4 Bean Cherokee Soup & Honey Cornbread

Summer is not quite at an end but still I have been noticing leaves turning and falling as if it were already Fall. My kids have already started to pile up leaves to play in and although I’m looking forward to my favorite season it seems a bit premature. This summer has been a confusing one to Mother Nature and we have had a rough time in our garden from such a dry atmosphere.

But last year we had a bountiful harvest and my most treasured picking was of my Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans. The vines are gorgeous and produce beautiful flowers. Not too long after that, I opened purple lace beans that inside were filled with itty bity beans. They are purple at first, but then as they dry become beautiful shiny black heirlooms.

They were beautiful and I was proud but I had no idea what I would do with them. The first time I cooked them they were a bit mushy. I was hoping it was my mistake and not how the beans were meant to turn out. After some research I learned that my Native American ancestors loved to make bean soups and breads with this bean.

This early onset of fall had me in the mood for soup so it was high time I tried to make up one with my Trail of Tears Beans. I will have to try them in a bread recipe later (yikes)  but I am so stoked I nailed the bean soup! It came out so good and is now about to become a fall tradition with our Harvest Praise Celebration coming up. And it went well with my homemade Honey Cornbread!

As always both recipes to print off is at the bottom of the page.

Start by sorting beans and cleaning them well. Mix all the beans together in a crock-pot and fill pot halfway with warm water (this speeds up cooking time without having to soak the beans before) after this gather up all the spices because they are all put into the pot all at once when beans are ready.

Let beans cook at the least 4 hours on the highest setting of your Crock-pot. Check beans after 4 hours and make sure the beans are no longer hard but softened. If they are still hard just add a half of cup of water then check again in an hour. They should break gently when pierced or bitten into. Add bacon onions and seasoning to the Crock-pot and let everything cook until bacon is fully cooked through.

Once everything is fully cooked turn off crock-pot to let the soup cool down and start on the cornbread.  I always do this so that we can eat right away when the cornbread is still warm.

My Excellent Little Helper 

Note 1 : This cornbread recipe is not my own recipe but it is the recipe I used at first before I created my own. To make this into honey cornbread just add a TBSP of honey to batter before pouring it into a pan. We always use our cast iron to bake our cornbread but feel free to use whatcha got! I hope you love it as much as we do.

Note 2: Some seasonings do not have any specifics to how much I used and that is because I believe you should season to your own desired taste. But the seasonings used are necessary to create the flavor of this recipe. Just use as much or little as you like. Feel free to add in whatever and make it your own!

I think this would go well with a sweet red wine which I will have to try when I am no longer breastfeeding. My kids loved it and so did we hope you do too…Happy Eating!

4 Bean Cherokee Soup

Honey Cornbread

Rotini Herb Mac and Cheese

My afternoons are always up in the air. They also come very fast. One minute I’m waking up and the next I’m standing in the  kitchen wondering what to cook the G Kids for lunch. Lunch time is my second favorite time to be creative in the kitchen. So this is another one of my very own recipes. My kiddos LOVE mac and cheese. But they also love to be surprised. This is a little spin on the classic. It’s different but gives those little taste buds a chance to get to know herbs. I did two different pasta because my kids are artists at heart so they get intrigued by different shapes and textures in their food. I hope your kiddos like it. My husband (the biggest kid of us all) ending up sneaking off with a bowl for himself. So I guess this is going to be a new added side on our table. Enjoy!

ingredients:

3 inch slices of Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese 8oz

1/2 cup or more Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup of milk

1/2 frozen peas

1 cup of Rotini Pasta

1 1/4 of a cup of Elbow Macaroni

1 tsp of Italian seasoning

1 tsp of Parsley

Seasoning salt to taste

 

1.Start off by cubing the Colby and Monterey Jack cheese. Add cheese in a bowl and let sit on counter as you cook the pasta. The cheese melts and blends better when it is not so cold.

2.Cook pasta until tender. Drain and put pasta back into the pot and on the stove.

3.Add milk, herbs and seasoning salt. Stir well on low for 3 minutes.

4.Transfer pasta to a small casserole baking dish. Add frozen peas and cheese to mixture. And if you want more seasoning salt. Stir until well combined and cook in oven until cheese cubes melt. Remove from oven and stir in the remaining shredded cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Ta da!! Easy Peasy. We paired this with halved sautéed hot dogs and I sprinkled  creole seasoning on them. They loved both. I hope your kiddos or you like it as much as we did 😉

Here’s the printable:

Rotini Herb Mac and Cheese