I love the tureen too - especially since it has a lid. Too bad you didn't get the accompanying note. Was the tureen local or handmade? I'm thinking it is probably both. I love making soup, and the soup bases will be a great help. I haven't tried Penzey's (only Minor's) soup bases, but I imagine that are very flavorful. I frequently use soup base when making jambalaya or dirty rice, in addition to soups. I'm looking forward to finding out what soup recipes you will use from your new book! Sounds delightful. Lars

Sure. It's probably one of my favourites. 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk - chopped 4 cloves garlic 1 tbsp chili powder & cumin pinch black pepper 4 cups broth 2 can black beans (15 oz) 1 can whole kernel corn 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes Saute veggies in oil for 5 min - add garlic for another minute. Stir in corn and broth. Puree 1 can of beans with half of tomatoes. Add remaining can and tomatoes to soup. Simmer 15 mins.

LindaÂs Bean Soup This recipe is my own concoction. I adjust all the spices and ingredients to my taste, so IÂll give you the basics, and you have to go with it from there. Be sure to go easy with the spices in the beginning because the flavors intensify as the cooking continues. You can always add more, but you canÂt remove what is already there. **-Beans, either dry 16 oz. Bag (must soak overnight or follow directions on package) or canned about 4 cans (drain); (I use pinto or black beans, but any beans will work) -Bacon cut up (about ½ to 1 pound for a large pot) -Onions & Garlic (chopped) (I use a large onion and a whole head of garlic) -Chicken broth (about 3 32 oz. cans or cartons of broth) -Sausage (4 or 5 links) -Tomatoes (both chopped and whole) (fresh or canned) about 2 cans chopped and 4 fresh whole tomatoes -Rotel tomatoes (one or two cans) -Peppers fresh (jalapeno, Serrano, habanero) (I use one each-whole) -Beer (one can) -Cilantro (one bunch; the whole bunch including stems) -Fresh Chives and/or green onions (one bunch) -Oregano (fresh or dried) if using fresh herbs always use 3 times that of dried herbs -Cumin (1/4 cup) -Cayenne Pepper (one tablespoon) -Chili Powder (1/4 cup) -Salt & Pepper (freshly ground) to taste -Green Pepper (optional) -Rice (Optional) I fry up the bacon and add the onions and garlic. Be sure not to overcook the garlic or it will get bitter. If this happens, you might as well start over because burned garlic is really bad. Then I add the sausage and brown it. Again make sure you donÂt overcook the garlic. Then I add the broth, beans, a beer, the tomatoes, Rotel peppers, fresh peppers (I use one of each) and all the spices and then finish with water to cover the beans by about 2". Bring to boil (do not allow it to burn) and then reduce heat to simmer. Depending on whether I use dried beans or fresh beans, the cooking time will vary. With dried beans, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to cook. You can then serve the beans with sour cream, fresh chives, fresh tomatoes, fresh onions, and fresh cilantro. Also if you want, you can add some rice (either cooked or uncooked) directly into the beans towards the end of the cooking period. Or you can just serve the beans over a bed of rice. I use yellow rice, but white rice works just as well. The rice will give you more of a full feeling, if you know what I mean. **When using black beans add 2 to 4 smoked ham hocks for great flavor.

I mill bean flour and use it in many different ways. I mill in a Whisper Mill (now goes by the name - Wonder Mill) grain mill, so I get a very fine flour. Not all grain mills can mill large beans - so check manufacturer's information. If you want to add fiber and protein to baked goods, use bean flour for a portion of regular flour (up to 15-20%). Small white beans have the least amount of "beany" flavor and work best in baked goods. They also work best in foods that include spicy flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), which help to hide any bean flavor. You will find lots of recipes using bean flour in most gluten-free cookbooks. Bob's Red Mill has recipes using bean flour: - Fast Refried Bean Dip (uses black bean flour) - Mexican Bean Gravy " - Black Bean Tortillas " - Black Bean Dip " Click on the link below. Click on RECIPES at the top of the page. BAKEHOUSE CHEEZY HEARTLAND SOUP (using whole white beans milled into flour using the Whispermill) Mix together and stir well before each use: 1/2 c. Red Star nutritional yeast 2/3 c. white bean flour 1 t. sea salt 1/4 t. each paprika and celery seed 1/2 t. mustard (ground) 1 T. chicken style broth powder 1/8 c. bac'un bits Bring one cup water to a boil, reduce heat. Stir in 3 T. of the mix. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use less water for a thick cheezy style sauce. Variation: Saute 1-1/2 c. diced veggies (onion, carrot, celery, potato) until softened. Add 1-1/2 c. water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and 1/3 c. cheezy saucy. Cook 5 minutes, until veggies are tender and soup is thickened. Soup will thicken a little more as it cools. This chills and reheats well. ------------ You can make refried beans in a few minutes using pinto bean flour. Great for campers. - 1 cup whole beans = 1-1/8 c. bean flour - STIFF REFRIED BEANS - 1 c. water plus 1/3 c. bean flour = 1 c. instant mashed beans (equal to canned refried beans) Cook and stir for 1 minute until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover the pan and cook 6 minutes (stirring occasionally). - FLUFFY REFRIED BEANS - 2 c. water plus 3/4 c. bean flour = 2-1/2 c. fluffy mashed beans (nice on tortillas or used for dips by adding salsa or picante sauce) You can also mill black beans for refried black bean. Boil 2-1/2 c. water Whisk in dry ingredients: 3/4 c. pinto or black bean flour pinch garlic powder (optional) 1/2 - 3/4 t. salt 1/4 t. cumin 1/2 t. chili powder Cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover pan and cook 4 minutes (stirring occasionally). -------------------- CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP Here's a way to make cream of chicken soup from beans. The kids love the stuff. 1 Cup Navy Bean Flour (Lima beans or Garbanzo beans will also work.) 4 Cups Water or Milk 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup dehydrated onions or 1 small onion optional Grind the dry beans in a wheat grinder. Usually, 3/4 cup of beans will make 1 cup of flour. Add the other dry ingredients to the bean flour. Stir 1/2 cup of water or milk into the bean flour until it is mixed then add the rest of the water or milk and heat it in a medium sized sauce pan, constantly stirring. As it reaches the boiling point it will thicken. Boil it for about a minute. If it gets too thick add a bit more water/milk until your soup thins down to what cream of chicken soup should be. If it lacks flavor, add a bit more chicken bouillon. Garnish with dry parsley flakes. Serves 4. Recipe from waltonfeed.com. Here is a link that might be useful: Bob's Red Mill