to Hate Pioneer Bean Soup

Pioneer Bean Soup Recipe

2 cups 13 bean mix

6 cups water

1 meaty uncooked ham bone or ham hock

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place beans in a colander, look through the dry 13 beans to see if there are any rocks and remove them if you find any.Wash and drain the 13 beans.Place beans into the soup pot.Cover 13 beans with the first amount of water.Cover beans and let set 8 hours or overnight.Drain and rinse the 13 beans and return to pan.Add the diced ham or ham hock, chopped vegetables, basil, thyme, Worcestershire and second amount of water.Stir to blend.Bring 13 bean soup mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the meat is tender enough to easily remove from bone.Cut meat off bone and put the ham back into the soup.Continue to cook for allotted time or until 13 soup beans are tender and the flavors blend. Add the salt and pepper just before serving.

Duane was the most agreeable man you would ever meet. He was a people pleaser and wanted the world to be his friend. Whenever a meal was placed before Duane he genuinely liked 99% of what was made, just the natural people pleasing aspect of his personality. Example of how much he loved me and never wanted to hurt my feelings, I burned a pizza, pretty bad actually, and he would tell everyone that he had never tasted a more delicious pizza in his entire life. That was my guy, until.... The Pioneer Bean Soup Incident, as it became to be known in the Summers house.

I love soup, a soup Nazi of sorts, you insult my soup, NO SOUP FOR YOU! I love bean soups in particular, the fiber, the protein, it's a musical fruit, just so many qualities. I had found a recipe for using 13 beans, WOW, 13! I had never made such a Hodge podge of beans in a soup before. The excitement just filled the air as the soup bubbled and simmered away. Serving time arrived, it smelled yummy to me. Duane took a bite or two then declared that he really did not like pioneer bean soup. WHAT? Did he just say that he didn't like something I had made? I mean come on, you ate the burned pizza for goodness sakes. But alas, yes, Duane did not like my pioneer bean soup. NO SOUP FOR YOU! My pride was definitely bruised, that dear sweet man tried to make amends, but that soup recipe was forever put into the "Do not touch, even if your life depended on it" file, and for years we laughed about The Pioneer Bean Soup Incident.

Now For a Bean soup recipe that Duane absolutely loved, he made that very clear after a few nummie bites.

Chicken, Bacon and White Bean Soup

6 strips bacon

1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced
1 lb white beans, soaked overnight

2 qt chicken stock
Leftover grilled chicken

¼ t cayenne pepper
1 t creole seasoning

salt and pepper

In stock pot render bacon until crispy, remove bacon. Saute onions, celery, garlic and carrots in the bacon fat. Add the stock and drained beans. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for 2+ hours until desired tenderness. Add the shredded chicken, bacon and remaining seasonings. Simmer for additional 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.