A post with a bit of this and that! First, a recipe I am going to try.
Bean with Bacon Soup
1 pound bag of dry navy (pea) beans
8 slices of bacon1 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 of a 6-ounce can of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
8 turns of the pepper grinder
Pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of chicken base
8 cups of water, pork, vegetable or chicken stock
or broth, or a combination
1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke
Couple dashes of red pepper flakes, or Cajun seasoning
Hot sauce, for the table
The night before, place the beans into a pot or large bowl, cover with water and let soak overnight.
When ready to cook, drain the beans and set aside. Use kitchen shears to cut the bacon into pieces into a soup pot or Dutch oven; cook over medium high heat until softened but not crisp. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook and stir until softened about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the tomato paste. Cook and stir until the tomato paste begins to slightly brown. Add the drained beans; stir. Add in the salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf; stir in the chicken base, water, stock or broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours or until the beans are tender. The last 10 minutes of cooking, remove 2 cups of the soup and whirl it in a blender until creamy. Add back to the soup pot. Add the Liquid Smoke and pepper flakes or Cajun seasoning, if desired.
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MORE!
MORE!
My birthday boy and the purple cake and ice cream he picked out!
His own pizza.
A picture of the front yard this morning. 6-10 inches of snow forecast for today and tonight! More snow early next week too!
