Classic Vegetable Beef Soup

Meredith Bernard — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:33:41 +0000

This classic vegetable beef soup always hit the spot for me as a kid and still does today! Use this base to make it your own. This recipe is very forgiving – use what you’ve got! It’s an excellent opportunity to use leftover vegetables or throw together all of those small pieces of frozen veggies you have left in the freezer. Any way you make it, it will be good with these few base ingredients I have listed. Just don’t skip the beef broth or seasoning. Ok, happy cookin’ y’all!

Classic Vegetable Beef Soup

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

Stock Pot

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 package frozen vegetables for soup
1 jar pasta sauce Can substitute 1 can stewed tomatoes + 1 8oz jar tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning I prefer Santa Maria seasoning
½ cup elbow noodles *Optional

Instructions

Brown ground beef (drain if desired.)
Add all other ingredients, except for pasta.
Simmer on medium low heat until veggies cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Turn off heat, add noodles and serve once noodles cooked through. (5-10 minutes).

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So Easy Homemade Applesauce

Meredith Bernard — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 02:54:56 +0000

When my son asked me if I could make him some applesauce from scratch, I said, “Of course!” And then I thought, “But how?” Turns out it’s super duper easy and sooo much better than the store bought stuff! This made the perfect side to our roast for supper, but would be good as a snack, too. Feel free to make it yours by changing up the spices and if you want to make a big batch, you could easily can this (see recipe notes). However you slice it, this is a must-have recipe to keep in your box. Or digital bookmark. Or however that goes these days. Happy “ceeling”! (See video to decipher Merdie-ease.)((ie. weird words I make up.))((( K. Thanks. Bye.)))

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

1 apple peeler

Ingredients

4 lb bag apples (7-8 apples) I used honeycrisp, but any will do!
1 ½ cups water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamom

Instructions

Combine all ingredients on stove top and cook over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes, until cooked down.
Let cool and then mash with potato masher to desired consistency.
Ready to eat.

Notes

To can: Process in pint jars in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Experiment with other spices such as nutmeg, all spice, cardamom, apple pie spice or cloves.

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The Best Marinated Venison Loin Recipe

Meredith Bernard — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 23:00:12 +0000

Have a venison loin? Cook it this way and be so glad you did! Seriously, so good. If your loin is really big, you’ll want to double (or triple the recipe) and let it marinate at least 24 hours. Honestly, the longer the better. Happy cookin’!

Author Meredith Bernard

Ingredients

Marinade

1 to 2 lbs venison backstrap
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
Marinate the venison. Place the venison backstrap in a resealable bag or a shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the meat to ensure it’s evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hrs or overnight.
Smoke or sear in skillet and then bake at 350 until 135 internal, check after 5-7 minutes. Medium rare.

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Hot Ham and Cheese Rolls Recipe

Meredith Bernard — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:01:03 +0000

These rolls are going to be your new best friend! Perfect as a pair for soup or served alone as a quick, easy meal or perfect handheld appetizer. These can’t be beat with a stick, y’all! Let me know what you think. Happy cookin’! xx, mb

Hot Ham and Cheese Rolls

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

Ingredients

1 stick butter (ie. ½ cup)
3 tbsp mustard
3 tbsp poppy seeds
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 pack small pepperidge farm or Hawaiian rolls
8-10 slices deli ham
8-10 slices cheese (swiss, provolone, mozzarella, etc.)

Instructions

Combine first five ingredients on stove. Once butter is melted, turn off heat.
Cut rolls in half, place on large sheet of foil and spread butter mixture evenly on both halves of rolls.
Layer meat and cheese on one side of rolls and top with other half.
Wrap rolls in foil and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.
Carefully remove from oven, uncover and cut rolls completely for easy handling. (I like to use a large serrated bread knife for cutting them.)
Enjoy!

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So Easy, So Good Cranberry Apple Bake

Meredith Bernard — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 02:17:10 +0000

Look no further for your new favorite festive side dish! This cranberry apple bake pairs well with any main dish. It’s not only delicious, it’s pretty to boot, AND it will make your house smell good enough to eat. This is the perfect side for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s. Make it and get ready for rave reviews. Happy cooking, y’all!

Cranberry Apple Bake

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

1 apple peeler
1 9×13 dish

Ingredients

3 cups apples chopped
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tbsp flour (all purpose)
1 cup sugar

Topping

3 packages instant oatmeal (cinnamon, apple spice, etc.)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Instructions

Toss fruit with flour to coat, then with sugar.
Combing topping ingredients well and spread evenly over fruit mixture.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Notes

This may be made with non-packaged oatmeal instead. If so, use ¾ cup instant oatmeal + 1 tsp cinnamon.

It’s possible to substitute blueberries for cranberries. If so, reduce sugar a little.

If you leave out the nuts, you may need to reduce the amount of butter.

Consider garnishing with pecans and cranberries.

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Best Banana Bread

Meredith Bernard — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 19:36:40 +0000

This has been a staple banana bread recipe in our family passed down from my Aunt Ann. It really is the “Best Banana Bread!” The secret ingredient really brings it home. So good!

Aunt Ann’s Best Banana Bread

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

Mixer

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour, all purpose
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Cream sugar and butter.
Add eggs.
Sift flour, soda and salt and add to creamed mixture.
Add bananas, sour cream, vanilla and nuts.
Bake in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan at 350 for 1 hour.

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Granny’s Sweet Baked Jiffy Cornbread

Meredith Bernard — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 17:06:01 +0000

This variation of cornbread is a knock-your-socks-off sweet southern delight! My Granny Austin made this regularly and my daughter Austin (her namesake) loves it and requests it often. Her great-grandmother would be proud.

This is a great base recipe you could dress up with jalapenos and/or cheese to your liking. The best part is it can also sub as a dessert. What an overachiever this cornbread is! Hope you love it, too. \

*The recipe below is amended from what I showed in the video. I was going off of my memory after scouring my recipe cards and not finding my Granny’s original recipe. An hour after the video posted, I found it in a cookbook! I had a few measurements wrong and I just can’t post this as her recipe if it’s not truly her recipe. So, what you see below is Granny Austin’s recipe (and will be even better than the recipe I shared on video. )

Granny’s Sweet Baked Jiffy Cornbread

Servings people

Author Meredith Bernard

Ingredients

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
4 eggs beaten
1 can cream corn
16 oz sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil (Crisco per original recipe)
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease large (13×9 inch) baking pan with part of the oil.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean.)

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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

Meredith Bernard — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:38:38 +0000

Everyone needs a good sloppy joe recipe in their rotation and I’ve got one for you! Skip the store bought stuff, this is too easy and too good not to make homemade.Thanks for watching! Until next time, Happy Cooking…xx, mb

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

This recipe is easily doubled.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef, easy, hamburger, one skillet, weeknight meal

Servings people

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

1 Cast Iron Skillet
1 Chopper

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

Brown ground beef, drain and add seasonings.
Add tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and simmer about 15 minutes on low. Stir to keep from sticking. Sauce will thicken.
Serve on buttered and toasted buns, top with cheese if you prefer.
Enjoy!

Video

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Classic Hamburger Steak and Gravy

Meredith Bernard — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 21:59:26 +0000

This is another “fam favorite” around here…classic hamburger steak and gravy. Watch to end of video (or read instructions well!) to see how I made the gravy with NO lumps – because no thank you! Thanks for watching! Until next time, Happy Cooking…xx, mb

Classic Hamburger Steak and Gravy

Author Meredith Bernard

Equipment

1 Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, divided into ¼ lb patties
1 small onion
3 tbsp butter for sautéing onions and patties
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
⅓4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet, add sliced onion and saute until carmelized. Remove from heat and set aside.
While onions are cooking, add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to beef, mix well and then patty into 4 patties.
Melt 2 tbsp butter in skillet (can use same skillet you cooked onions in) and brown on both sides. Patties are cooked when internal temp reaches 165.
Remove patties to a plate and discard most of grease, saving a couple tablespoons of drippings for gravy.
In measuring cup or bowl, add flour and cold water, whisk until completely mixed with no lumps.
Turn skillet on low, add beef broth and then add flour/water mixture and whisk continuously until thickened. Turn off heat, add patties and onions and serve while hot. Use gravy for patties and as a topping for mashed potatoes, which pair very well with this dish. Add another vegetable and you've got a full course southern comfort meal!

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Easy 3-Ingredient Chicken Pastry

Meredith Bernard — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:41:48 +0000

If there is one dish I would love to eat again at my Granny’s table for Sunday lunch it would be her chicken-n-pastry. I can see her rolling out the dough, cutting it in strips and putting it in the boiling broth. Truly a southern comfort food staple! Luckily for me (and you), there are amazing frozen pastries available now that make this so easy to make and get on the table for a quick weeknight meal or Sunday dinner, without the hastle. Less time prepping and more time enjoying the meal together is my cup of tea. I love to pair it with cornbread and black eyed peas. Anyway you serve it, it will be a hit!

Easy 3-Ingredient Chicken Pastry

Servings

Author Meredith Bernard

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 box Anne's Dumplings Any equivalent frozen pastry will work.
1 can cream of chicken soup

Instructions

Boil chicken in enough water to cover until cooked through, about 90 minutes. Remove from broth and let cool. Debone and shred chicken, set aside.
Skim fat off top of broth. Add water to broth to equal 4 quarts of liquid. Bring back to a boil.
Add strips of frozen pastry 4-6 at a time, letting broth come back to boil in-between. Continue to add until entire package is is in broth. Stir to keep from sticking.
Add shredded chicken and can of cream of chicken soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, remove from heat and let sit 20-30 minutes to thicken. Will be more "soupy" the more liquid you have to begin with.
Serve with a vegetable and cornbread. (I prefer black eyed peas or green beans.) Excellent leftover, as well!

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