Is It Fall?

Did I sleep through summer?  It sure feels like Fall outside.  I was going to grill hamburgers and hotdogs outside tonight; However, with the weather the way it is, the Butcher is getting Bean Soup and Corn Bread.  He is not complaining.  I was born in Texas, so Beans and Corn Bread were a staple in our home when I was growing up.  Even though the Butcher is Ohio born, I have converted him on many dishes.  I have told you before how to make Bean Soup.  It is so easy and yet so delicious.

To refresh your memories, you soak the beans overnight.  (I am a Pinto Bean girl myself, but you use the beans that you like)  The next morning, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them with cold water.  Put them in a roasting pan–I usually do 2 pounds of beans.  You can freeze the leftovers and have bean soup on a night when you don’t have enough time to cook the beans all day.  Cover the beans with water, add a chopped onion, 3 teaspoons of ham base soup mix and some smoked ham to the beans and water.  Put the pot on a burner  over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce the heat to simmer and put a lid on the pot.  Cook those beans for at least 6 hours.  They need to be tender so they will melt in your mouth.

I use Jiffy Corn Bread mix.  I take the dry contents and put in a bowl.  I add 3 Tablespoons of sugar, an egg and 1/3 cup of milk and mix.  Let the mixture sit for 3 to 4 minutes.  I then pour in greased muffin tins until each cup is 1/2 full.  I bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.  These cornbread muffins are delicious.  You need to cut them in 2 while they are hot and add butter.  What a great meal.  I like to dice fresh onions in my bean soup.  Yum, yum!  The Butcher adds vinegar–to each his own.

A shout out to Deb Adams who went to Bauman Orchards in Rittman and picked cherries.  She and her mom canned the cherries.  She stopped at my store and told me about them.  She brought me in a quart jar of her prized cherries.  I am waiting to make the Butcher a special Cherry pie with those very special cherries.