact science, just add whatever you think you would like)

 allspice

pepper

•2 packages dried/dehydrated vegetables (NOT SOUP MIX...that comes later)

(i, again, use bulk, so i measure each "package" as a handfull as shown below)

•1 package of vegetable soup mix

(I have used many...with this batch, i used Knorr)

•1.5 cups Vermicelli noodles (or whatever other small noodles you may like in your soup)

HOW TO:

•fill a 5 quart pan 3/4 full with water

• Bring to a boil and add meatballs 1 at a time, so they don't stick together. stir occasionaly while adding meatballs

• Add boullion, pepper and allspice

• Add dried vegetables and bring back to a boil

• Put back on simmer (lowest setting)

• Cook 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally

• Add vegetable soup mix and return to boil

• Add noodles and return to boil, stirring

• simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, and serve, or put in fridge and reheat as needed. 

(if you put it in the fridge, you will notice a thin layer of fat sitting on the top of the soup when you take it out of the fridge. you can either reheat with this in it, or you can remove before reheating.)

*freezes well too!*

Enjoy! any questions...don't hesitate to ask!

cheers!

Where the magic happens...the Kitchen that is...

so, since i haven't been as loyal as i want to be with this (cut me some slack...i'm busy with christmas orders! lol!) i'll post some photos i've meant to for a while. i'll bring you on the photo tour of my kitchen. my vintage, 70's inspired, wasted space kitchen. yes...i totally designed it that way. lol! No, actually, since moving in to the house, this is the one room we haven't touched, other than replacing the fridge, and a light above the sink. but i digress....

Here we have my art wall. I am such a proud mommy when it comes to my kids artwork, and i HATE the walls, so 2 birds, one stone my friends! wallpaper that is free, and meaningful!

 the chill chest. one of my favourite places to get inspired. sometimes whatever is left in here becomes something new for the table!

it usually looks like this...full to the gills. when it starts looking like a bachelor's fridge, i am concerned. lol!

 this is red. she is my favourite appliance in the world. :) i (we...i mean WE) received her for a wedding gift from my cousins, and i couldn't have asked for a better gift! she looks at me while i'm in the kitchen, just daring me to try a new recipe, or to use her for grating, grinding or making dough. i love this machine...and the fact that she is my favorite colour is just the cherry on the sundae!

my bread machine was a gift from my mother in law...she said she never used it and asked if i would like it. of course i said yes ! i don't use it as often as i think i should, but its there...

 the oven. it's nothing fancy, and it usually has more splatter on it, but you get the idea. it works, and that's all i can ask for. i really should clean the inside, but...

 our convection/toaster oven. this little trooper is the general of my kitchen. he's a tough cookie, and he replaced 2 appliances. we decided to get rid of our microwave about 3 or 4 years ago, and though that this guy would do a great job of not only replacing that, but also our toaster. we love this little guy, and will replace him with a fancy schmantcy new one when he bites it. i've made everything in him from toast to cookies to a chicken...he's awesome! and in the summer when you don't want to heat up the whole kitchen with the oven, this little guy is stellar!!

my spice rack/baking ingredient cupboard. i totally can't take credit for the idea of the spices in the jars...that i ripped off of michael smith. chef extrordinaire from P.E.I (only the best place on earth!) although i don't quite have the walk in pantry that he does in his home (covet!!) i've done my best with my little space i do have, and i think it works amazingly well! i have almost everything in here that bulk barn does, and i love just opening it and wondering what i'll make today...

so there you have it...my kitchen. it may not be much to look at, and it may not have every new fangled gadget in it, but it is exactly what i need to cook and experiment with new ingredients and recipes. my family seems to like what comes out of it, and quite frankly that is what is important. i have a great time in my kitchen, and i'll continue to share what i learn and what i love with all of you. thanks for humoring me. it's appreciated. 

cheers!

White Stripes Pizza

Yes ladies and gentlemen, i'm back...sorry for the lapse. i've been dancing and cooking, but just not posting. i've been making munkys like a mad woman, and haven't found the time to post...but now, as my dinner simmers on the stove, i'll share with you a recipe (or, more of a technique) for the yummiest pizza EVER. i recently made a convert of my friend Shannon, who astonishingly asked me "what is a white pizza?"...i had no choice but to convert her then and there, so here is my White Pizza technique.  (its not a recipe, because i don't have measurements...i simply put however much i like of each ingredient on the pizza. :) )

WHITE PIZZA

• cut up 1 chicken breast into bite size pieces, and pan fry till done.

• cut up mushrooms, onion and marinated artichoke hearts

• take fresh pizza dough (home made or store bought) and stretch it into whatever shape you will want your final pizza to resemble. 

• Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or a stone baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal

• drizzle pizza dough with olive oil, or whatever oil you have on hand. 

• sprinkle pizza with parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese

• put grated mozzarella cheese on pizza

• sprinkle pizza with chicken, mushrooms, onion and artichoke

• give another healthy sprinkle of grated parmesan to the assembled pizza

• give a shake of salt over the pizza

•put the pizza into a preheated 425º oven for around 20 minutes, or till slightly browning, and bubbly. (you know what a pizza looks like when it's done right? well, get it to that point and take it out. :)

•let it sit for a few minutes out of the oven before cutting. transfer on to a wooden cutting board (don't cut on your stone) and slice with a pizza slicer. 

YOU MAY NEED TO EAT THIS WITH A FORK AND A KNIFE...it's a meal...not an app!!

it's quite possibly the best thing ever. yum!! giving an extra little shake of salt before eating really brings out the flavour of everything on your slice. 

enjoy!!

cheers.

so...where has the dancing gone?

 ok...it's starting again. it appears that i have not been posting as often as i would like. work has gotten the better of me, and i think i'll need to get in my kitchen again soon. and i will...i promise!! november is just going to be one of those months for work that is unrelenting. so, i apologize in advance for not posting...i swear, i have at least 3 posts ready to be made up...photos taken and all that, it's just a matter of finding time between munkys to post. maybe i'll start getting up early and doing it...maaahahahahaha!!

talk soon. i swear...

cheers