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Today I decided to bake a nice loaf of herbed bread and a delicious pot of vegetable soup, served with home made sweet tea.

Vegetable Soup

3lb Potatos (quartered)
1qt Low Sodium V8
3 Stalks Celery (rough cut)
1med Onion (rough cut)
1C Brown Lentils
3C Hot Water
4Tbs Hoisin
2Tbs Dehydrated Minced Onion

Add everything to a slow cooker and cook for a few hours until the potatos and lentils are softened. Add more water if needed to keep the solids covered with water.

Serve with herbed bread, fresh butter, and sweet tea 🙂

Herbed Bread

1pkt Quick Rise Yeast
1C Milk
12oz AP Flour
2Tbs Dried Herbs (your choice)
1Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Egg

Heat the cup of milk to around 115°F (do not exceed this temperature).

In two bowls divide the milk evenly. In one of the bowls with milk cream the yeast, in the other bowl add salt, sugar, herbs, and egg. When the yeast starts to foam in the milk add it to the bowl with the egg/milk mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to half of the AP flour and blend until smooth. Add remainder of flour, along with oil, mix till smooth.

Grease a 1lb loaf pan liberally and add the dough, brush the top of the loaf with water and sprinkle with dehydrated herbs of your choice (italian herbs mix is incredibly good). Cover with a wet tea towel or plastic wrap, and allow to sit in a warm place (I often will turn the oven broiler on and sit the pan on top the stove to warm up). Once dough has risen to the top or nearly to the top of the loaf pan you are ready to proceed (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). Place a pan in the bottom of the oven and fill with boiling water. Then add your loaf pan in the oven above the pan of water. Bake the bread around 30 minutes at 400°F or until the loaf has a hollow sound when tapped.

Sweet Tea (à La Paula Deen)

4 Family Sized Tea Bags (Preferably Luzianne)
2C Sugar
3C Boiling Water
1Qt Boiling Water
1 Lemon

In a heat proof pitcher add 2C sugar, and the 3C Boiling Water, stir till the sugar is dissolved.

In a stainless pot add 1qt Boiling Water to the 4 Family Size Tea Bags and allow to steep for around 15 minutes (if you over steep the tea it will be bitter or weedy flavoured).

Remove the tea bags and then add the tea to the sugar solution (simple syrup), and stir.

Serve over ice with wedges of lemon, refrigerate promptly.