Five Loaves and Two Fish

Jesus can feed five thousand with five loaves and two fish, but I can only feed four hungry boys with three loaves of white bread and four racks of ribs. We spent the weekend at The Big Oak Boys Ranch. Terry and I are relief parents for the house parents in one of the homes four or five times a year. I did not prepare ribs for them; we took them to Dreamland in Huntsville Saturday night for Brent's birthday party. However, I did use the boys as guinea pigs for two of the church cookbook recipes. The boys usually eat anything and everything I put in front of them, so I knew I would get good reviews for these two recipes. In addition to the cookbook preparations, I also made my famous snickerdoodles. The boys have come to expect them and I dare not come to the Ranch without the proper ingredients. Little do the boys know, but all I do is make Winn Dixie brand break and bake cookies. As a matter of fact, the youngest boy in the house now makes the snickerdoodles for me while a prepare other foods. He loves to work with me in the kitchen and I find I spend the majority of the weekend preparing something for someone to eat. Please don't give away my secret about the snickerdoodles.

This weekend for Saturday lunch I made Carissa C.'s Hankie Pankies. You can find this recipe in the appetizer section, but a similar recipe called Miniature Pizzas submitted by my mom can be found in the "This and That" section. The boys were so full from the snickerdoodles they had been sneaking all morning they did not eat as many of the little pizzas as I had expected. However, we reheated them the next day for lunch after church and they had no trouble eating the whole plateful.

For dinner Sunday evening I prepared my mom's Cheeseburger Soup. I have to admit I did not follow the recipe exactly. I doubled it and also added an extra pound of ground beef. Remember I was feeding hungry boys and knew they would devour this soup. My sweet husband peeled and diced five pounds of potatoes while I chopped and prepared all the other vegetables that are hidden in this recipe. The name of the recipe is very deceiving because there are several vegetables cleverly disguised within all the cheesy goodness. My mom was always careful to provide yummy and healthy meals for us. Now I look forward to the rare times when I get to be with my parents in their mountain home. Good food is always a part of the special times we share. As I mentioned before, Brittany and I laugh good and hard when we are the kitchen. The same is true of my mom and me. Imagine what it is like when the three of us are together.

Hanky Panky

1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1 lb. sausage 1 loaf sm. rye bread

Brown ground beef and sausage. Drain. Cube Velveeta and add to ground beef and sausage until melted. Cut bread into quarters. Spoon desired amount of ground beef/sausage/cheese mixture onto each quarter. Place in oven at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until toasted. May be frozen and reheated in oven.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb. ground beef 3 c chicken broth

3/4 c chopped onion 4 c diced potatoes

3/4 c shredded carrots 1/4 c flour

3/4 c diced celery 8 oz cheese, cubed

1 t dried basil 1 1/2 c milk

1 t dried parsley salt and pepper to taste

4 T margarine, divided

In a 3-quart saucepan, brown beef, drain and set aside. In same pan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 1 T margarine. Add broth, potatoes and beef; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Mix and cook 3 T margarine and flour 3 to 4 minutes Add to soup; bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese, milk, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Yields 8 servings.