A Winter's Soup

The recipes I've shared in the past have, for the most part, been slightly modified knock-offs of the creations of more brilliant chefs than I.  But for the first time, I actually concocted my own recipe... choosing the ingredients, keeping track of amounts, and typing it out.  Though in reality it's a simple bean soup, which tends to sound boring and Great Depression, it was easy and delicious!

A Winter's Soup
1/2 cup dried pinto beans

1/2 cup dried kidney beans
1/2 cup dried Great Northern beans
1/2 cup millet
1/2 cup barley
4 cups water (enough to cover the above ingredients)
4 cups chicken broth (diced beef would work, too)
1 32-oz jar home canned tomatoes, drained (or store-bought)
Cooked leftover chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Around 9:00 in the morning, put the first six ingredients into the crock pot and set on high.   About an hour or so later, check the beans and see if they’re softening.  If they are, throw in everything else but the chicken and switch to low.  Check occasionally and add water as needed to reach desired consistency.  About an hour before dinner, add in the leftover chicken to heat through (you could also throw in some sliced carrots, celery, and potatoes).  Serve with bread and salad.  Makes about 6 servings.  Or you could double it and freeze some.

Alternately, I imagine you could put everything but the chicken (and optional veggies) in the crock pot and just set it on low from the onset.  I was concerned the beans wouldn’t soften enough, though, so I set it on high initially as mentioned above.