Nothing Warms Your Tummy Like Some Good Ole Homemade Soup

It's been really wet and cold here this winter. It seems as though we have had more rainy days than dry, and the wind is unmerciful. The cattle gather out in front of Ms. Cathy's house to block the cold winds, and we try to stay inside to keep dry and warm. Generally I welcome the winter weather, but this year has just been miserable!   I can just hear all the northerners now, they're laughing their butts off saying, "Look at the little southern girl, she's complaining about 40 degree weather in February! Hahahahaha!" Guess I am a bit of a sissy, huh? LOL!
There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup to warm your tummy when those northern winds come creepin' in, so I thought I'd share this one with y'all. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! =)

Granny’s Ham & Veggie Soup

Most of Granny’s recipes are not written down, so she has either showed me how to make them, or told me over the phone. Unfortunately, my memory isn’t that good, so I can never get the recipe right. This recipe is what I can remember from Granny’s recipe, with my own little twist.

When I bake a ham, I usually slice almost all of the good meat off, leaving some on the bone, then I freeze the bone in the juices until I am ready to make the soup. As the juices cool and freeze, the fat will make a pretty thick film on the surface, I just scrape all of that off before I thaw it. I also like to cut my potatoes either the day before or at least a few hours before I make the soup. I put them in a butter bowl and cover them with cold water and let them sit in the fridge until I am ready for them. This helps make the soup less starchy. Also, if you are using fresh veggies, make sure you are aware of how long each of them takes to cook. Carrots and potatoes take a lot longer than peas and green beans. You don’t want your peas to be mush and your carrots crunchy. And if you are using dried beans, I would boil those separate before you even start making the soup, because they take FOREVER to cook and they are very starchy. (You will end up with a stew rather than a soup.) LOL! This recipe makes A LOT of soup, so I hope you have freezer space! =)

Leftover hambone and juices from baked Ham (plus extra water)

4 medium potatoes; peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 medium to large onion; chopped

2 cloves of garlic; roughly chopped

{You can use fresh or canned veggies, but I generally just use frozen. It is cheaper and easier.}

2 small bags (or one large bag) of frozen, mixed veggies

1 large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with the juice

1 small bag frozen, cut okra

¼ cup chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon white pepper

• In a large pot, put the hambone and juices then fill to the top with water.

• Boil the bone over medium heat until the meat falls off.

• In the sink, place a colander over a larger pot and pour in the ham and juices. (You want the juice in the larger pot and the bone and pieces in the colander.)

• Let the ham cool, then pick off the meat and put it into the large pot and throw out the bone, fat, and cartilage.

 • Once you all the meat in the juice, place the pot on the stove and turn the burner on medium heat.

• Add the bouillon, salt, pepper, oregano, potatoes, onion, garlic, veggies (except okra), and tomatoes.

• Boil until the potatoes are soft. (I don’t know how long it takes because I am usually doing other things while it boils.)

• When the potatoes are soft, turn the burner off and add the okra. Stir it into the hot soup and let it sit until the okra warms through. (I’d say about 10 or 15 min or so.) When the okra is warm you, the soup is finished.