Split Pea Soup with Ham

One of my favorite soups is my mother's homemade split pea soup. Whenever she would bake a ham, she would use the bone to make a delicious soup. Now it's my turn. Here is the general recipe she gave me:

-Immerse ham bone (leave some meat attached to bone for flavor) into water and let simmer covered for about 2 hours. Add garlic, basil, and bay leaves for flavor while simmering.

-Drain broth then refrigerate

-Once cool, remove fat from broth

-Add 1 bag of split peas to broth and let simmer for about 2-4 hrs.

-Add carrots and onions then cook for another 10-20min

My first batch of soup tasted delicious! The only error I made was too much water to begin with. I separated the broth from the soup while cooling and am hoping to use it for another dish.

Green Beans with Bacon, Onion and Tomato

A recipe from Betty Crocker's Cook Book

Ingredients

1 lb Green beans

4 slices Bacon (cut up)

1 Medium onion, chopped

1 Medium tomato, chopped

1 clove Garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Dash of pepper

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

Preparation

1. Place beans in 1 inch water in 2-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Immediately rinse with cold water; drain.

2. in 10-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 1 tablespoon fat in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels.

3. Cook onion in bacon fat in skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in tomato, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in beans; heat through. Drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with bacon.

Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Ham from Costco

All I can say is yummy. This ham is delicious and easy. We bought the smallest one we could find, around 17 lbs and it took about 2 hrs. It made a ton of meat for leftovers (we had to freeze a lot), and I was also able to make fresh split pea soup with the bone.

Apple cobbler with cinnamon and vanilla, along with a cake-like batter topping

Ingredients:

• Apple Filling:

• 5 cups tart apples, peeled, sliced

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened

• Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour, sifted

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and water. Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.

Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth. Drop batter in 9 portions, over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8.

This cobbler had a wonderful taste. I uses granny smith apples. I thought the filling turned out great but the topping could have been better. I would like to try a recipe that has more of a crispy/crumbly topping. My husband agrees.

Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

• 2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• paprika, for the top

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well; return to pot. Add butter and stir until melted. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with the milk. Add the milk mixture to the macaroni. Stir until well combined. Spoon into the greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned and casserole is cooked through.
Serves 4 to 6.

This dish was okay. Although my husband enjoyed it, I would give it about a 5 out of 10. It was kind of dry and lacking flavor. I think I will try a different recipe next time around that has more creamy ingredients. The reason I choose this recipe was because it did have fewer ingredients so I guess I can't complain.

Caribbean Black Beans, Peppers, & Pineapple

1 cup brown rice

3 Peppers (red, green, & yellow)

1 cup cubed fresh or canned pineapple

1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)

1 cup salsa

Cook rice as directed on package. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; stir-fry peppers until crisp-tender. Stir in pineapple, black beans, and salsa; heat through. Serve over cooked rice.

Serves 4

Total Time: 25 min

This recipe is from a Target food add. I tried it one night and was pleasantly surprised. It is very quick and tasty. It is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I like to add grilled chicken or shrimp if I have it. Now that I am married, it is a great meal to make when Michael isn't home since he doesn't like black beans.

Chicken Divan Recipe Courtesy of my Sister-in-law Nicole!

Chicken Divan:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 pkgs frozen brocc, cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp lemon juice
Layer broccoli, then chicken in a casserole dish. Mix together mayo, soup, curry, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread over chicken. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350.


I've found that you can use the healthier versions of the mayo and soup and it will still taste great - but you need to use the real full-fat cheese :) This is also one that can be prepped ahead of time and stuck in the fridge for the next day - or if you get some of those pans that can put in the freezer and oven - it's a great one to freeze ahead of time. You'd just need to add some time to the baking.

I really like this recipe. Like Nicole mentioned, I use the light mayo and low sodium soup. I also like to add fresh cooked carrots to the broccoli for more variety. This is great on top of brown rice.