I dunno why I group them in 7’s.
Author Archives: AiXeLsyD13
Ham n’ Bean n’ Tater Stew
This is one of my favorites. My grandma made it a lot when I was growing up. I have my own variation.
Ham, Green Bean, & Potato Soup
Mine includes beer. Grandma made it every once in a while with cabbage. I suppose you could add carrots and/or onions. Maybe garbanzi beans too? Becky the awesome cook at camp makes it with noodle-style dumplings (I did try it that way once too), and some people make it wholly and horribly incorrectly with a creamy soup base. I have no idea why you would do that to this meal.
I don’t know what to call this. We always just called it “ham, beans, and potatoes” which is somewhat cumbersome… and could be about 4,000,000,000 other soups. In fact, I don’t even know if this is a soup or a stew. Both? Neither? What is the difference, anyway?
A lot of the time this would be made with leftover ham from Christmas, Easter, or whenever. When the hankering strikes now, I go to ham steaks with the little bone in. I don’t have a strict recipe, it’s more of a method.
This time, I put some Ham broth base (which can be a pain in the rear to find in the store sometimes) made slightly weaker than the directions, one cube each of chicken & beef bullion, a bottle of Yuengling Traditional Lager (I have used Straub American Amber for this too), and water in the pot and started it to boil on high. (Perhaps obviously if I had a leftover ham, I would start by boiling the bone and make the broth from that, add bullion if/as needed.) I also popped in some minched garlic, onion powder, and season-all, salt, and black pepper.
Then I cubed up 2 ham steaks, added them to the mix,.
Then I washed n’ cut up a not quite a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes, and added that to the mix. (I have used Yukon Gold before and they’re delicious, but they seem to break down to starch easier.)
Then, I cheated and popped open 2 bags of microwave/steam ready fresh green beans, rinsed, then snapped/chopped, and added them to the mix. When i came to a boil, I popped it down to 8 on the burner dial, and let it boil for 20 minutes.
Then, I let it simmer on 2 for another 20 minutes, then I put it on low until dinner time.
Ham n’ Bean n; Tater Stew
We served it with fresh baked buttered bread form the local grocery store. The kids seemed to actually eat dinner this evening too, and they’re rather picky lately. Sometimes I make it the night before, this is the kind of stuff that’s always better the next day. I’m not sure if it’s Irish, German, American, or all of the above.
Do you make something like this? Post your variation(s) in the comments below.
How do you make your meatloaf?
I posted the text below in two different Aldi fan boards on Facebook. I thought I’d also share here. Text slightly altered, spelling mistakes corrected. I feel like I make meatloaf different every time. How do you do yours?
🛒🍴🥩
Full disclosure, most of this was not from Aldi, but it all could have been. It all was cooked in the oven at 400°.
The meatloaf went in first, for an hour and a half. The potatoes went right on the rack at the one hour and 15 minute mark, and the brussels sprouts and carrots went in at the hour mark. Maybe 55 min.? I did crank it to 425° at that point but in hindshight didn’t need to. I flipped the potatoes when the veggies went in, and at the 15 min. mark I put sauce on top of the meatloaves and stirred the sprouts n’ carrots.
The potatoes were just washed, poked, rubbed in EVOO & spices.
The sprouts & carrots where just cut up, drizzled with EVOO, salt, pepper, & bacon crumbles.
The meatloaf was 3 lbs. of 85/15, an egg, french fried onions, club crackers, spices, ketchup, A-1 (the Aldi stuff works too, I have used it in the past), a squeeze of spicy brown mustard, minced garlic, spices (I just grab stuff off the rack & go), shredded cheese, and bacon crumbles.
I broke it into two loaves, cooked in a glass dish on top of two slices of bread each. It absorbs the grease & prevents burning on the bottom.
The sauce/glaze was mostly ketchup, some A-1, a dash of mustard, plus some cheese and bacon crumbles.
Probably not a meal for the health-conscious.😁
I think I do meatloaf slightly different every time. I have used marinara and Parmesan, put hard boiled eggs whole in the middle, wrapped in a bacon weave, added mushrooms & onions, used ranch or french onion soup packets, chunks of bread, added milk, & more.
I know it’s one both kids will eat unless I get too crazy.
How do you do your meatloaf?
Seven more #mazes.
Yeah. I did 7 more. They’re on Instagram.
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Hit me up with solutions in the comments, via email, or via social media.
Wanna do a #maze or two?
I have been posting them to Instagram, just not here much. I have a few I have drawn but haven’t shared. I may share them here. Is anyone interested in them? Should I save them for a publisher or Etsy shop? I need to get with CI3 and make some mugs!
Yeah, that one is on my guitar case. It would be killer if someone could complete that one… just not on the actual case. Ha ha.
Thanksgiving is my favorite. Maybe after Halloween.
I am so proud of my little artist!
You know you wanna print one and try it, or use an app on your phone/tablet to draw right on it. Then you wanna tag me in social media with the solution or leave it here in the comments.
Easy Guitar Chord Tools?
So, every once in a while, these gadgets pop up on Facebook guitar discussion groups. You get a lot of people poking fun, you get some support. I had to break it all down. It’s easy to hate, but some of these may ignite a spark and only be training wheels. Some of these may enable people with physical or mental disabilities to play some music. Who should be denied artistic creativity?
Guitar Chord Assistance / Learning Systems
Check out all the stats I could find & compile on the Chord Buddy, E-Z Chord, Ez-Fret, & WESOLO Guitar Learning System.
Check out all the details, embedded below:
Or, check out the full sheet here. I have websites, prices, lists of chords, and even videos where I could find them.
There is a wide variety of options. If you can fill in any of the blanks, that would be killer. If you know of any other similar systems, I could certainly add them.
This doesn’t even touch the Guitar Barre or Hammer Jammer.
♪♫♬ 🎸 ♪♫♬
On a personal blogging note or two; I need to update my guitar wish list (and the older list). The wife got me a BOHO for my birthday! I have been drawing more mazes. I may have more time to blog coming up. I should post some of the mazes. Someone named Hope recently posted a solution to an old maze in the comments! That makes me super happy. I’m glad someone enjoys them!
I know I have been bad at blogging. Life got crazy busy as it does. I do hope to blog more, not sure if many people read it… but it is fun. Hopefully if you feel the need, you can keep up with me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
🔥 Gimme Your Mountain Pie Recipes! 🔥 🌳🌲🏕️🌳
So, do you like mountain pies? I sure do.
Typical mountain pie preparation, assembly, & cooking at church camp.
We used to make them every time we went camping when I was a kid, and we camped quite often. Nothing beats cooking a mountain pie over the hot coals of an aging campfire. We generally make pizza ones, and we have made Reuben ones, and you have your standard pie-filling from a can/powdered sugar on top ones… but other than that I haven’t gotten too crazy. One time I did make a baked bean one. I mean, why not? Also, once we put leftover nine-can vegetable soup in an electric sandwich maker that we got on clearance from Kmart for $5. So, that is sort of similar to making a mountain pie. I mean, it would have made a good one.
Look at those crimped edges!
You gotta use a cast iron pie iron though, not those goofy aluminum ones. I have melted many an aluminum pie iron. I make those coals blacksmith hot. Also, you need one that seals the edges. The ones that don’t make a seal are just sandwich-heater-uppers and that’s bogus. I know they also make round ones where you can cook an egg and make an Egg McMuffin-ish type of sandwich.
My wife & I counsel for church camp every summer, and my camp always makes mountain pies… a tradition my family brought to our camp group when I was younger. Usually my friend Laurel & I end up being the cooks, over a fire in a pavilion fireplace that rivals the fury of Mount Doom of Mordor.
Some of the campers have made cool ones with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I need to try that. (Side note: have you ever had a campfire banana? Do it!) An old preacher friend of ours enjoys one filled with butter & powdered sugar. I bet it’s like a donut.
Moutain Pielander? THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE! #MountainPieMadness
So, what are your go-to mountain pie recipes? I hear some people also call them hobo pies, pudgy pies, campfire pies, jaffle pies, and other crazy stuff. They have to rank up there right behind hot dogs and s’mores as the #1 campfire food. I have thought a cheesesteak one would be delicious, maybe an Italian Sub on, maybe a burger melt/’Frisco burger kind of thing, maybe one with baked beans and a sliced hot dog would be the ultimate campfire mashup? You could go with a classic grilled cheese.
Share your tried-and-true recipes and your zany ideas in the comments!
