Kate Gosselin's Love Is in the Mix (12 page)

P
eople always say I make soup like “an old grandma” does. I take it as a compliment and don’t mean to offend anyone with the name of this soup because I’m proud of my “old time” cooking abilities. Make it! Your family will be asking for the “old grandma” in you to come back and cook again soon.

In a large stockpot, place the soup bones, broth, parsley, garlic salt, pepper, and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours until the meat begins to come loose.

Add all of the veggies and continue simmering on low for up to 6 hours. When the meat is tender and falling off the bone, allow it to cool. Remove the bones and tear the beef into bite-sized pieces. Add the beef back into the pot.

Allow the soup to cool for a bit and serve it warm with homemade bread. A complete meal!

This makes enough for two meals—I usually serve one and then freeze the other for when I’m short on time.

A
s a variation on chicken noodle soup or chicken corn soup, I like to make these noodles from scratch and add them to my
Homemade Turkey or Chicken Stock
or
Savory Chicken Corn Soup
to change things up.

In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the eggs and flour together until they are blended enough to form a dough.

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface and score with a knife, creating 2-inch squares.

Place the squares in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the squares from the water and add to your soup of choice.

I
developed this recipe about three years ago because I needed to use all of our leftovers. I had a chicken carcass left over from the night before and some corn in the fridge and pantry. Since I have always loved chicken corn soup, I decided to try to make them all work together. Through trial and error, here it is: a hearty, yummy, thick soup that everyone in my house loves. It’s very inexpensive to make and makes me feel like I’ve just about mastered my grandma’s soup-making abilities.

Boil the chicken carcass on medium heat for 6 to 7 hours. Strain the bones with the meat attached, and return all of the liquid to the pot. Remove the meat from the bones once they have cooled. Discard the bones and set the meat aside.

Add the celery, onion, carrots, and parsley to the broth. Add the bouillon base or powder, and the salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to a boil.

Mix the 1 teaspoon of salt, the baking powder, and the flour in a bowl. Slowly add the beaten eggs while stirring the flour using a fork. This will create a crumbly mixture or “rivel.” Add this mixture to the pot of boiling broth by hand, crumbling it as you drop it in small lumps into the pot. Turn the heat to low. Allow the soup to thicken for about 10 minutes, and then add the kernel and creamed corn. Stir.

Return the chicken to the pot. Cook for 15 minutes longer. Stir and serve hot.

This makes enough for two meals in my house and freezes very well.

F
inished Product = Yum! This very flavor-packed soup was well received by my eight. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, it received a solid 8 from them. As for me, I didn’t rate it, but I think my kids lost track of how many times I refilled my bowl. It’s so delicious!

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the vinaigrette to the pan with the ground turkey; brown the turkey thoroughly. Once the turkey is cooked through, add the broth, cilantro, basil, chili powder, salsa, beans, corn, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper, to taste, before serving. Serve with homemade cornbread.

This is a great recipe to make and freeze for another night.

W
hile your morning may not include
making a meal to suit eight, it can still be challenging to get any number to rise and shine! It may be dark outside as my kids sit around the table eating quietly (for once!), but these favorite starters are sure to make smiles spread across their sleepy faces!

I
think it goes without saying that our family loves pancakes. Every Saturday morning, you can bet that all nine of us are around our table … well, actually, I’m at the stove flipping pancakes … and we are enjoying “pancake Saturday.” I miss hearing “More can-cakes!” as the kids always used to say.

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, using a whisk, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Heat and oil a griddle. Measure out ½ cup portions of the pancake mix, pour onto the griddle, and sprinkle each one with about 6 to 8 chocolate chips.

Cook until the pancake is bubbly and then flip. Cook for an additional minute and then flip to make sure both sides are golden. Serve with pure maple syrup.

A
s my kids get older, their tendency to want to skip breakfast because they “don’t have time” reminds me of when I was a preteen. I did the same thing and it drove my mom crazy, too! I am determined to combat this normal teen trend with breakfast muffins—like these—that will be quick to grab, yet packed full of healthy ingredients. This one passed the test—across the board—in my house, and I’m betting it will in your house, too!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, flour, oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, eggs, maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and oil. Mix well using a hand mixer. Once mixed, stir the cranberries into the batter by hand.

Measure and pour about ½ cup batter for each muffin into the prepared muffin pan. Top each muffin with about ½ teaspoon of crushed pecans.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes before removing.

I
always prepare these sticky buns on Christmas Eve, after all the kids are in bed dreaming of Christmas. The next morning, I try to beat them to the kitchen and pop the buns in the oven because, by the time this scrumptious smell wafts through the house, there is no denying that it’s finally Christmas!

Make the bread dough in a bread maker or defrost store-bought dough.

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a low bowl. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in another low bowl. Lightly grease a Bundt pan.

Roll the dough into walnut-sized pieces, dip each one into the melted butter, and then roll it in the cinnamon mixture. Layer in a single layer in the Bundt pan. Sprinkle with the nuts, if using.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for at least 12 hours or overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt and drizzle 2 tablespoons of butter over the top of the buns.

Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the buns are firm and slightly browned on top.

M
y kids love eating egg whites any way they are prepared because they have seen me eating them ever since they were very little. I developed this rolled-up omelet for them just by chance after “shopping” for ingredients in my fridge. It has become a much requested breakfast hit with my kids ever since! It’s a healthy go-to breakfast option when you are scrambling in the morning.

Preheat a well-oiled 12-inch frying pan.

Crack the eggs and separate the egg whites into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, or more or less to taste.

When the pan is heated to medium, and the oil is bubbly, add the egg whites, spreading them evenly to the edges of the pan. Add the ham and blue cheese.

Once the egg whites are nearly set, about 1 minute, begin loosening the edges and roll the egg whites until completely “rolled up,” using a small spatula.

Cook another 30 seconds or so and serve.

You can double or triple the ingredients as needed, making the roll-ups in batches.