Save a Ham Bone, Feed a Cowboy Soup Recipe leaves no doubt that it delivers a hearty bowl that will satisfy your hunger. I love cooking soups from items on hand. It is a great way to feed your creativity, use leftovers, maximize time for your passions. Serving soup in the evening is an easy meal to reheat after a long day at work or play.

Spring and Summer call out for easy meals to serve late afternoon after work.  Meals that will allow you to put in 9 holes at the golf range or paddle board in the lake or bay while watching for the sun to set gently down. If your busy you should  want to squeeze every ounce out of those daylight saving hours that magically appear. Use it or lose it.

How to use your leftover Ham Bone and Ham scraps

To save time and money is important to everyone. Save a Ham Bone, Feed a Cowboy Soup Recipe makes great use of the left over ham bone. Remember, waste not want not.  Check out this category for other ways to re-purpose leftovers.

Always, make the ham stock and use right away or freeze for later use. Depending on how busy my schedule is will typically determine when I use. Using the freezer gives you options for how and when to process. Save any extra stock to use for other recipes.

Remember, a stock rendered from a ham bone and scraps could be used in variety of recipes for soups or cooking any variety of beans. Homemade stocks breathe soul into your cooking in a way that store-bought stocks do not. Of course it is more steps and time but it makes your food have more hidden layers of flavor. Ham and potato flavors marry together well in any dish.

Of course, adding two types of potatoes white and sweet give a creamy base for the soup. Homemade stock and  dried porcini mushrooms elevate this soup to another level.  Porcini mushrooms offer health benefits that are worth looking into further. Grill Man loved the flavors in this simple soup. I think it is worthy of your next dinner party. Please let me know what you think.

Finally, shout out to Alexa for Ronnie Wood and Bo Diddley, I’m A Man recorded Live At The Ritz  New York City in 1988. This recording will get your cowboy boots moving in one direction or another.

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Ideally, timing for 20 house guests would ordinarily be spread out over a long time. The timing of life and other events created changes in plans which drove the dates. Having said that, Grill-Man and I had a lovely time hosting all of our friends and family. Celebratory from beginning to end and loved it all.

Week 1 We are all here. Really, all of us!

My first week consisted of  parents, siblings, spouses and children. This was the first time that all of us were together for over a decade. Wow! Home and hearth filled from top to bottom, every bed had a head or two. It was lovely to have everyone together to meet Super-baby. My siblings and I agree that Super-baby will have anyone wrapped around his little fingers.

In addition to admiring Super-baby, the Arts & Crafts Fair was in full force and made a great diversion for an afternoon.  Where else may you shop for art, exercise and pursue a street of food truck items all in one place? I believe that the man cave had more than one  battle of pool. Sharing meals, wine and cocktails over family stories and billiard games was a hit with our group.

Week 2 Started taking vitamins daily due to weary soul

This theme wove throughout the fabric of my second week of guests. Cousins and Uncle hailed  from three parts of Louisiana.  My Uncle and Grill-Man managed a game of golf, of course. We shopped while the boys chased the little white ball around. I am sure that we had more fun!

Later the men-folk hung out in the man cave, played albums, battled with billiards and solved the problems of the world. Well, maybe just their world’s. Occasionally, we would see them when it was time to refill their water bottles or needed a snack.  OK, it wasn’t water. My brother was able to join us for lunch and card games. In addition to games, we played music and tried to see who best “who could stump Alexa”.  Quality time with my brother and Louisiana crew,sadly short but sweet visit.

Week 3 It’s time for Weary Souls Chicken Soup

Our third week consisted of friends from Houston. UK and Little Italy’s son married a Southern Mobile-Belle. Their visit breezed in before and after the wedding. It was high-time’s for all filled with Bridal Luncheons, Wedding, Reception and After Wedding Party at the Battle House Penthouse. It was a grand event filled with love and cocktails. Including their visit after the wedding-ness was complete, it was a relaxed visit catching up with our close friends.

In addition, we also hosted another couple  from Houston, Ringer and Shore-Girl. We have grown fond of these two while visiting UK and Little Italy. Ringer and Shore-Girl only stayed overnight but we  managed to pack it all in. We shared a lovely meal complete with wine on the porch near the fire pit. Aaaahhhhhhh!

Ringer and Grill Man managed an early morning game of golf on Saturday before the wedding. After coffee and breakfast on the porch, I introduced Shore-Girl to shopping in our lovely city by the bay. Somehow after shopping, we managed to crunch in a visit with my favorite artist, Weezie Bancroft Brabner in her studio. A visit with Weezie in her studio is always entertaining. Book an appointment, you won’t regret it.

After lunch with the boys and our celebratory cocktail, we were in need of a nap before the wedding. No rest for the weary. Bath, cocktails and heels were the order of things. My Babe managed to join us for the wedding. She slid in just in time to attend all the festivities and share in the wedding of her childhood friend.

We all arrived in style for the joining of two families on a perfectly beautiful day. From coffee on the porch, to wedding, to reception, to dancing and celebrating with friends until the wee hours. Jammed packed with everything that we love.

On Sunday, Grill-Man hid away quietly, secretly napping. My girl and I laid around on our favorite couch and watched movies. At some point, she convinced me that a trip to Mr Gene’s Beans for ice cream was on our list. Really, it wasn’t on my list. My list consisted of me laying quietly on the couch. I was perfectly happy there.

Ironically, as I stood in line with my young adult child I smiled that we were here again as we had been many times before when she was little. We ordered ice cream and walked to the benches on the Bluff overlooking Mobile Bay and sat for a spell. On the way back from the bluff we reflected on the weekend and our highlights. We  squeezed in a stop and shop at our favorite book store, Page and Palette. It was a good day.

Grill-Man, Babe and I were weary but we would not have missed anything for the world. In addition, it had been a very busy three weeks but in the best way. My girl managed to visit twice from New Orleans during this time and share in the festivities along with us. I was a happy girl. I just needed Weary Souls Chicken Soup.

In summary, I was happy until I realized I had to return to work. The real world started again on Monday filled with work,  laundry and everything else that I had allowed to pile up. A hot bowl of chicken soup was what sounded good to me.

Y’all come back, now!

Alexa, Shout out to J Geils Band for Come Back.

Sadly Jay Geils died this week, he was a favorite of mine and will be missed by many.

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