Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Give me the GREEN! Split pea soup and oven roasted potatos with cheese.

Hello, everyboy! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I was yearning for Spring.


But before we get to that recipe... I feel like January lasted for about 6 months. BLAH. This is the season I want to eat all the time and look at pretty pictures.

 
 (That picture has nothing to do with anything. I just thought... PEACOCK CAKE? SERIOUSLY?)

 
Hey, here's another one! These are from 'most beautiful cakes'. Don't go to that site unless you never want to attempt another cake in your life.
Overachievers.
 
I sort of like this one...

All right, all right. I do have a recipe. And it's green. Not for St. Patrick's Day (or even because it's Ash Wednesday today) but because if I didn't pretend for a momen it was spring, I was never going to make it.
So, here we go. Super simple. Will be great for SPEEDBO, in March!! (Take notes...)
 One onion, minced. A few cloves of garlic, minced. Two pound bag of frozen peas.

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and frozen peas. Boil ten minutes.

Edna covered her ears. She thinks the blender is a bit impulsive and careless. I mean, everything turns out looking the SAME. Blend the peas until the texture you desire. My kids like it very smooth, no chunks. Season  with salt and pepper to taste.

Wait... that's not all. My husband would go live in the shed if I decided there was pea soup for dinner and nothing else. So...
Get some servants (I meant kids!) to chop a bunch of potatoes. Boil until just soft around the edges. They should be firm in the center, but  boiled for long enough to soften just a little. Leave the skins on.

Drain the water and shake the semi-soft potatoes in the pot. Depending on how large your pot is, you can count this as aerobic excercise.

Now, my dad brought us some giant pepperoni pizzas from his favorite store, Costco. The kids love cheese pizza, so I took the pepperoni off one (hubby prefers his with meat). Well, then I had about a 1/4 pound of delicious pepperoni sitting in my fridge, taunting me every time I opened the door.

I laid it on a tray and baked it in the oven for 5 minutes at 400F.
Don't want until it turns black. Just take it out, let it cool a bit and start chopping. Are you following me? We're heading back to the potatoes...

"Drained, half-cooked potatoes with leftover pepperoni crisped in the oven". Hm. Now, that's a recipe title we can all pause to admire. It should have some special-fancy-artisan name. But it's still winter and I'm all out of creativity.
Add 1/2 tsp of salt (this is a big pan) or you can wait and see how it tastes. I love salt so I added salt to mine. Hubby does not like salt, I left his plain. The pepperoni has enough for him.
Some shredded mozzarella and cheddar on the no pepperoni sheet.
I also added a bit of cheese to the pepperoni batch but hubby doesn't care much for cheese...

Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Stir a few times to make sure they're browning nicely, and that nothing is smoking. :) The skins come off and get crispy, that's okay. I thought they were super delicious and was glad when the kids kept leaving them behind. Mmmm.

Back to our need for green. My daughter thought the soup would be good with some crispy pepperoni, too. And cilantro. I'm ignoring that part of her bowl.

This is mine. I have to say, I feel a lot more cheerful. It must be the broccoli and pea soup. Oh, and maybe the crispy-cheesy-pepperoni potaoes.
All in all, I think I'm ready to start Lent without too much whining. Maybe I'll give up those cake sites.... Nah.


17 comments:

  1. Its funny you saying Jan seemed to last forever and you want spring.
    I had an appointment in a town about an hour away. after we were shopping and chatting with the sales girl about the nice warm day today and saying how nice it is and how it seemed we didn't get a hot summer. Oh we had days of heat but not many in a row and when it looked like a heatwave the temp would drop and alot of Feb and the end of jan has been overcast and dull even chilly. It was so nice to have someone agree as alot like the cooler days but I tend to like the sunny ones around 80 - 90. tomorrow being around 100 will be warm but I am enjoying summer. I got sad thinking there is only about 2 weeks to go off it. (I lost most of Dec due to pain and being in a bit of a daze cos of the pain.)

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    1. Jenny, I just can't fathom that! I SO look forward to warm weather!!

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    2. I'm with you, Jenny. Cool, sunny weather is the best! My favorite temperature is around 70 degrees :)

      (Okay, Missy, stop looking for your jacket!)

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    3. LOL Jan! You're right. My ideal temp seems to be 80 degrees. :)

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    4. Missy it was strange to be so dull. people keep saying its so hot and it is for a couple of days then a week or more of cooler weather and dull (but no rain). We have a dryer heat here also. 70 with sun is ok but thats more spring or autumn weather. 80 is perfect. today is a cool start but will hit 100 later.

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  2. Both of them look delicious, Virginia! I think the pea soup must only take a few minutes. NICE!

    Okay, so who's giving up what for Lent? I don't usually give up anything but I'm considering it this year. I'm think of...(gasp and hold breath)...french fries!

    Ugh. Don't know if I can do it. It's a major food group for me.

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    Replies
    1. haha! We almost never have french fries! Our idea is uaully for each person to work on a bad habit (can be something like leaving socks around to to sharing to eating too many sweets) and also work on a good one (encouragement, being cheerful, volunteering for chores, and (for me) not spending too much time on the internet).

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    2. I like doing both... a "trait" sacrifice and a food or pleasure sacrifice.... one of my 5 year olds very earnestly told me he was giving up lying for Lent...

      He missed the point, I think. I assured him of his imminent death if he didn't think of something more Christ-focused and good.... That while I appreciate his sincerity, the lying needs to stop JUST BECAUSE.

      Brats.

      I love that Lent makes us think. Reflect. Pause. And that commercialism hasn't ruined the sanctity of Easter. I just love Easter.

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    3. HAHAHAHAHA!

      And I have a kid who sincerely tells me every year he is giving up math.

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  3. That pea soup looks wonderfully springy! And the potatoes? Now that's something my vultures would devour in a minute.

    But the pea soup will be mine. All mine.

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  4. I'm totally into the green thing, and it's a WOW color this year, but I look sick in it, so I must pass on the apparel but I'm in on the soup....but this Irish chickie went straight to the carby-tatoes.... Happily!!!! Loving the spuds and pepperoni!

    And no salt???? Crusberto, that's just wrong.

    Shoot. I love salt.

    Dave loves salt.

    We train the kids to love salt and coffee.

    We are bad parents.

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  5. It looks beautiful, Virginia. But I have to be honest. While I would definitely try this soup, my family would pack me up and send me away if I made anything with peas. Or they'd just pack up and head for the nearest restaurant--without me.

    The potatoes on the other hand...they'd be all over those.

    Meat and potatoes guys, I tell ya. Just meat and potatoes.

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  6. Hm, I can finalyl comment!

    Thanks for stopping in, gals! Maybe because it's Ash Wednesday, blogger has decided to be extra fussy. Fussy and uncooperative!

    Mindy and Jan, yes. Pretty much all the pea soup was for me. :D

    And Ruthy, good thing Dave lvoes you so much because otherwise I might just come steal that man. Wouldn't it be fun to cook for someone who has the SAME TASTES????

    I can only dream.... :D

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  7. Yes, of course Blogger lets me comment now... with typos.

    Evil Blogger!!

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  8. There are days I'd let you have him, honey. Call me. We'll talk. ;)

    He made me tuna tonight though, while I was at Mass and choir practice. I was SO happy to come home and find fresh tuna salad.... SMILING!!!!

    Salt. Yum. Although we have opposite tastes in snacks and that's the secret to a happy marriage... he could care less about my cake and ice cream and I don't steal his chips and pretzels.... This has worked well. Someone should do a study, I think.

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  9. Ooo, good man!

    I made bow tie pasta with feta and fresh tomatoes. My husband opted for normal spaghetti. I just love cooking twice... not!

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