" Not Your Average" Ham & Bean Soup! - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 meaty ham bone
1 -2 cup ham, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 -3 carrots, sliced
2 -3 celery ribs, sliced
2 -3 tablespoons ham soup base
8 -10 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can navy beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can jalapeno beans, undrained
1 (10 ounce) can rotel extra hot tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Preparation

Place ham bone, onion, celery, carrots and water in a large stock pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, skimming foam occasionally.
When meat is starting to separate from the bone, remove bone and allow to cool.
Add bouillon, I used Ham Flavored Better Than Bouillon, garlic salt and pepper.
Add beans, whatever kind you like, tomatoes and continue to simmer.
Remove ham from bone and return ham to soup mixture along with cubed ham.
At this point I recommend you taste test the soup for seasonings, but be careful, it doesn't bite your tongue, it grabs your throat!
I served this with corn bread and fresh fried potatoes with bacon & onion. It gets better after a day or two in the refrigerator.