Sorta Senate Bean Soup

Sorta Senate Bean Soup is my version of Senate Bean soup. They serve this soup for 18 cents with a purchase of a meal at a Pub called Mcguire's Irish Pub. Great place to eat. I am still in the middle of Operation clean out the pantry, which by the way includes the freezer. I had the everything in my pantry or freezer. The celery was already in the fridge all I had to get was carrots. So this soup was perfect. This meal ended up costing me, including the Quick Jiffy Extra Corn Cornbread about about $4.63 (see my breakdown at the bottom of the post) ... and that's not per serving that's the whole pot and all the cornbread. So not bad and with plenty leftover, so much so that some of it is in the freezer. I think you could feed at least 5 people with this pot of soup and add another cornbread. The girls loved it, Diva wants it for lunch tomorrow.

GPAC Senate Bean Soup
Half a bag of Ham beans (Toss the seasoning packet) -Soaked over night
Ham bone and if you have it some ham.
5-6 celery stalks (two chopped up, the others left whole)
2 carrots chopped up
1 smashed clove of garlic
2 bay leaves
Vegetable broth powder (I buy this in bulk, it's an organic low sodium vegetable broth powder- but use a carton of stock or broth if you want)
Water
2 tablespoons bacon grease- OK you don't have to do this but I had it from the Dutch Baby meal so I thought why not. If you have butter use that.

*Honestly, I don't know why I complicate everything. Rise the soaked beans. Discard the soaking water. Toss it all in the crockpot. Cover the beans with stock or water. Turn on the crock pot. Before serving discard celery stalks and bay leaves. Shred the ham, return it to the crock pot and serve.*


In the morning rinse your soaked beans and put them in the crock pot, crank it on high. Don't forget to plug it in, not that I've done that or anything.







Add your ham bone.










Add the whole stalks celery.









Add your bay leaves and the broth powder, or your cartons of broth to cover the meat.








If you aren't using cartons of broth fill her up with water.








Toss in your smashed garlic clove.











And bacon grease... or butter. Realize you forgot the rest of the ham, toss that in and cover the crock pot. Let this cook for about four hours.





After four hours- or the time it took for me to take the girls to the zoo and run home because we were rained out, add your chopped veggies. Add water if you need to.
Cover the pot and run out to a movie with the kids.






After about 7-8 hours take out your ham, leave the bone, or toss it I don't care.








Discard your bay leaves and celery stalks.











Shred the ham and put it back in the crock pot and serve it up with parsley on top and cornbread.





My estimated breakdown for the cost of this meal

Leftover ham and ham bone- $2.00
half a bag of dried ham beans 45 cents
80 cents for the broth powder
$2 for water, carrots, celery,bay leaves, garlic and energy/electricity

Cornbread
Jiffy mix 33 cents
1/3 cup milk and 1 egg about 30 cents
ear of corn 30 cents


GPAC Senate Bean Soup
Half a bag of Ham beans (Toss the seasoning packet) -Soaked over night
Ham bone and if you have it some ham.
5-6 celery stalks (two chopped up, the others left whole)
2 carrots chopped up
1 smashed clove of garlic
2 bay leaves
Vegetable broth powder (I buy this in bulk, it's an organic low sodium vegetable broth powder- but use a carton of stock or broth if you want)
Water
2 tablespoons bacon grease- OK you don't have to do this but I had it from the Dutch Baby meal so I thought why not. If you have butter use that.

In the morning rinse your soaked beans, discard the water and put them in the crock pot, crank it on high. Don't forget to plug it in, not that I've done that or anything.
Add the ham bone and ham, whole stalks of celery, bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves, broth powder, or your cartons of broth to cover the meat. If you aren't using cartons of broth fill her up with water.
And bacon grease... or butter. Cover the crock pot. Let this cook for about four hours. Add chopped veggies.
 Check water level.
After about 7-8 hours take out the ham and shred the meat, put it back in the crock pot.
Discard your bay leaves and celery stalks.
Serve it up with parsley on top and cornbread.
*Honestly, I don't know why I complicate everything. Rise the soaked beans. Discard the soaking water. Toss it all in the crockpot. Cover the beans with stock or water. Turn on the crock pot. Before serving discard celery stalks and bay leaves. Shred the ham, return it to the crock pot and serve.*