Navy Bean Soup with Vegetables

I bought some dried Navy beans when my local store had a sale and there they sat in the pantry.  I looked for some recipes to inspire me so I took the best parts of all of them, added some of my favorite items and came up with this soup.  I hope you like it.  This recipe is a good way to empty your fridge of those crisper basics that you have left over. Omit ham hocks and use vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian.

Makes 5 quarts of soup

1 lb dried Navy Beans
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 large carrots or 4 average sized carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 celery heart, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 cups chicken or beef stock, or a combination
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 ham hock
1 TBS salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
16 oz fresh spinach

Here's how:

Place the beans in a large bowl filled with water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches.  Let soak over night.

In the morning, strain the beans and set aside.

Soaked and strained beans

Pour the oil into a large soup pot.

Add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic.  Saute 10 minutes until the veggies are soft.

All the veggies that are going in

Celery

Carrots

Onions

Everythin in the pot

After 10 minutes

Add the Bay leaves, thyme, stock, tomatoes, ham hock, salt, pepper and beans.

Broths and tomatoes

Bay Leaf

Ham hock

Soup all put together

Bring the pot to a boil then lower and let simmer for about 2 hours, until everything is softened and the broth has full flavor.

Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes until it completely wilts.

Spinach added

Soup is done

Serve with crusty bread.  You can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top if you like.

Pork Chili in the Slow Cooker

I saw some ground pork on sale at the store and I knew I would find something to do with it.  After some research I went back to my favorite book for making soup, called "Soup."  With a few changes to the original recipe, this is flavorful and warm on a cold day.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 Pablano pepper, diced
2 Cubanelle peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBS tomato paste
14 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1/8 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Mexican oregano
2 TBS Chili powder
1 TBS kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

Here's how:

Place a liner in the slow cooker.

Add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and stir.  Make sure to break up the meat.

Celery diced

Red Peppers diced

Cubanelle peppers

White onions diced

Garlic minced

Pork

Tomatoes

Everything in the slow cooker

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8  hours.

Serve with corn bread or Cheddar Dill Bread.

More Books To Check Out

I keep finding some great books to read on the topic of starting farms and our food supply.  Below are a few I recommend.

"Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep and Enough Wool to Save the Planet" by Catherine Friend. 
This book is the sequel to "Hit By a Farm" and explores the next phase of the life of this relucant farmer. 

"The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat" by Catherine Friend.  This is a more technical look at where our food comes from than Friend's other books, but it is not preachy and she gives you a realistic way to make real changes in your food choices.

"Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Of the Land" by Kurt Timmermeister is the story of the author's journey from Seattle chef to small island farmer.

"The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball.  This story is a reality check for anyone who thinks that going from Manhattanite to wife of a farmer is smooth, clean or romantic. 

Seed Starting 2012

I started my seeds inside on Saturday February 25.  I had seeds left over from last year that I stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  I bought the soil and pot at a local big box store.  The seeds are from Seeds of Change.

I used organic seeds and organic seed starter soil. 

I also decided that instead of using round pots like I did last year, I would use small square ones.  They are biodegradable and break up into the soil once planted.  They look more like flats you buy at the nursery.

I bought plastic green Jiffy greenhouses at the store.  They have a black plastic bottom and a clear plastic top.  This helps to keep the heat and moisture in.

The peat pots go into the bottom of the greenhouse and filled them with soil.

Next, I used a pencil to make a hole in the middle of each pot.  This makes it easier to plant the seeds.

Then I add the seeds and make sure I label them.  Use the pencil to write on the labels because pencil does not wash off the labels like ink does.  You will be glad you did this after the seeds are in the garden.

After everything is planted, I placed the lids on the greenhouses, placed the greenhouses on seedling heat mats and watered each one. I keep my seeds on a folding table in the guest room.

Once the seeds sprout, turn on your heat lamps or place them in a sunny location.  I also turn a fan on to simulate the wind the plants will experience outside.  It helps the stems get strong.  You do not want to have the fan on too high, just a light breeze. Be aware that the fan will dry out your soil, so keep on top of watering.

Once the time to plant has come in your area, acclimate them to being outside for a week by placing them outside in a shaded area for a few hours per day and work up to more hours and more light until they are ready to be planted.  If you out them out in direct sunlight right away, you will burn them and kill them.

Sharp Cheddar Dill Bread for the Bread Machine - 1 lb

I love making bread in my Cuisinart Bread Maker.  It is fun to take the recipe book and alter the recipes to create new recipes.  This recipe came after I made chicken noodle soup with dill and I was looking to make a bread to go with it.  After seeing Cheddar on sale at the grocery store, I knew what to make.  This bread can be served with soup or even made into a sandwich ...grilled cheese perhaps? This recipe is the one pound loaf.  I make this bread using King Arthur flour as I think it is the best around.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water, 80-90 degrees F
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp dried dill
2 tsp yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Here's how:

Place all of the ingredients except the cheese into the bread pan, fitted with the paddle, in the order listed. 


Wet ingredients in

Dry Ingredients in

 Place the pan into the machine.

Pan in the machine

On the machine, press Menu select White.

Press Crust and select Medium.

Press Loaf and select 1 lb.

Press Start.

When the Mix-In's sound goes off, add the cheese.

Dough is ready for mix-ins

Cheddar cheese ready to go in

Cheese added

Remove the paddle when the pause signal goes off.  This is optional, but optimal.

When the done signal goes off (6 beeps), remove the loaf from the machine and let cool on a rack.

It is best to let it cool before slicing.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is just like you remember from your childhood, slow cooked on the stove, fresh chicken and full of herbs.  This soup takes a while to make but it makes a ton of soup that you can freeze, give away or eat yourself.  I use mostly organic ingredients and I think it makes a huge difference.  If you are home on a cold Sunday in February like I am, make this soup.

Cook time: 3 hours 55 minutes
Yields: 7.5 quarts soup

Ingredients:

1 celery heart, divided as follows:
     5 stalks cut in half
     the rest of the hearts thinly sliced, about 2 cups
1 lb carrots, divided as follows:
     4 carrots, cut in half
      the rest small dice, about 2 cups
2 onions, quartered
2 parsnips, cut in half
20 parsley sprigs, divided as follows:
     10 sprigs whole
     10 sprigs chopped
12 sprigs dill, divided as follows:
     6 sprigs whole
     6 sprigs chopped
12 thyme sprigs, divided as follows:
      6 sprigs whole
       6 sprigs, leaves removed
2 Bay Leaves
4 garlic cloves, smashed and skin removed
1 TBS whole peppercorns
3 TBS kosher salt divided into 1 TBS and 2 TBS
     1 4.5 - 5 lb whole chicken
1 gallon and 1 quart of cold water
1 TBS, freshly ground pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
1 lb bag of egg noodles, I use extra wide but use your favorite

Here's how:

Add the following to a large stock pot: 5 celery stalks, 4 carrots, 2 parsnips, 10 parsley sprigs, 6 dill sprigs, onions. bay leaves, garlic,1 TBS salt, peppercorns, chicken and water.

First part of the veggies that go in

Organic chicken

Everything in the pot

Turn on the stove on to high.  Bring the pot to a boil.  This should take about 30 minutes.


Water added and being heated

Turn the stove down to low and let the soup simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and remove the meat from the bones and skin.

Chicken removed

Cut up or pull the chicken with 2 forks and set it aside.

Place the bones and skin back into the pot and simmer for another hour.

Strain the stock and throw away the solids.  Add the stock back into the pot.

Solids to be discarded

Stock all ready to become soup

 Add in the remaining vegetables,herbs, salt, pepper, chicken and bouillon cube. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add in the noodles and cook 5-10 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.

Ready to eat

Eat now or refrigerate for later.

Serve with bread or a sandwich on the side.  Or eat it as a meal! 

Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Bread for the Bread Machine

I have a Cuisinart Bread machine and love to make bread from the recipe book that came with it. I made this recipe twice in two different sizes and discovered that more water was needed.  Since it is winter and dry, I assume the flour is very dry and needs extra water.  The recipe below is as written in the book, but I suggest looking at the dough as it kneads to see if extra water is needed.  You can tell this by looking to see if all the flour has been incorporated.  I had to add an extra 1/2 cup to the 2 pound loaf and 1/4 to the 1 pound loaf.  If you make this recipe on a warm humid day, the extra water may be unnecessary.

Makes 2 lb loaf

1 cup water, 80-90 degrees F
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/4 yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup + 2 TBS oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

Here's how:

Place water, salt, sugar, flour, seasoning and yeast in the pan, fitted with the paddle in the order listed.

Wet ingredients added

Dry ingredients added

 Place the pan into the machine.

Press Menu and select White.

Press Crust and select Medium.

Press Loaf and select 2 lbs.

Press Start.

Check during the first kneading cycle to see if extra water is needed. Add as necessary.

This is what the dough looks like with enough water.  If there is flour on the bottom, add water until the flour is incorporated.

When the Mix-in's sound beeps, add the cheese and tomatoes.

Chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese

Mix-ins added to the dough

 When the pause signal beeps (6 beeps), remove the paddle from the dough.  This is optional.  You can remove the paddle after baking.

Press Start to continue.

Remove bread from pan when done and let cool on a wire rack completely.

Serve as a sandwich bread or use as a dipping bread in olive oil.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken wings are a classic sports watching food.  Whether it is the Super Bowl, Final Four or World Series, no sporting event on television is complete without some Buffalo wings.  But sometimes you want the flavor of the wings without the mess.  Served with some scoop shaped tortilla chips or warm pita, this recipe is easy and delicious.  No sporting event at your house should be without this dip.

Ingredients:

2 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot
1 store bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, or your own roasted chicken, meat removed and cubed

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a medium sized bowl.

All the ingredients

All ingredients in the bowl

Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to combine all the ingredients.  Do not leave cream cheese lumps.

Add the chicken and stir in by hand.

All combined

Pour into a large casserole dish.

Placed in the casserole dish

Sprinkle the extra cheese on top.

Ready for the oven

Place in the oven and heat for 30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

Serve with tortilla chips or warm pitas.

True 100% Whole Wheat Bread for the Bread Machine

I have been making bread from the Cuisinart recipe book for the Cuisinart Bread Machine.  This recipe is a true whole wheat bread.  I needed to add extra water to the dough because it was so dry.  I think because it is winter, the flour is very dry.  The recipe here is representative of the change.  I love this machine.  This bread is much heavier and denser than the honey wheat I have posted.  This recipe is for the 2 lb loaf.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water, 80 - 90 degrees F
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS honey
4 cups whole wheat flour
5 1/2 tsp vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 tsp yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine

Here's how:

Place all of the ingredients, in the order listed, into the bread pan with the paddle.

Wet ingredients in

I used King Arthur Flour

This is what Vital Wheat Gluten looks like

Flour in

Vital wheat gluten in

Yeast in

 Place the bread pan into the bread machine.

This is the machine

Hit the Menu button to set it for Whole Wheat.

Select the Crust to medium.

Select the Loaf to 2 lbs.

Press Start.

Halfway through the second knead, use a spatula to make sure the ingredients are scraped off the sides and into the dough.

When the machine beeps 6 times, remove the dough ball, take out the paddle, replace the dough. (This is optional, but if you don't remove the paddle, you have to dig it out of the bottom of the baked loaf.)

Once the machine beeps to indicate done, remove the loaf and let cool completely.

Loaf is done.  You can see it has a crispy crust