Ha Ha
@nursenurse, you "sleigh" me.... I had to chuckle over Whole Foods. Oh my goodness, I don't go there.... Tres expensive. ? I do have a couple of things I pick up at The Fresh Market, but they are cheaper than other places and/or it's a splurge and the same price as other stores (fresh almond butter). Plus, I like to look at their flowers and plants! ?
So, follow-up to vegetable soup. It turned out pretty good. It is a very basic recipe that you can herbs, other veges, other beans, potatoes instead of macaroni, proteins, etc....
Crockpot on High for 4 hours.
1-28 oz can of Hunts crushed tomatoes, no salt added
2-28 oz cans of water - might want to add a little more to adjust salt)
2 pkts Goya beef bullion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
3 smallish dried bay leaves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce or 3 swigs if you have that special cap
1/2 C dry macaroni
1-12 oz bag of frozen mixed veges, thawed and m-waved for a few minutes to knock the chill off of them
1-15 oz can of cannelloni beans (you can use any beans you like. I usually like Lima beans but am clearing pantry.)
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Place first 9 ingredients into Crockpot and set on High for 4 hours. When 1/2 way through, add beans. Add macaroni during the last 1/2-1 hour of cooking. Pasta will be soft as it cooks and helps thicken the soup. You can also opt for potatoes instead which will do the same thing, but put them in at the beginning of cooking and use raw potatoes, cut into smallish pieces - think quarters of small red potatoes. You can leave both out though and add more beans or not. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking you can add black or white pepper or some hot sauce to your taste. I don't like those so left them out. You can also add dried herbs such as Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, etc.... to your liking - add these at the beginning of cooking. You can also add proteins such as cooked shredded chicken, beef or pork - add these about 2 hours in and let simmer in the Crockpot. It's very versatile for you personalize. I may add some of the poached chicken I have in the fridge for extra protein with this batch.
This is really basic, but I find it comforting w/ some homemade cornbread muffins and a glass of iced tea. I like a crispy, not sweet, cornbread muffin kind of like you would find at the Cracker Barrel. My aunt used to pour her batter into a cast iron muffin pan that looked like little corncobs. She'd put oil into the little corncob cups and let it get wicked hot in the oven, then pour in the batter. I used to have a pan like that, but well.... Many moves later, I did find a very nice 6-serving muffin pan that works well in a toaster oven. ?
Here's my recipe for 6 muffins. Oven at 450 degrees (US).
1 C cornmeal (I use yellow)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 C buttermilk
1 egg (whisked)
Spray muffin tin with oil, leaving about 1 tsp. in bottom of each cup. Allow to heat up in oven - keep an eye on these as oil can catch fire!
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add buttermilk and egg, and combine.
Remove tin from oven and poor batter into hot muffin cups and bake. Be careful as the oil can pop when you pour in the batter.
Keep an eye on these as cooking time will vary due to oven size and heating. You might also need to turn the tin around if you're using a small oven.
Remove from oven when done and brush with melted butter, and serve.
I hope you enjoy it if you try it. Mange! VB
