Soup

Cooking Without Photos – Chunky Ham And Vegetable Soup

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This week I have a borrowed cookbook from my pal. “Sharing Recipes: A Book Of Favorite Recipes Compiled By Nimrod Volunteer Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary”, belonged to her Grandma and now she uses it to make treasured recipes for her own family. I just love that❤️

The Nimrod community began around 1808. Fertile soil and the close proximity of the river helped to attract folks to the area. There are a couple of stories circulating regarding how Nimrod got its name. One of those stories states that Nimrod was a biblical name, chosen from the book of Genesis. Another claim is that Nimrod came from some settlers that were from Nimrod Hill, Tennessee. At any rate, Nimrod was named.

The Civil War ravaged the area and lots of things had to be rebuilt. There were no battles fought in the area, just guerrilla bands that caused trouble and destruction.

Once rebuilding was complete, the lumber industry thrived. Logs were floated down the Fourche river and the Fort Smith Lumber Company became one of the biggest employers in the county.

Production was helped immensely when the Wallace Bridge was completed in 1908. Today the bridge is on the National Historic Register and is one of only 3 surviving camelback truss bridges in our state. If y’all get a chance, make the drive. It’s just really neat and even more so that it’s right in our backyard.

With the decline of the timber industry, the community of Nimrod began to decrease also in population. Today, Nimrod is a small community with a heck of a story to tell. Jesse James is even reported to have made a stop there overnight.

On to the recipe!!

Soup! Yessssss! My fave recipes to try out. This time I was flipping thru and stopped at Chunky Ham And Vegetable Soup. I knew we had to try it out.

Couple things:

  1. Four cups of chicken broth was not enough liquid. I added a cup and a half of water. Just use your judgement.
  2. After it was done, I added salt. I also added some pepper. Don’t stub your toe on the pepper though. Sometimes cabbage is more spicy depending on the season.
  3. I thought…brown sugar…dumb! Y’all, just do it! Gah! How did I not know about this trick?!

Very tasty and such a good “warm me up” soup. Very brothy.

Cooking Without Photos – Ranch Oyster Crackers

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Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. Ever heard of it? Nope? Me either🤷🏻‍♀️

Possum Kingdom Lake began with building a dam that cost $8.3 million dollars in 1941. Possum Kingdom Lake was created to help with flood control, irrigation, power generation and recreational purposes.

Possum Kingdom State Park was established in 1950. Fishing is hugely popular on the lake. It’s also a popular destination for cliff diving, skiing, scuba diving and tubing. Tons of things to do around the lake. I want do go, just so I can say that I’ve been😆

On to the recipe! When I first opened, “Culinary Treasures From Possum Kingdom Lake” I was half expecting recipes that had possums as the main ingredient. The disappointments…I had them. Then I saw a recipe for Ranch Oyster Crackers. Yes please!!!

Couple of things:

  1. I didn’t use the optional lemon pepper. We all survived.
  2. I’ve seen similar recipes that called for cayenne pepper. Maybe you want to add that as another option.

That’s it. Straight and to the point. Very tasty!!

Cooking Without Photos – Dump Soup

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This week we make a stop in Batesville, AR, the oldest city in Arkansas. Batesville was named after James Woodson Bates who was the first Territorial Delegate to Congress.

Settlers first began arriving in 1810. In 1822, Batesville’s first Post Office was established. Serving as a port on the White River, Batesville played a huge part to help populate the Ozark Mountain Region and their town also began to grow and prosper. Traders of all kinds would swap their goods in town and with the river right there, it was a perfect spot for everyone to meet.

As the years passed, Batesville’s roots grew even deeper and their history lives on today. If you ever get the chance to visit, make sure you drive around a bit. Such beautiful structures and homes that have survived the test of time.

While flipping thru, “The Staff Of Life Fourth Edition: A Collection Of Recipes From St. Paul’s Episcopal Church” I came across a recipe that I have seen numerous times before. This one was called “Dump Soup”, but I’ve seen it called, ”7 Can Soup” and also “Quick Soup”. Each time I saw it I’d think…that sounds terrible. Variations include adding cans of Veg-All or additional cans of beans, but always having the minestrone soup as a base. At any rate, let’s make soup out of soup😆

Couple things:

  1. Please add salt and pepper. It needs it bad!
  2. It didn’t say what size can of tomatoes. I used a 28 Oz can. We just like tomatoes. It worked fine.
  3. This is even better the next day.

That’s it. Was this the best soup I’ve ever had? No. Was it a quick meal that everyone liked? Yes. Perfect for a weeknight dinner that isn’t a whole lot of hassle. Enjoy!!!

Cooking Without Photos – Ham Chowder

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Alma, Arkansas will always hold fond memories for me. It was our pit stop on the way to visit our Oklahoma cousins. Home to everyone’s favorite ice cream, Braum’s! And when you need to shop but also love being surprised…A to Z has it allllll!!!

Did you know Alma was first called Gum Town? Settlers came to the area around 1835 and Gum Town got its’ name because of the huge number of gum trees in the area. When it was incorporated in 1874, the new name of Alma was chosen.

Early on Alma produced huge numbers of cotton, strawberries and hay. Once they discovered how well spinach and mustard greens grew, Alma quickly became the Spinach Capital of the World! They even have a statue of Popeye the Sailor Man in front of their Chamber of Commerce building. And their water tower is painted to look like a gigantic spinach can😆😆 I kid you not! It’s fabulous!

Today’s recipe comes to you from, “Feeding The Flock: Women First For Faith, First Baptist Church Alma, Arkansas”.

Since it’s been so yucky lately, I wanted to make some sort of new soup. I’m just a soup kinda lady! This recipe didn’t disappoint either!

Couple of things:
This is a great recipe to make in a Dutch oven. Perfect actually.
I doubled the recipe because I was feeding more people.
It doesn’t say what to do with the celery. I put it in when I put in the potatoes. You could also sauté it with the onion too. It’s up to you really.
Nothing was mentioned about any corn. I feel like you can’t go wrong adding a can into the mix.
Don’t add your salt until AFTER your ham has cooked. You may not need much.

This soup is excellent! I served it with oyster crackers, but cornbread would be a great choice too. Hope you like it! Yum!!!