Savory Split-Pea Soup

And you thought pureed veggies were only for babies. This soup is scrumptious and extremely healthy, and you will want a second bowl, I promise!

I was wandering through the bulk section at Whole Foods last week, and decided to fill up a bag with French split peas. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I figured I could make something yummy and full of vitamins.

I googled split pea soup recipes, but every recipe I found would have required another trip to the store. So, I took some tips from allrecipes.com, and came up with my own recipe using ingredients from my fridge. It didn't take long at all, and we will be having leftovers tomorrow night. YUMMY! (and I'm not a huge fan of soup in general).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups split peas (soak them in a big pot of water overnight first, so this is 1 1/2 cups SOAKED peas)

2 or 3 T olive oil

1 cup of organic celery, finely chopped

1 cup of organic red and green peppers, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 container (four cups) of organic beef broth

1 T Herbes de Provence

A few grinds of black pepper

A few grinds of salt

Put the veggies (celery, onion, and peppers) into a food processor and pulse a few times (or chop by hand).

Drizzle olive oil into a large pot on the stove over medium/high heat, and then add chopped veggies and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add Herbes de Provence and stir.

***Keep toddler entertained with a few bowls, cups, spoons, and the extra peas.***

Pour beef broth into the veggie mixture and continue to stir. Add peas and spinach, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring every 10 minutes or so. After an hour, turn off the heat, and let soup sit for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.

Pour soup into a food processor, and turn it on for about 10-15 seconds. That's it. Now enjoy with some crusty French bread. Mmmmm...

Meatloaf Muffins with Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

*I need to preface this by saying that my toddler deleted a few of the photos I took earlier this evening, so the ones I am left with won't do this yummy meal justice.*

I had a freezer of ground beef to work with, along with a bag of potatoes. I decided to make meatloaf for dinner since it sounded like the perfect antidote to this frigid weather. I remember hearing someone talk about making them as "muffins", so I thought I would give it a try.

I used:

2 lbs grass fed organic ground beef

2 organic eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup organic ketchup (not the high fructose corn syrup stuff)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

1 tspn onion powder

1 tspn garlic powder

I put everything into my large food processor and did an initial blend, then decided it would be better to transfer everything to a large ziplock bag and mix it that way. You can skip the food processor and just go for the ziplock. As long as I don't have to directly touch the meat with my fingers, I'm good. :) (I used my mini-food processor for the onion. I hate chopping veggies by hand.)

Grease a muffin tin, and add an even amount of the mixture to each spot (I can't think of the name of it, but the hole where you stick the muffin mix is what I'm referring to). :)

Place the muffin tin in a 450 degree oven, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then switch the oven to broil, and broil them for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy top.

That's it! They are so easy to make, and so delicious; my favorite combination! Enjoy them with...

Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I used:

4 large baking potatoes, each cut into about 8-10 chunks (leave about half of the skin on)

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 T garlic powder

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes. Add the cheese and butter first so they melt a little, then mix everything else in, blend together with a hand mixer, and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

First off, YUM. Seriously, this is so good, and soooo easy. You must make it. You won't be sorry.

We went to the gym after Audrey woke up from her nap this afternoon (her third nap this week, we're on a roll!!!), and hit Trader Joe's afterward when it was super busy with after-work people. I literally tossed a few ingredients into the cart and headed home with both babies.

It's such an easy concoction that I was able to make it in about 15 minutes, while simultaneously feeding an early dinner to my toddler, making a bottle for my six month old, unloading groceries, and catching up with my husband who had just returned home from work.

This is what I used:

shredded chicken (I used TJ's canned chicken. Don't judge. I have never even thought of using it before, but it called out to me from the shelf when it knew how late we were running for dinner/bedtime. Because I used it in chili, you can't even tell.)

1/2 of a white onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 can of white kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of corn

1/3 jar of salsa verde

1/4 jar of salsa (see picture for size of jar)

about 2/3 cup monterey jack cheese, cubed

about 1/3 cup pepper jack cheese (or jalapeno monterey jack cheese), cubed (to taste...use more pepper jack if you like spice, and use less pepper jack/more monterey jack if you like a more mild flavor)

2/3 cup water

Pour olive oil into a large pot on medium heat, and add the onions. After about a minute, add the chicken and stir. Add the water to the pot, followed by everything else. See, it's easy. :-) Just make sure you stir constantly so the cheese melts evenly and doesn't burn. Turn it down to low heat after the cheese cubes are melted, and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so. Stir every 2-3 minutes during that time. Spoon into bowls and enjoy! I served it with some french bread we had in the freezer. It would also be really good with corn bread or tortilla chips.

Let's Call These "Meat Squares" :)

I am really trying to "shop" from my pantry, fridge, and freezer this week, and came up with a quick and easy (and healthy!) meal for dinner last night. My husband and toddler enjoyed it, as did I, and there are leftovers for dinner this evening. Here is what I used:

1 lb ground beef (we split a cow with a few people and have quite the stash of grass-fed beef in our freezer)

1 package of puff pastry from TJ's

1/2 small onion

a few cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach

few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 T ground cumin

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1 cup of goat cheese, crumbled

Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter while you work. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic to the same pan and saute for about two minutes, then return the beef to the pan. Add spinach, cumin, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, and stir while cooking on medium heat.

Lay out the two pastry sheets, and spoon beef mixture onto one of them. Top with crumbled goat cheese, and place second pastry sheet on top. Pinch edges together to make a large pocket. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Check on it occasionally to make sure it hasn't burned, and slice into it to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Cut into four squares and enjoy!

Audrey's 2nd Birthday Party

Now that I have two children, and they are growing up at lightening speed before my very eyes, you may notice that my blog is becoming a little more toddler/baby/child focused. I still plan to focus heavily on baking and cooking, but will also include some crafts and other fun things. I am NOT crafty, but I am working on it, and enjoying every step of the journey with my little munchkins. :-)

My first baby girl turned two years old on Saturday, and we had a Sesame Street themed party with family on her birthday, and a party with her friends on Monday. I'm really happy with how everything turned out, and wanted to share in case any other moms need some ideas.

Food

Mini meatballs (TJ's precooked frozen mini meatballs, slow cooked in amazing sauce... recipe below)

Pigs in a blanket (TJ's nitrate-free cocktail pups wrapped in Pillsbury crescent dough)

Mac 'n' Cheese Balls (TJ's)

Crab artichoke dip (Whole Foods)

Black bean hummus dip (Whole Foods; this dip is amazing and probably easy to DIY)

Veggie tray....sliced up red, yellow, and green peppers and carrot sticks

Meatball Sauce Recipe

*For 3 bags of mini meatballs, I combined three jars of Trader Joe's organic marinara sauce, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, and 1 cup of blackberry preserves (I used a mixture of blackberry and raspberry this time, but usually just use blackberry; whatever you have on hand will work). Blend well, cover meatballs in crockpot, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Other:

Sesame Street Cupcakes (boxed yellow cake mix, vanilla icing mixed with various food coloring, Oreos for the mouths, marshmallows and m&ms for the eyes)

I used this website for inspiration: http://itsallabouto.blogspot.com/2009/04/sesame-street-birthday.html

I bought a Wilton icing bag set at Michael's for about $8, and purchased the "grass" tip separately for about $3. I have NEVER even been to that section of Michael's before, and knew absolutely nothing about icing cupcakes (except just using a spatula and going to town). If I can do it, you can too.

Elmo/Oscar/Cookie Monster/Big Bird Goodie Bags (I used my friend, Missy Mellen's photos from her son's birthday party for inspiration)

I purchased the bags, in groups of 13, at Michaels for about $3 a bunch. Then I cut eyes, noses, and mouths out of construction paper. It was kind of fun, and took maybe a little over an hour while my wonderful mother-in-law played with the girls. :)

I think both parties turned out well, and Audrey loved seeing her favorite characters throughout our house. We still have a few Sesame Street balloons floating around the house, that I'm sure won't be going away anytime soon. ;-)

Cookies With a Purpose (Lactation Cookies)

Let me start by saying that these cookies are DELICIOUS, so just because they have a purpose, doesn't mean they aren't fun to eat. :)

I nurse my 5 month old daughter, and my supply isn't always the best. When I make a batch of these cookies, I notice a decent increase in milk production. Oatmeal is a great thing for a nursing mother to consume, and brewer's yeast, an extremely healthy "wonder food", is the secret ingredient. I'm sure the extra calories from simply eating cookies help as well.



I took the oatmeal cookie recipe on the box of Quaker Oats, and changed it around a little.

Here is what I used:

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brewer's yeast
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl (flour, baking soda, salt, brewer's yeast). In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then add applesauce, eggs and vanilla and continue to mix.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Drop onto cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Eat a few a day to improve your milk supply. (Or share them with other non-lactating friends and family. No, it will not cause them to lactate). ;)

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I am in charge of bringing three things for Thanksgiving this year; chocolate pecan pie, mac 'n' cheese, and butternut squash casserole. Since I have already posted my mac 'n' cheese and squash recipes on this blog, I thought I should go ahead and post the recipe I used for the chocolate pecan pie. I made a test pie today while Audrey was napping, and Emily happily watched from her little seat. :)

I found this simple recipe on www.allrecipes.com and didn't change a thing.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

2/3 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 cups pecans

1 9 inch pie crust (I used a store bought one)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sauce pan, combine chocolate chips, butter, and condensed milk over medium heat. Stir constantly until everything is melted and blended.
Remove from heat (I used a spatula to scrape it into another bowl to speed up the cooling process so the eggs wouldn't cook). Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, and pecans. Mix well.

Pour mixture into pie shell, and bake on bottom shelf of oven for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot or cold, preferably cold.

I had a slice warm from the oven, and it tasted very similar to a gooey brownie with a crust. I am a huge fan of a gooey brownie, and always love a crust, so to me, it was perfection. :)

I plan to serve it cold on Thanksgiving, with a side of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I'm sure it will be delicious!