“I used Rancho Gordo Borlotti beans for this recipe, but you could use other beans from the cranberry family if they are more readily available. The thing I love about Rancho Gordo beans is that they are fresh crop dried beans. Some of the dried beans you come into contact with in stores are from crops five or more years ago. Steve’s beans are typically less than a year old and they plump up beautifully.”

“I found petite dried ceci beans at a local Italian shop to use in this soup, but standard-sized beans work beautifully as well. I used a bit of vegetable bouillon to create a quick broth – the Rapunzel brand (regular with herbs) is a favorite. Soak your beans overnight or at the very least for a few hours before cooking the soup – in a pinch you could conceivably get away with using canned beans.”

Not tried yet, doesn’t use cream of mushroom soup!

“We vinegar fans love this sweet-and-sour coleslaw recipe – it uses vinegar, not mayonnaise, to bind it.

“We vinegar fans love this sweet-and-sour coleslaw recipe – it uses vinegar, not mayonnaise, to bind it.