Well thanks ya'll. I just dug up this thread when ysop was looking for senate bean soup recipe. Glad you and your family enjoyed it Judi. Smiles. I eat soup for breakfast and lunch generally until I'm done with the curernt batch that is unfrozen. I just finished my first gallon of lentil soup, so tonight I am going to brine the beans for this bean soup. I just started brining the beans in the past six months or so and can't believe the difference. The skins are so much more tender and it takes a lot less time to cook the whole soup. The outcome is that you can cook it till the beans are tender without having all the skins come off and floating around. I had just bought a ham to use mostly for soups and froze quart bags of meat and skins to use, but also have the big bone, soooo.. this time I'm making 4 lbs at a time so I can use the big bone. Ah... happy camper. Time to start some artisan bread to go with.

Here's a GREAT French Onion Soup recipe, it's been served by the restaurant in Famous Barr (now part of Macy's) for over 40 years. The recipe makes a lot, but it freezes well. A mandolin helps make short work of the 5# of onions required. * Exported from MasterCook * French Onion Soup Recipe By :Famous Barr Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :4:30 Categories : Onions Soup Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 5 Lbs Onions -- Unpeeled 1 Cup Dry White Wine 1/2 Cup Butter 3/4 Cup Flour 1 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper Kitchen Bouquet 2 Tbs Paprika 2 Tsp Salt 1 Bay Leaf French Bread Slices 7 Cans Beef Broth Swiss Cheese 1. Peel Onions And Slice 1/8" Thick. 2. Melt Butter In A 6 Quart Stockpot. Add Onions, Cook Uncovered Over Low Heat For 1 1/2 Hours Stirring Occasionally. The Long Cooking Time Makes The Onions Mellow And Sweet. 3. Stir In Pepper, Paprika And Bay Leaf. Sauté Over Low Heat 10 Minutes More, Stirring Frequently. 4. Pour In 6 Cans Broth And Wine. Increase Heat And Bring To A Boil. Dissolve Flour In Remaining Can Broth. Stir Into Boiling Soup. Reduce Heat To Low And Simmer Very Slowly For 2 Hours. 5. Adjust Color To A Rich Brown With Caramel Coloring. Season With Salt. Refrigerate Overnight. 6. To Serve, Heat Soup In Microwave Or On Stove Top. If Desired, Pour Into Ovenproof Crocks Or Bowls. Top With A Slice Of Bread And Sprinkling Of Grated Cheese. Heat Under The Broiler Until Cheese Melts And Bubbles, About 5 Minutes. Start to Finish Time: "4:30" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per serving: 160 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (35% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 16mg Cholesterol; 890mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates NOTES : Leftover Soup Can Be Frozen. Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

This is one of my favorite foods to snack on. Long time ago in Szechuan, there would be these small street vendors who sold this type of turnip salad to kids. I used to buy it all the time. For a few pennies, I could buy a handful and munch on them. When I had no money, Id search high and low in my house for pennies. Too bad these vendors arent around anymore I guess you cant really make a living selling food for a few pennies these days. Now Im going to show you how to make this turnip salad. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Ingredients: Salted turnip 400g (1pack) Sugar 4 6 teaspoons Light soy sauce 1 tablespoon (optional) Green onions 3 4 Chili oil 3 5 teaspoons Grinded peppercorn 1 2 teaspoons Sesame oil 4 6 teaspoons 1. Rinse the turnips under water first to wash of any salt. 2. Cut the turnips into 2inch long, thin strips. After you cut it, run it through cold water one more time, and drain it well. 3. Cut the green onion into 1 inch long, thin strips. 4. In a bowl, mix sugar, soy sauce, chili oil, grinded peppercorn, and sesame oil. 5. Mix the green onions with the turnip. 6. Pour on the sauce, and mix well with the turnips, and serve. Note: After youve mixed in the sauce with the turnips, I recommend you store this dish for several hours first before eating. Why? This is because allowing it to sit for a few hours lets the flavors really soak into the turnips. Also, you can refrigerate it. I like eating it colder. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.recipezworld.com/chinese-recipes/turnip-salad/

i can't believe i chopped off the original poster's name and i apologize for that--i think it belongs to "dances in garden". if not, please step forward and correct me! but this was a good dish that was kind of fun to prepare and eat: Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps 2 cups, 4 handfuls, fresh shiitake mushrooms 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders 2 tablespoons light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil Coarse salt and coarse black pepper 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional 1 orange, zested 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small 1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped 3 scallions, chopped 3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean, Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over. I was trying to replicate my favorite lettuce wraps from PF Chang's, so I changed a few things. I used ground turkey instead of chicken tenders, skipped the orange, added more complexity to the sauce, and had cilantro, basil and lime wedges on the plate for people to add to the wraps. This is what I added to the hoisin sauce: 5 tsp sweet chili sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 TBSP sherry, 2 TBSP rice vinegar, 3 TBSP oyster sauce, and juice from half a lime. I think this made them much tastier. They were unbelievably delicious!! A keeper for company. i really enjoyed this but my husband didn't so i've only made it once. i certainly would be happy to make it for lunch with the girlfriends though! Braised Greek Chicken and Artichokes 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones 2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained 2 tablespoons marinade reserved 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sautchicken until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons reserved marinade, broth, lemon juice, peel, and crushed pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Uncover; stir in artichokes and 2 tablespoons oregano. Simmer until liquid is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon oregano. Season with salt and pepper; serve. Makes 4 servings. Bon Appétit December 2001 and we both liked this one really well: ORANGE HONEY-BAKED CHICKEN -- Daisy 1 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind 1/2 teaspoon ginger 4 boned chicken breast fillets (about 500g) 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (1/8 tsp red pepper flakes) (2 T peanut butter added into the sauce to be reduced) Preheat oven to 200C. In baking dish, mix together orange juice, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons honey, orange peel and ginger. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat all sides. If time permits, let chicken marinate for 10 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 8 minutes, baste with pan juices. Bake an additional 8 minutes, baste again. Glaze chicken with a mixture of marmalade and remaining 1 tablespoon honey, continue to bake 8-10 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to serving plate. Reduce pan juices until thickened and pour over chicken, garnish with orange slices.