Recipe: Bacon Muffins and Black Bean Soup

I made these recipes on Sunday and got a lot of requests to post them here. They come from my two favorite cookbooks, BH&G 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes and Muffins by Francesca DiPaolo. This makes a great meal, and both recipes make enough servings to last a while, though the muffins last longer than the soup.

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Bacon Muffins

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, blend well:

• 4 large eggs


• 2 cups sour cream


• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Add:

• 1 pound lean bacon (cooked, drained, and crumbled)


• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives (I used small green onions from my garden)

In a large bowl, sift together:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 tablespoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper (optional)

Combine the two mixtures just enough to blend. Spoon the batter into a prepared pan (makes either 10 really large muffins or 24 regular-sized muffins). Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Black Bean and Kielbasa Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 19 oz cans ready-to-serve black bean soup


• 1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained


• 1 pound cooked, smoked Polish sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices


• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

In a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 quart slow cooker, stir together the soup, undrained tomatoes, sausage and corn.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat for 3 to 4 hours.

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My recommendation, start the soup early in the morning, then bake the muffins later in the afternoon. Serve for an early dinner. If you like to watch football on the weekends, this makes a nice easy meal to enjoy during the game. I can't stand football, but I do like lazy afternoons, so I have Hubster and the kids watch the game while I collapse on the couch with my muffin and soup and a good book or craft project. Enjoy!