Foodie Friday: Homemade Veggie Soup Kathy style

Happy Friday folks!! So this is week two of Foodie Friday. I tried several recipes this week and most were sweets so I figured I better show you I DO actually eat healthy-ish meals. This soup really has no recipe but this is what works for us. We prefer a tomato type sauce rather than a brothy one. It made a honkan kettle full...so big that we still have some & even put some in the freezer for later meals. Perhaps I should call it never gonna get to the bottom soup!!

4 cans veggie broth (or make your own stock)

1 jar home canned stewed tomatoes (or you can use a store bought one if you wish)

1 jar homemade tomato sauce (or 2 small cans of the store bought stuff)

a bag of broccoli

half bag of cauliflower

bag of green beans from the garden (or store bought)

2 cups of corn (that you were smart enough to cut off and freeze that you bought at the Farmers Market this past summer

1 big honkan onion chopped

a good couple handfuls of carrots cut up

salt & pepper

garlic powder or if you're like me you'll mince some fresh stuff up. A dish without garlic is pretty much a sin in our house.

Put all of these ingredients & any other veggies you need to use up into your large sized crockpot. Let it cook on low for a handful of hours. Once the veggies are cooked add a couple cups of barley & let that cook until it's done. Serve with homemade dinner rolls & that my friends makes one delish meal!!

Until next week...Happy eating

Guess who made our dinner?

Guess who made our dinner tonight? If you guessed Stone's Downtown Deli you'd be right!! We hadn't planned on going there tonight but my brother, Kelly called this afternoon & inquired about it. So we invited ourselves & made it a mini family shin dig. You have to remember I have 20 siblings...

Mike, Kelly, Joe & Laurie ordering their food.

They even have big enough tables for a mini shin dig of Pepin's!

My brother Mike on his way into the dining room.

I got Kelly to stop and pose too

Hold up Joe!! We've gotta take your picture too!!!

And my sis Laurie making her grand entrance

Once again...two happy people...who happen to be full of some scrumptious food =)

Stone's Downtown Deli

These are pics of one of my most favorite places to eat downtown. Stone's Downtown Delicatessen. The building is old (as are all our buildings on our Main Street) What character though!!!

In previous years this building was The Wiffletree. They sold men's fine clothing there & rented suits. Even then the place was filled with character.

I didn't get a picture of the deli part of it but you can sit on either side. This side is where they have gourmet coffees, smoothies & ice cream. Charming huh?

The food is out of this galaxy folks!! I kid you not! We try something new each time we go & we have never had anything that hasn't been anything less than delish!! In fact today was so into his food that he was moaning as he took each bite. He told me that the sandwich he was eating was THE BEST sandwich he has ever eatin'....IN HIS WHOLE LIFE!!!

Clearly a full, happy couple!!

Foodie Friday: Rhubarb Dream Bars

We like to try new recipes & often times I share them. I got word from several people on my facebook and other friends that I should start some sort of recipe sharing group. I gave it some thought & really don't know how it would work as far as allowing others to post their recipes in a fashion that all the members would be able to see them. So, for now I'm gonna do what I'll call "Foody Friday" each Friday on this here blog & see how it goes. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to Sunday's Supper, Meatless Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, What we're making Wednesday, and of course Thirsty Thursday. Without further adieu I give you my very 1st Foody Friday recipe:

Rhubarb Dream Bars

1 cup flour

5Tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 cup oleo

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups rhubarb, cut small

Blend flour, powdered sugar, and oleo. Press into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Don't let cool.

Beat eggs, sugar and flour and salt. Stir in rhubarb. Spoon over crust. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

This recipe is taken from the "Favorite Recipes of Immanuel Luthern Church, 1988" book. The recipe was submitted by Marlene Ehle. I have no clue who she is or was but thank her from the bottom of my heart/belly.

We had ours while it was still hot over Homemade Vanilla Custard that my dear hubby made. Hence it's messiness & lack of looking anything like a bar. This was delicious!! Thank goodness I had enough smarts to harvest our rhubarb and put some in the freezer. I'm interested as to what you've all got cooking in your homes. Whether it be snacks, breakfast, lunch or dinner. We all need to eat so we might as well share some recipes & make some foody friends along the way.

A sweater set for a lil somebody

I made this lil sweater set awhile ago & just got to taking a picture of it. I have a couple little somebodies in mind for it.

I've been working in my craft room/office for a few hours daily and progress is certainly being made. I cannot even wait to take pics & post them. I'm rather anal about organizing & even more so after watching the show Hoarders. Man that show gets me going!! By the end of the week I should have it pretty much done. But right now I have some crocheting to do. =)

Happy Wednesday!!

Most Dangerous Cake Recipe In The World

This recipe is also taken from the recipe book my brother & his fiance got us for Christmas. I'm tellin ya...the people in Oshkosh, WI know how to cook!! I'm beginning to think we need to move there & I need to become friends with these fabulous chefs. ;)

"Most Dangerous Cake Recipe In The World"

4Tbsp. flour

4Tbsp. sugar

2Tbsp. cocoa

1 egg

3 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Small splash of vanilla

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk & oil and mix well. Add the chips & vanilla and mix again.

Put mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate. Garnish with ice cream and caramel or hot fudge sauce if you dare!! LOL

I complimented ours with custard that my dear hubby made and I melted some of the homemade carmels I made and drizzled it all over tha place. =) Totally delish!!

A lazy Sunday afternoon

Just doing a few odds and ends around the house today. Laundry, changing cat litter, baking, and some serious football watching. While we were working this is what our furry kids were doing:


Allison & Brayden all snuggled on the couch. Notice they need pillows to prop their heads up. Nooo, they are not spoiled....

Allison showin off her chubby belly. At least she had the decency to cover her privates with her tail!! What a princess!!

Macey has no care in the World & is happy on the love seat by herself.

Even our cat Betsey joined in on the chillaxin action. Mckenzie & Arizona were in the den with our other cat , Buster. It's not too often the lil Woodbury Zoo is quite this calm.

Chicken Puffs

This recipe is taken from the Winnebago County Cooks for the United Way cookbook we got for Christmas from my lil bro & his fiance.

2c cooked chicken, cubed
1/4c butter, melted
1-4oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 small onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 tube crescent roll dough

Mix cooked chicken, butter, cream cheese, onion and salt & pepper in bowl.

Flatten crescent rolls to form 4 rectangles and pinch seams. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture in the middle of each rectangle and fold edges around and pinch to seal.


Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour

Some of my notes: (because it's pretty impossible for me to follow a recipe to a T)


1. I used 2 chicken breasts which cam out to about 2.5 cups of meat

2. I sprinkled garlic powder in mixture...can't have a meal without garlic in this house!!

3. Thinking of frying the onions beforehand. But the raw onions were super delish as well.

4. I seasoned the chicken with S&P while cooking and I also used a full block of cream cheese instead of the 4oz


5. My puffs were cooked in 15 minutes...wonder if my oven is off or the recipe is??? So keep your eyes peeled is what I'd suggest.

This meal kicked all sorts of fancy butt. Definitely going to do this again!! I imagine this would be super delish with chopped turkey as well. Or maybe even add a lil cut up broccoli to the mixture...


The possibilities are endless!!

Late night ski

We got home from our road trip for Kens work last night and decided to go cross country skiing.

It has been at least 7yrs since we've been so we just went down to Ludington Park here in Esky. It was pretty darn cold and windy being right by the lake but fantastic at the same time. Neither one of us fell either which is a total plus!!

I was a bit apprehensive as to how I'd do on ski's seeing my balance pretty much sucks so this was a real treat!! Before we know it we'll be back on the trails doing the 8 mile treks!! Well, once we get a bit more snow that is.

Kenster got a new pair of slippers!!

The latest project to come from my hook is a pair of loafer slippers for my handsome hubby. It took awhile to adapt the pattern to the size I needed seeing they leave out the type of yarn and the hook size & gauge. Darn those 1960's!!! After a pair suitable for Sasquatch himself was finished & another that would be suitable for Shaq, I was able to adapt the darn tootan thing into a much more manageable foot size....I give you...Ken's foot Who could resist those pasty white legs??? Not me!!!

The man hates slippers, says his feet get too hot. He seems to fancy these though...even asked if I'd make him another pair!!!

Guess who's taking this pattern and a handful of skeins of yarn on the road? This gal. In the meantime, anybody see Sasquatch or know of a Sasquatch sized and a Shaq sized footed being I can unload the other pairs off on?