I had been adding recipes for a while to a new cookbook so I could find them when I wanted to cook them. In the electronic age, a digital version seems to make more sense, since I can add, amend, advise, adjust, delete, and reconsider as often as I want to and you can access them if and when you please. I've included the recipes from both my original cookbook which many of you have, and additional accumulated recipes that never got published. This isn’t the latest thing or nouvelle cuisine. These recipes are comfort food, good memories, treasured family recipes, and occasional treats as well as many healthier recipes I've grown to like in recent years. I encourage you to add comments, pictures, and favorite recipes to make this a real family cooking spot. It's the next best thing to sharing a meal.






Monday, January 11, 2016

Best Bean Soup

1 lb. navy beans (or other dried beans)
Meaty ham bone
2 bay leaves
2 cups diced celery
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
Salt and Pepper
2 cups chopped Kale (Optional, but good)

Sort and wash beans; place in large soup pot; cover with water two inches above beans; soak overnight (or bring to boil and turn off heat; let beans soak two hours).  Drain beans and add ham, bay leaves, celery, parsley, thyme, and water to cover.  Simmer for an hour.  Add onions, carrots, and kale, if using, and more water, if necessary.  Simmer one more hour or until beans are tender.  Don't cook until beans dissolve.  Remove ham and dice meat, returning it to the soup.  Season to taste.

I don't know why we have so many recipes for bean soup except that there's nothing better and a variation now and then makes life more interesting.

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