Dear Customers,
Whoever invented soup deserves a place in the annals of history. What a comforting, delicious invention, particularly when the wind whistles and the temperatures plummet.
For years I’ve used a program called Master Cook to save and store my family recipes or any that I’ve been given – or just decided I wanted to try. A month or so ago, I got the unsettling news that Master Cook had been bought out by a company called Cook’N. They welcomed former Master Cook users with open arms and transferred all my old recipes seamlessly and quickly into the new program.
The differences and improvements between the two programs are many. All the aggravating shortcomings I put up with over the years are gone. Cook’n is obviously a much more sophisticated and well designed program with a ton of new, helpful features. Found a recipe on the internet that you’d like to try? No problem – there’s a quick and easy way to import it into Cook’n without having to type it in longhand. You can even take pictures of a recipe with your phone and move them seamlessly into Cook’n.
I looked up “COPYCAT RECIPE FOR CAMPBELL’S BEAN w/BACON SOUP”. – one of my all-time favorite Campbell’s soups as a kid. Immediately, the following recipe appeared so I imported it into Cook’n.
| 2 cans navy beans | 6 strips crumbled bacon (or pouch) |
| 3 carrots, peeled and diced | 3 stalks celery, diced |
| 1 med. Onion finely diced | ½ tsp dried thyme |
| 2 cloves minced garlic | 4 oz tomato paste |
| 1 dash crushed red pepper flakes | 4 cups water |
| 1 tbs red wine vinegar | 2 cups ham stock |
3 drops Liquid Smoke (more if desired) SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE.
Combine the beans, bacon, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, garlic, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, water, and stock in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 3 hours or until the beans are tender. (if using dried beans instead of canned)
Remove 1-2 cups of the soup and place it in a blender. Open the feed tube in the lid of the blender to let steam release. Puree until smooth, then return to the pot. Stir in the wine vinegar and liquid smoke. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.