Pea Soup, Ghetto Garlic Bread, and Attack of the Killer Bagel
I know, it's a lot and none of it is related. But, it's been a while, and I promise the kitchen hasn't been ignored! Now that the holidays are over (and we survived!), I can get back in the swing of posting!
Pea Soup
Hannaford had Goya Split Peas for $0.80 a bag! That's more than half off! So, I stocked up, bought a ham steak, and made some pea soup!
Ingredients:
1 lb split peas (I used yellow; you can use yellow or green)
2 medium-large carrots, chopped
2 medium onions - chopped
2 celery stalks - chopped
6 cloves garlic - minced
1.5-2 lb ham steak - chopped into bite size pieces
2 beef boullion cubes (optional; I'd suggest one)
Water to cover (about 6 cups)
Directions:
Sort through peas to make sure there are no rocks, etc. Place in crock pot. Trim the ham of any large amounts of fat and chop into bite size pieces. Add ham and veggies to crock pot.
Add boullion (if using) and cover with water. Stir to mix.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The peas will be mushy but not paste and the veggies will still be intact, but completely soft. You could blend with a hand blender for a smoother consitancy, but I find this is far more rustic and interesting for the palate.
Serving Note:
Suggested serving is 1.5-2 C. It's tasty, but it's VERY filling!
About 140 Calories per 1.5 C serving. Yields 10 servings. Great for freezing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven't figured it out yet, I love bread. I love bread of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Especially garlic bread. Alas, it is a waste for me to make fresh garlic bread for just one, especially since I am watching what I eat. Also, you can't make true garlic bread on the run. So, a few years ago when I started living on my own, I created "ghetto garlic bread" as a quick-fix for pasta night (which is totally my favorite night):
Ghetto Garlic Bread:
Take 1-2 slices of bread per person (works best with good quality white or wheat bread. Whole grain bread can get too hard). Toast to desired doneness. Immediately butter hot bread and sprinkle with garlic powder and/or roasted garlic bits.
Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this. Unless, of course, you go for the real thing:
Garlic Bread:
Take an appropriately sized loaf (or half loaf) of french or italian bread and cut in lengthwise (top and bottom). Rub both halves with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle fresh minced garlic over both halves. Bake at 400 degrees until bread starts to brown. May be served with butter, but it's totally unnecessary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, for a kitchen safety tip. When you are alone and forced to do battle with a bagel, I advise you all to please, LET THE BAGEL WIN. Don't go to battle. It will end badly.
Backstory: I made bagels a few weeks ago. They were small and rock solid. I decided to have one for breakfast this morning. When I tried to cut it, it got away...but my finger didn't. I repeat: DO NOT ANGER THE BAGEL!
Pea Soup
Hannaford had Goya Split Peas for $0.80 a bag! That's more than half off! So, I stocked up, bought a ham steak, and made some pea soup!
Ingredients:
1 lb split peas (I used yellow; you can use yellow or green)
2 medium-large carrots, chopped
2 medium onions - chopped
2 celery stalks - chopped
6 cloves garlic - minced
1.5-2 lb ham steak - chopped into bite size pieces
2 beef boullion cubes (optional; I'd suggest one)
Water to cover (about 6 cups)
Directions:
Sort through peas to make sure there are no rocks, etc. Place in crock pot. Trim the ham of any large amounts of fat and chop into bite size pieces. Add ham and veggies to crock pot.
Add boullion (if using) and cover with water. Stir to mix.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The peas will be mushy but not paste and the veggies will still be intact, but completely soft. You could blend with a hand blender for a smoother consitancy, but I find this is far more rustic and interesting for the palate.
Serving Note:
Suggested serving is 1.5-2 C. It's tasty, but it's VERY filling!
About 140 Calories per 1.5 C serving. Yields 10 servings. Great for freezing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven't figured it out yet, I love bread. I love bread of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Especially garlic bread. Alas, it is a waste for me to make fresh garlic bread for just one, especially since I am watching what I eat. Also, you can't make true garlic bread on the run. So, a few years ago when I started living on my own, I created "ghetto garlic bread" as a quick-fix for pasta night (which is totally my favorite night):
Ghetto Garlic Bread:
Take 1-2 slices of bread per person (works best with good quality white or wheat bread. Whole grain bread can get too hard). Toast to desired doneness. Immediately butter hot bread and sprinkle with garlic powder and/or roasted garlic bits.
Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this. Unless, of course, you go for the real thing:
Garlic Bread:
Take an appropriately sized loaf (or half loaf) of french or italian bread and cut in lengthwise (top and bottom). Rub both halves with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle fresh minced garlic over both halves. Bake at 400 degrees until bread starts to brown. May be served with butter, but it's totally unnecessary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, for a kitchen safety tip. When you are alone and forced to do battle with a bagel, I advise you all to please, LET THE BAGEL WIN. Don't go to battle. It will end badly.
Backstory: I made bagels a few weeks ago. They were small and rock solid. I decided to have one for breakfast this morning. When I tried to cut it, it got away...but my finger didn't. I repeat: DO NOT ANGER THE BAGEL!