Tuscan Bean Soup

 This recipe is a variation of one I found on Pinterest.

2 TBSP olive oil

5 slices thick cut bacon, diced

2 cups onion, diced

2 cups leeks, cleaned well and diced

2 cups celery, diced

2 cups carrots, diced

2 TBSP minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 or 2 stems fresh rosemary

8 cups chicken broth. (reserving 1 cup).

3 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

chicken Better Than Bouillon (to taste).  Use this if the broth used is not as flavorful as you'd like.

Saute bacon in olive oil in bottom of heavy cast iron pot for about 5 minutes until it is starting to brown a bit.

Add onions, leeks, celery, carrots and continue to saute, stirring often for about 15 minutes until veggies are starting to soften. 

Add garlic.   

Add 7 cups broth, bay leaves and rosemary.

Bring to a simmer and cook at a simmer for 45 minutes.

blend together one can of the beans with the one cup of reserved broth. Add to pot.

Add 2 other cans of rinsed and drained beans.

Let simmer another 15 minutes.

Serve with a generous sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese and a good, crunchy crusted bread.

Sausage & Lentil Soup

A delicious hearty soup for a cold day.  Just add crusty, chewy bread and a glass of white wine...


2 links hot Italian sausage (I use the Jennie O turkey sausage)
1 large onion - chopped
4 cloves garlic - chopped
4 stalks celery - chopped
2 cups dried green lentils (rinsed)
3 carrots - diced
2 potatoes - diced (not necessary, but if you like potato...)
2 quarts chicken broth
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. Italian crushed red peppers (if you want it spicy)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove casing from sausage and saute in a large soup pot with 2 TBSP. oil, breaking the sausage up into small bits as you cook it.  When nearly done, add the onion and celery and keep cooking for a bit.  Add garlic last, stirring for another minute or two.
Pour in lentils and chicken broth.  Let simmer for about an hour with the lid off to let the broth reduce a bit and get the lentils softening.  Then, put in carrots, potatoes, and marjoram.  Continue simmering slowly until the lentils, carrots and potatoes are soft.  Season as necessary.

NOTE:  You don't have to use as much sausage if you don't want, 1 link will still give you the flavor without as much meat.

White Minestrone

John and I had a soup similar to this in Telluride, Colorado.  I kept working with the recipe until it surpassed the one we had there.

2 quarts chicken broth
1 whole chicken -- cut up
2 large onions -- chopped
4 rib celery -- diced
1 large bell pepper -- chopped
1 bunch italian parsley -- chopped
1/2 head cabbage -- chopped
2 medium russet potato -- diced
2 cups fresh green beans -- cut 1" long
1 package broccolini -- chopped slightly
1 can cannollini beans -- rinsed and drained
3 ounces fresh spinach
4 ounces pasta -- cooked al dente
salt and white pepper -- to taste
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne

Saute chicken pieces in skillet until lightly browned. Place in large pot. In same pan saute onion, celery and bell pepper until lightly browned, de=glaze pan with some of the chicken broth then place all broth and sauteed veggies over chicken. Put in all vegetables except the spinach and canned beans and simmer 1 hour, til tender. Remove chicken, and add spinach & beans. Last, add the cleaned chicken meat and the cooked pasta.

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Vonciel's Black Eyed Peas

I had never eaten black-eyed peas until I had this recipe at a great Cajun cook's house.  Vonciel Trahan could make anything taste fabulous!

4 cans blackeyed peas -- rinsed and drained
8 slices bacon
2 medium onions -- chopped
1 large green pepper -- chopped
4 cloves garlic -- whole
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain off grease. Fry onions and green pepper in pan until starting to brown, adding the garlic cloves the last few minutes. Rinse and drain black-eyed peas and add to vegetables. Crumble bacon and add. Add enough water to make soupy. Add the seasonings and let simmer for about 1 hour until flavors mix.

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Tortilla Soup

When I tell people that my tortilla soup has hominy, I usually get bug-eyed stares.  I say, what's  better than hominy?


2 quarts chicken broth
1 whole chicken
3 large onion -- diced
2 ribs celery -- chopped
3 large poblano peppers -- diced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 can diced tomatoes with green chieis (Rotel)
8 ounces canned green chiles
8 ounces Las Palmas Enchilada sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 large canned hominy -- drained
1 can pinto beans - drained & rinsed

Saute the raw veggies and put into large pan with other ingredients (except tortillas, hominy and corn flour.) simmer for about 1 hour. Thicken with corn flour mixed with a bit of water. Add hominy.
Place diced tortillas on vegetable oiled sprayed cookie sheet , spray them with pam and cook in oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring once.
Serve soup with the tortilla chips, sliced avocado and shredded cheese.

Split Pea Soup

A real comfort food for a cold day.


1 pound split peas -- rinsed
2 cups ham -- diced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 large onion -- chopped
2 stalks celery -- diced
4 medium potatoes -- chunked
3 large carrots -- chunked
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix together all ingredients in very large pan. Fill pan with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 2 1/2 hours until everything is very soft and peas have dissolved.

Serve with big chunks of rustic bread....

Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder

I had corn chowder at a restaurant and although I thought it was really good, I couldn't help but think of how it could be better.  Ta-Da!

1 whole chicken breast -- cooked and diced
16 ounces frozen sweet  corn kernels
1 large onion -- diced
2 whole poblano peppers -- diced
1 7 0z. can diced green chiles
1 quart chicken broth
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Saute onion and poblano peppers in pan with 2 tbsp. oil until soft. Pour in broth (reserving 1 cup) and half of the corn kernels. Simmer for a few minutes and then blend with an immersion blender. Add green chilis, rest of the corn, bouillon,  cooked rotisserie chicken breast and thyme. Mix corn starch with reserved cup of broth and bring back to simmer, turn off heat and then add half and half . Warm but do not let boil. Add shredded cheese and mix in. Salt and pepper and tabasco to taste.

Pa Short's Pinto Beans

This recipe is from my father-in-law, Kenny Short. He was an old rancher who grew up eating beans every day.  I always loved the ones he cooked,  so a long time ago he gave in and let me watch him make them.


2 pounds dried pinto beans
4 cloves garlic -- minced
1 cup barbecue sauce
4 large dried red chile peppers -- crumbled
salt and pepper -- to taste
2 medium ham hocks

Rinse beans and cover with cold water. Let sit overnight. Next morning, drain beans and recover with cold water. Add ham hock and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered. After about 2 hours, add garlic, chiles, and barbeque sauce. Add salt and pepper a short while before serving. (Don't add salt until beans are soft as it will keep them from softening.)

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Meatball Minestrone Soup

1 pound ground round
2 eggs -- beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 head cabbage -- chunked
1 bunch spinach leaves -- chopped
1/2 bunch parsley -- tied with string
32 ounces canned tomatoes -- chopped
12 ounces tomato sauce -- canned
2 tablespoons dried basil
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 large potato -- diced
3 carrot -- diced
3 stalks celery -- diced
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can kidney beans -- rinsed
1 cup macaroni -- dry
1 large green pepper -- chopped
2 large onions -- chopped

Mix togethr ground round, eggs and bread crumbs. Shape into small balls and bake on wire rack in pan for 17 minutes at 350 degrees. Mix together all other ingredients except the kidney beans and macaroni . Add water to cover.Simmer for at least 1 hour until veggies are tender. Add meatballs, dry macaroni and kidney beans. Let cook until macaroni is tender.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 403 Calories; 12g Fat (26.6% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 51g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 92mg Cholesterol; 1021mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 1 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Chicken Soup with Drop Noodles

The chicken soup I ate as a child, and still eat to this day.  The soup is just a carrier for those wonderful noodles...

If you want to take it "over the top" into a whole, new category, mix into the soup a browned butter roux made with 4 ounces of butter and 3 TBSP. flour mixed together and cooked until it turns a light brown.

1 whole chicken
1 large onion -- diced
4 stalks celery -- diced
3 medium carrots -- diced
1/2 bunch parsley
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 quarts chicken broth
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
salt, pepper, and cayenne -- to taste

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs -- beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

In large pan, mix the first 6 ingredients. Add enough broth to cover and simmer for about 90 minutes. Remove chicken and take meat off bones.Add more broth if needed. Add chicken meat and spices. Let simmer slowly while making the noodles. For noodles, mix flour with salt and mix the eggs with the milk and water. Mix these together. Mixture will be pasty. Place mixture on large plate and scrape small amounts of the noodle dough into rapidly boiling water using a spoon that you dip into the boiling water often to keep dough from sticking. It only takes a few minutes for the noodles to cook so watch them and as they feel firm all the way through drain them in a colander. Add to chicken soup and enjoy. You may adjust seasonings  to suit yourself, just taste and add accordingly. (The best way to really cook the chicken is to use a pressure cooker as it seems to get more flavor from the bird. If you use one just cook for 20 minutes after the pressure comes up and then turn off heat and let pressure subside on its own.)( Also make sure you use a lot of boiling water to cook the noodles so they don't stick and the water doesn't get too cool to boil.)

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

I have been told by some actual Cajuns that my gumbo is better than theirs!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup canola oil

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 pounds andouille sausage links -- sliced
2 large onion -- chopped
2 bunches green onion -- sliced
2 large green pepper -- chopped
4 stalks celery -- chopped
4 cloves garlic -- minced
2 quarts  chicken broth
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground allspice
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce
chicken boullion of necessary
3 cups rice -- uncooked
salt & pepper -- to taste

Place canola oil in skillet (NOT NON-STICK) and turn on heat to medium high. Add flour to oil and cook stirring constantly until roux is the color of milk chocolate.  Don't think you can walk away for a minute...you'll be sorry.
In separate pan, saute the onion, bell pepper and celery til it starts to brown. Then add some of the broth to de-glaze the pan. Transfer to large pot. Saute chicken thighs til starting to brown then use some broth to de-glaze pan again. Mix in rest of broth. Add spices. Start cooking on medium til it starts to boil. When broth mixture starts to boil, mix a small amount in with the roux and then mix the roux in with the large pot of gumbo. Cook over medium to low heat for about 1 hour.  Add sliced sausage and cook one more hour. Cook rice and serve with the gumbo. (It's best to make the gumbo a day before you will serve it as it tastes better the next day.) You can also use a gravy separator to remove most of the fat. Serve with a sprinkling of file powder in each bowl.
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 841 Calories; 47g Fat (51.2% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 77g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 80mg Cholesterol; 1621mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 8 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0