Recipe: Layered dried bean soup mix in a jar

Several years ago, one side of my family decided that the adults would only exchange homemade gifts during the holidays. It was a welcome decision for my pocketbook. The problem is, I'm not very crafty.

After much trial and error, however, I finally found something I could do: Fill up jars with food and give them as gifts. With the help of my older daughter, we've given everything from soup to spice mixes to cookie mixes in a jar.

1/2 cup split green peas

Layer each type of bean in a 24 ounce clear gift jar. (That's my daughter's favorite part).

4 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine these ingredients and store in a resealable plastic bag. Attach to the jar, along with the recipe for seasoned bean soup, which is below.

These are the instructions to attach to the jar:

1 teaspoon liquid smoke (This is optional. I skip it).

Rinse beans and place in large Dutch oven or stock pot. Pour 4 cups boiling water over beans; cover and let soak overnight.

Drain beans and return to stock pot. Add 6 cups water or chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1/2 hours or until beans are almost tender.

Add tomatoes and seasoning mix. Stirring occasionally, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover beans and continue to simmer about 1 hour longer or until beans are tender and soup thickens. Serve warm.

You'll get about 10 cups of soup.