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Monday, January 03, 2011

*Foot Loose!!*


Foot Loose is playing on the radio as I type this post!

This is EXACTLY how I am feeling this morning, bopping here in my chair. This song just makes me want to get up and DANCE!

The men folk have gone to their prospective jobs - - - Yes, The holidays are “officially” over and the house is mine for the day and I can get down to business! ((Once the song is over….pardon me while I go dance a bit more!))

First off – An announcement! I woke up to an email from Madame Samm over at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure that they want my post to go live THIS SATURDAY! Oh My! Seems there is a conflict with who they had scheduled, and we are swapping places. This works great for me actually, as I don’t head out to Lincoln Nebraska for my visit with the Lincoln Quilters Guild until Sunday so the timing is perfect! I can do a post there, and upload a new quilt for you here, and get out of town! Rolling on the floor laughing

So I’m off and running today. The quilt for Saturday still needs quilting and binding! And I need to write the finale for Roll Roll Cotton Boll! It’s going to be a busy week in the basement…but I’m ready!

And it’s good that I have lots of THIS left-over because it’s going to make dinner so so easy for me while I’m doing this:

kissinthecorner 041

Yeah It’s a bit more than half gone, but we have had it TWICE already! This is the 16 bean & ham soup that I made after Christmas on Thursday --- It was our power lunch for quilting the tie quilts, and fueling us for our run to Ikea. It fed us the day that Mr & Mrs Goodneedle came over, filling the house with delicious smells. And it is one of those that definitely is better the next day! This also makes a LOT and freezes really well.

And I’m sorry the crockpot looks a bit well….cooked! But this is real life photography, not Cuisine TV. I’ve had requests for the recipe so here you go:

Crock pot Ham & 16 Bean Soup

1 ham bone with plenty of meat attached!

We had a spiral ham for Christmas, and when cutting the slices off, I knew I was going to be using the bone for this soup so I was generous with what I left! You can also use a couple of ham hocks, or diced ham steak.

3 cups 16 bean mix, dry!

Rinse beans and pick out any broken or other bits.

Place beans, ham bone, and 1/2 of a diced onion in a large crock pot and cover well with water. Cook on high for 6-8 hours until beans are tender and meat falls from bones.

Remove meat and bones, trimming any cartilage, fat and removing bone fragments. At this point I shred the meat. I like it better shredded than having it diced into little cubes. Return meat to pot. Add more water as necessary.

Chop 2-3 carrots and 2 stalks of celery and add to soup. Throw in 2 bay leaves and a tsp of oregano. Cook until veggies are tender.

Taste broth to determine how much salt it needs. Ham is salty so I don’t do this until last! Salt to taste, and add cracked black pepper to taste as well.

And this is the best part! Add 3 Tbl brown sugar ((this cuts the bitterness of the beans)) and 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder! YUMMY!Rolling on the floor laughing

Of course this meal has to be served with cornbread topped with honey butter. Oh how I love my crockpot and how easy it makes my life ---


14 comments:

  1. Today is my last day of vacation before I have to head out the door to my job. DH went back to work today, and DD is still upstairs, sleeping (slug-a-bed!) She just finished grad school with a Master's in Library and Information Science and is looking for a job in the field of Archives and/or Preservation. So she really isn't a slug, she just stays up late and sleeps late! Anyway, the point is that the house is very quiet right now, and I am enjoying my day at home. I'm thinking about making a pot of soup, and was planning to use your potato soup recipe, but now you put another idea in my head!

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  2. Anonymous9:24 AM EST

    Great recipe, Bonnie. I love soup in the winter and I'm always looking for new soup recipes. I made your potatoe soup last week and it was delicious. Didn't have all the ingredients so substituted leeks for onions and added a few other things, but it was EZ and tasted GREAT! Have already signed up to follow SM so I'll see you post Saturday.

    Gail:)

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  3. I'm back at work today, too, although it isn't as bad as I had feared. I had forgotten that I cleared my desk before leaving before Christmas - what a joy to come back to a clean desk! The soup looks yummy - thanks for sharing. It is something I make, too, but never with the brown sugar and mustard - I'll have to try that!

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  4. Sounds like you will be busy! And thanks for the recipe. Our Christmas ham is at the point it needs to become soup!

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  5. That looks really good! Thanks for the recipe. Yesterday, I posted a recipe for our baked bean soup. It is so good. www.peasinapod.typepad.com.

    Congrats on the date getting moved up. Yeah!

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  6. What time should we all come over and help you eat that yummy soup? Hey and its my birthday too so could make a carrot cake? thanks see ya for dinner :0)!

    Happy Sewing Bonnie......sounds like you are gonna be busy!

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  7. Enjoy your days at home, they're precious few and far between! I can definitely testify to the wonderful aroma that filled your house compliments of your magic soup! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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  8. Anonymous3:57 PM EST

    Your soup sounds delicious! I love my crockpot too :-D

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  9. Anonymous6:10 PM EST

    Okay, now I know what I'm doing next Monday evening. I haven't been a member, or to a meeting, since May 2003 but I'll go be a guest next Monday to hear you speak. When I lost my "forever job" in 2003 I had to cut back on my activities. I've only just lately had the heart to start pulling out some of my stash to make up quilts again but I hadn't gotten back to the guild yet due to finances.

    PS Corned beef cooks up real nice in the crock pot too.

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  10. I wish I'd seen your soup earlier today, I was looking for a ham recipe, looks delicious.
    I've make 12 mystery blocks and I've posted a picture. Thanks for a wonderful quilt.

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  11. I'm looking forward to your contribution to Stash Manicure. Thanks for the recipe...I happen to have a hambone in the freezer!

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  12. Thanks for the soup recipe...made it today and it was a winner, just like all your quilts. DH loved it, and I will be bringing it to work for lunch all week.

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  13. Anonymous7:32 AM EST

    Hope you get time to visit the International Quilt Study Centre in Lincoln/Nebraska I was there in November and loved it, went on a tour it was great.

    Christine

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  14. I made this soup today and WOW!!!! It was delicious. I had a bag of regular bean soup beans and so I used that instead of the 16 bean beans. This has to be the best homemade soup I have ever made. My turkey noodle now comes in second. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe.

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