Bean with bacon soup

This was sort of an on-the-fly recipe makeup. I had a sick hubby and hungry children at home. I think this turned out amazingly awesome though next time I will not add tomatoes, they changed the flavor too much for my liking.


Ingredients:
2 cans canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium can crushed or diced tomatoes (I used half of a 28 oz can)
Quart of chicken stock or water
1/2 to 1 lb bacon, chopped (if using the pre-cooked kind microvave it until crispy and crumble/chop into small bits)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil, if using pre-cooked bacon
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
Pinch dried marjoram
Pinch dried thyme
Salt and pepper


In heavy bottomed pot cook bacon until desired crispness. Remove bacon, add onions and garlic to pot. If you are using pre-cooked bacon add your olive oil to the pot and saute in that. Cook until translucent.

Add carrots and celery, cook for a few more minutes until softened.



Add all other ingredients including bacon to pot. Turn heat up and bring to simmer. Simmer covered stirring occasionally for about an hour.

Ham and Beans

This is my grandmother's recipe. It's the most simple recipe I've seen for ham and beans. While it might be the most simple, it does not disappoint! Make this with your leftover ham bone from your holiday dinners, or go to your butcher, or Honeybaked Ham store and buy yourself a bone. Onto the recipe!

4 cups dried pinto beans, soaked 24 hours (Or 3 or 4 cans worth)
1 lb ham bone (more is ok!)OR just 1 lb of ham
1 tsp salt
Enough water to cover beans

This can be made two ways, in the crock pot OR on the stovetop. In the crockpot just add your beans, ham and water. Leave the salt out until the end, the ham has a lot of salt in it already. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Pull your ham bone out and remove all of the meat. Cut up and put back into your soup. Add your salt if necessary. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper and some nice bread or biscuits.

On the stovetop, cook your beans until the skins crack about 4 hours. Add your ham bone. Simmer several more hours. Remove ham and cut up and add back to soup. Salt to taste.