Easy Split Pea and Ham Soup

I'm thinking my friends who are living in areas hit by this winter's frigid temps might like to get out their crock pots and the leftover ham bone from Christmas to make this yummy soup. If you are not in possession of a ham bone, a ham hock works nicely. This recipe makes 8 big servings and freezes well.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

1lb pkg. split peas (about 3 cups)

1 ham bone or ham hock

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 onion, diced

3 potatoes, diced

2 quarts water or broth

1 bay leaf

Fresh ground pepper, about 1/4 tsp.
1 tsp. sugar

One pinch of love (I use this in every recipe.)

Directions:

1. Pour peas onto a large dinner plate and hunt for any small stones that might be hiding in there. Wash peas in a fine mesh strainer and then combine all ingredients in a large crock pot. 

2. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or on high 4-6 hours. (I always start my crock on

high then turn it down to low.)

3. Before serving, remove ham bone and bay leaf, break up the tender meat, ladle about 2-3 cups into your blender and blend until smooth, return the meat and the blended soup back to the crock.

~Enjoy

You can print this recipe with or without photos, using the print friendly button (only if you are reading online, Mom).
Sharing this recipe with the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
and the Simple Saturday Blog Hop

{Easy} Crockpot Bone Broth

Have you ever enjoyed a chicken for dinner and thrown away the bones?  I used to do that too!

And then I discovered how to make chicken bone broth. Basically, bone broth is just broth cooked long enough to pull more nutrients from the bones, joints and marrow.

Here is my easy method: 

Enjoy your Sunday dinner, or even the rotisserie chicken you brought home from the market. (Preferably organic.)

Once you have removed the meat from the bones, put the carcass into your crock pot, along with any giblets that were in the chicken when you prepared it.  Add water to cover.  At this point you can also add leftover veggies, carrots, celery, garlic, etc. But you don't have to. Set your crock on low and cook all night and into the next morning...........

......or longer, if you like. When you are ready for the next step, you will need a strainer that fits into a large bowl, in order to separate the broth from the bones.

See how the leg bone is soft enough to break? See the marrow?

Now you are ready to save the broth.

If you like, you can super-strain it with a piece of muslin.

Next, I pour some of the broth into a glass container to use in cooking. The rest, I pour into ice trays and freeze. When frozen, I dump the cubes into a bag. Then, anytime I need some broth, I can grab as much as I need. I often melt a cube in a bowl and add my dog's kibble. Needless to say (but I will) she loves it!

If you have chickens...do not throw the mush away! I bag it up (remember the bones crushed easily between my fingers) and I feed it to my hens.  My 9 hens share about 1 cup of this weekly. (Well Big Meany doesn't share, but the rest do.)

I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it only takes a few minutes of your time.  It is economical and, of course, EASY!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

{Easy} Crock Pot Corned Beef

This could not be easier!

Bring home a corned beef brisket. I buy mine at Walmart because they sell small ones. Put the brisket into the crock pot and cover with water. Cut open the seasoning packet and add to the pot.

Set crock on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day. I'm making mine today. When it is done, I'll let it cool, scrape off the layer of fat and refrigerate.

My Prince likes to use the meat with eggs, or on salads, or on toasted rye bread with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, so I will just put the cooked meat in the fridge for him and let him at it.

* Tip: Always slice the beef across the grain. Place the knife at a right angle to the grain of the meat, or your meat will be chewy or tough.

** Tip Tip: Here is a new recipe I'm going to try. It looks easy:  Corned Beef Hash. (Click on the link to open.)

*** Tip Tip Tip: You can also use your"Instant Pot" to make this.  Place the brisket on the rack, add 4 cups water and seasonings. Set pot to "meat" and cook at high pressure for 90 minutes. Then remove brisket and cook cabbage, carrots, and potatoes on high for 4 minutes.

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

{Easy} Homemade Greek Yogurt

I'll admit it is much easier to buy a quart of Greek yogurt at the market than it is to make your own.

But, if you have the slightest inkling of making your own...it couldn't be easier than the method I learned from my friend from Everything Home with Carol.

Many years ago I made yogurt with a little set of thermos-type, smallish containers that sat in a row inside an electric warmer. It was a great little gadget, but it was long gone. When I asked my friend Carol how she makes yogurt, she showed me how to do it in my crock pot. Her article (link above) is full of great information that I won't go into here.

Instead, I will just show you my process.

First, I buy some organic whole milk. (Apparently raw milk is even healthier, but it is very hard to obtain unless you have your own cow or own a "share" of a cow from a local farm.)  You can use low fat, or non-fat if you like; I prefer full fat yogurt. This 96 ounce bottle cost me $2.99.

I set my large crock pot on high and add the milk.

Please excuse the fuzzy photo. It was taken by my 4 year old granddaughter. Right after the milk was poured, she and I went to the park and then the pet shop. Somewhere around lunchtime, I checked the temperature of my brew. I was looking for 180 degrees, and as soon as it achieved that temp, I turned off the crock and let it cool down to 110 degrees.

Once in awhile, I get impatient and fill the sink with cool water and set the crock inside. It is smarter NOT to do this, because the temperature variations could crack the crock. 

Next, I whisk about 3/4 cup of my last batch of yogurt into the milk, and cover the crock with a bath towel, which I also top with a decorative kitchen towel. These towels serve to keep the mixture nice and cozy, so the healthy bacteria can grow and develop the milk into yogurt.

I always double-check to be sure the crock is turned off and unplugged. So far, this process has taken only a few minutes of my time. Several hours will pass before I am needed again.

Twelve hours after the process began, the yogurt is ready to strain. I gather a large bowl, a strainer that sits inside the bowl, a piece of muslin, and a ladle. 

The muslin will allow the whey to drain into the bowl, thereby, thickening the yogurt.  The plastic strainer is merely for support.  Note: I tried using cheesecloth for this process and found it messy and disappointing. Some people use a consume' strainer, but they are very expensive and this little square of muslin only cost me a few quarters. It is washable and can be used over and over.

Now all I do is wait for the whey to drain.  It doesn't take long, but I usually cover the bowl, put it in the fridge and go to bed.

Sometimes I have a little taste first.

In the morning, about the time some of you are reading this post, I will scoop the thickened yogurt into a container, and pour the whey into another. It will be 24 hours after I began the process, with only 15 minutes hands-on time spent.

Finished.  And so easy!

Follow this link if you are interested in reading more about why yogurt is a healthy food:

10 Reasons Why Yogurt is a Top Health Food   

Thank you Carol, for this superb and easy method!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

Umbrellas, Snow and 1-2-3- Potato Soup

A day to remember. 

It rained

I walked a couple of blocks

Picked up my playmate

She was dressed for the occasion

Boots

Mittens

Hood

Umbrella

Off we went

Wind caught under our black sails

Cold-footed drops tap-dancing over our heads

I said

"Can you hear the pitter patter of the rain drops?"

She giggled

"Mommy already asked me that."

I smiled

"And what was your answer?"

"YES!'

(Okay, obvious question, even to a 4 year old.)

~
We arrive home

De-brief the camera

She, on a barstool

Me, standing close behind

We both like the posterized version

Papa is home

He calls out like a trumpet

" It's snowing!"
We run to the window

Huge flakes of snow
Floating down like happy parrot troopers

She dances
(Poor Auntie Em's been wanting snow for 20 years!)

Then we make hot chocolate

And potato soup
(...because I intend to have a grandchild say to her grandchild,
 "I learned to cook in my Mimi's kitchen.)

                 

                         Here is our recipe 

1-2-3- Creamy Potato Soup

8 large potatoes washed, peeled and cubed

    (I used red this time and removed half the peel.)

½ - 1 lb. cooked bacon

2 chopped onions

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups water

2 cups milk

½ cup flour mixed with ¼ cup water (to thicken soup) 

3 tbs. butter

Salt and pepper

Stove top instructions:

1.  Sauté onion and celery in large stockpot. 

2.  Add chicken stock, water potatoes, and bacon. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer 2-3 hours.

3. Add milk (slowly).It is best if milk is room temp. One hour before serving, mix flour and water and add to soup.

*For extra creamy soup: when ready to serve, scoop about 3 cups into blender and mix until smooth and pour back into soup pot.

Crock pot instructions:

1.  Add butter vegetables, stock and water to crockpot.

2.  Cook on high 6 hours.

3.  One hour before add warmed milk, make paste with ½ cu. flour and 1/4 cu. water and stir into pot.
(See * above)

When serving soup, add one cooked, sliced hot dog (or sausage, or not) and a handful of cheese to the top of each bowl.

 Makes 8-10 servings

                                

(Click the Print Friendly button to save or print.)

~Enjoy

Linking up with:
Farm Chick Chit Chat
Brighton Park: Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers
White Wolf Summit Farmgirl
Backyard Farming Connection
Deborah Jean's Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

1-2-3 Cauliflower Soup

I like to make this easy and healthy soup for dinner on a cold winter's night with just a few minutes morning prep time and a few hours in the crock pot.

3 Tbs olive oil

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 stalks celery

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp. sea salt (optional)

½ tsp. pepper

(Makes 2 hearty servings, plus one lunch the next day.)

Sauté vegetables in oil (optional).

Add them to a 2 qt. crock pot.

Add 2 cups low sodium chicken stock, salt and pepper.

Cook on high 1 hr.  Then on low 5 hours, more or less.

Ladle soup into a blender. 

Return to crock. 

Add slices of cooked meat or crumbled bacon. I use sliced turkey sausage today.

Cook to heat meat.

Top with shredded cheddar, sliced green onion, a dollop of sour cream, and serve. 

 The very picture of success!

Click Here to download my recipe, or use the green " Print Friendly" button below the post to print, save or email - with or without photos. 

Click here  to read about the many health benefits of eating cauliflower.

You can find a tutorial about how to make heart-shaped carrots for soup HERE

~Enjoy 

Sharing my recipe with the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop over at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House. Click on the link to follow me back. There are some great posts to read!

1-2-3 Veggie Soup

Anytime I can make a yummy and healthful meal with 7 minutes prep time, I'm happy. This is one of the tastiest soups I've ever made. It is as easy as:

 One

Two

Three

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)

One quart Low Sodium V-8 Juice
One quart chicken stock or water ( I used stock.)

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 stalks carrot, sliced

3 red potatoes, cubed

One medium onion (or 1/2 large onion) diced

2 gloves garlic, diced (Mine were whole and it didn't matter.)

One large cereal bowl-full of meatballs, optional
(Mine were precooked.)

One bay leaf (I forgot.)

Chopped fresh parsley (I forgot)
1 tsp. sugar.

Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low all day long.

Serve sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or grated mozzarella cheese and some yummy bread.

Great leftover! And my prince likes it! Yay!

Thanks Patsy! 

Nothing Wasted : How I Used 100 Percent of our Thanksgiving Turkey

Four days after Thanksgiving, our turkey was entirely utilized-- every bit of it, bones and all.

Here's how:

First, I bought a 21 lb, fresh, free range turkey at Sprouts Market and soaked it in brine. I cooked the giblets and the neck in a small crock pot overnight, feeding the meat to my dog and to our chickens over the next several days.

Next,  I roasted the bird in our new electric roaster at 450 for 30 minutes, then another 3 1/2 hours at 325 degrees. I was able to roast the turkey in our laundry room, leaving the oven available to warm our side dishes.

I wish I had taken photos of the bird on a platter, but we were too busy getting everything else ready.

As soon as the table was cleared, and before pie, I put the turkey carcass into our large crock pot, covered it with water, and set it on low.  I kept it on low for a day and a half.  Then I strained the broth into a bowl and divided the bones, meat and skin into bags for the freezer.  I will serve this to our chickens, about one bag per week.

Even though our turkey was well built -- due to his "free range life" -- a day and a half in the crock brought his stalwart bones to the point where I could crush them easily between my fingers, exposing  the marrow, which my chickens love; actually, the hens eat every single bone, but not all at once.

(We ate our share of the leftovers too.)

I poured the strained broth back into the crock pot, along with three of the biggest bones, an onion, 2 carrots, a stalk of celery, and 3 cloves of garlic, a bay leaf and a stray pepper top from someones's lunch.

Then I cooked the broth for another a couple of days, adding water a few times. In this way, I was able to pull all the nutrition from the combined elements. Then I strained the stock, adding the vegetables to my compost bin.

Four days after eating our turkey, I made soup:

Creamed Turkey Soup and Dumplings.
~Saute 1 diced onion, one stalk celery and 2 cloves chopped garlic in 2 tbsp butter. Add 3 cups turkey stock (you could use chicken stock) and 3 cups water. 
~Pour into crock pot. 
~Add 1-2 sliced carrots and bits of turkey, about 2 cups I slightly shredded it with my fingers (after removing any 'surprises', because I don't like 'surprises.'
~Salt and pepper and do something else for a couple of hours. ( I went to yoga class.)
~Ladle about a cup of broth into a separate container and add 2 tbs cornstarch, mixing well and return to pot.
~Add some whole milk, cream or half and half, slowly, while stirring until it looks right.
~Turn up the heat and bring to a simmer.
~Add one pinch of love ( I add this to everything I make.)

 I found the dumpling recipe on the internet and cut it in half, because I was only serving 3 people but here is the uncut version.

Homemade Dumplings 
(Click here for a wheat free dumpling recipe)

Ingredients  

~2 cups of all-purpose flour
~2 teaspoons of baking powder
~3/4 teaspoon of salt
~4 tablespoons margarine
~¾ - 1 cup water, or milk if preferred

Directions~~~~Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons of margarine. Add ¾ cup of water or milk and stir well. Add additional liquid as needed to form a soft dough that can be dropped by a large spoon into the soup.

~Using a large spoon, drop the dumpling dough into simmering Homemade Chicken Soup.
~Cover kettle{ I used my crock-pot} and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not remove the cover to check for doneness before the allotted time. This will cause the dumplings to "fall" and Instead of light fluffy dumplings, you will get dense dumplings. It is possible to cook the dumplings without a cover, but the results are better if they are covered. (Recipe found Here)

In conclusion: I learned how to use 100 per cent of a 20 lb turkey.

1. Neck, Giblets to pets
2. Dinner for 10
3. Sent leftovers home with 3 families
4. Made bone broth with carcass
5. Leftover meal for 2
6. Lunches for 2 days
7. Bones cooked to crushing stage and divided into bags for chickens throughout the month.
8. Creamed turkey soup.
9. Leftover soup
10. 1 quart stock to be used in stew 
11. 2 trays broth ice cubes
12. 2 cups turkey bits in lunch bags for dog's food.

Can you tell I'm pleased?

~Blessings

Linking this post with:
Tuesdays with a Twist
Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest
The Thankful HomeAcre Hop

Easy Crock Pot Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes.
Until recently, lasagna has been time-consuming to prepare, but well worth the effort... especially when I make and freeze it two weeks before our traditional Christmas feast, where we serve as many as 26 sit-down guests.

HOWEVER, I have learned how to make lasagna in the crock pot. NOW  I assemble it on regular ole' weekdays in just a few minutes. The recipe I'm about to share serves 4 hungry people, including second portions AND leftovers.  OR 8 mildly hungry people -- too polite to ask for seconds...still with leftovers.  Here's my recipe. 

EASY CROCK POT LASAGNA 

Filling
2 lb Ricotta cheese (I use Kraft Simply Original)
2 Large handfuls shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped "fresh" spinach (quick hint below)
2 fresh eggs
1 pinch nutmeg
1 Tbs sugar
Pepper (up to 1/4 tsp)
1 pinch of Love (I add this ingredient to everything!)

Sauce
1/2 lb ground meat (I use ground sirloin)
    (Or sliced, Italian sausage as I do on Christmas.)
1 24 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water or broth (I use bone broth)

Also need:
1/2 Pkg. oven ready lasagna noodles
2 1/2 quart slow cooker  / This size works best.

Topping
1/3 cup Mozzarella and 2 -3 Tbs Parmesan for top.

DIRECTIONS
Brown meat, add sauce, add broth to jar and shake; then pour into sauce mixture.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine filling ingredients.

Lightly spray slow cooker with cooking spray (I use olive oil).  Add one layer of sauce to cover the bottom of crock. Break noodles to form your next layer. Cover noodles with 1/3 of the filling mixture, another layer of noodles, sauce, another layer of filling  another layer of noodles, and most of the remaining sauce. By now, you should be to the top of your crock. ( Don't worry if you mixed up the layering...it will not matter.)  Break and arrange a layer of noodles and press them into the top layer of sauce with your fingers to submerge. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.

At this point you may do one of the following:

1. Turn your crock onto low and cook at least 4 hours,  but no longer than 6 hours. OR
2. Put crock in fridge (up to 24 hours) and cook as above.
3. Seal with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze (only if you have more than one crock pot). Remove from freezer and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Now for my "fresh" spinach tip.  Spinach leaves freeze really well.  Remove frozen spinach leaves and crush.  Or chop fresh spinach and freeze in small portions.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.
~Blessings.

Note: my recipe was inspired by a blogger who posted the recipe to Pinterest. from the blog:  tablespoon.com

~

Linking up today with The fabulous HomeAcre Hop