Yum yum yum yum YUM.

A few weeks back, Thomas’ mom dropped off some bean soup on our front porch that she made too much of that day. She swore it was so good, but if we didn’t eat it soon, we would need to freeze it. We already had our dinners planned out for the next couple of days, so we ended up freezing it and saving it for a rainy day.

Well, today the clouds and never let up, and it was the rainiest and dreariest (and coziest) day we’ve had in a while, so we lit some candles, opened the windows and doors so the breeze could spill in some fresh air, and decided today was as good a day as any to heat up some warm soup on the stove. Thomas’ mom made it from a recipe by Honey Baked Ham and luckily still had it saved when we asked her to send it to us to post here. It has this really nice smoky flavor, and the smell makes your entire house smell like a fancy restaurant. The kiddos ate 2 helpings of it and thanked “Wila” (Lila, Thomas’ mom) over and over again, even though she wasn’t there, haha.

Taken directly from Honey Baked Ham’s recipe, here’s what you’re going to need:

Ingredients:

1 Honey Baked Ham bone
1 package of Honey Baked Ham mixed bean soup mix
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions
1/2 tsp salt
12 cups of cold water
2 bay leave
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Place ham bone in a large stock pot.
Add 12 cups cold water and bring to a boil.
Add HoneyBaked mixed bean soup mix with contents of seasoning packet. Return to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer for approximately 2 hours.
Remove ham bone and allow to cool.
Add remaining ingredients and continue to coo over moderate heat for approximately 60 minutes or until beans are tender.'
Remove meat from ham bone and dice fine.
Return the meat to the soup.