Ask a child of any age if food just tastes better when shared with a friend, and you’ll get a resounding yes!
I can remember packing bologna sandwiches and a small thermos of milk, then head out with friends on bikes to find the perfect picnic spot in the middle of a field somewhere. Those were the best sandwiches ever!
My favorite “subject” in high school was lunch. We’d gather under the shade of a big oak tree, share whatever we had, and make plans to take over the administration building or stage protest in the senior quad. You need to remember, the war in Viet Nam was raging, and the young people in America were divided into three camps. Those who were drafted and either reluctantly served or moved to Canada. Those who felt the call to duty and enlisted straight out of high school. And those who sought to stop the war.
Whatever the mood, wherever the setting, sharing a meal with a friend is always a joy. Now that it’s soup season, sharing a quick and easy bowl of soup seems the perfect way to honor the day. Enjoy!
Chili-Mac Hamburger Soup
Hamburger Helper Seasoning Pack
1 tablespoon Cornstarch (or other thickening agent)
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
In a small bowl, whisk together thickening agent, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar and paprika. Set aside until ready to use.
Hamburger Soup
4 cups Beef Stock
1/2 Yellow Onion
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
1 lb lean Ground Beef
1 cup Hot Water
1-1/2 cups Elbow Macaroni
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 (16 oz) Diced Tomatoes
1 (11 oz) can Mexican Style Corn with Peppers
Tortillas Strips for garnish
Heat beef stock. Keep hot until ready to use. Cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half foor another purpose, dice remaining half. Cut bell pepper in half, then half again. Reserve 3/4 bell pepper for another use, seed and dice remaining quarter.
In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook ground beef with diced onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until beef is cooked through, breaking meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain well.
Stir in beef stock, hot water and seasoning pack. Add chili powder, garlic salt, and tomatoes. Heat to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes for flavors to mingle and marry. Stir in pasta and corn. Return to a boil. Cover, cook 10 minutes longer or until pasta has cooked through.
Ladle soup into bowls, top with Tortilla Strips, serve and enjoy. Delicious with warm Crescent Rolls and sweet butter.
Buttery Chive Crescent Rolls
Cooking Spray
1 can refrigerated Crescent Rolls
2 tablespoons soft Butter
1/4 cup Chives
Heat oven to 350-degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
On a flat surface such as a cutting board, unroll crescent dough. Leave as one sheet. Set aside.
Brush dough with butter. Snip chives, sprinkle over the buttered dough. Separate rolls along perforated lines. (A pizza cutter keeps everything clean). Roll each into a crescent shape beginning at the wide end rolling toward the point. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake crescents in the heated oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediate remove from baking sheet to prevent bottom form over-cooking. Serve warm.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
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