Sorta Senate Bean Soup

*This is the body of an older post, found HERE. But I thought I'd repost with different pictures, since I just made some! I used a bag of Navy beans and a leftover ham bone from a spiral ham.
I don't use the grease any more. I also put everything in the crock pot, turn it on low and call it a day.

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.

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. garlic and bay leaves. Shred the ham, return it to the crock pot and serve.*