New Year's Soup

I have my mother to thank for the inspiration for this dish.  She used to always make cabbage soup when I was growing up, and it was pretty damn tasty.

Once I became a responsible adult, I always dreaded the New Year meal.
A. Cabbage is not tasty.  Not only that, it smells awful.
B. While black eyed peas are not really bad, it is difficult to get creative with them.

After several New Years of failed meals, I finally remembered about my mom's cabbage soup. I made some adjustments for the occasion, added some secret ingredients, and made a meal worthy of Hell's Kitchen (according to me and my minions).

And the best part is that it doesn't leave your kitchen reeking of cabbage.

What you'll need:

• 1 lb chopped ham (I just bought a small pre-sliced honey ham and chopped it up)
• 1/2 head of cabbage, medium to large, chopped
• 1 cup dried black eyed peas, rinsed
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 T basil
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 2-3 dashes of Swampy's Bar-B-Q Rub (secret ingredient #1)
• 2-3 dashes of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (secret ingredient #2)

**This soup does NOT need salt**

What to do:

Warm the ham in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium heat.  I like to let it sizzle for about 4-5 minutes to bring out some of the flavor.  Stir in garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir it all together.  You may or may not need more water, depending on how big your cabbage is.  Make sure it is all covered up with liquid.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium-low heat (slightly more on the medium side), cover, and let simmer for about an hour, or until beans are nice and tender.

Serve with cornbread, and you have a highly inexpensive, highly delicious meal to get you ready for your prosperous year.

Enjoy!

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Cook time: About an hour

Serves: 6-7

Super Easy Party Mac n Cheese

Before you continue, let me start off by saying that this recipe calls for Velveeta.  I recently discovered that a bunch of people are fundamentally against Velveeta because "it is not real cheese."  While that may or may not be true, it does contain milk, and it is sinfully delicious.  Plus, it's not like you are eating it every day.  Next time I make homemade mac n cheese with "real" cheese, I will be sure to post it for the Velveeta haters.

Moving on.

This recipe makes a large amount and is great to bring to your next holiday party or family gathering.  It is also highly unlikely you will bring any of it back with you.  I actually almost did not get a picture of it once it was served.  It disappeared pretty quickly.  If you don't need this much, you can easily halve everything.

Yeah. Almost gone.

A. Paprika and crackers missed the photo shoot.
B. That is a 24oz bag of mac. Only use 16 oz.

What you'll need:

• 1lb (16oz) macaroni
• 1 block of Original Velveeta, cubed
• 1 8oz can evaporated milk
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 roll of Town House Original Light and Buttery crackers
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

The paprika and crackers make an appearance.

In a large skillet over medium low heat, combine evaporated milk, Velveeta, salt, and pepper.  Continue to heat until all of the cheese is melted, stirring frequently.  The milk can and will burn if not tended to.

At the same time, boil macaroni in a large stock pot until done.  Drain.  In a 9x13 pan, stir butter into macaroni until it is all melted and evenly distributed.  Set broiler on high.

Add cheese to pan and thoroughly combine.

In a large Ziploc bag, crush up your crackers and paprika into crumbs and shake up to blend.  A rolling pin works really well for this step.  If you don't have one, you can roll a jar or a canned good over the bag.

Distribute the crumbs over the top of the macaroni and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until the top is nice and toasty.

Serve it up, and enjoy.  Done.  Super easy.

Prep time: 2 minutes

Total cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: Everyone