Soups and Such

Brother Bruce's Bean Soup
Easy French Onion Soup for Two

Brother Bruce's Bean Soup

One LARGE soup pot

2 cups White Northern Beans washed and sorted
2 stalks celery sliced thin
2 onions chopped fine
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 potatoes diced
2 whole carrots sliced
2 cups chopped ham and a ham bone (Refer to the HAM page for recipes that result in a useable bone for this recipe.)
12 cups water

Bring the water and beans to a boil, lower heat, and simmer one hour.

• Add prepared vegetables.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt, and add pepper to taste. (Try a few red pepper flakes, too.)
  

I use the following additional spices in a spice bag or spice spoon for easy removal after the soup is cooked.

• 4 whole cloves
  
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 Bay leaves (Must be removed before serving, the leaf spines are not edible.)

Simmer/cook over just-to-a-boil heat for 3 to 4 hours. Soup is done when beans are soft but not mushy. When cooked to your taste, stir in 2 or 3 tlbs brown sugar or for a flavor burst, use maple syrup rather than brown sugar.

Serve with homemade bread and a cruet of apple cider vinegar for the best taste will be realized with a teaspoon of vinegar in each bowl.

Use any LEFTOVERS for a second meal. This soup freezes well, so put some away for a rainy day.

Easy French Onion Soup for Two

One can Swanson Chicken Broth
Two large sweet onions (Vidalia Onions are great here)
One packet from a box of LIPTON Recipe Secrets (Golden Onion style)
Four slices SARGENTO's Deli style Provolone cheese
Two slices of bread trimmed to the shape of the serving bowl (French bread is good, homemade is better) If you use store-bought bread, toast it after trimming to bowl shape. You can also make croutons from LEFTOVER bread. E-mail Ida Mae for her Spicy, Garlic Crouton Recipe.

Peel and dice onions. Saute onions in 1 teaspoon oil (I use Soybean oil.) until just barely cooked. Onions turn opaque as they cook, stir often, don't burn.

• Pour chicken broth into sauce pan.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water
• Add cooked onions
• Add one envelope of Liptons Recipe secrets (Golden Onion is best) and stir well.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 7 or 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare soup bowls. Put one slice of cheese at the bottom. Cover with soup. Put rounded slice of toasted bread or croutons on top of soup. Put second slice of cheese on top. Put soup bowl in microwave 30 seconds medium heat to melt top cheese.

Serve immediately. ENJOY.

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One free LEFTOVERS recipe at E-mail Ida Mae.

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P. O. Box 508
Roscommon, MI 48653-9737

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