Passing on family recipes

I talked to Winnie at Broadway Prescription Shop where she works, and she asked about my mother's homemade soup. Winnie's sister has had my mom's soup and told her it was the best soup and she wanted the recipe. It is hard to write down a recipe that is in someone's head, but we did the best we could. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have for many years.

Mom's Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup

1 large chuck or arm beef roast

3 quarts water

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

1 quart home canned tomatoes

1 or 2 quarts tomato juice

1 large head cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 quart green beans, including juice

2 cans whole kernel corn, including juice

1 large package frozen Fordhook lima beans

6 large potatoes, diced

2 ribs celery, chopped

Several carrots, peeled and sliced thick

1 cup barley

1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins steak sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

This recipe fills a large pressure canner. Over medium-high heat, sear meat until brown. Add water and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and slowly simmer, uncovered, about 2 hours until meat is tender. Add the remaining ingredients, except barley. Fill pot nearly full with water. Turn heat up to high to bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add barley and cook another 20 minutes. Serve with fresh baked bread and butter.

This recipe is just a guide to your own preferences. If you don't like something, leave it out, or if you like more of an ingredient, add more. If the soup becomes too thick while simmering, add more water or juice. This soup freezes well.

Caramel Pumpkin Brownie Trifle

Jodi Thompson sent me this recipe and it sounds amazing.

Cake:

1 (19.5-ounce) package traditional fudge brownie mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs

Filling:

1 (3.75-ounce) package butterscotch instant pudding and pie filling mix

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)

1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (12-ounce) container whipped topping, divided

6 (1.4-ounce) bars crushed milk chocolate toffee, divided

1 (12-ounce) jar hot caramel spoonable ice cream topping, divided

1 (12.25-ounce) jar butterscotch spoonable ice cream topping, divided

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, using oil, water and eggs; cool completely. Cut pan of brownies in half; cut each half into quarters. Mix pudding, evaporated milk, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl until well combined. Reserve 1/2 cup whipped topping and 2 tablespoons crushed toffee for garnish. Mix remaining whipped topping and toffee bars into pumpkin mixture. Break up half of the brownies; placing them into the bottom of a 14-cup trifle or glass bowl. Top with half of the pumpkin filling. Place 1 tablespoon of each topping in its own resealable bag; reserve for garnish. Heat caramel topping according to label directions; spoon 1/2 jar over filling. Layer with 1/2 jar of butterscotch topping and top with remaining brownies and filling.

Dollop reserved whipped cream into the center of the trifle; sprinkle with reserved toffee. Heat bags of topping in microwave on high 7 to 10 seconds. Cut a small corner off bags; squeeze toppings over trifle. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Yield: 12 Servings.

Taffy Apple Pizza

I was telling my friend Steve Chapman about this recipe and how fun it is to take to a bon fire or cookout in the fall. The children especially love it.

1 (20-ounce) tube peanut butter cookie dough

3 tablespoons flour, or a little more

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 Granny Smith apples

1 cup lemon-lime carbonated soda

Cinnamon

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add flour to cookie dough and kneed in. Press in a 14-inch circle or a 15-inch pizza pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool 10 minutes. Loosen from pan and cool completely. Blend cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla together until smooth. Spread on cooled cookie. Peel, core and slice apples. Dip in soda to prevent browning. Arrange apples on cream cheese. Heat caramel topping slightly and drizzle over apples. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts on top.

Fried Green Tomatoes

There are quite a few green tomatoes now at the end of the garden. You might like to try this recipe.

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, divided

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon pepper, divided

3 green tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices

2 cups vegetable oil

Whisk together 1 tablespoon flour, buttermilk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Stir together remaining flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip tomato slices in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture. Heat oil in heavy 10-inch skillet to 350 degrees. Fry tomato slices 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain tomato slices on paper towel. Best if served immediately.

Blue Willow Inn's Tomato Chutney

Want to kick these fried green tomatoes up a notch? Serve with tomato cutney, like it is served at the famous Blue Willow Inn.

2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 small green bell peppers, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until thickened. Serve on top of hot fried green tomatoes. Yields 5 cups.

Corn Sausage Chowder

My cousin Cindy Dude gave me this recipe several years ago, and still a fall favorite of ours. I add extra potatoes because our son likes them in abundance.

1 pound bulk pork sausage, mild or hot, according to taste

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups water

1 (17-ounce) can creamed style corn

1 (17-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

In a pan, cook sausage and onion until browned. Drain on paper towel. In the same pan, boil together water, potatoes and salt until tender. Add sausage to potatoes and water. Add remaining ingredients and warm through. If chowder is too thick, add a little of the juice from the drained canned whole kernel corn to thin down.

I always serve with apple muffins with this chowder, as it is a prefect go-together with the pork sausage. I use a boxed apple muffin mix, in the interest of time.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.