I hope there's bacon in Heaven.

... I guess it wouldn't really be Heaven without it. I think that if we're extra good, we can have not only bacon, but something made with bacon, onion, and garlic.
Our house smelled like heaven the other day when Kristen made some Black Bean Soup, and when I ate it, it was like each bite was full of a thousand little angels that hugged my taste buds.

Kristen let me help a little bit, but she's the pro, so I just did what she said. I stirred, and...sampled, and ...sampled some more(She said to stir. I did the other part all on my own). I can't help it. That's a point I'd like to make. Anytime you're making something, especially with bacon, make sure you measure a little extra for yourself and the person helping. They'll love you for it. I sure love my wife for it.
So after you cook the bacon a little, until everything starts getting greasy and delicious, then you throw in the onion until that gets greasy and delicious, too, or until they start getting "translucent". Then you throw in the garlic. Yum.

Let it all sit for about a minute, then pour in the chicken broth.
-Let me tell you something, chicken broth is some good stuff, clinically proven to be good for you. Recommended by Dr. Mom, probably. Anyway, I wondered if the beautiful bacon, onion, garlic blend could get better. It can, and this isn't even where it stops. After you add the broth, you put in the other stuff; tomatoes, ketchup(which probably isn't necessary, but doesn't ruin it, so whatever), Worcestershire sauce(war-chester-sure, wor-shire, worse-tur-shiyr?? Who knows?), and chili powder. Then you stir in the black beans and bring it to a boil, well, you turn up the heat and let the stove bring it to a boil, but it's all the same. Let it simmer for about ten minutes, then let it simmer some more. This is when you almost can't stand it anymore, if it wouldn't mess up your face, you'd stick it right in the pot.
I'll confess, we've never used the cilantro. I don't know why, we both love it. I recommend it, and we'll try it next time. You put in the cilantro after it's been simmering a while, just taunting you. When the soup has thickened, you put in the lime juice, and woohoo!! It's time to eat!


...but wait, there's more! If you want. You can go right ahead and eat it like that and I won't blame you. I'll even support your decision, but if you want to serve it in a bread bowl, I'll not only support you, but I'll encourage it. This soup is good with rolls anyway, so even if you don't make bowls out of it, you can make some delicious rolls.

This is where I really got to help. While Kristen was making her masterpiece, I was mixing bread ingredients, constantly asking her if I had enough of this, or if I did that right. Well, it kind of turned out, so I'm happy. So this is what I did:

There I was, standing in the kitchen, and I grabbed a bowl. It was a medium sized bowl, made of glass. I said, "Kristen, will this work?" She turned toward me, and with a voice of certainty said, "Sure." She always has the answers. I measured out 2 1/2 cups of WARM(not hot, not cold, and certainly not lukewarm) water. Believe me, warm is the way to go. You put the yeast in, then the sugar. It gets kind of gooey pretty quick, and that's when you put in the salt and oil and mix it just a little. If you've never done this, I recommend you stop here for a second and scoop up some of the mixture. The oil is separated from the rest of the gooeyness and looks pretty cool. Do what you want, but someday, someone may ask if you've done that, and if you haven't, you have two choices: tell the truth, and be laughed at and ridiculed, or lie, and go to you-know-where, and never get bacon or black bean soup again.
Mix in the flour and knead for ten minutes, then let it rise until it doubles in size. Then, you can let out all your frustration and punch it down. Yeah!

You can turn it into rolls, bread, bread bowls, braids, a Mickey Mouse head, the Death Star(either partially constructed or in the middle of being blown up. You choose), or anything else.
If you make it into bread bowls, you cut of the top and dig out the insides after it's done. I like to run my thumb or fingers around the inside and kind of pack it down. I think it might help hold the soup better, but I haven't proven it yet.
It's just 100% deliciousness. We hope you enjoy it.

Special thanks to the Holloman family for originally sharing this soup with Kristen, you made my life better.
-N


Black Bean Soup

Serves: 8-10
Cook time: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS
-10 slices bacon, finely chopped
-2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
-6 garlic cloves or 3 tsp. minced garlic
-1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
-1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
-2 Tablespoons ketchup
-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 Tablespoon chili powder
-4 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 bunch cilantro (I've never used this in the soup, but I bet it'd be good :))
-juice of 1/2 a lime
-Scallions, sour cream, and shredded cheese for garnish if desired

DIRECTIONS
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, pick off the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake it dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 min. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with garnishes.


No Fail French Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 T. yeast
5 T. oil
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 T salt
2 T sugar
6 cups white flour

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together and knead for 10 minutes. Let rise until double in bowl. Punch down. Divide and form into 2 french loaves or 3 regular bread pan loaves. Gash top of loaves three times with a serrated knife. You can also brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let rise until double- 30 min or so. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees F. (Shorter for a soft crust, longer for a thick and chewy crust). You can also put balls of the dough on a cookie sheet to make "bread bowls." (I bake my bread bowls about 16 minutes instead of the full 20-30).