Seriously Delectable Split Pea Soup

I know what you are thinking. I never wanted to eat Split Pea Soup either.
What’s next-Broccoli Soup? Come on.
But, Biceps requested Split Pea Soup. He’s crazy like that and I like to silence his crazy.

She may not photograph well, but this here soup is downright amazingly good. It’s also very simple to make, full of protein and yummy veggies.
Biceps said it’s one of the best soups that I’ve ever made. And now, this Split Pea Soup has now become a staple in our weekly routine. Biceps likes to remind me how not crazy he is for making this suggestion to me.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own Split Pea Soup (serves at least 8 as a main dish):
A large stockpot
6 Cups Water
4 Cups Split Peas
3 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Lbs meaty Pork Hocks or Ham Bone
1/2 tsp dried Marjoram
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1 1/4 Cup Chopped Onions

 

Rinse and drain the 4 Cups of Split Peas. Pull out any yucky ones.

 

Combine the water, split peas, broth, pork hocks/ham bone, marjoram, pepper, bay leaves and 1/4 Cup of the chopped onion.
Bring to a boil and reduce your heat. Simmer for 1+hour with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until the meat easily comes off the bone when pried with a fork.

 

Remove the bones and let cool. Cut the meat from the bones and coarsely chop. Discard the bones.

 

(Sorry, forgot to take a picture of this step. Here’s an up close and personal finished product shot instead…)
Add the meat to the stockpot and stir in the chopped carrots and the remaining 1 Cup of onions. Return all the ingredients to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes more or until the veggies are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

Serve with tasty toast or toast that’s tasty on a cool fall night. You are going to love this, guaranteed! If not, I will come over to your house and personally eat the remaining soup. Seriously, I’ll do it. I have a lot of frequent flyer miles that need to be used up. Enjoy!

Sesame Almond Chicken

One of my very favorite dinners I must attribute to my mother’s geniusness. She is the brain behind many of the meals I prepare for Biceps. In all seriousness, my mom pretty much wrote the book on being awesome.

Sesame Almond Chicken is so simple–both in preparation and in the ingredients needed–that anyone, even your sweet husband when you don’t feel like cooking, can make it.
Or your teenage son that’s recently been grounded for being late for his curfew (I don’t have one of these, just remembering what my brother’s used to do).
Or your friend that says, “I don’t know how to cook!” with a voice that emulates Grover from Sesame Street.

But don’t confuse this meal’s simplicity for tastelessness. The chicken is tender and moist because it’s encrusted with bread crumbs, it’s flavorful due to the slightly cooked almonds and sesame seeds and it’s just oh so stinkin’ tasty.

 

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own Sesame Almond Chicken:
(Serves 4-Preheat oven to 350, grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish)
4 Chicken Breast, remove any fat
1 Package of Whole Wheat or Plain Ritz crackers
1 TBsp Sesame Seeds
1 Cup of Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup, or one stick, of melted Butter

Gently crush your crackers while they are still in the package. Don’t get too crazy, lest you burst the package and crackers go everywhere.

Measure one cup of sliced almonds.

 

Pour both the almonds and crackers in a large mixing bowl. Add the 1 TBsp of Sesame Seeds.

 

Pour the melted butter in the bowl.

 

Stir the cracker crumb mixture completely.

 

Place one breast of chicken at a time in the mixing bowl and completely cover each breast with the cracker crumb mixture.

 

I usually cover one side, place the breast in the casserole dish and then cover the other side with more cracker crumb mixture using my fingers.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink. There is no need to cover the chicken or to flip it during cooking. Just leave it alone and go read a book.
Or hug your husband. Or take your dog for a walk….come back and enjoy!

The Home Life Changes!

I’m back!
After 8 months of being away from blogging-I’m back ladies and gentlemen. I didn’t choose to be away, fate chose it for me. It was a rough loss for me back in January when my blog failed via the platform, Iweb.

I wanted to take this sledgehammer and smash Iweb’s face with it. Small problem-not sure where to find Iweb’s face.

I had built the site myself in Iweb and for some reason, after a year of blogging with that platform, Iweb decided it had had enough. The ability to update my site, add posts, change anything, was a distant memory.

I pinched my pennies for several months and hired a web designer to build my site (correctly) for me. Once the framework was in place, I had the duties of importing all of my old posts-a task that required copy and pasting each bit of text, each picture, each title…you get the idea. I lost some of my “pretties”, but sacrifices had to be made.

I have a few exciting things to catch you up on from my eight months of absence. I’ll be expanding on each of these items over the next couple of months. But, I thought you’d like a bit of an overview to wet the ol appetite.

THE BIG CHANGES ‘ROUND HAR (HERE):

I remodeled the Master Bedroom while Bicep’s was away making momma some money.

I also remodeled our Master Bathroom the next time he left for tour.

I got really interested in raising chickens in my backyard-so much so that I wrote an article about Urban Chicken Farming for the online and print paper, This Land Press. It’s the same paper that I have my bi-monthly column, “Together in Tulsa” in.

I planted my first full-fledged garden this year-inciting me to can, freeze, dehydrate and make new and exciting dishes like zucchini boats and squash pizza.

Cowboy, my sweet buddy of a cat, passed away. He died of renal kidney failure, compounded with a heart murmur. He was only eight, and I believe way too young. I wasn’t expecting how much this would affect me, but it certainly did.

I believe Cowboy is sitting on Grandpa’s lap in heaven. Those two had a unique bond.

After much sadness and the realization of how quiet are house was without Cowboy Cat 2000, Biceps coerced me into getting two new kitties from the rescue center. Their names are Maxwell and Bianca. You will be hearing lots from them, I assure you.

There is so much more to catch you up on-like this visit to a blue whale, but we don’t need to shove it all into one post, do we? I am so thankful to be blogging again, to visit with all of you and to catch up on your lives as well. Welcome back to Potholes and Pantyhose!

Top Ten of 2010

I don’t know about you, but I feel overwhelmed when I search through other blogger’s archives. I stare at entry after entry wondering where to begin. One way to make your life easier was to narrow down ten of my favorite posts for you.

Learn how to make your own ‘Stingy Green Cleaners’ using non-toxic and cheap items-with the help of Kermit the Frog.
Now, who doesn’t love cheap and who doesn’t love Kermie?

You may not be ready to tackle re-finishing your Hardwood Floors, but come along with me on my journey. It’s gonna be a weird one.

Check out our crazy house on the Home Tour.

As Grandma moves into town, I capture what may be my last visit to the Family Farm.

Men make such a difference in the lives that surround them. Check out why I am the way that I am-thanks, Dad.

It took several weeks for Biceps and I to build this shed, dubbed-‘The Big Girl Playhouse’. What an adventure and what a marital learning experience…I don’t think we’ll do this again.

With the fall comes my love for Meatloaf. Check out my Tasty Turkey Meatloaf for the complete tutorial.

Before Biceps, I was determined to move out to Colorado and rock climb, white water raft and not shave for as long as my heart desired. Thankfully, I met Biceps and stayed put. Tulsa has a small but sufficient site to at least my rock climbing fix once in awhile.

My Banana Bread Recipe is one of my favorite treats to make for others…and me…

Handmade notes mean the world to me. I highlight a few from both friends and family that I have kept for years.

I hope that your year has been fantastic! Thank you for sharing in my journey through last year. I think this year will be even better.