Grilled Cheese Kind of Day

This post is really for my brother Ken. Not that everyone isn't welcome.
I am mostly blogging to Ken now.

They say you are going to have snow Ken, which might be welcome except record snow seemed to be the context-here's hoping it's not like in '77. Or your last few years.

I got home from TK beat, but I was in TK beat. This is what happens when you get MLK Day off and then you houseclean and your kids are home two of the days (thankfully). I did about fifteen loads of wash-some for Sophia, and our backed up loads. Anyway today it RAINED so I think that system is also bringing on a desire to run home and rest. So I made a new recipe I like.

Hamburger Soup

It's very easy and I used things from the cupboard and about a pound of hamburger that I had leftover. So all in all it was pretty economical. You'd know what you want to spice it with-I left it plain really liking the canned tomato, watery flavor. To be honest it would be best with Mom's canned tomatoes. But what can you do? I added a teaspoon of Italian spices. I did it just like the recipe. I thought of you having a bowl. You might enjoy.

I got the recipe here. Full credit to them and thank you. It reminds me of West Virginia.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I like to use Angus beef for a little better flavor)

1 quart canned tomatoes, diced (with liquid)

1 quart water

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni

1 10-oz can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the onion, draining if desired.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Stir in the undiluted condensed tomato soup until creamy.

Bring the 1 quart of water to a boil, add salt and macaroni.

Stir macaroni occasionally and cook for only about 7-8 minutes - or until separated, just starting to get tender - but not soft.

Now pour off only enough of the cooking liquid from the macaroni so that it just barely covers the pasta.  You will then need to add the macaroni (AND the cooking liquid that remains in the pan) to the meat/soup mixture.

Now add the tomatoes with liquid. 

At this point - your soup will look REALLY watery.  Don’t despair.  Let it simmer slowly for about 15 minutes until the macaroni becomes soft and the liquid absorbs and boils down somewhat.

I usually let it stand - off heat - for another 15-20 minutes while I get the rest of dinner on.  By then the consistency is just right.

So the soup is exactly what the doctor ordered.
AND it reminds me of when we were kids and the simple straightforward food we ate- both that they grew and canned- and that was the palate Mom and Dad knew. It never hit me we were poor to be truthful. In many ways I'm returning completely to that in what I eat. When I was little Mom cooked me a cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup when I'd walk home up Park from First Ward School to eat. Probably with cheese Dad got from Wisconsin but I do like Velveeta. They had no cafeteria so you brought food or went home. I went home in 1st through third. Woodburn had good food, different after we moved. You couldn't go home-no escape. As I recall you were not too fond of tomato soup. Or Mom got away from it. I don't recall bowls of that after third grade. Who knows why.

I was thinking of the nice food in Morgantown.

This rain, it sounds wonderful. I hope you are spared snow that overwhelms you. If you get a cup or so of macaroni and a can of tomatoes, some beef-try this.