Spit pea soup

Do you guys remember that story that Mom always tells about how she accidentally called it spit pea soup? How embarrassing ;)

One night it was definitely time to go to bed, but Good Eats was starting and Alton Brown was talking about how to get people who don't like peas to eat their peas, and since my husband is one of those people, we decided to stick around.

I was glad we did, because he started out with a split pea soup recipe that sounded pretty easy--and would help me use up some of the split peas I'd gotten from WIC checks...anyway, it turned out really yummy, and even my dubious husband gulped down his share. Now the new mystery is how to make it look more appealing!

Click here for the recipe!

Unreliable?

Yeah, I'd say I'm a little unreliable. I was going to post my menus on here and I've done it--hmm--once! Oh well. I have been creating menus, just not posting them.

Here is the pancake recipe I mentioned earlier. It's from Bakerella. They are seriously amazing. Buttermilk and cornmeal do amazing things to pancakes. By the way, I've only done the orange maple butter once; I'm not really a person who thinks that far ahead all the time. It was good, but I wouldn't say it makes the pancakes.

Give 'em a go and let me know how you like them!

I decided I'm going to start posting my weekly menu plans on here. One of the few good, organizational things I do on a regular basis is plan our menus, and I'm fairly faithful at following them. When I don't follow them it is always Richard's fault. He is constantly messing with my plans. Husbands.



My menu planning has no rules of order. I choose what I feel like, and try to keep a variety of food in there. I also like to try new recipes once a week, although I don't always because new recipes tend to be more expensive.


Here's my menu.


Wednesday
Pork Tacos



Thursday
Baked Salmon (or maybe grilled? Can I do salmon on my little countertop grill?) with rice



Friday
Almond Chicken




Saturday
We are feeding our primary kids pizza. Note to self: Don't promise kids a party when you're really too lazy to host such a thing. Katy, you should have known better!



Sunday
Super Bowl Sunday. This means hamburgers/hot dogs. I am considering making PW's pico de gallo.

Monday

Pasta. This menu needs some pasta. How about... I'll try the PW's spaghetti casserole thingy.

We will also have cornmeal buttermilk pancakes one morning, which, by the way, are AMAZING...and that's coming from a girl who's not a pancake person. Anyone want the recipe?

There you have it. This is what we're eating this week!

Turkey Burgers with Horseradish and Cheddar Cheese

This is the first recipe I have tried from the three Rachael Ray cookbooks that I've had for years. These actually are Yum-O. There, I said it.

4 Servings

1 package ground turkey breast
2 rounded tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/3 pound sharp white cheddar cheese, diced or crumbled into 1/4 in pieces (I only had medium reg cheddar on hand, worked great)
2 scallions, finely chopped (are green onions the same?)
1 rounded palmful grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
EVOO, for drizzling
Spicy Brown Mustard
4 poppy seed Kaiser rolls, split
1 tub or can of good quality whole-berry cranberry sauce
Romaine lettuce leaves, for topping burgers
Gourmet potato chips (We had sweet potato fries)

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

In a medium bowl, mix together the meat, horseradish, Cheddar pieces, scallions, and grill seasoning. Form 4 patties and drizzle them with EVOO. Cook the burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side. Spread mustard on the bun bottoms and cranberry sauce on bun tops. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms, top with romaine leaves, and set the bun tops in place. Serve fancy chips alongside.


FYI, apparently Rachael doesn't count calories. Sorry, no nutritional info.
Also, I've never cooked burgers on the stove top, only on the grill. I was nervous, but these were moist and delicious. Who says you can't have burgers in January?

Winter Squash and Sage Sausage Chili

I came across this recipe while I was sitting in bed reading cookbooks, the only books I read ;) It's from Better Homes and Garden's new Annual Recipes 2009.

Start to finish: 20 minutes

1 lb. bulk sage saugage or other sausage
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained (I used great northern beans)
1 12 oz. pkg. frozen winter squash puree, thawed (I cooked one of dad's squashes in the microwave and pureed it in a blender)
1 cup chunky chipotle salsa or other salsa
1 1/2 cup water
1 3-5 oz. pkg. herb flavored goat cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
Fresh sage, optional

1. In a large saucepan cook sausage over medium heat until brown and no pink remains, stirring to break up; drain fat. Stir in beans, squash, salsa, and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in bowls; sprinkle goat cheese and fresh sage. Makes 4 servings.

Each Serving: 385 calories, 14 g fat (7 g sat. fat), 119 mg chol, 1466 mg sodium, 34 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 39 g pro. Daily Values: 99% vit. A, 19% vit. C, 32% calcium, 23% iron.

I would highly recommend

I've been meaning to share some links for a while now, and Katy's post encouraged me to go through with my plans. These are recipes I've tried since I've started to feel like a human being again after being pregnant and having a baby. They're keepers!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Bacon Spinach Salad
Apricot Glazed Porkchops
Chicken Pot Pie

They're all pretty easy, too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Because no one has been posting (including me) and this blog is so sad, plus I had the most amazing soup this last week, I'm going to share. I call this soup Happy Soup. That's because I'm so happy when I'm eating it. Call it a natural antidepressant. Call it comfort food. Call it whatever you want to, it's good. And even better: it's so easy! Make it tonight, and your family will wonder where that scowling, crusty, nagging old woman went and where this beautiful, smiling, happy person came from.

Here it is. In all its beauty.

First you need a medium yellow onion and 4 cloves garlic. Chop 'em up. Then saute them in 2 Tbsp butter until onions are clear.

Add3 tsp curry powder and 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 2 mins.

Now add:
3 cups chicken broth
15 oz pumpkin (one of the small cans)

Simmer for 10 mins.

Add one can of evaporated milk. Then, working in small batches, puree the soup in a blender. Pureeing makes it...indescribable. Frothy. Smooth. Divine.

Now eat it and love it.

**This recipe came from Betsy, a fellow interpreter. I will forever love her for bringing it into my life.