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Recipe — Potato soup with Meatballs
It Doesn’t Have a Michelin Star But It’s Come-Back Good
I’m a grandma that loves to cook. I received my training at the apron strings of my mother, aunts, and grandmother, who were all great cooks from Texas, USA.
Family gatherings meant that the ladies of the family spent many hours preparing their favorite dishes. None of them were trained chefs but they were all dedicated to putting their best food on the table.
Simple, satisfying, smell-good, taste-good food topped the menu. And since money was never something any of them had in abundance, their ability to improvise, adapt, and create original recipes flourished.
One thing you’ll learn about cooking from me is that grandma-style leaves lots of room for self-expression. Why? Because we don’t measure — we taste for accuracy. A pinch, a dash, a palm-full, and a smidgeon are all very exact directions when you learn to appreciate them.
So don’t get stuck in a rut, experiment a little, tweak a lot, and you’ll be surprised to find your own flair for cooking.
Let me share my latest dish…
Down-home potato soup with meatballs
You can start this dish with any basic recipe for potato soup. I always start with a stick of butter, diced onions, and chopped celery which I simmer in my favorite soup pot.
I’ll season with fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and a couple of spoons of chicken base.
I add the diced potatoes, frozen meatballs, and a handful of chopped spinach.
Then I fill my pot with liquid — 1 part water to 2 parts milk.
Be sure to add additional seasonings of your choice if you desire.
Cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Just before serving, I’ll add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream to the mix.
All that’s left is to dish it up into bowls and top it with your favorite croutons.
This soup is most appreciated on cold days when the inside of a person is in need of some additional warmth.
Step one is to sketch a rough draft of the design you want to create for slow stitching. Step two is to cut and place fabric and fibers where you want them in your design. Step 3 is to start layering up individual areas of the design until you achieve the look you want. The next step is to remove each piece as you want to sew it onto your background fabric, leaving the designed piece intact until you're ready to sew them. If the piece is very intricate, take a photo before starting to sew just in case you need to refer to it later. This is the method I use when designing my slow-stitch pieces. It's easy and works beautifully. This method leaves plenty of room for adding or modifying the design as you go along. Consider it a draft that you can embellish or improve as you work.
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