Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup

My grandmother Murray called this Grandma's Vegetable soup, which meant it was her grandmother's. I know, I know that it's made with beef stock so why do we call it vegetable soup?

Well, "Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup" was too big of a mouthful so we just called it vegetable soup.

First, you need a good turkey roasting pan ... you cannot use one of those things made of heavy duty aluminum foil that you can buy at the grocery store ... but I guess you really could use any pot big enough to hold all the vegetables, water and stuff. We use our roaster because it's big and still fits in the fridgerator.

Nice soup bone (if your butcher cannot produce one, change butchers), in an emergency, you can use 2 short ribs.

6 large potatoes
4 medium to small onions
2 heads of celery
1 small to medium cabbage (just a regular old cabbage, nothing fancy)

secret ingredient (apple cider vinegar)
2 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes
small or medium macaroni shell pasta

Brown the soup bone in the turkey roasting pan or pot, when browned, fill pan full of cold water and bring to a boil. Begin preparing the potatoes by pealing them and cutting them into large chunks. Skim the scum from the boiling water. When all scum is gone, add the potatoes, salt and pepper.

Clean and peel onions, cut into slices and add to pot.

Clean celery heads and cut stalks/ribs into slices and add to pot.

Remove the 2 outer leaves of the cabbage and slice no more than 1/4 of the head of cabbage into thin slices and add to the pot.

Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and stir well.

Grandmother Murray's Grandma's soup recipe didn't actually call for Hunt's diced tomatoes ... the Hunt brothers started their company in 1890 and her recipe's older than that ... and even Grandmother Murray's version is older than Hunt's Diced tomatoes which weren't introduced until after WWII!

Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar ... this is where the tang of the soup comes from. Taste, and then, if not tangy enough just add a little more vinegar, and keep tasting and adding until you get it just right. Careful not to add too much, adding is easy ... subtracting ain't!

Finally add no more than 1 small handful of shell macaroni.

That's my "Grandmother Murray's Grandma's Vegetable Soup" ... simple, easy to make ... about the only thing easier is Campbell's Vegetable but I think you'll like this a whole bunch better!

Make a big skillet of cornbread (remember no sugar to ever be added to the cornbread mixture, it's un-American)

Yes, you can add carrots, peas, butterbeans, squash, corn and peppers and such to your soup, but if you do, you'll have to rename it!

I know it sounds like a lot of soup, and it is ... but it only lasts the two of us 2 days at the most around here.

Submitted By ... Miss Carol

Mama's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

Sometimes the simplest things are the best ... that's what Mama said and she practiced what she said in her cooking ... of course, she learned to cook on a wood stove which gave her an advantage!

Her chocolate fudge was perhaps her best example of simple being best! Here it is ...

2 cups white sugar
6 heaping tablespoons Cocoa
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Well, I know heaping tablespoons can be confusing since what's heaping is a matter of personal ascertainment ... I don't measure such things so I'm not sure, but I figure 2 heaping is about 3 level.

That's convenient too 'cause if 6 heaping = 9 level, then it equals 1/2 cup ... and that's simple recipe magic since you don't have to worry about using measuring cups and stuff like that!

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 cup milk

Any cup will do, just so long as you use the same one to measure everything!

I don't worry about being too exact with the butter and vanilla measuring either, but think it's probably better to err a bit on the side too much rather than too little ... them sizes work well with measuring cups and a little larger .

My guess is that you'll love it just that way ... but, after a batch or two, you'll know what little adjustments, if any, need to be made to satisfy your personal taste preferences so that it's just right for you.

Mama's candy wouldn't be Mama's without the nuts ... but, they're optional, with the amount being a matter of choice. Her favorite was finely chopped pecans ... we liked nuts and used a full cup! She made it with black walnuts too, extra special good ... but it meant extra hard work for me with a hammer and pick ... and fraught with danger too ... busted thumbs for me and because of the strong flavor and increased oil from the nuts, she used about 1/3 of a cup.

Directions

1. Grease a platter with butter ... set aside ... it's what you're going to pour the candy into when it's ready.

2. Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan ... I actually use a 3.5 quart size so as to eliminate any problems from boiling over. Stir well to blend completely, then cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to cook down.

3. Continue cooking mixture until until a drop in a cup of cold water can be formed into a soft ball with your fingers ... critical point one ... no ball, no candy.

4. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla extract and nuts.

5. Beat with large spoon (wooden cooking spoon is best) until it starts to definitely "set" and lose its sheen ... gets somewhat difficult to beat. Critical point two ... if it doesn't start to "set" while you're beating it, it ain't gonna when you stop ... do not under beat.

6. Pour into greased platter and let cool ... "pour" is a poor choice of words, methinks. The stuff is continuing to stiffen like flowing lava that's beginning to cool, not a liquid that's being poured.

7. Cut into small squares or rectangles as desired. Makes a bunch ... how many pieces depends on the size but I normally get about 35-40.

It is simple ... it's good ... and if I can do it, so can you!

Delicious Stuffed Pumpkin With Cranberry-Raisin Bread Pudding ...

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1  (2 1/2- to 3-pound) pumpkin*
• 2  tablespoons  butter or margarine, melted and divided
• 2  tablespoons  sugar, divided
• 2  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter or margarine, melted
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half
• 3/4  cup  chopped pecans, toasted
• 1  (16-ounce) raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2  cup  fresh cranberries
• Lemon-Vanilla Sauce

Preparation

Cut off top of pumpkin, reserving lid with stem. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and pulp, and reserve for another use. Brush inside of pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with lid.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Brush inside of baked pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Stir together eggs and next 6 ingredients; spoon pudding mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake pumpkin and bread pudding at 350° for 25 minutes. Let pumpkin cool; spoon bread pudding evenly into pumpkin shell. Serve with Lemon-Vanilla Sauce.
Note: For individual servings, substitute 12 (1/2-pound) pumpkins. Scoop out seeds and pulp; sprinkle each pumpkin shell with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake with the bread pudding. (Do not prebake as with the larger pumpkin.) Spoon bread pudding evenly into baked pumpkin shells.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2002