""Vegtable & Bean Medley"" Robust in flavor, this soup is designed for the creative person.Make up your own! Choose from a variety of dry beans to make this soup-for-a-crowd truly yours. 2 cups dry beans -- use 2 - 4 different types. Choose from: pinto,black or turtle small red navy red or brown lentils,lima,flagolette black eyed peas calico. 12 cups water 4 vegetable or beef bouillon cubes 2 - 14 ounce cans Italian stewed tomatoes 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup celery, chopped 3/4 cup peeled and chopped carrots 1 cup potato, peeled and chopped 1/3 cup minced parsley Choose your variety of beans. Place them in a large soup pot with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let rest one hour. Return to medium heat and cook until tender [about 45 minutes]. Drain well. Return cooked beans to soup pan. Add remaining ingredients. Continue to cook on medium low heat for at least one hour. The soup will be best if it is allowed to simmer for another hour or two.The longer the better!! Serves 8 - 10.

""Homemade Potato Soup"" Ingredients 6 Potatoes -- pared, cut in -bite size pieces 2 Leeks -- washed, pared, cut in -bite size pieces 2 Onions -- chopped 1 Carrot -- pared, sliced 1 Stalk celery -- sliced 4 Chicken bouillon cubes 1 tb Parsley flakes 4 c Water 1 1/2 ts Salt Pepper 2 tb Butter 13 oz Evaporated milk (1 can) Chopped chives Put all ingredients except milk and chives in crockpot. Cook on low 10-12 hours or high 3-4. Stir in milk in last hour. Serve topped with chives.

""SEAFOOD CHOWDER"" Serving Size : 6 Ingredients 2 tb Butter or margarine 1/2 ea Onion,large,diced 1 ea Celery rib, diced 1 lb Sealegs, chopped 1 c Potatoes, cooked,diced 1 ea Tomato, large, diced 2 tb Flour 3 c Milk 1 c Water Salt & pepper to taste Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until clear, add celery and cook gently for about 5 mins. Add flour, milk and water, stirring well to avoid lumps. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste. Heat until heated through, but do not boil. Serve with baking powder biscuits. Sealegs are a blend of pollock and crab meat.

""Pasta and Kidney Bean Soup"" Yield: 4 servings 1/2 c Chopped red onion 1 cn Whole tomatoes, undrained; 1 4 c Chicken broth 1 c Rosamarina (orzo) pasta; unc 1 tb Fresh oregano; chopped or 1/2 ts Dried oregano 1/8 ts Crushed red pepper 1 Garlic clove; crushed 1 cn Red kidney beans; rinsed/drained - 15 to 16 oz. 2 tb Parmesan cheese Fresh parsley; chopped Spray 3-quart nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Cook onion in saucepan over medium heat. about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in and break up tomatoes. Stir in broth, rosamarina, oregano, red pepper and garlic. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rosamarina is tender. Stir in beans. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes or until beans are hot. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 275 calories, 4 grams.

""Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup"" Makes: 10 servings. Ingredients: 6 c. Water 16 oz. Can low sodium chicken broth 5 lbs. Cut up chicken with bones (about 5 lbs) SKINNED 1/3 c. Chopped onion 1 bay leaf 16 oz. Can tomatoes cut up or 2 big fresh tomatoes cut up (I use one fresh tomato and 1/4 c. Hot salsa) 2 small zucchini chopped 16 oz. Bag frozen corn or mixed vegetables 1 c. Cut up mushrooms 1 1/2 c. Uncooked noodles Instructions: In a large kettle combine water, chicken, onion, and bay leaf and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover, simmer about 1/2 hour. Remove chicken. Skim off fat, add broth. When chicken is cool, cut meat off bones and cube. Discard bones. Remove bay leaf from broth. Add tomatoes (undrained), corn, zucchini and mushrooms to broth. Bring to boil, stir in noodles, add chicken and reduce heat. Cover. Simmer until noodles are tender and mixture is cooked through. Season with pepper.

""French Onion Soup"" (Crock Pot) Serving Size : 6 Ingredients 4 Large Yellow onions -- thinly sliced 1/4 Cup Butter 3 Cups Rich beef stock 1 Cup Dry white wine 1/4 Cup Medium dry sherry 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 Clove Garlic -- minced 6 Slices French bread -- buttered 1/4 Cup Romano or Parmesan cheese Using a large frying pan, slowly saute the onions in butter until limp and glazed. Transfer to crock pot. Add beef stock, white wine, sherry, Worcestershire and garlic. Cover. Cook on low (200F) 6 to 8 hours. Place french bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese. Place under preheated broiler until lightly toasted. To serve, ladle soup into bowl. Float a slice of toasted french bread on top.

""Onion Soup"" Yield: 4 servings 6 ea Onion, large sliced 6 tb Butter 6 c Beef stock 1 tb Flour 4 ea French bread, 3/4" slices 1 c Cheddar cheese, grated Spread French bread with 1/3 of butter; Toast till brown and set aside. In soup pot melt remaining butter. Add onions and saute' until tender. Add stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add flour and mix until smooth. Simmer 15 minutes. Pour in separate serving bowls and place toasted bread on top. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and broil until light brown.

 Share a little kindness today!!                                             ""Friendship Soup Mix in a Jar"" Ingredients          1/2 Cup           Dry Split Peas          1/3 Cup           Beef Bouillon -- low sodium     1/4 Cup           Pearl Barley          1/2 Cup           Dry Lentils     1/4 Cup           Dried Minced Onion      2     Teaspoons     Italian Seasoning          1/2 Cup           Uncooked Long Grain Rice -- brown     1/2 Cup           Alphabet Macaroni                                                Additional Ingredients:   1     Pound         Lean Ground Beef   3     Quarts       Water      1     Can           Diced Tomatoes -- (28 Ounces)Undrained In a l-1/2-pint or 1 quart jar, layer the first eight ingredients in the order listed. Seal tightly. (If ingredients do not come right up to the top of the jar, you can place a crumpled piece of plastic wrap on top of the last layer to keep layers from shifting.) Yield: 1 batch. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to use. To give as a gift, decorate jar as desired and attach the following directions: To prepare soup, carefully remove macaroni from top of jar and set aside. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef and drain. Add water, tomatoes and soup mix, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add the reserved macaroni and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until macaroni, peas, lentils and barley are tender. One 1-cup serving contains: 165 calories, 106 mg sodium, 19 mg cholesterol, 21 gm carbohydrate, 12 gm protein, 4 gm fat 1-1/2 starches, 1 meat.

""Split Pea Soup"" Ingredients 8 cup Water 2 cup Green Split Peas 1 Rib Celery -- coarsely chopped 1 large Carrot -- chopped 1 small Onion -- chopped 1/4 tsp Thyme Dash Red Pepper 1 Bay Leaf Salt Pepper Combine water, peas, celery, carrot, onion, thyme, red pepper, and bay leaf in large kettle. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Boil vigorously 20 minutes, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until split peas are tender. Press soup through fine sieve and reheat just to boiling point.

""COOL CUCUMBER SOUP"" Yield: 4 Servings 2 lg Cucumbers 1/4 c Walnuts 1 Fennel or celery stalk 3 c Plain yogurt 1 tb Olive oil GARNISH Dill or parsley, chopped Peel cucumbers. Blend in food processor with other ingredients except the oil. Add oil drop by drop while blending. Chill for 2 hours. Garnish with dill or parsley.

""CHEESE SOUP"" 1 c. finely diced carrots 1/2 c. finely diced onions 1 c. finely diced celery 3 qts. water 12 chicken bullion cubes 1 lg. jar cheese whiz Cook vegetables until tender in water and bullion. Add cheese to mixture and let melt. Turn to low and add a paste made of 1 1/2 c. flour and 3 cubes melted margarine. Simmer on low 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Can add broccoli or other vegetable. Breadsticks: 3½-4 cups flour 1 Tbsp. dry QUICKRISE yeast (1½ packages) 2 Tbsp. sugar ½ tsp. salt (increase to make dough saltier) 1½ cups warm water Mix dry ingredients. Add water. Knead 3 minutes. Rest 10 minutes. Grease cookie pan and spread dough in pan. Spread: ¼ cup soft margarine ¼ cup parmesan cheese ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ tsp. parsley flakes ¼ tsp. garlic powder (can be increased for additional flavor) Blend together. Spread on dough. Cut into sticks. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 40 breadsticks. This level of garlic powder is really mild, so we usually at least double it.

""Creamed Cabbage Soup"" 2 cans (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 med. head cabbage shredded (3 lbs.) 1 med. onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1/4 c. butter or margarine 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 c. light cream 1 c. milk 2 c. cubed fully cooked ham 1/2 tsp. dried thyme Chopped fresh parsley In large soup kettle or Dutch oven, combine broth, celery, cabbage, onion and carrot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes   or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir to form a smooth paste. Combine cream and milk; gradually add to flour mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened; continue cooking 1 minute longer. Gradually stir into vegetable mixture. Add ham and thyme and heat through. Garnish with parsley.

""Potato Soup"" 1-1/2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds potatoes,    peeled and sliced thick-thin* 2 to 2-1/2 cups water 2 cups milk Extra butter and freshly ground pepper   1) In a 3-quart pot, stew the onion in butter until soft. Don't brown it, just let it soften while you peel and slice the potatoes. 2) Add the salt, potatoes, and water to barely cover the potatoes. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are just about done, 15 or 20 minutes. 3) Stir in the milk and simmer until the potatoes are really tender, another 15 minutes or so. (Don't' worry about breaking the potatoes as you stir. In fact you want them to break so the thin part and dissolves and thickens the soup.) 4) Season with salt and ladle into bowls. Slip a pat of putter in each bowl, grind lots of pepper on top and serve. Notes: *Thick-thin sliced potatoes: It means to slice the potatoes so each slice comes out thin at one end and thick at the other. Actually, it's the way sliced potatoes come out unless you are trying to cut them evenly. The logic behind this is that the thin part of the potato will overcook, dissolve, and thicken the soup, leaving the thick part with some bite.

""Honey Dew And White Wine Soup"" 8 cups diced, chilled honeydew melon (about 1 large melon) 1 cup fruity white wine 3 tablespoons lime juice 3 teaspoons honey, or to taste 1/2 cup fresh raspberries DIRECTIONS: Place honeydew, wine, lime juice and honey in blender. Puree until frothy. Refrigerate soup until it is well chilled, about 1 hour. (It may be refrigerated up to 6 hours until ready to serve.) Stir soup to redistribute any remaining foam. Ladle into 4 soup bowls. Scatter a few berries on top of each bowl. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

""Zucchini Soup"" 2 tsp cooking oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 4 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped 4 tsp chicken flavored bouillon granules 1 tbsp lemon juice 3 cups water 2 tsp dill 1/2 cup sour cream In large saucepan heat oil over medium-low heat. Saute onion and garlic about 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in zucchini, chicken bouillon granules, lemon juice and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Puree mixture in food processor or blender. Pour into serving dish and quickly whisk in dill and sour cream. Serve.

***Avocado Potato Salad*** 2 lb New potatoes; scrubbed 1/4 c Olive oil 1 1/2 tb Red wine vinegar Salt 1/2 c Sour cream 1/2 c Plain yogurt 2 tb Prepared horseradish 1/4 c Fresh dill sprigs loosely packed, thick stems removed 3 Celery ribs; strings removed cut in 1/4" crescents, about 1 cup 2 md Avocados* or 1 lg. avocado 1 tb Lime juice; freshly squeezed Freshly ground black pepper *Choose avocados that are firm, with just a slight give. If the avocado is soft enough to hold an indentation, it's overripe and won't have the rich nutty flavor that you want for this salad. Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a vegetable steamer. Cut potatoes in half; place them in the steamer basket. Cover and steam until they are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the heat and allow them to cool slightly. While potatoes are cooking, whisk oil and vinegar together in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt; set aside. When potatoes are cool enough to handle without burning your fingers, cut them in 1" cubes. Toss them in the oil and vinegar so they are coated well, and set them aside to cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, yogurt and horseradish. Mince the dill and add it to the sour cream mixture, stirring well. When potatoes have cooled to room temperature, add celery and toss to combine. Then add the sour cream mixture; toss again. Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Cut them into 1" cubes; place in a small bowl with the lime juice. Toss so the cubes are moistened with the juice. Then add the avocados, with all of the lime juice, to the potatoes; toss gently until they are well distributed and coated with the dressing. Add pepper and additional salt to taste, and either serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes and then serve.