Cookbook offers family time cooking options

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Published: May 6, 2021

Lisa’s hamburger soup goes great with buttermilk biscuits for a hearty lunch. | Joan Airey photo

I recently received the neatest cookbook in the mail.

It is a time capsule with a bonus that $2 from the sale of each book goes to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon. The book contains a variety of recipes from across Canada.

As I read through the book, I came across recipes that I had used in the past such as Lisa Lambert’s Hamburger Soup. My children are grown now but when they were involved in ringette and hockey, myself and numerous volunteers made this soup weekly to serve at our local rink in Rivers, Man.

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I still make this recipe regularly through the winter to serve family and friends.

Lisa’s Hamburger Soup

  • 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 2/3 c. finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can tomatoes with juice 796 mL
  • 1 can tomato soup 284 mL
  • 3 cans beef consommé 852 mL
  • 2 c. water
  • 1 1/2 c. finely chopped carrots
  • 1 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
  • 1/2 c. pearl barley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • parsley, to taste
  • pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef; drain well. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft. Add the remain ingredients; bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for at least two hours. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot.

After making Gaylene’s mincemeat muffins, I contacted the editor, CJ Katz, to get permission to see if I could use some of the recipes in an article in the future. Of course, was her response. If you enjoy the recipes I’m sharing today, you can find more on her website www.cjkatz.com.

Katz has a TV show on CBC in Regina and Saskatoon.

This recipe makes five dozen, which you can bake and freeze or the batter will keep up to six weeks in the fridge and you can bake fresh as require.

Gaylene’s Mincemeat Muffins

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1 1/2 c. Mazola oil (I used canola oil)
  • 4 c. milk
  • 2 c. All-Bran (twigs)
  • 4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp. baking soda
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 jar mincemeat 750 mL
  • 1 package raisins 375 g

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.

Add milk and All-Bran.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the All-Bran mixture.

Add in the mincemeat and raisins. Mix well. Let stand in the fridge until needed. Keeps for up to six weeks.

Scoop into greased muffin tins and bake for 23 minutes. Enjoy.

All ovens cook differently, in mine they were cooked perfectly in 25 minutes.

Kayla’s Banana Berry Muffins are delicious in my book and great for a breakfast muffin.

Kayla’s Banana Berry Muffin

  • 1 c. quick oats
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c. white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 4 small bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 12-muffin tin. In a bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, butter and egg. Add the banana mixture to the flour and stir until just moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Be careful not to over mix.

Divide among the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre of muffin comes out clean. With a pat of butter on them, these muffins are best eaten warm!

I use parchment paper muffin liners for all the muffins I make and find there is less clean up.

About the author

Joan Airey

Freelance writer

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