Vegetable (?) Soup and Chili

My mom is in town again for the weekend trying to unpack as many boxes in the new house as possible.  I got to go up today and help her out a bit, and as we were unpacking a box of old cookbooks, we came across a pink, hand-bound recipe book entitled, "Mother's Day Recipe Book May 12, 1991".  It was a cookbook my kindergarten class put together for our moms.  We filled it with recipes that we chose for our moms.  Now, as I flipped through the book, I kept thinking things like, "That's an odd recipe... No flour in those cookies?  Where's the butter in that pie crust ingredient list?  And so on."  It was only when I flipped to my recipe and really read it, that I realized WE CREATED THE RECIPES OURSELVES!  Without further adieu, I give you my very own,

Vegetable Soup

10 carrots (cut in little circles)

12 pieces celery (chop it up)

3 cups peas

5 onions (cut in small pieces)

15 lbs. pork (cut up in big squares)

5 cups salt

4 cups pepper

2 cups water

9 squares of butter

Put in a big cooking pot and cook on top of the stove for 16 hours and 4 minutes.  Serve in cups with some bread with melted butter on it.  

Wow.  I cannot imagine what that would taste like!  Hilarious.  Another favorite was for chicken soup... it required "9 chickens, cut up".  Haha!

Well, tonight I created another recipe, but this time it was edible.  Andy wanted chili tonight, so chili I made!  My mom happened to be making chili tonight, too, so I glanced at her recipe card while I was at the house, and then I improvised when I got home.  It turned out to be a really thick, hearty chili that we both loved!  I can't wait to make it again. 

1 lb. ground turkey, cooked, with grease drained off

1 onion, diced

2 cans pinto beans

2 packages chili seasoning mix

1 15 oz can whole tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbl. brown sugar

Cook the onion in a tablespoon of butter.  Puree the tomatoes (not the paste) in the blender or food processor to make a sauce.  Then put all ingredients into a stock pot and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.  You can add more chicken broth if it's too thick.  

This definitely didn't make a ton of chili and there seemed to be a lot of beans, so I think it could be doubled, but the amount of beans could stay the same... unless you love a ton of beans!  The 2 packages of seasoning added a lot of oomph, too, so you could keep that the same as well.  I think it's a "taste and see" kind of chili :)

Thick and hearty.

Sorry, I only got a picture after I was putting the leftovers away into Tupperware.