Editor's note: This is a rerun of a Dash of Grace that previously ran in Sauk Valley Media publications on Jan. 20, 2010.

I know we already have had a column about soup this winter, but I just can’t help it when the weather is freezing cold and the snow is flying. I get the urge to make soup. And there is nothing better than a simmering pot of soup on the stove when the family comes home cold and hungry.

There are so many recipes for soup, and so many soups and stews that don’t even have a written recipe. You just get out the old soup pot and start putting things into it. You can start with a hambone and add some beans and onions; you can start with a chicken and add noodles or dumplings; or you can start with beef and make a stew that will grab you when you walk in the door and smell it.