One good thing about the cooler seasons is that it’s good Soup Weather—you can leave something on the stove for hours and the heat actually feels good. I’ve also been getting into soups because I joined the Rancho Gordo Bean Club a few months ago and wow, but is a lot of beans, many of which I’d never heard of before much less cooked.

I had some ham that needed to be used up, so today’s project was Ham and Bean Soup. I pretty much followed this recipe, except I didn’t have a ham bone and only half the amount of ham. I tried to make up for it by frying some bacon in the Dutch oven/soup pot and then sautéing the vegetables in the rendered fat instead of olive oil. It worked.

Almost done

Instead of my usual navy beans, I took it right to the edge and used Rancho Gordo cassoulet beans instead. I also doubled the garlic, and used some of my homemade bean stock and chicken stock in addition to a carton of vegetable broth. And bay leaves. Four.

While the soup cooked, I got on with the rest of the day. By late afternoon, I decided I had better start the daily workout. It was then I remembered that I’d had a hankerin’ to try a recipe I’d printed out ages ago for cornbread muffins with whole wheat*.  It was getting late** so I took intermittent breaks from treadmilling to set the oven and set up the muffin tin and ingredients.

I never have buttermilk on hand so I went with the usual milk+lemon juice kludge. After treadmilling, I whipped the muffins together and shoved them in the oven, then spent the baking time cleaning up and zapping the soup with the stick blender.***

The grated parm reg atop the soup looks icky but it was good. Happy with the muffins. More meals for the freezer—I love when I can’t think of anything decent to have for dinner and then I remember.

Muffin time!

Dinner time

*I can hear the cornbread purists howling and that’s fine. You don’t have to eat them—more for me.
**I’m an Old and really don’t like eating full meals after 5pm.
***stick blender, how I love thee