About Me – Page 2 – Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree

Hearty Cowboy Soup: A Taste of the Wild West

Posted on March 2, 2026March 2, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

Anyone who’s lived in a cowboy town knows that the Wild West is still very much alive. Rodeos, cattle drives, and coal-powered railroad rides continue on. There are also mining tours in a picturesque mountain town. In addition to Wild West vibes, the cowboy appetite is also quite real. After a long day of working outdoors, there’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of cowboy soup.

The best part about this hearty, filling recipe is that it’s super easy to make and almost completely customizable. You can make it with a variety of ingredients you have on hand in the pantry.

What is cowboy soup?

Cowboy soup is a simple yet flavorful dish. It’s packed with filling ingredients like ground beef, tomatoes, green chiles, pinto beans, and other vegetables. It’s a one-pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.

Some say cowboy soup is similar to a hearty chili. Cowboy soup has a comparable spice profile thanks to the combination of tomatoes, chili powder, and ground cumin. However, it is not typically as spicy as most chili recipes. It contains additional ingredients that make the soup more filling. These include chunks of potatoes, sweet corn, and canned mixed vegetables.

Ingredients for Cowboy Soup

Ground beef: You can use fresh or frozen ground beef for this recipe. It’s best to defrost ground beef in the fridge overnight. If you forgot, you can still cook ground beef from frozen. Just make sure to flip the frozen brick over frequently and scrape off the outer layers as they brown.
Onion and garlic: These aromatic vegetables season the ground beef. They add the first layer of flavor to this hearty cowboy soup.
Beef broth: Use low-sodium or homemade beef broth if you want to keep the salt content low. Alternatively, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Ranch-style beans: These canned pinto beans are seasoned with tomato sauce, spices, and a splash of vinegar. This combination gives them a tangy finish. They’re available at most grocery stores, but regular pinto beans also work. (You can make homemade ranch-style beans if you prefer to cook from scratch.)
Tomatoes and green chiles: The combination of drained diced tomatoes gives the soup a bold flavor. Undrained diced tomatoes with green chiles contribute to this boldness. It provides a stew-like consistency. This combination adds the perfect hint of heat.
Veggies: You can use any type of vegetable in this soup. We like peeled and chopped potatoes, frozen corn and a can of mixed vegetables, but feel free to experiment.
Seasonings: Chili powder adds a hint of spice, while ground cumin boosts the smoky vibes. A little bit of salt and pepper rounds it all out.
Jalapeno pepper: Garnish the soup with thinly sliced jalapeno peppers for some spice.

Taste of Home

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”

Cookbooks

Dinner Tonight

Posted on March 1, 2026February 27, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

200 Quick Recipes for Inspired Weeknight Cooking

Bold flavors meet time-saving tricks in 200 recipes (all ready in 45 minutes or less) that make weeknight dinners fun and stress-free.

When time is short and bellies are grumbling, America’s Test Kitchen’s streamlined guide to weeknight cooking is ready for you. It offers great meals that don’t require a ton of work. These meals also bring new flavors to the table. No matter your craving, you’ll find a dinner that fits the bill in under 45 minutes with easy cleanup. You might enjoy chicken salad with a fantastic dressing. Try Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Jicama and Banana Peppers. If you want umami-rich noodles, consider Chili Crisp Noodles. Or perhaps you desire a deeply comforting soup like Spicy Tomato Soup with Tortellini and Sausage.

Edited by Jack Bishop, TV cast member, tasting guru, and creator of the twice-weekly Dinner Tonight newsletter (which goes out to more than 1 million fans), this collection of 200 go-to recipes delivers plenty of ways to improve your weeknight eating:

Fresh Ideas for Pantry Staples: Are you staring blankly at your pantry? These recipes give it new life (canned tuna = Spaghetti al Tonno; frozen peas = Pea and Pistachio Pesto Pasta).
Modern Flavor Boosters: Every recipe showcases a smart way to add flavor, like an Old Bay–spiked lemon compound butter that melts over salmon fillets and pools into a bowl of confetti grits; or honey and red wine vinegar, which become a sweet yet sophisticated glaze for chicken.
Flexible Swaps: Got parsley but no cilantro? Ground turkey but no pork? These recipes indicate when swaps make sense.
Riff on Recipes to Make New Meals: The sauce for Murgh Makhani (aka Indian Butter Chicken) is so perfectly spiced, you’ll want to try it with tofu or chickpeas—we show you how.
Comfort-Food Flavors in Low-Key Renditions: Chicken Piccata Meatballs, Pork Meatball Bahn Mi (can you tell we love meatballs?), and Mezzi Rigatoni with Spicy Gochujang Tomato Sauce offer maximum appeal with minimal effort. And that’s just the beginning of what you’ll find.

Need help deciding? Themed lists let you choose dinner based on your mood, the season, or what’s on hand. There are even tips for scaling recipes for two. With 200 recipes plus ways to spin them, you’ve got more than a year of great ideas.

#allrecipes

Discover Comfort Foods from the Past

Posted on February 17, 2026February 15, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

When searching for dinner inspiration, it’s easy to always look for what’s new and now. However, sometimes it’s worth looking to the past. Trending recipes have a time and place. However, nothing scratches the comfort food itch like the dishes you grew up with. Whether that was in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, or beyond.

It’s not uncommon for retro recipes to have some pretty out-there names. From Frog Eye Salad to Broken Glass Cake, these titles often sound strange. They even seem inedible. But don’t fear—their names typically nod to the recipe’s unconventional appearance. That’s certainly the case for Porcupine Meatballs, a beloved retro recipe we’d argue is long overdue for a comeback.

What Are Porcupine Meatballs?

Porcupine Meatballs contain no actual porcupine or any other exotic game — their name hails from their spiky appearance. Unlike other meatballs, this recipe adds rice instead of breadcrumbs or another binding agent. When the ground beef-rice mixture cooks, the grains of rice absorb liquid. They become plump and pronounced. The grains stick out of the meatballs like a porcupine’s quills.

Otherwise, they are a standard beef—yes, just beef—meatball recipe that gets cooked in a seasoned tomato sauce. Some porcupine meatball recipes call for simmering them in tomato soup. This is certainly a shortcut option available to you, too. For many, the version cooked in tomato soup tastes like home. However, our top-rated recipe for Porcupine Meatballs ditches the soup can for a homemade tomato sauce. It tastes even better, and many reviewers agree.

meatballs cooked in a tomato broth until rice is tender. — Qi Ai/Allrecipes

“Like others, my mom also used tomato soup. However, using tomato sauce instead really makes a difference,” writes home cook Amber G. “I can honestly say these are better than the ones mom used to make (sorry, mom)!”

Porcupine Meatballs were a staple during the Great Depression. They only required a few ingredients. This recipe was a great way to stretch a small amount of ground beef. These days, they’re still a budget-friendly recipe. They are also darn delicious and appealing to adults and kids alike. Their out-of-the-box look and familiar flavor make them a hit for everyone.