Pressure Canned Ham and Butter Bean Soup

 I have recently ventured into the world of home canning.  I am already in love!  I made a huge batch of my Vegetable Beef Soup, substituting frozen vegetable for the canned vegetables so they wouldn't turn to mush in the canning process; and, of course, only heated it up rather than completely cooking it, allowing it to finish cooking during the processing.  Being able to just pop the lid off, stick it in the microwave for a minute and eat it is just amazing.  Totally worth the extra time in the cooking/prep phase.

For my next adventure, I decided to do something with butter beans, since I've been told by my doctor to eat more high-potassium foods thanks to one of my medications.  Some poking around online and recipe browsing, and the basis for this soup was born.  It's rich and hearty, without being overly complicated.  The 15 pints I made won't last long!  This is definitely going to be a regular addition to our menu.

I used speckled butter beans for this first batch; regular green butter beans (aka baby lima beans) should work just as well – and possibly be more visually appealing.  Some hot sauce, like Cholula, would be a great addition/substitution for the vinegar, but unfortunately I can't use it (allergies).  Celery or bell peppers, if you have some on hand, would likely also be good additions.

Muffin Frittata Cups

These little cupcake frittatas are amazingly versatile, and even more tasty!

They are an easy way to 'sneak' in healthy veggies – you can change out what you use depending on your tastes, the season, or just what you have on hand.  They are also easy to make in advance – either a few days, kept in a bag in the fridge, or several weeks frozen!  Just pop them in the microwave when you're ready to eat them.

Delicious, nutritious, and made in advance; it just doesn't get much better than that.

Slow Cooker Simplicity Ham and Potato Casserole

This is a slow-cooker version of one of my favorite meals as a child, my grandmother's Ham and Potato Casserole.  It's an exceedingly simple meal, more so even than the original already simple recipe, but the taste is wonderful.  Just perfect for a cold winter day!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was amazingly tasty, and had me drooling in anticipation all afternoon — it smells divine while cooking!  It's also quite filling; we were each happy with a 1/2 chicken breast portion, served with lemon-butter dressed steamed broccoli.