Used by Permission from
Soups and Muffins by Sue Gregg

Makes 8 Servings

Soak beans in water during the day or overnight:

8 cups water
2 cups navy or small white beans

Bring undrained beans to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to keep at very gentle boil for 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Drain the beans, reserving the bean liquid.

Combine in large stock pot:

2 Cups of the cooked beans
2 Cups Chicken Broth
3 Cups bean liquid plus water as needed
1-2 tsp salt or to taste
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 4 oz can green chili, finely chopped
½ tsp dry mustard
2 bay leaves (optional)

In a blender, puree the remaining cooked beans with liquid. Add the following ingredients to the soup pot, cooking about 10 minutes longer to blend flavors and heat ingredients:

Remaining cooked navy beans
1 cup water
2 cups frozen French cut green beans (10 oz) or canned
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Serve with crusty bread or corn bread.

Brandon has been serving our country in Baghdad for the past 8 months and has been home for an 18 day leave before returning to Iraq for another five months. Laura and Brandon have been friends for the past three years and have been dating long distance for the past 5 months. ( With Duane’s permission.)

After dinner I was busy visiting with Uncle Rick and Grandpa Ron, and Mom Karen, while the grown children were enjoying a spirited word game called Probe. Apparently this game requires each contestant to spell out one word, and everyone takes turns guessing one letter, and as in Wheel of Fortune, if the letter is there, then the card is overturned and you can take a guess at the word.

All of a sudden Grandma Joan, comes into the room and says, “Marilyn I really think you need to see what’s going on with this game.”

My reply was, “I don’t do word games.” But Grandma Joan insisted, “Marilyn! I REALLY THINK YOU NEED TO SEE WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THIS GAME IN THE KITCHEN!”

Meanwhile, my daughter Laura is calling, “MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!” At this point, I realized I better get up and see what the commotion was all about. As I entered the kitchen I saw a sparkly ring upon Laura’s ring finger.

It turns out Brandon’s 15 letter “word” was really a phrase “Willumarryme“. Look at the above picture carefully.

No one was getting Brandon’s word, until Laura’s turn, when she called out “l” and “m”. Her startled and nervous response to the word/phrase was “ARE YOU SERIOUS?” At which point, Brandon got down on his knee in front of Laura and his family, and asked “Will You Marry me?” and Laura said “yes!” This is the point at which I discovered what all the commotion was about and that my daughter had just become engaged!

So, I am a very excited mom this week , although sad to not share the happy event with Duane. Duane had already decided before his death that he would give his approval to a winter wedding.

So shouting from the roof tops, I am pleased to announce my daughter, Laura’s, engagement to Brandon Coble for a January 3, 2009 wedding. More details and pictures will be at my blog, marilynmollcom as soon as I get to it.

Now, I’ll admit I shouldn’t have been too surprised because Brandon had asked for my permission to marry Laura before Laura received the ring. Nevertheless, I really didn’t know when, where and how this special event would happen, nor did I expect to get to participate in the excitement! God has been so good t o us.

Please be sure to be praying for Brandon and the thousands of other troops deployed in Baghdad and around the world.

Great recipes for using seasonal veggies like Chard, Kale, Corn, and Zucchini follow:

The following recipes are courtesy of renowned Aspen Chef Dava Parr (Paonia, resident). Chef Dava was pleased to share her delicious recipes with us and The Rocket (also known as Arugula) Salad was totally awesome! I learned that I can roast zucchini in the oven instead of saute it, and I must say I love it this way! Learn something new everyday!

Rocket and Roasted Summer Squash Salad
This is also a great way to use up leftover corn on the cob. Although I don’t have any arugula growing in my garden today, I think it isn’t too late to plant for a Fall harvest.

Roasted Summer Squash

Preheat oven to 425

1 yellow summer squash

1 Zucchini

¼ onion, chopped

½ clove garlic, crushed

3 T olive oil

Salt & Pepper

1/2 tsp Paprika

Combine all the ingredients above and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Arugula Salad

5 oz baby Rocket (arugula), chopped a couple times

3 ears of corn, shucked off the cob

2 oz Goat cheese

Salt & Black pepper

Dressing

1 tsp Lemon juice

2 tsp Nama Shoyu or other good soy sauce

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Whisk everything together in a little bowl or shake up in a pint jar. Lay arugula on platter, sprinkle corn and goat cheese over the top. Spoon roasted squash over Rocket, (arugula) and pour dressing over the top. Serve.

Chorizo & Chard Omelet

¼ # chorizo, crumbled

¼ cup thinly sliced onion

½ clove garlic, crushed

2 cups chard, chopped in small pieces

1 cup grated zucchini

3 eggs beaten w/ 1 T Cream

½ cup grated Jarlsberg

Sauté Chorizo with onion, garlic, chard and Zucchini over med-high heat. Spoon into a bowl and set to the side.

Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch of Kale cut in chiffonade (Strips as thin as your knife can cut, think shredded paper)

1 tsp garlic, crushed

½ cup raw pine nuts

½ cup raisins

½ cup grated Parmesan

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

3 T olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon squeezed

Blend everything together with your fingers until it is well mixed. Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Stewed Tomatoes and Green Beans

1 pound green beans, steamed until almost done

1 T olive oil

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 cup of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp fresh oregano or ½ tsp dried oregano

½ cup nicoise olives, optional

1 tsp capers, optional

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Juice of half a lemon

Sauté garlic and steamed grean beans in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Let stew for a few minutes over low heat.

Serve with a little Parmesan over the top if you like.

Fresh and Wyld Farmhouse Inn and Gardens Tucked into a serene corner of Colorado’s North Fork Valley, near charming little Paonia—and —our lovingly restored 1908 farmhouse inn and gardens is a great way to caress, de-stress, and decompress yourself while enjoying a rural lifestyle in total comfort.

Innkeeper Dava Parr (a renowned Aspen chef) prepares cutting edge comfort food for breakfast and weekend dinners from fresh, local, organic meats and produce grown right on our own four acres or from one of the many farms in Colorado’s most active natural farming region.

Call us for reservations room types vary in price and range from $90 to $135 per night. 970-527-4389 We look forward to hosting you!

Thanks for your prayers, my first Father’s Day without Daune is filled with good memories.

I’ll admit it; at times I hesitate to serve beans and legumes as often as I could for fear I’m serving poor man’s food, and not pleasing the family. I need to remember, I’m the mom and I do know what’s best for the family’s nourishment and finances.

I hope you were encouraged to learn that this “poor” woman enjoyed vibrant health as an adult. I thought we could all be inspired if we shared with one another family favorite, tried and true recipes for beans and legumes.

New Blog Contest:
To get started I will publish one of my tastiest lentil recipes, Curried Lentils. It goes together quickly and easily, especially if you pressure cook the lentils first, which takes just 15 minutes.

Several months ago I asked readers to share their family friendly recipes that rely mostly on beans or legumes to encourage struggling homemakers who are trying to stretch their paychecks while adopting a healthier lifestyle.

My husband Duane passed away shortly thereafter and I am now, just geting to award  the best recipes/creative/versatile recipes with a complimentary bottle of safe and effective Norwex Fresh Wash for cleaning fruits and veggies ($26.99 value), or Norwex Carpet Stain Buster ($26.99), a complete carpet cleaning solution used for shampooing, spot cleaning, and deodorizing effectively without harmful residues.

The winners  have been notified by email and will receive their prizes shortly.  The winners are:

Jenny, Amy, Jackie, and Hope.  I hope you will read their winning recipes and try them out soon.
I liked Jenny’s idea for adapting basic bean recipes to Italian, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican seasonings.  I loved Amy’s recipe for snack sprouts made with lentils dried in a dehydrator -this is a very unique idea.  Hope gets  the award for the most complete and extensive recipe collection of main dish legume recipes, and Jackie posted a recipe for Lebanese Vegetable Salad

Here is my top frugal post from contest winner Jill Ferris:

Dear Marilyn,

Many years ago when I was worrying about how to eat healthily on a very very limited budget I met ayoung mother who was raised in a poor family (12 children) who told me what they ate growing up.

So that’s my money saving tip! Relax, trust in God to provide what you need, ask Him to teach you simple ways to make nutritious foods (sprouting seeds is one of those ways; they are very cheap but highly nutritious!) and have the confidence to know that you are providing the BEST for your family!

I wrote a few weeks ago:
Let’s all share our tips and wisdom with each other so we can learn together to be better wives, mothers, and homemaker’s! This contest will end March 18, 2008.

Here are a few tips to get your started!

You can save a lot of money buy making your own easy to make cream soups with four ingredients instead of many unpronounceable ingredients.

Cream Soup Alternatives

For one can of cream of “whatever soup” use the following simple, four ingredient recipe:

Basic Cream Soup
3 T Butter
3 T Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chicken stock, water or milk

Instructions:

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Blend flour and salt into saucepan while cooking and stirring until bubbly. using a wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in liquid ingredient choice slowly. Medium thick sauce is comparable to undiluted condensed soups and makes approximately the same amount as a 10 oz can.

Variations:
Cheese Sauce: Add ½ C grated sharp cheese and ¼ tsp mustard

Tomato Sauce: Use tomato juice as liquid and add a dash each of garlic powder or garlic salt, onion powder or onion salt, basil and oregano.

Mushroom Sauce: Saute ¼ C finely chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in the butter before adding the flour.

Celery Sauce: Saute ½ Cup finely chopped celery and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour

Chicken Sauce: Use chicken broth or bouillon as half the liquid. Add ¼ tsp poultry seasoning or sage, and diced cooked chicken if available.

CONTEST WINNERS

ED NOTE: What a challenge to pick five contest winners from all these great posts! Please read all the comments, but my prize winners of the two ebooks are:

Jody Courtney, Sharon Clark, Christine Jones, Jill Farris, Carly from AL

They are each winners of Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms along with my ebook A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread. This is a $19.93 retail value! Congratulations to the winners. Your ideas have blessed me immensely.

Colorado White Chili
A healthy, mouth-watering meal sure to bring raves; a great alternative to traditional chili from Don’t Panic Dinner’s in the Freezer by my friends Suzie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia

1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 medium onion (1/2 cup), chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1-4.5 oz. can diced green chilis (mild or hot)
1 Tbsp cumin (powder or seed)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1-15.5 oz. can great northern beans (don’t drain)
1-15.5 oz. can sweet corn (or frozen)
2 cups cooked chicken
5 cups chicken broth

Serving day ingredients
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Cooking day instructions:
In a large pan or Dutch Oven, combine oil, onion, garlic, and green chilis. Saute until tender, but do not brown. Stir in spices, beans, corn, chopped chicken, and chicken broth. Cook and stir until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cool chili completely. Freeze, using freezer bag method.
Serving day instructions
Thaw completely. Simmer until heated through. Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. For extra “kick”, garnish with jalapeno slices.
(yields 6-8 servings)

From Don’t Panic – Dinner’s In The Freezer
by Martinez, Howell, Garcia used by permission Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker House Books,
Copyright 2005

Chili Chasing Chili
This is my thirty year old, reliable Chili Recipe

1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 – 16 0z can whole tomatoes, chopped
1 – pkg dry onion soup mix
1 1/2 Tbsp Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 – 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained (save reserved liquid)
or 2 cups dry kidney beans, soaked and cooked
1 cup finely sliced celery
1/2 cup diced green pepper, optional
1 TB olive oil

Saute pepper and celery in oil until limp. Set aside. Brown meat in skillet, drain grease. Combine all ingredients into stockpot and simmer for 15-30 minutes. We serve the chili over brown rice or with corn bread.

Garnishes:
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
cilantro

MAMA KIM’S AWARD-WINNING WHITE & GREEN CHILI
My friend Kim won the contest she entered this Chili recipe into.  I haven’t tasted it yet, but I know it is a winner!  Give it a try.

CHICKEN CHILI CORN CHOWDER
6-8 servings

This soup is a great variation to chili, very elegant, and delicious! Serve with hot “good earth” rolls.

3-4 Cups cooked, diced chicken (1 1/2 lbs. boneless)*
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
3 TB flour, whole grain preferred
2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. chicken broth ( I use Frontier chicken broth powder and water to equal 2 C)
2 C. hot water
1 tsp. cumin, ground
2 C. half and half
2 C. Monterey Jack
1- 16 oz can creamstyle corn
1 – 4 oz can green chili, chopped
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce – (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, and garlic in olive oil until transluscent in a stock pot. Stir in flour over low heat and slowly stir in chicken broth, and water. Heat until thickened slightly. Add cumin, half and half, creamstyle corn, green chilis, and hot pepper sauce (opt) to the soup base and simmer together for 15-60 minutes. Add chopped chicken, stir in shredded cheese until melted, adjust seasonings to taste. (Don’t boil the soup once the cheese is added or it will become stringy.) To serve: garnish with chopped medium tomato and 1/2 C. fresh minced cilantro.

*A quick way to cook up 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless chicken breasts is to pressure cook them in a Duromatic Pressure Cooker for 8 minutes at the 2nd red ring and allow the pressure to come down naturally. While soup base is simmering, For more information about recipes and products contact marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com or call at 1-800-552-7323. cook and dice the chicken.

Silver Palate Chili For a Crowd
When choosing chopped meat for chili, you’ll find that beef chuck adds great flavor. And you never can have too many spices. Look for dark-red kidney beans. Lemon juice brightens all the tastes! I found this recipe in Parade Magazine a couple years ago around Super Bowl Time.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
4 pounds beef chuck, ground
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup ground cumin
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
3 cans (28 ounces each) Italian plum tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cans (16 ounces each) dark-red kidney beans, drained
2 cans (5 1/2 ounces each) pitted black olives, drained, optional

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large pot. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sausage meat and ground chuck; cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meats are well browned. Spoon off any excess fat and discard.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, dill, parsley and kidney beans. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add olives; simmer for 5 minutes more to heat through. Serve immediately.

Serves 20.
Vegetarian Chili

This Vegetarian Chili recipe is adapted from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Even if you are not a vegetarian, I think you will really enjoy this yummy chili. Don’t be afraid of the ingredient list, it goes together easily.

1 medium-size eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp coarse salt or regular salt
3/4 cup (or as needed) best-quality olive oil
2 medium-size yellow onions, cut into dices
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 35 oz can Italian plum tomatoes
1-1/2 lbs fresh ripe Roma tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans, drained
1 cup canned chick-peas (garbanzos) drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, or 2 Tbsp dried
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
cooked brown rice
shredded cheddar cheese

Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let stand for 1 hour. Pat dry with paper towels. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and saute until almost tender, adding a bit more oil if necessary. Remove the eggplant to a casserole or Dutch oven.
Heat the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil in the same skillet over low heat. Add the onions, garlic and green peppers and saute just until softened, about 10 minutes. Add onions to the casserole with any oil.

Place the casserole over low heat and add the canned tomatoes with their liquid, fresh tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, fennel, and parsley. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans, chick-peas, dill and lemon juice and cook for another 15 minutes. The eggplant peel should be tender. Stir well and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately with brown rice and lots of shredded cheddar cheese.

This recipe is adapted from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook which says, “This vegetable chili is just as lush and spicy as those with lots of beef and pork.”

Our favorite Christmas stories are The Night Before Christmas, The Legend of the Candy Cane, The Story of Holly & Ivy, The Real 12 Days of Christmas- The story behind the Song and A Little House Christmas Volume 11 which contains the Christmas stories from the original books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My favorite Little House Picture Books with wintery and Christmas Themes are Christmas in the Big Woods, Sugar Snow, and Winter Days in the Big Woods. I think any of these books are available in the library.

2. Pray for friends, neighbors, or relatives you have received Christmas Cards from or whom you will be sending cards to. A good time to do this is during devotions or Jesse Tree Devotions.

3. Attend a Christmas Cantata, Parades of Lights, or Christmas Eve Service in your community. Check your local paper for details. Then drive around the neighborhoods to view Christmas lights and well decorated homes on your way home. In our area, the addresses of the best lit homes are organized by neighborhoods and listed in the newspaper. When you get home have hot chocolate and home made cookies.

4. Have a family slumber party or movie marathon in the family room or living room. Pull out sleeping bags. blankets, afghans, pillows. Turn out the lights except for Christmas lights or candles. Enjoy popcorn or a snack with a Bible story, book or Christmas movie. Our favorite Christmas movies are The Nativity Story, Christmas with the Kranks, and The Christmas Story.

5. Make package opening time special by allowing only one gift to be opened at a time. Start by having the children give out their gifts first.

6. Set up a card table or coffee table to do a jigsaw puzzle together during the holidays. Work at it every now and then with family, relatives or neighbors until it’s done. Do a different puzzle every year. Inexpensive puzzles can be found in thrift stores.

7. Bake rolled out sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes and decorate. My children, now older, still enjoy making sugar cookies together every year without my help. OR make candy. Our favorites are fudge, peanut brittle, and toffee. OR make a Gingerbread House. Kits are inexpensive in craft stores. I usually buy one in the after Christmas sales for the next year.

8. Cut your own Christmas tree. In Colorado you can buy a permit to go to a designated place in the forest to cut a tree for $8.00. My children absolutely insist on having a real, live tree preferably one they cut themselves with Dad every year. The oldest is now 23!

9. With small children you can make a paper chain with colored construction paper to count the days until Christmas. Alternate green and red construction paper. Take a link off the chain each night before bed time.

10. Hold a Holiday Open House or invite some friends or family over for dinner. My favorite company recipe is Beef Burgundy. Your event can be simple and casual. Have everyone bring a dish or appetizer to share. Enjoy the company and tell about favorite family traditions or memories.

I think my favorite memory was the year we gave the two younger children a trampoline and rolled it down the road Christmas Eve from the neighbor’s house to our yard. The expressions of surprise and excitement from the children are priceless memories for the whole family.

BONUS IDEA: Make a special Christmas breakfast with homemade Pecan Sticky Cinnamon Rolls. You won’t even need to get up early to do it. All the Christmas breakfast recipes and stress free instructions are complimentary.

Remember to slow down, enjoy the season, take lots of pictures and enjoy the memories.

New Contest: I would love for you to post some of your family’s most favorite holiday traditions or memories at my blog to encourage other families to build up memories and traditions. Three winners will get a copy of The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision and three winners will get a copy of Continuing Education for Moms- Volume 1 which contains over 12 hours of listening. If your favorite tradition or memory revolves around a recipe, be sure to include the recipe to be considered in the judging!

You must also leave an email contact to be considered in this contest.

Announcing the contest winners: 1-7-08

The following ladies won a copy of Continuing Education for Moms – Volume 1 -  Tina in Alabama, Lydi, Lora, and Michelle Johnson.
The following ladies won A Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision by Doug Phillips:  Amanda Robinson, Donna Jackson and Debbie Sifford.