The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup

Well, our senate is doing something right. Or, shall I say, the senate's staff is doing something right! This bean and ham soup is delicious! My husband had two servings and said he wouldn't change a thing in the soup. That's high praise, I'm telling you. So interesting to see how 2 pounds of beans, 1 onion, and a ham bone can go so far. Simple food made delicious once again.

The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe

2 pounds dried navy beans
four quarts hot water
1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

Burgers and Fries

My husband's surrogate parents sent us some burgers and steaks from Omaha Steaks so I decided we should barbecue tonight! He cooked the burgers and I made oven fries. It's a pretty good oven fry recipe so I'll post it. It's off of http://allrecipes.com - a pretty good website for recipes. Anyway, I used more salt than called for, omitted the cayenne, and used a tablespoon of oil since one teaspoon seemed pretty skimpy for fries. Also, I covered the cookie sheet with foil and sprayed it with cooking spray. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied. Only my picky husband didn't like them. Everyone else ate them up with enthusiasm.

Oven Fries

Submitted by: Barbara Harris
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

"Couldn't be simpler or more tasty. Cut potatoes are coated with oil, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes, and then baked. They emerge crusty and nippy on the outside and all potato on the inside."

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne
pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil, and coat well with vegetable cooking spray. Scrub potatoes well and cut into 1/2 inch thick fries.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes with oil, sugar, salt and red pepper. Spread on baking sheet in one layer.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until potatoes are tender and browned. Serve immediately.

Penne with Kale and Ham

Penne with Kale and Ham

1 bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 to 2 cups ham, chopped
2/3 cup beef broth
16 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. While it is cooking, in a large sauté pan, heat garlic and red pepper flakes in oil over medium heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in ham. Add kale and toss to coat with oil. Add broth. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, adding more broth if necessary, until greens are tender and most of the stock has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Toss with pasta and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.


This was more delicious than I imagined it'd be. And it's very healthy. I used whole wheat, organic pasta to make it even healthier. It sounds like total hippy food but I assure you it does not taste like sprouts and tofu!

Stir Fry

This stir fry was divine. I marinated the chicken in Yoshida's teriyaki sauce all day. I used the following vegetables: onions, green pepper, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and bamboo shoots cut into strips (you can buy them in the can that way). I stir fried the chicken then added the onions. After those cooked for a while I added the green pepper. Then the baby bok choy (stems, no leaves yet). I added a tablespoon of butter and even though that's not authentic it made it taste so good! I put the lid on the pan for a little while so the bok choy would cook. Then I added the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and leaves of the bok choy. I put the lid on again for a minute or so until everything cooked. At the end I drizzled sesame oil and incorporated it into the stir fry.

This was seriously one of the best stir fries I have ever made. I really love baby bok choy so I think that made a big difference.

Sorry I haven't updated lately. I will have to upload photos from the past couple of weeks and backdate the entries.

Christmas Dinner!

I made dinner at my house this year, as every year. I figure if I have the children then Christmas should be at my house.

I was going to make rolls the night before but ran out of steam. Therefore, we had whole wheat store-bought rolls. No matter, they were tasty.



I roasted some green beans. I got fresh green beans from Trader Joe's. I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, and sprinkled white pepper and kosher salt on them. Then I roasted them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. They could have gone a little longer but I love green beans with a snap to them.



These potatoes are so delicious. My dad got the recipe from someone. Essentially, you cut the potatoes into sticks. Lay down a layer in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cut an onion into strips and lay half down onto the layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with garlic salt (or garlic powder), dot with butter, and sprinkle cheese on that layer. The cheese can be any kind, I suppose, but I used Tillamook's mild cheddar. Repeat the layering one more time then cover and put in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. These are very good. So good, in fact, I may make them again very soon!



This sweet potato casserole is one my dad made. He gave me the recipe finally but I have yet to make it myself. It is so good and also very good for breakfast the next morning!




Ham! I was going to get a Honeybaked Ham until I found out how freaking expensive they are. Instead, I got one from Trader Joe's. Personally, it was a little too smoky for my tastes but everyone else loved it. I am fairly picky about that smoke flavor anyway.



The night before Christmas dinner I made a rum cake. Basically, it's a yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, and 1/2 cup of spiced rum. Then after it has baked you make a glaze with rum, water, and sugar. It's very good but if you don't like rum you wouldn't like this cake for sure. I thought the cake was pretty with the crown of walnuts at the top.