Navy Bean Soup

Tonight I mead Navy Bean Soup. I can't help but think of Dad as I made this. He loved Navy Bean soup. I made the beans from scratch and he'd be so proud.

This was delicious. I sorta over cooked the beans so they were mushy. It was still great though.

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I dropped in 3 ham hocks as the beans cooked. And I didn't "sprinkle" my soup with bacon...I dumped the bacon in.

Her recipe has spinach and I don't do cooked spinach. Here's the real recipe.

Second, SkinnyTaste is one of my favorite blogs with some darn good recipes.

Navy Bean and Bacon Soup

Recipe from SkinnyTaste.com

3 15 oz cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
4 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 T tomato paste
4 c reduced sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves

Cooking Beans from scratch. Used Great Northern Beans. 

Soaked them the night before. 

Drained and rinsed them.

Cooked with 6 cups hot water for 1.5 hours.

Then picked up the recipe from there.

In a blender, blend 1 can of beans with 1 cup of water.

Sauté the bacon in a large pot until crisp. Set aside on paper towels.

Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste then add the pureed beans, beans, broth, rosemary and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low until the beans and vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes. Place 2 cups of the soup in the blender and puree to thicken, then add back to the soup along with the spinach and stir until wilted. To serve, ladle into 6 bowls and top with bacon.

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

Janet came over for some scrapbooking time and I figured we'd eventually wander downstairs to watch the Superbowl. Really didn't care who won that game. I wanted to find something I could make early and just pop in the oven.

Enter Chicken Shepherd's Pie.

I am a fan of Shepherd's Pie. Well to be fair, I'm a fan of Cottage Pie. Apparently "Shepherd's Pie" is with lamb and "Cottage Pie" is with beef. Either way, it's a nice comfort food for me. and it makes a ton!

This recipe is super simple and will be a crowd pleaser now doubt.

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

Photo courtesy of Cook's Country

Cuisine At Home Feb 2015

2 T unsalted butter
1 c celery, diced
1 c each diced carrots and sliced buttons
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 c flour
1/2 c dry sherry
2 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
4 c shredded chicken
1 c each frozen peas and pearl onions, thawed
1 T minced fresh thyme
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 c unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1 1/2 c shredded white cheddar
1 egg
1 T Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400F.

For filling:
melt 2 T butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic; cover and set aside until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Add sherry and stir until absorbed. Stir in broth, then add chicken, peas, onions and thyme; season with salt and pepper.

Bring filling to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer while preparing the topping; about 20 minutes.

Topping:
Boil potatoes until done.
Crush potatoes with potato masher, then add 4 T butter and blend with hand mixer on low speed until potatoes are smooth. Stir in cheese, egg and Dijon; season with salt.

Spoon topping over filling in pan and bake pie until topping is lightly browned, 25-30 minutes; let stand 15 before serving.