Bean with Bacon Soup

It's amazing what a couple days of rest will do to a girl!  I feel so much better today...nice and relaxed (and not in pain!!) and ready to enjoy the rest of the holiday season!  Tony keeps telling me to take it easy and not do too much so as not to create too much tension and bring the pain back again...so I'M TRYING!  Good thing he looks after me!

I have a piano recital tonight and one of my favorite things about my recitals is getting to decide what refreshments to serve and being able to spend the whole day (and usually day before as well) cooking!  My kitchen pays for it, but it's so worth it!  I was going to do a cookie theme with hot chocolate and peppermint candy canes dipped in chocolate for stirring sticks, BUT on order from the hubby I have decided to take it a little easy, sooooo...it's store bought donuts and plain old hot chocolate tonight!:(  And oh, did I have some wonderful cookie recipes that I was so looking forward to trying!  But in the end it's not worth the stress, especially if it's going to beat up on my body!

So anyway, that has nothing to do with today's recipe.  Soup is something great that you can just throw together and let simmer...I LOVE that, especially when life is busy, and it's cold outside!  Perfect time for soup! 

We loved this soup so much, we made it twice last week, and the second time we made it I 1 1/2 times'd the recipe so we could have some leftovers for lunch!  YUM!  This one is a keeper!

Bean with Bacon Soup

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

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12 oz. package of bacon

1 small onion

4 large carrots

4 15 ounce cans Great Northern Beans

4 C water

2 bay leaves

1/4 t pepper

1 T beef bullion

3 T tomato paste

1 t liquid smoke (Mesquite or Hickory...we tired both and like both!)

2 t Worcestershire sauce

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 t salt

1/8 t basil, dried

1/4 t thyme, dried

2 T sugar

pinch red pepper flakes

 Chop up your bacon into about 1 inch chunks.  Toss them into a large soup pot and cook the bacon over medium high heat, just until the edges start to crisp. Do not over cook!

Chop your onions and carrots up into little small pieces and add to the bacon and cook for about 5 minutes longer or until the veggies are a little tender.  

Drain the juices of just 1 can of the beans and discard.  Add the drained beans to the soup pot along with the other 3 cans of beans WITH their juices.  Add all other ingredients and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for about 30 minutes. 

Enjoy...I know we did!