Comforting in the cold!

Today the temperature took a nose dive again here in Saint Paul, MN, from the balmy 20ies (-6C ) to 6 Fahrenheit right now (-15C). It is the kind of day where I light lot's of candles and drink hot tea. In the winter season I also love to eat soups or stews paired with crusty rustic bread. Today's dinner recipe Carrot Chowder came to me from my friend Brooke. She had received it from her friend. It would be interesting to know where she had found it. Anyway, a great example of how recipes travel. Brooke made this when I was visiting for lunch a while back. She typically cooks a big lunch that serves as dinner later in the evening. Pretty smart! I immediately liked it, and so did my family. It is a great way to get the kids to eat some veggies. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but today I am using lean ground turkey. It would probably be just as tasty with mild Italian sausage. To save time use pre-shredded carrots and pre-chopped veggies. Enjoy!

Carrot Chowder

1 lb. (450 grams) lean ground beef or turkey

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup green or red pepper

4 cups tomato juice

1 1/2 cup water

2 cups cream of celery soup

2 1/2 cup grated carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced

1/8- 1/4 t marjoram

1 t sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat in a large pot. Add celery, onion, and pepper.

Cover and simmer until veggies are tender, approx. 10 minutes. Add tomato juice, water, celery soup, carrots, garlic, sugar and marjoram. Season to taste. Simmer 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and green onions (optional), bread and a green salad. I always have a bowl of fruit on the table too.

Stay warm!