Friday, February 16, 2024

Beans, beans, the magical fruit...




15-bean soup mix


Overnight-soaked, wrinkly-skinned 

Prelude to dinner


The finished tan-gray soup can never do justice to these beautiful, colorful beans, so appreciating them before cooking seems a worthy thing to do.

Adding ham, onions, garlic, and chopped carrots (pretty much according to my post here), Ham & Beans Soup was enjoyed this week, and extra was shared with friends.

I don't know why I only seem to make this yummy soup once, at most twice a year, but this week was a perfect time for it.   The last of it was enjoyed on this snowy, wet February day.  







24 comments:

  1. So yummy! Was there corn bread with it?

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    1. Yes, Marsha, I made some corn muffins. :) My favorite cornmeal is Pearl Milling, and I followed the directions on the bag, but recently the only thing I could find in this brand was a self-rising corn meal mix. I do NOT recommend it. Made according to the package, it had no flavor, and the texture was too moist for me. I made several batches before I got muffins that were good enough that I was willing to share when I took some soup to friends.

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  2. I loved seeing the birds in the snow. You can bring some of that soup right on down. I will get the bowl ready:)

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    1. Sandy, I don't know how well the bird twittering comes through on other's devices, but they were so loud and happy sounding in the snowfall. That's what motivated me to shoot a little video. 😊

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  3. I wish I had learned to appreciate beans growing up. I can't remember eating them in Michigan.
    I have learned to like green beans and bean sprouts, but that's about it.
    They do look pretty there.
    And I enjoyed the birds, too.
    You all be safe and God bless.

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    1. Linda, I wish I was more motivated to find different ways to cook beans. I don't dislike them, generally speaking, but I also don't find them particularly inspiring.

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  4. I agree, beans before you cook them are lovely, like treasures from the beach. Once cooked, oh well.

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    1. Oh well is right, Liz. lol It's a good thing Ham & Beans taste good, because it doesn't have much going for in the looks' department. :D

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  5. That bean soup mix looks lovely. Like an artist's palette. I do like bean, ham, and veg soup. So hearty for a winter meal. Happy weekend.

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    1. It does, Brenda. Especially when rinsed off, the colors in this bean mix just sing "nature's art"!

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  6. This reminds me that I still have some bits of my Christmas ham in the freezer. Time to make bean soup!

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    1. I often have a ham bone in the freezer waiting for soup, Cheryl. What inspired making ham & beans this week was having a whole spiral sliced ham in the fridge I bought very inexpensively in December. It was coming up on it's best buy date, so it was time to eat some of it, freeze some of it, and make soup with the rest.

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  7. Beans are so versatile, I made a vegetable soup with beans this week, there is still some left more me to eat today. Lovely video it's so nice seeing the birds flying back and forth. xx

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    1. Linda, the birds were twittering so loudly in the snow, they really seemed to be enjoying it. :)

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  8. Birds serenading you during a snowfall, how lovely Becki! The bean photos are very artistic!

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    1. Thank you, Rain. So glad to see your new website is up and working!

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  9. The beans look too pretty to cook, but sounds as though they with the ham and extras made a hearty soup, The snow had a magical quiet calm about, quite beautiful.

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    1. Chris, the snow has finally disappeared today with temps reaching 60's! And more high temperatures are forecasted next week. I'm just hoping my two fruit trees don't have their buds frozen by a late winter frost. This is way too early for these temperatures.

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  10. I also had a gorgeous bean mix and was disappointed when they turned into a gray soup after cooking. And I'm glad to read in the comments that you had cornbread!

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    1. Martha, it is kind of sad that the beautiful colors of all those beans disappear when cooking. It's nice to take a moment to enjoy them when rinsing them off before cooking.

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  11. Those beans are beautiful! So is your lovely crochet work on a previous post. Hope your weather turns warmer!

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    1. Thank you, Debra. 🩷 We are having spring like weather this week!

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  12. RC makes bean soup fairly regularly - usually two huge pots by the time he's done. We can eat it for months. Thank goodness for a freezer or we'd be heartily sick of it.

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    1. Mary Anne, I find my pots of soup usually increase in volume as I'm making them - between adding more tasty goodies, and more liquid. I like to freeze soup in the freezer too. Just making my four favorite soups and freezing leftovers puts us in a good place for some easy meals for many months. Though I would like to grow my repertoire of soups to make and freeze.

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