COLD, COLD DAY AND SPLIT PEA SOUP

I am not sure what the weather is like where you are but it is cold here in Oklahoma and has been for days and days and days.......I am getting real sick of it! Cold weather does mean soup or stew or chicken 'n noodles or chili or mac and cheese......any kind of comfort food. As a child split pea soup sounded like the most horrible thing anyone could eat. Now, I liked peas but mashed up peas were really disgusting! I think that came from my brother chewing them up across the table from me and then opening his mouth wide so I had to look at him and screech.  I have given you this recipe in the past but I seem not to make the same thing exactly the same twice so here it is again.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

I use smoked beef sausage cut into cubes.  Now, when it comes to buying sausage, for hell sake, this is not the time to be cheap.  Take your time and read all ingredients, only buy the best.

1 russet potato diced

1 onion diced

1 carrot chopped

1 cup dried split peas, rinsed

about 3 to 4 cups chicken broth

Saute the sausage, add potato, onion and carrot continue to sauté til vegys are a little soft. Stir in the split peas and then the broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer about an hour.  You may need to thin with a little more water. I guess you vegetarians could omit the sausage and use vegy broth and it would work for you........not nearly as good but would be okay. LOL!  Pray fro Sunshine......my body needs some rays!!

SUPER BOWL SNACKS.......A MEMORY OF YESTERDAY!

Well, its all over...during the week, I made numerous plans for food for Super Bowl Day but as it turned out, Bob wasn't feeling well and he spent most of the day in bed.  OH, wait, wait, don't feel sorry for me........I am one of those strange people that really enjoys my own company.  I comment to myself, I yell at the TV, I shout, I cuss, I jump up and down and totally enjoy myself. So, I made a decision, I was going to eat snack food all day.  I know its not healthy but decided it was a "sort of" holiday and decided to "Go for it!" Looking in my freezer, which by the way, has lots of little freezer bags of left overs, as I just can't bear to throw away food, I found a bag of red pork filling left from when I made tamales. Another bag of frozen left over refried beans, (yes, I freeze everything!) I layered this and the pork, salsa, and cheese and made a delightful dip. I made some taquitos from rolled up corn tortillas filled with cheese and fried in oil and these were my munchies for the day. But wait, I'm just getting started! Then I ate some cherry jello with whip cream, then 3 "cuties" (the little tangerines) followed by 2 mint filled oreo's (those are just delightful!) and I finished the evening with a handful of chocolate covered raisins and a spicy V8 juice. Isn't that just disgusting!? BUT I really enjoyed every minute of it.  So today, Bob is feeling better and it was meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner. Is your meatloaf as hard as a brick? Its because you are either using bread crumbs or crackers for filling......if you want light, moist meatloaf use fresh bread torn into tiny pieces.  Sorry about the Bronco's........I so looked forward to a day with Peyton.....congrats to the Seahawks, I guess.....sigh. 

OH, NO, SHE'S BAAAAAACK!

I have been really surprised to find that people have actually missed my blog! Some have even asked me to start it again.....So, I have been thinking of it and here we go.  Bob has been very sick and I spend my days caring for him but I still do cook, if not for him, for myself.  I do find cooking as a sort of therapy.  Nothing I enjoy more that looking at recipes, looking for ingredients, and carrying out the deed. I am just so sorry that most everything I like to cook is fattening.......I promise I am working on that....never will I resort to being a vegetarian or God forbid a vegan but I am trying to cut back and eat a little more healthy. And bless your hearts, all you vegetarians and vegans...I do love you but I just enjoy "real" food too much. So, the subject that brought me back to writing this blog.........Short Ribs.  I made some unbelievable short ribs yesterday and they were so good, I thought to myself......these are just too good not to share with someone. You do know that the flavor in beef, comes from the fat. So when you see lean pieces of beef in the store, pass it over.....you must just learn to render the fat and savor the flavor. So, the first thing I did was salt each piece and cover it, placed in frig for overnight. The next morning, early, I browned each rib on every side real well in my heavy cast iron pot.  Then removed the ribs and poured off the fat but you aren't through. In the same pot, brown some onions, cut up carrots and cut up celery. Put the ribs back in and pour over, about a cup of diced tomatoes, about a cup of red wine and a few cups of beef broth, enough to cover. Put on the lid and back in the oven for several hours.(325 degrees) Now, carefully remove the ribs again and place in a pan. Drain all the liquid through a wire sieve. This will be your sauce, set aside. In the same pot, add little yellow potatoes, sliced in halve, some carrots, some celery and some onions. I sauté all of this in butter and then add a cup of chicken broth, put the lid back on and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer til vegys are soft. Drain off any liquid and toss.  Now put the ribs back in and just warm it all up together....in the meantime put the first liquid that you had drained in another pan and boil down til a nice sauce....I thickened with a little cornstarch in water. Now, place the ribs, the vegys all on a platter and serve the sauce on the side. The ribs will be falling apart and the flavor is unreal! I have only one piece of advice.....always remember to take your purse to the grocery store with you...........I don't have to tell you what happened! You guessed it!