Embracing Him

Winter is here and it’s the perfect time to make soup. Though vegetable soups and chicken noodle soups are delicious, your soup repertoire doesn’t have to be limited to old favorites.

This bean soup is a family favorite. It’s thick, hearty, and filling. Once you add a side of cornbread and a green salad, you’ve got a fabulous meal that’s good for you and satisfying.

Hearty Bean Soup
1 (16 oz) package of dried navy beans
1/4 cup baking soda
7 cups chicken broth
1 smoked turkey wing or ham bone
1/4 cup onion, diced or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare the beans using the following method. Place beans in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a solid boil for 10 minutes. Remove pot from the heat (do not drain) and set in the sink. Add baking soda and stir until the foam completely disappears. (Do not worry if the foam is green.) Drain the beans and rinse well with cold water to remove the flavor of the baking soda.

Place beans back in the pot. Add chicken broth, turkey wing, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are soft.  If soup is becoming too thick, you may thin it by adding extra chicken broth. Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Photo: Courtesy of Roger Smith (Flickr)

A few weeks ago our family attended a Christmas potluck with friends from our church and our homeschool group. There were plenty of tasty dishes to enjoy, but my favorite part of the meal was a delicious salad. I fell in love with colorful ingredients and contrasting textures. In addition, the vinaigrette that dressed the salad was absolutely amazing!

While at the potluck, I tracked down the creator of the fabulous salad and asked if she would mind sharing the recipe. Andrea happily agreed to share the ingredients and I prepared the salad last night. It was just as good as I’d remembered and when I took it to my MOPS dinner meeting last night the ladies raved about it and ate all but a 1/4 cup! (I’ll be enjoying that little bit with my lunch today!)

Andrea suggests using a light olive oil as she finds the flavor of regular olive oil to be a bit too strong. If a light olive oil is not available, she recommends using 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

When preparing the salad myself, I found a single preparation of the vinaigrette was plenty to dress the salad. When dressing the salad, I recommend adding the vinaigrette a little at a time and tossing the salad in stages so as not to overdress it. Keep in mind that many people have nut allergies, so you may wish to serve the walnuts on the side. Consider varying the salad by using spinach instead of mixed greens and adding a cup or so of dried cranberries.

If you’re really into salad and you want to take yours to a new level, visit the Dole Salad Guy. He will introduce you to the tastes and textures of various salad mixes and provide you with salad recipes and salad pairings for you and your family to enjoy.

Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley

In a container combine all ingredients. Cover and shake until blended. Set aside for at least 45 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Shake again before serving.

Mixed Greens with Mandarins and Walnuts
1 bag mixed greens (16 ounce)
2 (15 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients. Toss well to coat with the vinaigrette and serve.

Photo: Courtesy of The Gifted Photographer (Flickr)

I’m hosting Christmas dinner this year, so over the weekend I finalized my menu. On Saturday as I was flipping through my recipe file, I pulled out the recipe for the Savory Cornbread Stuffing I’ll be serving this year.

I love to eat stuffing but I admit my experience with making stuffing had been limited to the convenient stovetop variety. However last year, I discovered a stuffing recipe, adapted it to suit our pantry’s contents and our family’s taste buds, and served it during Christmas dinner.

After tasting the stuffing that day, my eighty-four year grandmother said to me, “Andrea, this is some of the best stuffing I’ve ever had.” Now my grandmother has savored well over 150 Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, yet her granddaughter’s stuffing was “some of the best” she’d “ever had!” When a recipe receives a compliment from the family matriarch, an experienced cook, it’s a keeper to me!

If you’re a fan of stuffing, I highly recommend this recipe. It tastes a bit more work than the stuffing you’re probably used to, but I can assure you, it’s well worth the preparation time.

Savory Cornbread Stuffing
4 (8.5 ounce) packages Jiffy cornbread mix
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
1(14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 large eggs, beaten
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper

Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter over medium heat. Add celery and onions and sauté until tender (about 5 minutes).

Combine celery, onion, cornbread crumbs, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon lightly into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish. Bake for 1 hour  or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Photo: Courtesy of rainbreaw (Flickr)