Meal Planning with Connie

Omit and substitute! That's how recipes should be written. Please don't ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute. ~ Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet Mr. Willie's Apples and Judy's Tomatoes and Beautiful Red Pepper Although Larry and I were busy trying to accomplish some much need cleaning and clearing around the house and yard yesterday, I did manage to get in a bit of cooking, mainly because I had fresh produce that needed using. The problem was, I kept not having something I needed. Determined not to go to the grocery, I forged on, making omissions and substitutions as I went! I had let Judy know at church the other day that I was out of tomatoes. For those of you who may be lifting an eyebrow and questioning my good Southern manners, she had told me to let her know if I wanted more, which makes my asking completely acceptable. (Is it any wonder Northerners have such a hard time learning all the nuances of the Southern

Visit Tammy's In-season Recipe Swap for more great ideas for using fresh tomatoes!! Homemade Tomato Soup Homemade Tomato Soup This really is a Southern delicacy. It is made in the summer using fresh tomatoes. In the winter, folks use a quart or two of their home-canned tomatoes for this delicious soup. 3 - 4 fresh tomatoes per person (peeled and diced) Or a quart or two of home-canned tomatoes a few slices of bacon Chopped white or green onions, to taste salt, sugar and pepper, to taste In a soup pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan. Set aside and crumble when cooled. Saute onions where bacon was cooked. Add tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to a slow boil and let tomatoes cook until they have pretty much disintegrate. It will take a little while for the tomatoes to "cook down." Maybe 45 minutes to and hour. (If using home-canned tomatoes, just heat tomatoes through, add seasonings, and simmer a few minutes.)

Simple Cornbread for Four Simple Cornbread for Four 1 cup self-rising cornmeal (I use White Lily.) 1/2 cup self-rising flour (I use White Lily.) 2 tablespoons melted butter, cooking oil OR bacon drippings 1 egg 1 cup milk, more or less Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together meal and flour. Make a well. Add oil and egg to well. Whisk these two just a bit in the well with a fork. Stir in milk a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a cast iron skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Emily's Apple Nut Bread I Emily's Apple Nut Bread II We were able to share these batches of bread with a few friends and family members. Everyone said they loved it!! Many thanks to Emily at Marvelous Recipes for this great recipe!! I knew Larry would love this when I saw it had no cinnamon! He said it was great!! Emily's Apple Nut Bread I Enjoy this wonderful bread with your morning coffee! ~ Emily 2 eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup peeled chopped apples 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract In a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; blend well. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, alternately with the oil and sour cream. Beat well after each addition; batter will be stiff. Stir in the chopped apples, pecans and vanilla extract. Spoon

Minute Brown Rice Southwestern Skillet Chicken The advertising agency for Minute Rice, Barkley, sent me these samples of Minute Rice Brown Rice to try. I haven't used Minute Rice in years. We think this Brown Rice is pretty good! This recipe was from the back of the Minute Rice box. M.C. loves rice. This Minute Rice Brown Rice would make a good, quick lunch for her. Southwestern Skillet Chicken Instead of using the boneless, skinless chicken breast called for, I used a package of my pre-cooked, chopped chicken from the freezer. I just skipped the part of the recipe that gave the instructions for browning the chicken. I sprayed the skillet with cooking spray and picked up the recipe at Step 2. When the recipe called for returning the chicken breasts to the skillet, I just put in the chopped chicken. Larry, Logan and I all thought this made a good quick meal. It wasn't M.C.'s favorite, as she isn't a big salsa fan, but she said, "I don't hate this. It

Sister Schubert's Clover Leaf Dinner Rolls We tried these rolls last night! We thought they were pretty good. They're a dense, heavy roll. I would probably buy them again, especially if they were on sale, and/or I had a coupon.