lima-bean soup

When I was first married, my mother-in-love invited me over for lunch.  She made this very simple dish that was SO very yummy.

First, her simple recipe. Then, a hearty, family-filling modification.

Slice and cook 1cup polish sausage {aka. kielbasa}. Add 2cups frozen lima beans and enough water to cook {1/2-3/4 cup}. Simmer until lima beans are fork tender. Sprinkle with parsley; add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cornbread. YUM.  

My modifications:
{sorry some of the pictures are kinda blurry.... I was in a hurry to get photos while I was cooking}

saute 1/2 onion and sausage...  {about 1 1/2 cups, chopped}

the amount of ingredients will be determined by your final serving size. I'll tell you how much I use to feed my family of 2 adults and 4 small children-one is 1. :)

3 cups frozen lima beans

1 TBSP chicken base/ 1 bullion cube/ or just use chicken broth instead of water

I do not always have broth on hand in the summer. I do not cook whole chickens or make stock when it is so very hot outside! But I'll be doing it several times through the winter! We have some kind of soup several times a week.

1 TBSP dried oregano

good shake of steak seasoning

or you can add some salt and pepper, garlic powder and paprika

4 cups water {or broth as stated before}

1 cup cooked rice {or about 2 tbsp dry rice}

keep on med-low for about 2 hours

or you can stick it in the slow-cooker on low and leave the house!

such a pleasant aroma for my hubby to come home to!

If your family are not "rice" people, add some cubed potatoes-just make sure the pieces are small enough to cook through at a low temperature.

Serve with fresh rolls, cornbread or just saltine crackers! We've done all three, and my children's favorite is the crackers. Hubby prefers cornbread, so we'll be having cornbread tonight!