Homemade Slowcooker Split Pea Soup

Tim is obsessed with soups lately and these were a couple he made lately.  The split pea slow cooker soup is one of my favorites!

• 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 pounds dried green split peas, picked over, rinsed, and drained
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 4 small carrots, diced small
• 1 celery stalk, diced small
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 small ham hocks (1 1/4 pounds total), with several 1/2-inch slits cut into skin
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. 
   In a medium pot, bring broth to a boil, then carefully pour into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add split peas, onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and ham hocks; season with salt and pepper.
   
2. 
   Cover and cook on high until split peas are creamy, 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
   
3. 
   Remove ham hocks from pot. Discard skin and bones; dice meat. Discard bay leaves. Lightly mash peas with the back of a wooden spoon. Return ham to soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.

A Doggy Weekend

It was a dog-filled weekend. I love animals.  I have always had dogs, cats, birds, mice, rabbits, fish.... you name it.  I don't think a house is a home without animals.  Animals make a house come alive.  Our friend, Jerry, spent the weekend with us and brought his dog, Raineer, an adorable dachshund that I have known for the past 14 years.  Jerry was a neighbor of mine in my old West Village apt. and I used to babysit for his dog all the time. This dog is as much a part of my history as it is Jerry's.  It was so much fun having him and Jerry upstate.  Raineer is getting a little old and his teeth are mostly gone and his little tongue hangs out the side of his mouth but he is as adorable as he always has been.  Despite the snow and cold, the house felt alive with this little soul running through our house.  We had a great weekend.  Lunch and shopping in Delhi and dinner at Mountain Brook Inn.  Gary, who owns the inn,  has a new "puppy" - a gorgeous St. Bernard named Otis.  At the end of the evening, Otis joined all the diners and like a great host - mingled with all of the diners.  He is beautiful and sweet and made the evening.  I really need a dog!

Blue Bee Cafe

Blue Bee Cafe
114 Main St.
Delhi, NY 13753
(607) 764 8060

Our friend, Jerry and his dachsund, Raineer, were up for the weekend and we decided to go have lunch in Delhi.  Our friends, Stephanie and John, had remodeled their restaurant - the Blue Bee Cafe - and we had not been over there yet to enjoy it.  What a gorgeous transformation!  The old cafe and bookstore was beautiful but the new cafe which expanded the restaurant and moved the bookstore across the street to their store, Stewarts, is so pretty.  Beautiful vintage marble and subway tile kitchen area which reminds you of a french candy store - Ladoree.  The gorgeous vintage wooden booths with the lead glass details - so pretty. It's a visual feast but then there's the food - I had the curry egg salad and Tim had the meatloaf.  So delicious!  The one and a half sandwiches is a brilliant idea and the flavors are original and amazing.  Stephanie has such incredible taste and I will miss the gorgeous bookstore but love the new restaurant.  A perfect place to dine in Delhi and they have certainly transformed the Main St of the town.

...just add salad...

We filled our basement freezer with some basics so on a weekend like this we don't have to run to the grocery store.  Tim baked chicken but there is nothing I like more then a good salad and Green Goddess dressing.  Tim usually makes the dressing using a Penzy's herb mix but since Penzy's closed in Grand Central - we haven't had the mix in awhile.  Thank Goodness for Ina Garten.  Sans anchovy paste - great recipe!

Bibb Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Bibb Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing
Total Time:
10 min
Prep:
10 min
Yield:6 servings
Level:Easy
Ingredients

1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
3 heads Bibb lettuce
2 to 3 tomatoes
Directions

Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process just until blended. (If not using immediately, refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.)

Cut each head of lettuce into quarters, remove some of the cores, and arrange on 6 salad plates. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and add to the plates. Pour on the dressing and serve.

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Just add reindeer...

This morning while Tim was sleeping, I got up early and made a pot of coffee.  I love this time of year because it's so quiet out and the world outside is blanketed for the next few months.  I stepped out onto our front porch and took a mini panoramic of the view from the porch of the garden covered, and the driveway and woods.  So pretty.  All we need is reindeer and Santa.

So Peaceful!

As we move towards the New Year with so much speed and quicker every year - I just want to take a moment to reflect on how beautiful this time of year can be.   Despite the horrible snowfall in Buffalo, winter in the Catskills is so gorgeous.  The light, sound, quiet and the peacefulness is so amazing. As we drove up to the house this morning and took photos - we are reminded of how incredible this place is at this time of year.  It can be brutally cold but we both find it so peaceful and remote and relaxed.   We take a brief moment to enjoy the calm before the storm.  I leave for Texas in a week and Tim spends the holidays with his family in and around the tri-state area.  We have a brief weekend to just have time to ourselves.

Thanksgiving Recap

Holidays just come and go so quickly and with work and travel and a mad dash to the end of the year - we finally manage to catch up with our postings.  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays but it was briefly celebrated with a dessert party at work.  We were too busy to even remember what we did for the evening. Thanksgiving was a total joy since I didn't do too much but help plan the menu and Tim, his mother and his sister did all the work.  What a great job they did - amazing food, incredible execution and it was a lovely day at Tim's parent's home with so much delicious food and great company.  It snowed early this year and the views from the house were beautiful as we stayed warm and full inside.