Keet's Texas Trash

Mom (and everyone but me in our family) was born in Oklahoma. Why she decided to call this her Texas trash is a mystery. I never even thought to ask, because we lived so long in Texas. I suppose this is our adopted state.

Each Thanksgiving and Christmas, she would make this and make a gallon bag for each of us to take back to college, etc. It didn't last long enough to get stale. I will warn you: It will become a compulsive addiction.

Keet's Texas Trash
1 bottle of Tabasco
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup Soy sauce
1 pound butter
1 Tbsp. celery salt
1 Tbsp. onion salt
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. salt

Melt the butter and stir in the rest of the ingredients until mostly dissolved. Some of the salts are heavy enough that they will settle to the bottom. Just remember to stir.

While the butter sauce is melting, add these to a very large roasting pan. You'll need enough room in the pan to be able to stir and fold the ingredients into the butter sauce.

1/2 box of each: Wheat, rice, corn Chex cereal.
1 box Melba toast (any flavor)
1 box Cheez-its.
1 can mixed nuts
1/2 bag pretzels

Stir the ingredients in the pan, then slowly drizzle the butter mix over all, then stir together to distribute the butter.

Bake at 250 degrees F for 2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the mix cool in the oven, or on the counter.

You can substitute amounts of everything in this recipe, but watch the salt content. If you're not sure on amounts of dry ingredients (Mom didn't specify how big a box of the Chex cereals), start with 1/4 and add more as you mix it together. It's a forgiving recipe. Do not use margarine or oils that are liquid at room temperature. You really need the butter.

Enjoy! (Freezes well if you have the self-discipline to not eat it all at once.)

Almost Corner Bakery Tomato Soup

I love the Corner Bakery's tomato basil soup. I don't like the price though. Not with how much tomato soup we go through. So I search the web and found a recipe that looked good, and gave it a try. I will be making some adjustments but this is really good. Really. Good. Even with 'winter' tomatoes from the store. Imagine how delish this will be with fresh, ripe maters!?

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

3 pounds fresh roma tomatoes

1 Tbls salt (I adjust as I go, don't need this much)

1.5 teaspoon cracked pepper (regular pepper is fine)

1-2 yellow onions, chopped

6-12 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

0.25-0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use Aleppo from Turkey)

2 cups fresh basil leaves (I subbed 2 generous tablespoons dried Marjoram)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Oven 425*F. Cut roma tomatoes in half, toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or casserole pan in the oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large pot over medium high heat, saute the onions, garlic, and pepper flakes until the onions are translucent and slightly browned. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the roma tomatoes and the extra oil/juice from the roasting pan. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Dip out the chunks of tomatoes and puree them in a blender (be careful - hot liquids expand in the blender), return to the pot to thicken the soup. 

I can see using this as a base for many soups - add noodles, hamburger, potatoes, other veggies, etc. I also plan to add 'surprise' veggies like canned pumpkin puree, bell peppers, etc. that I can puree and Dad won't notice. You could also add half-and-half, Greek yogurt (protein!), or skim milk to make it creamy. Great with a grilled cheese sammie or your favorite crackers!

Let me be clear: This is not my original work. GeauxGirlie gets all the credit! Enjoy!