Wishing For Pine Needles

For the Love of a Ham Bone: Split Pea Soup

Linking up with The Willing Cook on January 25, 2012...come and visit!

My very favorite leftover from Christmas is without a doubt the delicious delicacy otherwise known as the ham bone.  Each year without fail, my mom bags it up for me and asks, "You need this for your split pea soup, don't you?"

Yes mom, I sure do!

There are quite simply few things in life better than the January batch of split pea and ham soup.  Now if only I had more ham bones lying around!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

2 1/4 (1 lb.) cups dried split peas
2 quarts cold water
1 1/2 pounds ham bone
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch dried marjoram
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 potatos, diced

In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water.  (I don't soak my peas first!)  Add ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram. Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bone; cut off meat, dice and return meat to soup. Add celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

 

 

Flour Sack Monday: Weekend Meal Planning - Morning Cooking!

Weekend meal planning is the hardest for me.  Full Saturdays, spent either working or playing, usually mean dinner hours that come so quickly that I have barely given them a second thought.  And this often means scrambling to find leftovers, order pizza, or even serve the occasional bowl of cereal or Nutella sandwich.  Ahem.

One way I have battled my trend of "reactive" weekend dinners on the fly is to prepare them right after breakfast before any other part of our day begins.

If dinner is made in the morning, I feel a true sense of weekend freedom.  We can leave for an entire Saturday outing knowing we will come home to a warm, home-cooked meal that is all ready!  This little act of preparedness pushes time constraints out the window all while eliminating the temptation to order out and spend unnecessary money just because "there's nothing to eat."

This is also true for Saturdays spent at home cleaning, working on a project or just hanging out in the yard.  Knowing I won't have to stop what I'm doing to make dinner is well worth a little extra morning kitchen time.

Likewise, making dinner before church on Sunday gives us a hot mid-day meal when we return home and opens up the day to rest, work on hobbies, attend the evening service and enjoy uninterrupted time spent together.

Soups, chili, bread machines and crock-pot recipes work fabulous for this, by the way!

(In summary, it's much more fun to be off doing this.....

....knowing we have this to come home to!)

What kind of weekend meal planning tips do you have?

Happy Monday to You!

Summer Cooking: Homemade Salsa

Joining up again today with Ellen and her Summer Cooking series!

I tried something this week that made my husband very happy......

Homemade Salsa.

The recipe, which was given to me by a co-worker of Dan's more than a year ago calls for all canned tomatoes.  This actually makes it very simple and attainable year-round.  I think next time, though, I will try replacing the canned tomatoes with ones from our garden, since we seem to have an abundance right now!  I still have lots of jalapenos left from our CSA last year, so those are conveniently on hand...at least for now.

Homemade Salsa

14 1/2 oz. can tomatoes and green chiles

14 1/2 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes plus the juice

1 Tbsp. jalapenos, diced (about a whole pepper)

1/4 c. diced onion

3/4 t. garlic salt, to taste

1/2 t. cumin, to taste

1/4 t. sugar, to taste

Place jalapenos and onions in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.  Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar and cumin.  Process all ingredients until well blended...do not puree.  Place in covered container and chill. (**I doubled this and have plenty of salsa for our family for the next week to two**)

Happy Summer Cooking to You!

Summer Cooking: Mexican Corn Salad

Thursdays has not been a regular "posting" day for me, but I couldn't resist joining Hurrayic's Summer Cooking series that started today.

One of our favorites this summer has been Mexican corn salad.  We are corn lovers around here, and while it certainly is not the most nutritious vegetable by itself, it still seems to be a hit even after adding fresh red and green peppers and some other summery flavors!

I love it for it's versatility.  It is delicious by itself......

or with a flank steak....

or on top of some spinach!

Mexican Corn Salad

2 cups corn kernels

1/4 cup red pepper, diced

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1 tomato, diced

2 Tbsp. red onion, diced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.  Or refrigerate if you would rather serve chilled.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End-of-Winter Soups #1

I got this little idea from my friend at Hurrayic  to start a "soup series."  Over the course of this winter, she has posted for her readers some excellent and very creative soup recipes.  Head on over and check them out!

And while we still have a few chilly days left in the forecast, I thought it would be just the right time to squeeze in a few more warm and cozy soups.

I received Ree Drummond's (also known, quite famously, as The Pioneer Woman) cookbook for Christmas and have really enjoyed her elegant-but-hearty style.  (And she has a really great sense of humor, which is also a plus during the madness that always seems to happen here whenever I start to make dinner!)  So my first soup in this series will be Ree's delicious Sherried Tomato Soup.

 

If you have Ree's book or know her style, she gives beautiful step-by-step directions complete with pictures for each recipe.  So instead of typing it out for you, I would recommend that you visit this  lovely link for the recipe.  (Or I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you just bought the whole book!)

It was enjoyed by (most) here....this two-year-old boy of ours seems to have quite the selective palate these days!  I will also add that it was a great way to use up some of the tomato juice we canned back in late summer. 

 

Hint:  Goes perfectly with a good, old-fashioned grilled-cheese!

 

Winter Cooking #2 - Dan's Donuts

Who knew that my husband could make such divine, perfectly gooey, mouth-watering donuts?

 

(I suppose it's easy if you have a Daddy that's as Cool as ours!)

 

Winter Cooking #1 - A big batch of Granola Love

I am pleased to say that this Christmas brought me two, big Mason jars full of homemade granola.  This is the second annual batch I've received....you may remember the pictures of the beautifully decorated jars of last year here.  (I'm quite certain that this year's batch was gobbled up and gone before my little camera made its way to the kitchen!)

 

This isn't just any old granola, but granola made especially for me by my dear friend.  This friend and I met 7 years ago when our oldest were babies.  We had both recently moved into this area and were desperate for a  like-minded mama friend.  One conversation and visit led to another and we eventually realized that we clicked.  From there it slowly became one of those call-you-every-day, get-together-with-kids-several-times-a-week, go-out-shopping-and-out-to-dinner when-we-could-get-away friendship.  It was a share-our-families, confide-in-each-other-about-a-positive-pregnancy-test, pray-for-each-other, grieve-together-over-a-miscarriage, talk-about-faith, and celebrate-a-new-baby kind of friendship.  It became a share-our-secrets, listening-ear, inside-joke, and have-a-good-cry friendship.

And when this friend called to tell me they were officially moving away for a job-transfer, I bawled like a baby.  Right there on the phone.  In the middle of the day.  (Wasn't it kind of me to make it so much easier on her? ahem.)

The plan was for them to move back...someday....when the time was right for her husband to return here for his job.  I was semi-hopeful.  (OK.  I'll be honest.  I never thought they were coming back.  another ahem.)

So, it was to my complete surprise when my friend called to tell me they were indeed moving back!  And, in a few short weeks at that.  I could not have been happier!!!  And when they purchased a home 4 minutes away from ours, I was thrilled and nostaglic and at great peace with the thought of being back in each other's daily lives.

But, since this post was really supposed to be about making granola, I should share that in addition to the two jars, my friend also gave me the gift that keep's on giving.....the recipe!

  

She put together a beautiful cookbook filled with her most favorite recipes and gave it to me for Christmas.  It was so thoughtful and so her, which makes me love it even more.  She even wrote handwritten notes on some of them.  I love looking at this handwriting that I have come to know over the years and remember the encouragement and kind words that it's brought me.

  

So, there's my story about my first batch of homemade granola.  And my friend who has given it to me.

(But I think maybe it's really the story of a special friendship that is and always will be very near and dear to my heart, in a way that even granola this good never could be!)