Butter Bean Soup -Vegetarian or Not

It feels like we went to bed one night and the next morning it was soup season here in Philly... This Butter Bean Soup is a quick 30 minute meal that only gets better the next day:@) Canned beans are easy to use and always consistently creamy. Make this vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth, or we can also use chicken broth, which is what I did. Depending on where you shop and the sales, I think this meal for 4-6 people can be made for about $4. If you're a bean lover like me, don't hesitate to give this a try folks!

Recipe is easily cut in half.

And this freezes beautifully too:@)

📌My Beans Pinterest Board HERE.

Butter Bean Soup -from here

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium celery ribs, diced

2 (14 oz) can butter beans, drained

1 c water *If optionally mashing beans

2 c broth, vegetable or I used chicken

1 bay leaf

S&P to taste

*I had some fresh parsley in the garden, so I added it  for garnish

1. Heat oil, cook onion for a few minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add everything to pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. *Optional, remove some of the beans to a food processor and blend until smooth for a creamier texture. You can click the original recipe for full instructions. I just mashed some beans with a fork.

Enjoy a hearty meal and

Have a Happy Day:@)

St. Pat's Tiered Tray & Leftover Corned Beef: Soup and Hash

To be honest folks, my St. Patrick's Day Tiered Tray doesn't change too much from year to year... Top Shelf: Little bouquet of mini daffodils from the yard, and acrylic craft bead shamrocks scattered around. My thrift store leprechaun and the Dollar Tree large mushroom fairy garden house he lives in:@) 

Bottom Tray: Flameless candle with holiday wrap, bowl of colorful candy, S&P, food picks, and napkins (my tiered tray has to be functional as well as cute:@). And I've had the large shamrock ornament forever.

Seems like all of the early holidays are ganging up on us this year! St. Pat's and Easter are only two weeks apart, so my ReView for leftovers is a little early, but the ideas are worth tucking away... What makes my Corned Beef Hash a little different? A nice generous sprinkle of fresh rosemary:@) That and a beautiful brown crust takes it right over the top. Talk about a breakfast I look forward to every year, good stuff folks.

And this Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup would be great as an alternative to a big holiday dinner, or a good use of leftovers. Maybe even tuck some meat away for a rainy day in April. It's a nice light meal.

🍀Let's get ready for St. Patrick's Day, and

Have a Happy Weekend:@)

Quick Ham and Canned Great Northern Bean Soup

This Quick Ham and Canned Great Northern Bean Soup is a nice hearty way to use up some leftover ham from the freezer. And perfect for the cold snowy weather a lot of us are dealing with right now... My thoughts: If you have bacon fat, sub that for the butter:@) I like the chili powder and think it's supposed to help with the smoky flavor, but think I'd cut back the next time. This will be a thinner broth based soup. I also might add a little fresh spinach once my Aerogarden starts producing, and my seeds have sprouted:@) Don't hesitate to give this a try folks, I think you'll be pleased with this nice easy soup.

Recipe easily cut in half.

Quick Ham and Bean Soup-adapted from Taste of Home

2 large carrots, cleaned and chopped

2 large stalks celery, chopped

1/2 C chopped onion

2 Tblsp butter

1 small clove garlic, about 1/2 tsp minced

Four 15 oz cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

4 C chicken broth

2 C ham, cubed

1 tsp chili powder-I'll start with 1/2 tsp next time

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small bay leaf

1. Saute carrot, celery and onion in butter for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add garlic and stir until veggies are soft, about 2-3 more minutes. 
3. Add everything else, bring to boil and heat through.
4. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Enjoy an easy meal and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Snow! Soup Recipes-Fast or Long Simmer & Barbie Crochet Hooded Scarf Free Pattern

We’re anticipating our first snow of the year on Sunday, maybe not much here north of Philly, but talking about it sure puts a buzz in the air... I thought I'd share a couple of my all time favorite soup recipes, one that's a quicker meal and one in case you saved the ham bone from Christmas and want to smell something hearty simmering on the stove for a couple hours. Sound good? Great:@) And you can always find more ideas on my Soup and Stew Pinterest Board here.

Hamburger and Vegetable Soup

Quick and hearty.

Ham, Navy Bean and Tomato Soup

Dried beans and a ham bone.

And 10 years ago I created a simple little Hooded Scarf for Barbie that crochets up in no time, and is a great beginner project for the kids too. Maybe whip up a few in different colors, and let's keep Barbie feeling toasty this winter:@)

❄Stay warm and Have a Happy Weekend:@)

Popeye's Potato (Flake) Soup

Let's face it folks, there really isn't much to see in a picture of creamy spinach soup... But, I will say this Popeye's Potato Soup is very good, and I ~love~ that it calls for dry potato flakes to not only add flavor, but to help thicken the soup as well. Add in some ham and cheese... Oh yea:@) I kinda think of this as a pantry meal, usually have spinach and ham in the freezer, and always have dry potato flakes and cheese. Now, is this diet food? Ah, no. But it is a hearty, stick to the ribs meal that's just perfect for cooler weather. Don't hesitate to give this a try, it's super easy (almost foolproof) and makes about 7 cups.

I don't know where the recipe came from, but I'm guessing by the name brands it's from Pillsbury. I saw this clip on Pinterest and saved it right away:@) 

My only suggestion: The onion won't cook much with the recipe as written... I'd add it while melting the butter, or might even substitute onion powder going forward. Recipe easily cut in half and best eaten when made.

Popeye's Potato Soup

9 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained well

1/4 C butter

1/4 C A/P flour

5 1/2 C milk

2/3 C dry potato flakes

2 Tblsp finely chopped onion

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 C diced, fully cooked ham

S&P to taste

1. Add butter and onion to large saucepan. Over medium heat, melt butter and cook onion for a minute or two. 
2. Add flour, cook until incorporated.
3. Add milk, potato flakes, stir. Cook until slightly thickened.
4. Add spinach, cheese and ham, cook stirring constantly until cheese is melted.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Creamy Chicken Curry Stew or Soup

I found a recipe for soup that sounded good, but knew I'd want a more substantial meal. So I added some potatoes and peas and served this Creamy Chicken Curry Stew for dinner. Good stuff folks:@) The curry powder takes an old fashioned homestyle chicken dish and really adds that little touch of hmmm, that's different... Recipe can easily be cut in half, canned tomatoes do freeze well if needed. But as we're entering into cooler weather I'd make a big ole pot and enjoy the leftovers. This will be on our Sunday dinner menu soon!

Want it to be more like a soup?

Add a little more bouillon and liquid.

Alternate suggestions:

Use coconut milk or,

serve over, or add, some cooked rice.

Creamy Chicken Curry Stew

2 Tblsp butter

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, bite size pieces

1 large onion, diced

2-3 large carrots, peeled, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 russet potato, peeled and small dice

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 C water

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules or 1 cube

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp oregano

1 C frozen peas

1/2 C milk or half and half

2 Tblsp cornstarch

S&P to taste

parsley or chives for garnish if desired

1. Sprinkle chicken with S&P.
2. In large pot, brown chicken in butter over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink, remove from pot.
3. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook until onion is translucent. Add more butter if needed.
4. Add garlic and cook for a minute stirring constantly.
5. Add potato, tomatoes, water, bouillon, curry, and oregano. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
6. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, approximately 30-45 minutes or so.
7. Add peas and return chicken and any juices to pot.
8. Stir cornstarch into milk, add to pot. Cook until gravy thickens. Use more water or milk to thin if necessary.
9. Add S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

ReView: Bottle Cap Spiders, Cheeseburger Chowder & Barbie Ornaments

As we look forward to Halloween and begin decorating... Maybe you're looking for an easy craft for the kids, or need a few more ornaments for the Halloween tree. These Bottle Cap Spiders are a quick project that looks cute:@) Simply save a few caps from water bottles and glue on pipe cleaners for legs. Full tutorial and suggestions here.

If you'd like to try a nice, stick to the ribs, hearty soup, I think you'll like this Cheeseburger Chowder:@) As I mention in the original post, it might not be the prettiest soup, but it sure is good! Perfect as the days begin to get a little cooler.

And one of the things I love looking for at thrift stores is Christmas ornaments that can be used as Barbie toys or diorama props. Had to grab this wooden guitar for $1 the minute I saw it:@) The strings are wire and there's a ton of detail. The dolls are enjoying the nice weather and a quiet moment at Cousin Rube's Peace and Pancakes Farm...

Here's another one that's 2 for $1.25... While I do understand these ornaments are intended to resemble harps, I just love the scale as a guitar for Barbie. All I did was hot glue a strap to the back of the instrument and wa-la we have a fun toy for Barbie play.

 The ornaments I used:
I did rub some glitter off of two spots on the back before I glued the ribbon trim on.

🎃Happy Early Fall!

Have a great weekend:@)

Wendy's Chili Copycat

I'll be honest folks, I've never been to Wendy's, even though they are plentiful here north of Philly. ~But~ I am aware that their chili is quite popular. We just had a chilly rainy weekend, so I decided to test out a Copycat Wendy's Chili recipe. It's very good! This is a nice middle of the road, flavorful chili, that will probably be liked by most (which is probably why a restaurant makes it:@) Perfect for crowds, and leftovers are great... Serve with hot sauce on the side for heat lovers. 

I made a half batch,

so only used one can of kidney beans.

The recipe calls for pintos too.

Serve with a ladle to get lot's of broth.

I just spooned mine out for the pic.

Copycat Wendy's Chili-from Taste of Home

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 C celery, chopped

1 Tblsp oil-I didn't use this

2 lb ground beef, low fat

2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice-petite diced ideally

8 oz can tomato sauce

1 C water

2 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1-2 Tblsp chili powder-I used full amount

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

16 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

16 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1. Sauté peppers, onion, celery and ground beef.
2. Add everything else, bring to boil, reduce to light simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Instant Pot Pork Chop Soup (or Stew) with Potatoes and Vegetables

I love pork and I'm always looking for new things to make with it... This Pork Chop Soup with Potatoes and Vegetables was very good:@) I adapted a popular recipe so I could use my ♥Instant Pot pressure cooker. It's pretty versatile, the original called for broccoli, I used green beans from the garden, and you could easily sub some frozen peas at the end. The only thing to be mindful of, there is a lot of sodium, so you might want to cut back where you can. Oh and, I added stew to the title, I can see this with the broth a little thicker, loaded with extra vegetables as a Sunday dinner. A nice change from beef stew. Very tasty stuff folks!

Recipe easily cut in half.

I'm going to list what I did, 

click the link for the original stove top version.

The original uses bone-in chops, I used boneless.

Pork Chop Soup with Potatoes-adapted from Allrecipes

1 lb boneless pork chops-I used country ribs, fat trimmed

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 bay leaf

2 Tblsp soy sauce

*3 C chicken broth

*2 C water-can use all water and add chicken bouillon

3 potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks-I used russets and do suggest peeling them

2 stalks celery, 1/4" slice

1 C fresh string beans, cut

1 carrot, 1/4" slice

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 C A/P flour

S&P to taste

1. Add everything through water to pressure cooker vessel.
2. Add lid, seal, and cook on high for 18 minutes. Automatic release.
3. Remove meat to cutting board. Cut into bite size pieces or shred.
4. Reserve 3/4 C cooking liquid.
5. Add vegetables to vessel, lid and seal. Cook on high for 2 minutes, automatic release.
6. Stir flour into reserved liquid, add back to pot. It will most likely thicken up as you stir it, if not, use saute feature to thicken.
7. Add pork back to soup.
8. S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Top Three Posts of 2021

It's always fun, and a bit surprising, to look back over the year's posts to see which were the most popular... I love that this year's group has quite literally, a little bit of everything! I say that because I'll add Butterball Cookies as an honorable mention, #3 was pretty close. My focus or direction for 2022? I'll simply say I'm going to try to eat a tad healthier and do some more walking. My biggest foodie goal? I'd like to learn how to make homemade frozen chicken nuggets. Bite size, whole breast meat, lightly breaded and ready to go from freezer to air fryer whenever buffalo chicken sounds good (which is often:@) 

As for my top three...

#3 Orange Marmalade Meatballs -Littler Dipper Crock Pot or Larger Slow Cooker

My co-worker says she thinks of Pig In Mud as an appy blog.

Looks like other folks do too:@)

#2 Zucchini and/or Summer Squash Relish -Canning Recipe

It always tickles me when a canning recipe makes the list!

#1 -How to Make Dry Vegetable Soup Mix in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Yes folks, we do ♥ our Instant Pots:@)

Scrolling through, I was thinking back and have to say,

my personal favorite from this year?

Without a doubt, these Sugar Cookies with Jello Frosting are well worth making again!

As 2021 comes to an end I'd like to say thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the blogging world.

Your visits are what keeps me looking for new recipes and ideas to try, and to share.

I wish you a very ~healthy~ and Happy New Year:@)

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Wonderful Wednesday

Greens-N-Beans Soup (Quick Smoked Sausage and Kale Bean Soup)

I needed to whip up something quickly for lunch and this Smoked Sausage and Kale Bean Soup turned out to be a very nice meal. Believe it or not, I've never eaten kale before, it's only been used as a garnishment on deli trays... So I wanted to try it. The cooked leaves kinda have the same texture as cooked spinach, with maybe just a bit more body. The flavor has a little earthy green to it, I likey:@) I can see myself adding kale to vegetable soups going forward. Could this be a vegetarian soup? I'm sure of it, especially if you have a little liquid smoke in the cabinet. 

Recipe easily cut in half.

Can use less sausage, beans are a great way to get protein while cutting back on meat.

Don't skimp on the garlic folks, I used big cloves, it's important for flavor.

If you'd like to add more broth, I suggest adding some extra garlic.

This is one of those soups that's great the next day too:@)

Greens-N-Beans Soup (Quick Smoked Sausage and Kale Bean Soup)

1 horseshoe of smoked sausage or kielbasa, approximately 1 lb-or as much/little as you'd like

1-2 Tblsp olive oil

Large onion, diced, approximately 1 C

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 C chicken broth

(2) 15 oz can beans of choice, drained and rinsed-I used great northern beans

10 oz frozen kale

S&P to taste

1. Brown sausage and remove from pan.
2. Add olive oil and onion, cook over medium heat around 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, stirring continually cook for about 1 minute.
4. Add broth and beans, bring to light boil, reduce to simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Add kale, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until heated through, maybe 5 minutes.
6. Add S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Quick Creamy Frozen Vegetable Soup -Vegetarian and Meat Options

This Creamy Frozen Vegetable Soup is a quick meal and one of the easiest ways to bump up our vegetable intake. And the best thing is, use whatever veggies your crew likes. Today I chose a California blend with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Mixed vegetables or spinach are good choices too. This can be a nice meatless meal, or we can add some leftover cooked chicken, Italian sausage or even hamburger. Anything goes for a hearty warm lunch or dinner that's perfect with nothing more than a little bread or crackers:@) Another thing I love, it doesn't make a ton of soup, just enough for a few bowls. 

Optional: Add a little leftover cooked noodles, rice or potato.

Creamy Frozen Vegetable Soup

For each 12 oz frozen vegetables:

onion, about 1/4 C diced

large stalk celery, diced

drizzle olive oil, about 1 Tblsp

1 bouillon cube, chicken or vegetable

couple shakes of garlic powder

shake of celery seeds

1 1/2 C milk

1 1/2 Tblsp A/P flour

pat of butter-optional-I didn't use it this time

S&P to taste-I used Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1. Cook onion and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes, add bouillon cube and crush it while you can see it.
2. Add veggies, garlic powder, and celery seed. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
3. If using cooked meat, add now to heat through.
4. Whisk flour into milk, pour into pot.
5. Bring to light boil, reduce heat and cook until soup thickens. Add additional milk or water to thin if necessary.
6. Add pat of butter if using, stir until melted.
7. Add S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Busy Day Slow Cooker Dry White Bean Soup with Ham

I'm still trying to use my Crock Pot(s) more and decided to toss a quick Slow Cooker White Bean Soup together one day before leaving for work. It was nice and easy (the most involved part was cutting up a carrot and stalk of celery), and I have to say, it turned out pretty good:@) There are a million recipes out there, I'll just list what worked for me. As with most things, I made a half batch, you can simply double the recipe below for a regular amount of soup. Nothing gourmet, but this was a hearty, nourishing, cold weather meal!

Note about cooking time: I had some 100 year old beans in the closet, I used mostly great northern and topped it off with navy beans. I did not soak mine and did not lift the lid for at least 8 hours. Gave them a stir at that point and they needed another hour of cooking time. Bottom line: Beans will take longer to cook the older they are...

Easy Slow Cooker White Bean Soup with Ham
1 C dry great northern or navy beans, picked through and rinsed-I didn't soak mine
4 C water
1 1/2 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon
Heaping 1 Tblsp dry minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 large carrot, chunky diced
1 large stalk celery, chunky diced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dry thyme
Cooked ham, diced, as much as desired added at end, just heat through
14.5 oz can diced tomato with juice
Couple handfuls of frozen chopped spinach
Additional garlic powder and onion powder and Chicken Better Than Bouillon as desired
Small splash vinegar or lemon juice-I used red wine vinegar this time

1. Add everything up to and including thyme to vessel of 4 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low 8 hours ~or~ until beans are soft.
3. Stir, add ham, tomatoes and spinach, taste, add a little more garlic/onion powder and Chicken Better Than Bouillon if desired to taste.
4. Heat thorough, maybe 30 minutes. Add small splash of vinegar and serve.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup with Caraway Seeds

We've been having quite the wintery February here in Philly, lots of cold temperatures, snow and now ice... I'd imagine they know a thing or two about serving hearty meals that help warm you up in Hungary! As soon as I saw the addition of caraway seeds in this Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup I just had to give it a try, and ~wow~, what a tasty meal:@) It called for a good amount of paprika and for the most part, it's a pantry meal. I subbed oregano for the marjoram and usually have everything else on-hand. If you'd like to try something that's just a little different, I think you'll really like this filling meal.

This is a great soup that's best eaten the day it's made:@)

Recipe easily cut in half.

Serve with a nice crusty bread and butter... perfect!

Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup-from Food & Wine

1 lb ground beef-can cut back if desired

large onion, chopped

large green bell pepper, chopped

2 Tblsp A/P flour

1 lb boiling potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes-I had russet

2 Tblsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried marjoram-I used oregano

1 1/4 tsp caraway seeds

1 1/4 tsp salt-or to taste

1 Tblsp tomato paste

3 C beef broth or stock

3 C water

1. Cook beef until no longer pink. 
2. Add onion and pepper, cook until softened, sprinkle with flour, cook for a minute.
3. Add everything else, bring to light boil, cook for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, and serve.

Eat well, stay warm, and have a happy day:@)

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Saturday ReView: Ham, Dry Bean and Tomato Soup & Barbie Baby Sled DIY

Have a ham bone in the freezer and expecting some extra cold weather and maybe snow? This Ham, Dry White Bean and Tomato Soup is my all time favorite ham and bean soup! It's extremely flavorful and reminds me of a hearty soup I used to get at a diner when the folks at work would go out to eat for lunch. Add some crusty bread and I guarantee you'll have a meal that will fill you up:@)

And speaking of snow...

I love the perky yellow color Tide uses for it's bottles and the small ones at Dollar Tree are the perfect size and shape to make an Easy Sled for a Barbie Baby or Small Toddler Doll! This project can literally be completed in less than 30 minutes and that includes washing and drying the bottle. A perfect craft for a cold winter day.

Look at the great shape, the bottle is even narrower for the front of the sled.

This project only requires three items, an empty bottle, something for a pull rope and some hot glue. 

He looks pretty cozy and happy to me! 

✂What I did:

• Cut the bottom off of the Tide bottle with sturdy scissors, make it about 2" tall.
• Wash well and dry thoroughly.
• Cut the back straight across (the wider end of the bottle). Mine is about 1 3/4" tall. The nice thing about this bottle is it has two creases so you can gauge exactly what the back would be, you'll see😊
• Then cut the sides down on an angle, but not all the way to the bottom. Leave at least 1/2" of the bottom of the bottle showing.

• Lastly, Barbie needs something to pull the sled with. 
• Use about 2' of ribbon, cording, elastic, yarn, etc.
• I hot glued it to the front inside of the sled. If your Dremel is charged, you could make a couple small holes. 
• Tie the two loose ends into a knot at your desired length.

You could add a belt to the back to secure the baby if you'd like. I simply propped him up with the blanket. Blanket = Square of fabric cut from old sweatshirt.

Or I have a free pattern for a baby bunting here:

Barbie says "Sorry, no time to chat, gotta run...

Need some milk, bread and eggs".

~Make something just for fun and have a happy day~

How to Make Dry Vegetable Soup Mix in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Walmart marked down some of the Manischewitz Soup Mixes and I picked up a pack of the Vegetable with Mushroom. You know the type, they come with dried peas and a little pack of seasoning mix. It was a rainy cold day so as soon as I got home I started making it. The package directions call for two hours on the stove and I know that works well and helps make the house smell good for a while but... I decided to make mine in my ♥Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. It only required a couple direction changes and 22 minutes of cooking time total. I had a nice hearty lunch in no time:@)

Most important thing to know: 

Dried peas, beans and pasta will foam up in the pressure cooker. 

Be sure to add a little oil before cooking. I like to drizzle in a tsp or so of olive oil. 

Second most important thing to know:

This variation comes with some dried lima beans. I think you could count them, that's how few, 

but they're in there. For my cooking times below, the limas will still be a little aldente. 

Options, soak them in hot water for a while before adding to the PC. 

Or my crew prefers that they just be picked out and tossed... Your choice:@)

The soup mix I started with:

How to Make Dry Vegetable Soup Mix in the Pressure Cooker

One package of dry soup mix

1 Tblsp dried minced onion-I like dry onions better in the pressure cooker

drizzle of olive oil

4 - 4 1/2 C water. Thinner soup with the larger amount

Any desired fresh vegetable additions-I used a stalk of celery, a carrot and chopped some cabbage-potato would be good

Any desired meat addition-I had some fully cooked ham in the freezer

Your favorite seasoned salt or seasoning to taste, I added a nice big spoonful of Chicken Better Than Bullion

1. Pour dry soup vegetables into fine holed colander, sort, rinse and drain. Keep little flavor packet with noodles separate.
2. Add dry veggies to PC vessel. Add dry onion, sprinkle with olive oil and add water.
3. Set to manual for 18 minutes. While cooking cut up your vegetables and meat. Aim for the generous side of 1/4" thick.
4. Use manual release when done, remove lid.
5. At this point your peas will be soft and mushy and the barley will still be aldente. Stir it to mash the peas a bit so the soup thickens up a little.
6. Add the seasoning packet and your fresh vegetables. Set to manual for 4 minutes. If your family likes really soft vegetables use 5 minutes.
7. Use manual release when done, remove lid, stir in meat and seasoned salt or Better Than Boullion to taste.
8. Serve with lots of freshly ground black pepper and if you have fresh parsley handy, some stirred in at the end would be nice too. 

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Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Saturday ReView: Rustic Cabbage and Bean Soup & DIY Fire Pit for Barbie

The garden center had all orange pansies this year so I tucked one into my planter for the fall (we just had a good rain and some sun and it has colored up nicely since this pic!). This large jolly Jack had been languishing in storage for years, I decided to drill a couple holes in the bottom for drainage and bring him out for Halloween. As I walk out my door I'm greeted by this fun scene and I've been enjoying it, just wanted to share a smile:@)

I have to tell ya folks, in all of my years blogging, this Rustic Cabbage and Bean Soup goes way back to 2011 and it's still one of my favorites! (I'm thinking I need to whip up a batch and try to take an updated picture...) This is such a healthy and robustly flavored soup, and it's one of those that gets even better the next day. If you're a fan of cabbage, don't hesitate to try this recipe, I think you'll be happy:@)

And here's a fun fall craft for Barbie,
how about making a cute fire pit from a jar lid and some pipe cleaners here.
The only thing missing... Some itty-bitty 'smores:@)

I started with the cap from a jar of peanut butter and sprayed it a couple times with black spray paint.

I had some metallic eyelash yarn in my stash and glued it to the bottom, thought it might add a little shine.
You could also lay some tinsel or shiny pipe cleaners in the bottom if desired.

Also gave it a sprinkle of chunky gold glitter. 

Stacked up some dried twigs from the yard as logs, 

adding orange and yellow bump chenille pipe cleaners to look like flames around or between some twigs.  

I hot glued them in place. You could also wrap some wire around them.

When done, I gave it one last sprinkle of chunky gold glitter.

The only thing missing... Some itty-bitty 'smores😎

Happy Fall everyone, have a great weekend:@)

Creamy Potato, Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup -Oktoberfest or Any Day

If you'd like to try something new, and are willing to think about using an ingredient in a different way, I highly recommend this Creamy Potato, Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup! While sauerkraut in soup might sound odd, it adds a bit of a tangy taste and naturally goes well with potatoes and smoked sausage. It's rare that I use a whole can of kraut, so it's nice to have another recipe to help use it up. This makes a nice hearty lunch on a crisp fall day, and it comes together fairly quickly too:@) 

Creamy Potato, Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup-from Hot Eats and Cool Reads

4 Tblsp butter

Large onion, finely diced

1/4 C A/P flour

1 1/2 C chicken broth

2 1/2 C milk

14 oz polish kielbasa or smoked sausage, halved and sliced

1 1/2 C cooked, diced potatoes

1 C sauerkraut

1/2 tsp dried parsley-I just sprinkled some fresh on top of mine for garnish

1 C cheddar cheese-I forgot to add this, didn't miss it!

Black pepper

1. Cook onion in butter until softened, maybe 5 minutes.
2. Add flour, stir, cook for a minute.
3. Add liquids, stir until smooth and broth begins to thicken.
4. Add sausage, potatoes and sauerkraut, heat through. Add cheese if using.
5. Serve with black pepper.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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