Who doesn't love a soup?!  What's even better - this soup is easy to make.  I do pressure can my ham stock so that its readily available.  If you don't have the time to can homemade ham stock then cook your ham bone and continue on with this recipe.  IF you taste your soup and it's lacking 'depth of flavor', add chili powder!! It's not an 'in your face' taste - it deepens the ham flavor and soup.  I do add chili powder and lemon juice to my homemade ham stock as its being made, if you don't follow my recipe for ham stock then, you will probably want to add some chili powder directly to this soup...add a small amount, it will make a difference.
​Enjoy! Diane 
     
INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrots,  peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
• 4 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
• 2 cups cooked ham, diced 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups homemade ham stock
• up to 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• 3 cups milk
• kosher salt, to taste  
• black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrots, celery until softened. (about 5 minutes).
• Add the ham and potatoes, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the garlic. 
•  Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, (do not scorch).
• Mix the flour in and cook for 2 minutes.
• Stir in ham stock and milk. 
• Increase the heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. *If you have time and want the soup to sit and simmer longer, bring the pot up to a boil, then lower to low and let cook on low, covered for 2 hours. Make sure to check potatoes often for doneness and stir soup so it doesn't scorch.  Once the potatoes are where you like them, set the heat to warm.  
• Taste test and season with more chili powder, salt and pepper, if desired.
• Serve hot.

NOTE:  HOMEMADE HAM STOCK

• You can make your own ham stock for this soup using a leftover ham bone.
• Don't throw away your ham bone!!  I always vac seal and freeze our leftover ham-bones until I have time to make a soup. I have a favorite process for making my ham stock - see my recipe here:    Diane's Homemade Ham Stock 

SOUP THICKNESS TIP:

• If your soup is too thick once it's finished, simply add more milk or ham stock in 1/4 cup increments until reaching your desired consistency.
• If your soup is not thick enough to your liking, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together with 2 tablespoons of extra milk or ham stock. Pour the mixture into the soup and allow to boil for a few minutes to thicken, while stirring. Repeat for an even thicker soup!  

     Do you want to make a savory and healthy dinner using fresh Spring asparagus?  Give my lo mein a try!  This is definitely a must try dish (and its also ready in under 30 minutes.) You don't have to add spice to your final plated dish but, we happen to love ''Hot Chili Oil' as it gives off a heat but, it isn't a lasting, burning heat like a jalapeno. I'll add a photo and the name of the Hot Chili Oil we use ((we always swore by "Heavenly Chef" Hot Chili Oil but, it's harder and harder to find!  We now use, "Sun Luck: La Yu Chili Oil" photo below in photo gallery.  Enjoy! Diane 

*Spicy Chicken & Asparagus Lo Mein

INGREDIENTS
SAUCE:

1. 3/4 cup chicken broth
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
4. 2 teaspoons sesame oil
5. 1 tablespoon cornstarch

MAIN DISH:

1.  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2.  1 tablespoon butter
3.  1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces.
4.  salt and pepper to taste
5.  1 lb asparagus stalks washed, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
6.  2 teaspoons minced garlic
7.  1 can of sliced water chestnuts
8.  1/4 cup hoisin sauce
9.  Lo Mein Noodles, cook and keep warm until needed.

Sprinkle on *Hot Chili Oil, to taste,  upon serving.
I add about 3-4 drops, my husband adds about 1/2 tablespoon.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set Aside for now... 
2. Heat the vegetable oil & butter in a pan over medium high heat.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned.
5. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
6. Add the water chestnuts and garlic, stirring for one minute, you do not want to scorch the garlic.
7. Pour the sauce you made earlier over the chicken and asparagus and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has thickened, stir in the hoisin sauce until warmed through. 
8. Serve over lo mein noodles with Hot Chili oil.

    One of my favorite breads.  This was my first time trying out this rye bread recipe.  I will say that it's exactly the taste and texture I was looking for! A crisp crust and a soft, tender inside with a tight "crumb."  I did take the advice of the original written recipe and let the dough rest when called for.  I did the entire bread in my mixer using my dough hook.  I will write out exactly what I did but, if you want to follow other methods, you can check out King Arthur Flours website (click here) and their full written recipe. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! Diane 

​Russian Rye Bread - Rizhsky Khleb

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 Cups Water, at the temp your yeast calls for. 
2 Tablespoons Dark Honey
2 teaspoons instant yeast 
1 1/2 Cups Medium Rye Flour 
2 teaspoons salt 
1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
3 Cups Unbleached, **All Purpose Flour

*plus an additional 1 teaspoon dark honey for sponge 
*plus an additional 1 Tablespoon butter for bowl

Directions: ​

• To make the dough with a mixer: Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl and add a *teaspoon of the honey.
• Stir in the yeast and rye flour. Let this sponge work for at least 20 minutes, until it's expanded and bubbly. I cover my mixing bowl with a tea towel. 
• Add the remaining dark honey, salt, caraway seeds, melted butter, and enough of the unbleached flour to create a dough that begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. I only ended up adding 2 1/2 cups AP Flour because of our humidity level. At this point, cover the dough bowl with a towel, and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Remove the towel. 
• Turn the mixer on knead ('2' setting on my mixer), and let the dough hook knead until it's smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Halfway through, turn the mixer off, cover the dough bowl with a tea towel and give the dough a rest while you *butter your mixing bowl (about 2 minutes.) Then uncover and let knead the final 5 minutes. 
• Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the buttered bowl, turning once to coat, flip over dough, turn again and cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's not quite doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down, and divide it in half. Shape each half into a rectangle  place them into two lightly greased loaf pans, cover, and let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is dark brown, and the interior temperature of the loaves measures 190°F to 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack.
• I always thump the bottom of the bread first to hear if it has a hollow sound indicating its fully baked. I then insert my thermometer in the middle and bottom of one loaf to get my reading - I only test one loaf.  I am of the feeling that letting all that steam escape will dry out the bread.  You also do not want to cut into any fresh baked bread until its cooled or again, it can dry out faster. 
• Store, well-wrapped, on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Adapted from: King Arthur Flour
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home 

   Small batch jams yield greater results - try my Strawberry Pineapple Jam. This jam is lower in sugar then most traditional Jams.  It's such a great treat.  We love this not only as a topping on toast but, I use as an addition to buttercream frostings, a filling to layer cakes, thumbprint cookie filling, swirled into your morning smoothie,  homemade ice-cream or oatmeal... even to top off cottage cheese.
Enjoy! Diane 

Diane's Strawberry Pineapple Jam 

Ingredients:
Jam:
2 pounds fresh strawberries; cleaned & sliced
1 can (20 ounce can) pineapple chunks
3 1/2 cups *sugar (you can replace up to half of this sugar with honey)

Pectin Mix In: 
2 Tbs lower sugar pectin - pink box
2 Tbs sugar *gets mixed with pectin


Directions:

• Combine cleaned, cored & sliced strawberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar in non-reactive container and let sit covered & refrigerated overnight.
• The next day, place strawberries with juices & sugar that are in bowl into deep stockpot or jam pan and add the pineapple with its juice.
• Cook over medium to low heat so berries and pineapple have time to soften and cook down, about 45 minutes, stirring often, so the mixture does not scorch. 
• Once softened; mash strawberries and pineapple, I use an immersion blender. Stir in remaining 3 cups of *sugar (or 1 1/2 cups sugar & 1 1/2 cups honey) into the fruit mixture. Let cook, stirring often until well combined. 

• In a separate bowl, mix together 2 Tablespoons of Sure Jell Low Sugar Pectin (in the pink box) and 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  This gets mixed together and stirred into the fruit mixture. 
• Bring your pot up to a high (full rolling) boil once the pectin mixture is stirred into fruit. I shoot for a temperature of 217-222 on my jams for the pectin to release. (photo below of this 'final jam stage' being reached.) 

• When ready, jam will feel thicker when stirred. Ladle into hot, sterile half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. 
• Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes or according to your altitude and local regulations. 

Yield: on average 46 ounces
(5-6 half pints) 
​Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home