With winter upon us, its nice to fill our bellies with warm, hearty foods. Here are two recipes from the Gooseberry Patch: Recipes for Comfort cookbook that will taste great on a cold winter's night!

Winter Bean Soup
pg. 107

1/2 lb. dried great northern beans
1/2 lb. dried red kidney beans
1/2 lb. dried pinto beans
2 T. butter
1 c. celery, chopped
1 onion diced
1-1/2 lb. ham hock
1 bay leaf
1 t. peppercorns
7 c. water
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
salt to taste

Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside. In a 4-quart soup kettle, melt butter and saute celery and onion for 5 minutes. Add ham hock, bay leaf, peppercorns, beans and water; cover and simmer for one hour. Add sausage, cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Remove ham hock and bay leaf. Salt to taste. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken and Dumplings
pg. 64

2 to 3-lb. chicken
4 c. water
6 cubes chicken bouillon
2 T. margarine
1-1/4 t. salt, divided
1-1/4 t. pepper, divided
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. dried, chopped chives, divided
1/2 to 1 c. chicken broth

Thoroughly rinse chicken and place in a dutch oven. Add water, bouillon cubes, margarine, one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer. Add celery and carrots; continue to cook for one hour or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth and bone; set aside. Continue simmering broth. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon chives, remaining salt and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth to form dough. Knead dough for 5 minutes, then pour the dough mixture onto a floured cutting board. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into squares. Add remaining chives to simmering broth; add dumplings one at a time until all dumplings are in the dutch oven. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes then add chicken; continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

If you liked these recipes, you can find them and more at The Granary farm or at The Granary in the Findlay Village mall.