Ham Cannellini and Wheat Berry Soup

I prefer to buy bone-in and non spiral-sliced ham s so I can use the leftover ham bone to make flavorful stock which can then be used to make tasty soups and stews.  This particular recipe takes advantage of leftover ham, stock made from the bone, a few freezer staples, and some canned beans - you literally just toss everything in a stockpot and heat it up.  Super hearty, super flavorful, and super easy.  The wheat berries are chewy and fun to eat - if you can't find cooked wheat berries in the freezer section of your grocery store, feel free to cook your own (directions below) or substitute cooked pasta or rice.

Ham White Bean and Wheat Berry Soup

serves 10

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

To make the soup:

• 1 batch of ha

• ham stock (recipe below)

• 2 cups frozen corn kernels

• 16 ounce bag frozen peas and carrots

• 16 ounce bag frozen wheat berries (see note below)

• 4 cups diced ham

• 30 ounces canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• salt and pepper to taste

• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Place the stock, veggies, wheat berries, and ham in a large stock pot and heat through.  

2. Gently stir in the beans; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  

3. Serve with lots of fresh chopped parsley.

Note

• To cook wheat berries - simply boil them in salted water or chicken stock for 45-60 minutes until they're soft but chewy.

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Ham Stock

Ingredients

• one ham bone

• 10-12 cups cold water

• 1 medium onion cut into quarters (don't worry about peeling it)

• 4 cloves of smashed garlic (again, no need to peel)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or a bunch of fresh stems)

Directions

1. Place everything together in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 60-90 minutes.  

3. Strain all the solids from the stock; discard.  

4. Cool and freeze stock for use later or proceed with following recipe.

Ree's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Lace Cookies

I found a recipe for fluffy caramelized brown sugar oatmeal cookies on The Pioneer Woman's site TastyKitchen the other day and knew I wanted to try them right away.  For whatever reason, Ree's cookies were fluffy, but the two batches I made both turned out very flat and "lace-like".  I don't know if there was an error in the recipes or what, but we ended up loving the flat version so I renamed them Brown Sugar Oatmeal Lace Cookies.  They're so very good - super thin, very chewy, and extremely delicious.  My husband loved them, my nieces loved them, my in-laws loved them, and if you give them a try I think you'll love them too.  

Delish!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• #50 scoop https://amzn.to/2A7O1vX

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/35M8ylO

• silpat/sheet pan/cooling rack set https://amzn.to/2AaQLJ3

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Ree's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Lace Cookies

makes about 50 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 16 tablespoons salted butter, softened

• 2 cups packed brown sugar (light or dark)

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 3 cups old fashioned oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.  

4. Add the vanilla and eggs; mix until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl if needed.  

5. Add reserved dry ingredients and mix well.

6. Use a #50 scoop to portion 8 dollops of cookie dough onto a silicone lined sheet pan.  

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until flat brown around the edges.  

8. Cool cookies on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  

9. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax or parchment paper.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman