Pea Soup In A Jar(s)

 Pea (or Bean or Lentil) Soup In A Jar(s)

I made a batch of this on Tuesday ... it came out great!

 1) One pint dried peas, beans or lentils (soak bean overnight first)

 2) One quart homemade chicken stock

 3) 1/4 pint dried veggies and seasonings (my mix is 3 tbsp dried carrots, 1 1/2 tbsp dried chopped onions, 1 tsp garlic powder,1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1 tsp dried parsley and 2 bay leaves ... I make up several jars at a time a use a Food Saver jar attachment to seal them ... ok, a confession... I use Augason Farms dried veggies ... I have arthritis and chopping up all those veggies for the dehydrator is NOT on my list of things to do)

 4) 1/2 pint canned ham ...

Throw everything everything except the ham into a crock pot set on high. Add 2 cups water. Cook for 4 and check ... you may need to add more water.  Cook for 2 more hours ... check the peas for doneness (these were stubborn, I had to cook the a couple more hours).  If the peas are starting to fall apart add the ham and cook one more hour.  Serve with some crusty bread or rolls.

 Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Mix In A Jar

For the mix, layer the following in a quart canning jar in order given:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup raisins

Additional Ingredients:

1 cup mashed pumpkin

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup softened butter

2 large eggs

Optional:

Sprinkling sugar crystals

Place the pumpkin, yogurt, honey, butter and eggs in a large bowl and stir together with a fork.  Add mix ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  Spoon batter into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle with sugar if desired and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes (check for doneness with a toothpick).  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Meals In Jars ... Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

1) I sauteed the chicken and vegetables with some herbs in a bit of olive oil and then froze it in a Food Saver bag. Of course, you could can it as well, as long as you keep the noodles separate.

 2) A quart of homemade chicken stock

 3) A pint of uncooked egg noodles.

Dump the stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the chicken and veggies and continue to cook until everything is heated through.

Enjoy!