Fix-It and Forget-It

When the Thanksgiving turkey platter is passed to me, I always root around looking for the dark meat. Early on, I must have hit a piece of white meat that behaved like sawdust in my mouth—and no amount of gravy could rescue it. Continue Reading...

As the name suggests, this hearty soup is quick, easy, and very, very good. Our recipe tester’s comment: “I’m definitely making this at home.” Now that’s a compliment worth having, because she’s prepared a lot of recipes in her time.

The recipe also makes plenty. Plan to serve this to a crowd of hungry leaf-rakers, if you’re lucky enough to be hosting such a crowd in your back yard. Or lure a bunch of energetic friends with an offer of dinner, and pass out the rakes when they arrive. Just be sure to have steaming bowls of soup and mugs of cider on hand when the work is done.

With any luck, this may become an annual tradition!

Quick and Easy Italian Vegetable Beef Soup
Fix-It and Forget-It, Revised & Updated, page 36
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow-cooker size: 6-qt.

1 lb. ground beef, or turkey, browned and drained
3 carrots, sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
15-oz. can diced Italian tomatoes, or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
6-oz. can Italian-flavored tomato paste
4 ½ cups water
1 quart beef broth

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 6-8 hours, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

I had never cooked with leeks, until we decided to make a dish for a recent cooking class that called for them. I’ve skirted them on market, having read about how sandy they are and how they require soaking to make them edible. Who has time? Who wants to risk grit in the teeth?

But I had this gorgeous-sounding recipe for Brussels sprouts that I wanted to make for the class—and it needed a leek. It was time. I bought my innocent-looking leek, tucked it into the fridge with a wary look, and went searching for information about how to make it behave.

I found this: Kitchen Tip: How To Clean Leeks

And this: How to Clean & Chop Leeks

And, guys, these directions work—and easily.

Now here’s the recipe that makes that little extra effort really pay off. If you want perfectly done Brussels sprouts (not mushy, not bitter, not cooked-to-death-yellow), follow these minute-by-minute instructions.
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Remember the Staub Dutch oven that we talked about on Tuesday? Well, all that talk about slow-cooked stews made us hungry for one!

Here is a stew that you can make in either a Dutch oven or your slow cooker. Choose whichever method fits your life. Either way, the meat comes out wonderfully tender and juicy. And look at all the vegetables you’ll be offering the people at your table.

The smell of this great dish cooking will surely make you happy that the weather is cooler and that stew season has come.
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Summer is turning into fall here in Lancaster County. The kids are back in school and the summer’s produce is slowing down for the year. The evenings come earlier and cooler, moving us towards fall. And fall means soup.

This is one of our staff’s favorite recipes. The barley has a great presence. And this is the type of soup that responds very well to being cooked slowly. A perfect comfort for those cooler fall days.
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