Hoppin' John....

1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 slices bacon, cut in 1/4's
1/2 pkg. smoked sausage; sliced thin (optional)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot,If using sausage, heat all sides in oil. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas,bacon, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

Barbara's Cheesy Broccoli Chowder

1 T. butter

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cans chicken broth

3 cups cubed potatoes

1 (10 0z) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli or 2 c. fresh broccoli

1 lb. velveeta, cubed

2 c. half and half cream

salt & pepper

Melt butter in Dutch oven and add onions, cook until transparent. Add potatoes, broth and salt and pepper. Cook until potaoes are almost tender. Add broccoli. Cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add cream. Add more salt if needed. Keep warm on low. Serve with french bread.

*This is my mother-in-law's recipe for her yummy broccoli soup! Enjoy!!!

Sausage Potato Soup..

1 lb. JC Potter Hot sausage

1 small onion, chopped

8 cups diced potatoes

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can Swanson's MSG free chicken broth

1 tsp. black pepper

3 cups milk or half and half

Lawry's seasoned salt to taste

4 TBSP. butter, melted

Cook sausage.Cube potatoes. Chop onion. Place potatoes and onion in crockpot. Mix soup, broth, melted butter & softened cream cheese together in small bowl. Stir. Pour over potatoes and onion. Add black pepper and seasoned salt (I can't remember how much I used, maybe 1 TBSP?). Cook on low for 8-10 hrs or on high for 5 hrs. Serve with corn muffins (and I made a pumpkin pie, too!)

Tortilla Soup...

Charlie & Julie's Chicken Tortilla Soup (a knock-off of Papa Pablano's)
6 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (or whole chicken; cooked, deboned & shredded)(reserve all broth)
3 stalks celery, minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chillies)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 c. sliced zucchini, optional
water to make soup consistency that you want
1/2 c. shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Cook chicken breasts or whole chicken. Reserve broth. In dutch oven, saute onion, garlic and celery in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add rest of ing. except cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hr. In bowls, place chips, sprinkle with cheese. Ladle soup over chips and cheese. Top each with sour cream and avacado and more cheese if desired.

Julie's easy beef stew...

6 slices leftover roast, cubed

Roast gravy (app. 2-3 cups)(make gravy by cooking your roast with 1 can cream of mushroom soup; 1 packet onion soup mix and water to cover roast; cook in crockpot all day on low)

minced garlic (1 Tbsp)
4 baked potatoes, cubed
olive oil
1 small bag of frozen peas & carrots
1 tsp. tarragon leaves
1 bay leaf
3-4 shakes of Worchestire Sauce (season as you like; this is a key ingredient)
Lawry's seasoned salt (to season as you like)(about 2 shakes for us)
Red pepper (season as you like) (about 2 shakes for us)

In dutch oven over med. heat saute garlic, onion and potatoes in olive oil for just a few minutes. Add cubed roast and gravy, worchestire sauce, bag of peas and carrots, tarragon, bay leaf, seasoned salt and red pepper. Add water to make stew thickness you desire. Bring to a boil and then turn to low. Cook until peas and carrots are done. You can simmer on low until ready to eat. I usually start this around 5 and we eat at about 6:30.

It's really good and everyone has seconds! Serve with hot buttered cornbread or cornmuffins, yum!yum