Navy Bean Soup

It's been really cold here - lots of snow today so its time for warm and hearty meals.
My husband's friend Spencer used to make the most incredible Navy Bean soup - it was just beans and broth, but I have never been able to duplicate it, and sadly he has passed on, so I needed to find a better one than I had. Enter good old Better Homes and Gardens. This soup was wonderful! I did change a few things and made it in my crockpot. My husband has been eating it for several days now and was sad when I gave some to our neighbor and put the rest in the freezer!
Navy Bean Soup
1 bag dried navy Beans
1-1 1/2 lbs meaty ham bone
1/2 cup ham (left over from ham dinner)
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
2 cups sliced carrots
1/4 tsp onion powder (or 1 onion chopped -I hate onion, so I rarely use it)
3/4 tsp crushed dried thyme
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

Put beans and ham bone in crockpot, cover with water
Add the rest of the ingredients except 1/2 cup of ham and cook on slow 6-8 hours.
Remove bone from crockpot and cut up any bits of ham left on bone. Add 1/2 cup cooked ham and serve

That's it! So simple, but so tasty!

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

Even though we pretty much escaped the big Nor'easter this weekend, its still pretty cold out. I have had a yen for beef barley soup for ages now, but have never had just the right recipe. My brother used to run a restaurant and made amazing beef barley, but I never seem to remember to ask him for his recipe. So...it was time for me to make my own. I think it turned out really good - the addition of mushrooms gives it a nice flavor and adding the tomatoes at the last minute gives it a nice kick instead of mushy tomatoes and a strong tomato base.
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:  

• 2/3 cup medium pearl barley
• 1 1/2 lbs beef neck bones
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms with stems removed and sliced
• 1/4 tsp onion powder (or i medium onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 leaf bay
• 1 8 oz can diced tomatoes 

1. Add bones, barley, spices, and vegetables EXCEPT tomatoes to crockpot.
2. Cook for 6-8 hours
3. Remove bones and cut meat off, add them back to crockpot with the tomatoes
4. Serve with hearty whole grain bread

Nutrition Facts

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 286

• Total Fat: 14.8 g
•     Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
•     Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 52.8 mg
• Sodium: 114.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 19.4 g
•     Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
•     Sugars: 3.2 g
• Protein: 19.2 g