Of course, I’m going to his house to watch the Big Game and I’m bringing a platter of yummy Souper Bowl Sliders with Chipotle Mayo to share with the fans. My brother is also making his famous Spice-Rubbed Chicken Wings and he asked me to make my Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing to go with them.

GO PATS!

These moist & cheesy mini burgers get their souper name from dry onion soup mix.

SOUPER BOWL SLIDERS

INGREDIENTS:

Sliders
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1-2 tablespoons Chipotle Mayonnaise (see below)
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
24 (2 inch square) dinner rolls, split

Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/2 lime, juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the Chipotle Mayo by adding all ingredients in a food processor and puree. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix ground chuck, Cheddar cheese, 1-2 tablespoons chipotle mayonnaise
  and dry onion soup mix.
• Spread even amounts of the ground beef mixture onto the bottom half of each roll. Place top
  halves on, forming little sandwiches.
• Place sliders on a baking sheet or baking pan and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

The creamy texture of Maytag Blue cheese makes it ideal for blue cheese dressing.

BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Ingredients
1/4 cup buttermilk
4-6 ounces Maytag Blue Cheese (I use more because I like lots of chunks of cheese)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

• Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.

This recipe has been in my family since the 1800s – maybe even longer.

My family has a recipe for Christmas Raisin Bread that has been in our family since the 1800s – maybe even longer. My mom learned it from her Irish grandmother, my great grandmother, and it is always baked at Christmastime and given as gifts to family, friends and neighbors as well as our mailman, milkman, hair stylists and others. As we were growing up, my mom also made it for all of our teachers, which means, with four children in my family, she was baking a lot of bread!

The smell of this bread baking always brings a smile to my face and fills me with lots of happy memories of childhood.

My family traditionally serves this bread as toast on Christmas morning (the brunch menu also includes sliced & sugared navel oranges and some of us like to dip the toast in the orange juice that is left on our plates!). We also use this bread for leftover turkey sandwiches slathered with lots of tangy Durkee’s Famous Sauce plus crisp lettuce and tart cranberry sauce.

And, when I’m feeling especially decadent, I use this bread to make Eggnog French Toast with eggnog from Oberweis Dairy, (which is the best I’ve ever tasted).

While we all know how to make this bread, my mom is the official baker of the Christmas Raisin Bread. And, as her hands have lost their strength over the years, she developed a way to make the bread in a bread machine (although, she only lets the machine go as far as the dough cycle and then she takes it out to form loaves and bake in individual bread pans).

CHRISTMAS RAISIN BREAD

Source: Sudekum Family Favorites Cookbook
Yield: 6 loaves (1 pound each)

Ingredients
4 cup milk
1/2 pound lard
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 teaspoons salt
4 packages yeast*
4 eggs
5 pounds flour
1 1/2 cups raisin
* Do not use “quick-rising” or “instant” yeast

Preparation

• Heat milk in a saucepan until scalding (180° F).
• Place lard, sugar and salt in a large bowl and add scalding milk. Let cool to around 100-120° F.
• Dissolve yeast in 1/2-cup warm water and add to milk mixture. Add eggs, half of the flour and raisins. Mix the dough hard with a spoon and then add the rest of the flour. Mix well, (at this point, it is actually easier to mix with your hands) and place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes and place in a large, clean, greased bowl.
• Cover bowl with a damp towel and let dough rise for 2 hours. (NOTE: the yeast needs to stay warm while the dough is rising, so be sure to place the dough in a warm part of your kitchen.)
• After the first rise, punch dough down and let rise again for 1 hour.
• Cut dough into 6 sections. Cover sections with a damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape dough into loaves, place loaves in greased loaf pans, cover with a damp towel and let rise again.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned.

How to Shape Dough Into Loaves
Roll dough into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Starting from the narrow edge, roll up tightly. At each turn, seal with fingertips or edge of hand. Press down on ends of loaf with sides of hand to make two, thin, sealed strips. Fold strips under loaf (or shape dough into a rectangular loaf, pulling ends together until smooth).

CHRISTMAS RAISIN BREAD FOR THE BREAD MACHINE
Yield: 2 loaves (1 pound each)

Ingredients
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons lard
1 egg
4 cups flour
1/3 plus 1/8 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 cup raisins

Preparation

• Place all ingredients, except raisins, in the dough bucket of the bread machine.
• Run the dough cycle.
• When the dough cycle reaches 1:19 (1 hour, 19 minutes), add the raisins and let the dough cycle continue.
• When the dough cycle finishes, remove the dough from the bucket and divide into two sections.
• Let dough rest for 10 minutes and shape into loaves.
• Place loaves in greased loaf pans, cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1-2 hours.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

My mom has always called her chicken soup Jewish Penicillin because she swears it will cure anything that ails you! And, I would tend to agree.

In fact, a medical study published in the journal Chest found that chicken soup may contain substances that produce an anti-inflammatory effect that could ease the symptoms of colds and other upper respiratory infections.

Medical proof or not, I know that my mom’s chicken soup has always made me feel better!

While my mom prefers her chicken soup with lots of celery, no carrots and rice instead of noodles, Jewish Penicillin could be made to fit anyone’s tastes. The key is to use bone-in chicken and to let it simmer for at least an hour or two.

Mom’s recipe is incredibly simple & delicious:

My mom has always said Jewish Penicillin (Chicken Soup) will cure anything that ails you!

MOM’S JEWISH PENICILLIN

2-3 lbs chicken, including skin & bones (e.g., 1 whole chicken or 4 large chicken breasts or any combination of your favorite chicken pieces)

8 celery stalks, chopped

2 large onions, peeled & chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

Salt & Pepper to taste

Water

1 cup rice

• Place all ingredients, except rice, in a large stock pot and completely cover with enough water so there is about 2 inches above the top of the ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour (the longer the better).
• Remove chicken and let cool. Remove skin from chicken and shred chicken into pieces. Return meat to the stock pot.
• Prior to serving, bring soup to a boil and add the rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

NOTE: If you also like carrots in your chicken soup, add 2-3 large, sliced carrots to the pot. You can also use noodles in place of the rice.

A few years ago I started a tradition of Soup Sunday and now, nearly every Sunday in the Fall & Winter, I make a different kind of soup in the morning and spend the day enjoying the comforting smell of soup simmering on the stove. Some Sundays I try a new recipe and other Sundays I make one of my favorites, which I’ve included below:

• Southwestern Pumpkin Soup – This recipe combines two of my favorite things: Tex-Mex & Pumpkin!
• Chicken Tortilla Soup – Another one of my Tex-Mex favorites; perfect to heal what ails you!
• Ann’s Cozy Day Chili – I created this chili one chilly Sunday & added heat with the smoky flavor of chipotle!
• Baked Potato Soup – This is the best Baked Potato Soup I’ve tasted & the addition of dill adds a nice, fresh flavor.
• Swamp Soup – The first time my mom served this to us kids, my sister said, “That soup looks like a swamp!”

I hope you enjoy these soup recipes as much as I do! Bon Appetit!

P.S. There’s a lot of Sundays on the horizon and I would love to try one of your favorite soup recipes. E-mail me at annscustomcuisine@gmail.com

This recipe combines two of my favorite things: Tex-Mex & Pumpkin!

SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP

Source: Southern Living
Yield: 10 cups

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15.5-ounce) can pumpkin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Garnishes: sour cream, fresh cilantro sprig

Preparation

• Melt butter in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; sauté 15 minutes. Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring often, 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly (about 5 to 10 minutes).
• Process potato mixture, pumpkin, and cilantro, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
• Return to stock pot or Dutch oven; stir in milk, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice; garnish, if desired.

Another one of my Tex-Mex favorites; perfect to heal what ails you!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Soups & Stews
Serves: 4

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 whole chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/4 cup snipped, fresh cilantro
1 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crushed
6 (5 1/2-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking oil
1 cup shredded cheddar &/or Monterey Jack cheese
Garnishes: Sour cream, fresh cilantro, avocado (optional)

Preparation

• Place chicken broth in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; add chicken breasts. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken from broth. Let stand till cool enough to handle. Skin, bone and finely shred chicken; set chicken aside. Discard skin and bones. Strain broth through a large sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth. Set broth aside.
• In the same saucepan or Dutch oven, saute onion, cumin and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil til onion is tender but not brown. Stir in strained broth, undrained tomatoes, drained corn, tomato sauce, green chiles, cilantro and oregano. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken; heat through.
• Meanwhile, cut tortillas in half, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. In a heavy medium skillet, heat 1/4-inch cooking oil. Fry strips in hot oil, about half at a time, about 1 minute or till crisp and light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt (if desired).
• To serve, ladle soup over tortilla strips. Sprinkle each serving with shredded cheese and garnish with sour cream, fresh cilantro and avocado (optional). Serve immediately.

I created this chili one chilly Sunday & added heat with the smoky flavor of chipotle!

COZY DAY CHILI

Source: Chef Ann Sudekum
Yield: About 10 cups

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 chipotle chile, minced
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup beef broth
1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce*
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garnishes: Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onion, lime wedges

Preparation

• Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, green pepper, and chipotle chile; Drain.
• In a small bowl, mix together flour, chili powder and cumin.
• Return meat mixture to stock pot and add flour mixture to coat; mix well.
• Add beef broth, adobo sauce, tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce and beans; salt & pepper to taste.
• Bring chili to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours or all day (the longer the better!)
• Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, chopped onion and lime wedges.

*NOTE: Adobo sauce will make the chili very spicy, so it is best to first only add 1 tablespoon and then taste the chili. If you want it spicier, add the second tablespoon. If it becomes too spicy, add another small can of tomato sauce.

This is the best Baked Potato Soup I've tasted & the addition of dill adds a nice, fresh flavor.

BAKED POTATO SOUP

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Soups & Stews
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 large baking potatoes (8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained & crumbled

Preparation

• Scrub potatoes thoroughly with a brush; pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 425 oven for 40-60 minutes or till tender. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; gently scoop out each potato. Discard potato skins.
• In a large saucepan, cook 3 tablespoons green onion in butter till tender; stir in flour, dill, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add the potato pulp and 1/2 cup shredded cheese; stir till cheese melts.
• Garnish each serving with the remaining shredded cheese, 3 tablespoons green onion and bacon.

SWAMP SOUP

Source: Chef Ann’s Mom
Serves: 6

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped parsley
4 cups chopped zucchini (or any green vegetable)
1 cup diced, peeled potato
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup milk

Preparation

• Put all ingredients, except milk, in a large saucepan. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Process soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return soup to saucepan and add milk. Heat through* and serve.

*This soup can also be served cold.

Relaxing and staying cool in Sinking Creek.

We spend our days being lazy and literally sitting in chairs in the river while the kids swim and fish and snorkel. We also take hikes through the woods or float downstream on inner tubes and then spend our evenings chatting around the campfire or playing games in the lodge.

One of the greatest perks of the camp we use is that it has a lodge with a full, commercial kitchen! Two stoves, two ovens, deep sinks, lots of pots & pans, a huge refrigerator and a large deep freezer plus enough dishes and utensils to serve 80! We happily refer to the experience as “Fancy Camping.”

And, while each family brings their own food, our meals are always a potluck extravaganza!

We are all smiles for the big breakfasts!

Every morning, we make big breakfasts with most of the adults congregating in the kitchen to chat over pots & pots of coffee while we all help to prepare pound-after-pound of bacon, sausage patties and links, plus dozens of eggs, bags of potatoes, and can-after-can of biscuits and cinnamon rolls. One of the campers is known for her sausage gravy and this year she made it twice!

Of course, after such a big breakfast, lunch is a bit lighter – especially since most of us are down on the river relaxing. So, the kids know they can raid the fridge where they will find plenty of sandwich fixings plus leftovers from the night before. Someone usually has a cooler on the beach that is full of cut-up watermelon and cheese sticks and many swim bags contain chips and cookies to munch on throughout the day.

There's nothing like meat grilled over an open fire!

Then, there’s dinner! Everyone is ravenous after a long day of swimming and soaking up the sun, so we always put together a huge spread. Cooking dinner also has two staging areas: the kitchen, where we prepare the sides and salads, and the campfire, where we grill the meat. Pork steaks, bratwurst, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, steak – you name it, it’s grilled!

While the grilling occurs, the kitchen is a flurry of chopping and prepping a slew of side dishes and salads. Potato Salads, Fresh Fruit Salads, Pasta Salads, Lettuce & Veggie Salads – they’re all there. It also common to find someone pouring numerous flavors of canned baked beans into the same pot. The combination actually makes a great-tasting side dish!

Of course, while all the cooks and grill masters are doing their thing, there’s always a bartender mixing cocktails for everyone while someone else walks around serving cheese & crackers and chips & dips. And, this year, the kids even got in on the action and made their own appetizer from the crawdads they spent the day catching in the river!*

A refreshing summer salad!

While one of the campers is known for her sausage gravy, I have become known for my Tomato-Cucumber-Onion Salad, which is a refreshing treat on a hot summer day! At camp, I always make more than enough for dinner so that there are leftovers for the next day. Imagine how even better the salad tastes after it’s sat in the fridge for 24 hours!

I actually got the recipe from a church cookbook published by the Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Women in Flower Mound, Texas. It is a perfect go-to resource for potluck recipes because many of the recipes are written with a crowd or a large family in mind. (I also love to read church cookbooks because most of the recipes are passed down for generations and sometimes are well-guarded secrets that someone finally decided to share.)

Summer is truly an amazing time of year. The fresh produce is plentiful and all the camping trips, barbeques, picnics and outdoor celebrations provide wonderful opportunities for hanging out with friends and enjoying the potluck of good food made from well-loved recipes.

*Here’s a pic of the crawdads the kids made for an appetizer.

Beef tacos are my favorite, but I also love bean tostadas and pork tamales and chicken enchiladas. Basically, anything that uses a corn tortilla or masa. I once had a waiter in a Mexican restaurant look at with surprise when I requested corn tortillas with my fajitas. He then smiled and said, “Ah! A non-gringo!” (authentic tacos and fajitas use soft corn tortillas).

My father also loved spicy, Mexican food and we always knew he was happy when his bald head was sweating! But, when I was younger it was hard to find Mexican restaurants in St. Louis (hard to believe when today you can find one of two of them within a mile of each other!). So, my mom bought the only Mexican cookbook in the bookstore, Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cook Book © 1977, and started using recipes from that book. They were so good that, of the dozen or so Mexican cookbooks in my library, it is still the one I use the most.

My love for Mexican and Tex-Mex food also led me to study the origins and techniques of the cuisine. Eventually I found myself cooking so much of it that I decided to host an annual Mexican Fiesta for at least 50 of my closest friends. Each year, I decorate my yard with lots of colorful lights and festive banners and wow my guests with mucho homemade salsa and entrees and sides and desserts. I literally cook the whole week prior to the event with the most quickly devoured dishes including Stuffed Jalapeños, Black Bean Soup and Chicken Enchiladas.

Of course, I do have other favorite cuisines, like Italian, Chinese and good ‘ol pub grub, but Mexican is my first love.

TAKE MY FUN POLL & TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO CUISINE!

First grown near Vidalia, Georgia, in the early 1930s, Vidalia onions (pronounced Vie-DAY-Yuh) are sweet onions that are grown exclusively in a 20-county region in Georgia. Similar onions are grown in other parts of the country, but the combination of sandy soil with a low sulfur level and a mild climate are what produce Vidalia’s trademark sweet – and very yummy – onions!

Onions are actually one of my favorite vegetables and I use them in nearly everything I cook. I actually didn’t realize how much I use them until a number of years ago when I was living with my sister and her husband. Since I couldn’t afford to pay them much rent, I took care of most of the cooking and faced a challenge when my brother-in-law told me he didn’t like onions! At first I thought, “No big deal,” but then I quickly discovered that nearly everything I cooked included some kind of onion: red onions in salad, white onions in pasta and casseroles, green onions in my Tex-Mex specialties. . . you get the picture.

I actually made a concerted effort to refrain from using onions or using only half of what the recipe called for, but eventually I discovered he wasn’t complaining and today I no longer worry about it.

At one time, the only way you could get Vidalia onions was to order them from one of the farmers in Georgia, but now you can find them in nearly any grocery store or farmer’s market in the country. So, be sure to go buy some! They are wonderful additions to nearly anything you cook and taste great raw, cooked, carmelized or baked!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy Vidalia onions is as a side dish where they can be savored and appreciated. Check out this quick and easy recipe for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Vidalia Onions that uses just three ingredients – Vidalia onions, bouillon cubes and butter – and is cooked in the microwave!

I was about 5-years-old when I first stepped up on a stool to peek into a simmering pot on the stove. I was so excited to grab that spoon and stir the yummy goodness inside! I had watched my two older sisters helping mom in the kitchen and was honored when it was my turn. My younger brother, who grew tall quickly, probably stood on that stool before he turned 5.

Mom gives a baking lesson to one of my friend's daughter.

My mom’s cooking was influenced by her grandmother’s Southern cook from Mississippi and by a woman she called Mama Mia, an Italian lady my grandmother met through their butcher. Mom has always followed a simple philosophy: great food comes from basic, fresh ingredients mixed with a lot of love for the friends and family for whom you are cooking. And, she made sure to pass along her cooking knowledge and talent to her children and grandchildren – and even some of her friend’s children!

So, during the summer, starting when we were about 10-years-old, my mom would have each of us four kids plan and prepare one dinner a week. We got to choose whatever we wanted and mom would help us put a menu together with vegetables and sides that complemented the main entree. We then learned how to organize a grocery list and went with mom to the grocery store to purchase everything. Of course the fun really began when we returned to the kitchen to create our masterpieces!

Fresh-picked veggies from my sister's garden.

Summer was also the time for enjoying lots of fresh veggies. Both of my parents were organic gardeners long before it was cool to be organic, and they turned a large area of our back yard into a vegetable garden brimming with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, bell peppers, jalapenos, radishes, green onions, garlic and carrots. Anything we didn’t grow was purchased at the Soulard Farmer’s Market in downtown St. Louis and, at the end of the summer, we would put aside (aka can) tomatoes, green beans, chili sauce and pickles for the fall and winter.

Over the years I have developed a passion for cooking that feeds my soul. The whole process of planning and prepping and preparing food relaxes and energizes me! So, I decided to turn my passion into a profession and serve up Ann’s Custom Cuisine – a personal culinary service where I create freshly prepared, delicious and nutritious meals that clients can enjoy in the comfort of their own home.

I now embark on this new culinary and career journey with excitement and a little bit of trepidation! I look forward to the challenge and the adventure. . . Bon appetit!

I hope you will take a moment to browse the content on these pages and be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can keep up with what I’ve got sizzling and simmering on the stove!