Mom's Easter Egg Bread

It's been quite a few years since I've thought about this Easter egg bread. My mom used to make it in a wreath shape and it was quite a novelty then. Since I didn't start eating egg yolks until I was well into adulthood, one of my memories of Easter was all the little yolks lined up in the refrigerator egg tray (where I'd put them for my dad after I ate the egg whites). Back then I don't even remember us refrigerating the colored eggs. I'm sure they sat on the kitchen table in a basket until they were all gone (and none of us died from that action). I also know I was much more interested in eating chocolate bunnies and crosses back then. Through the eyes of an adult, it seems just a bit off that we got these ornate chocolate crosses in our Easter baskets and thought nothing of chomping on them. Holidays always make me nostalgic, and with both mom and dad gone such memories are a way of keeping them alive in my heart.

Once I got it into my head to make this bread, I had to search high and low for mom's recipe. I have quite a few binders and folders filled with recipes and finally found the right one. I decided to make the bread into individual loaves since not much bread gets consumed here and this would make it easy to gift a few out (and let the results end up on someone else's hips). Such generosity!

Makes 1 wreath loaf or 6 individual loaves

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups milk, scalded then cooled
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour
salt--a pinch or two
6 raw eggs, dyed
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk

multi-colored nonpareils*
* (note that my breads have colored sprinkles; I had run out of nonpareils and didn't realize it until too late)

In a stand mixer, add yeast, slightly cooled milk, butter, beaten eggs, sugar, half the flour, and a pinch of salt. With the dough hook attachment, begin mixing, gradually adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary until the dough is no longer sticky. This should take about 5 minutes. After the first 3 1/2 cups of flour, I add it by 1/8 cup until the right consistency is achieved. Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead about 12 times. Place in a greased bowl, cover,  and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 - 2 hours. Meanwhile, color the raw eggs, then refrigerate until ready to use.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down then divide into 3 ropes (for a large wreath) or into 12 ropes (to be twisted into 6 small loaves). Roll out each rope to about 12 inches in length; braid two together, making certain to pinch the ends together and place on a baking sheet with Silpat mats (or a greased baking sheet). Cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about another hour).

Gently place a colored egg in the middle of each loaf, pressing down a bit. Brush loaves with egg wash, then add sprinkles.

Bake at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown (25-30 minutes). Cool on a rack.

Buona Pasqua!
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TASTE NOTES
Seeing these come out of the oven was a flashback to my childhood. The bread is just a little bit sweet and tastes good with just a bit of butter or with some butter and preserves. The eggs cook up nicely in the oven and round out breakfast or can be saved and made into egg salad later.

Sonya's Chicken and Artichoke Bake

It's a fact of life that if you have more than a five minute conversation with me, at some point the topic of food is going to come up. One of the upsides is that I get inspiration to try new dishes. Sonya, my nail tech, was eating her lunch while I was sitting waiting for my nails to dry and I got to see (and sniff) a dish she'd described to me before, her chicken cutlet and artichoke bake. While it had always sounded like something I would like, getting to smell it sealed the deal. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. What follows is my rendition:

Serves 2-4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
flour
panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil

1-2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup Italian dressing (feel free to use low fat or fat free)

6 oz yolk free egg noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella (my addition)

Set up a station to dredge the cutlets in flour, dip in egg, then cover in panko bread crumbs. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. This helps the bread crumbs adhere to the chicken better. Fry in vegetable oil 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned. Drain on paper towels and let cool for 15-20 minutes (to keep the breading from falling off). Cut into bite sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While the chicken cools, prepare the egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

In a 9 X 13 baking dish toss the noodles, chicken, artichokes, and salad dressing. Top with the cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through.
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TASTE NOTES
This was a very simple dish to prepare. I prefer thighs to breasts, but you could certainly use conventional chicken cutlets. I love all the ingredients and so I enjoyed the dish a lot. I will share that I am not a "sauce" person, so you might want to increase the amount of salad dressing if you find the bake dry. Thanks, Sonya, for a new easy weeknight meal.

Seahorses

Saying you're not going to begin a new project until you've completed your UFO's is wonderful in theory, but most quilters I know (myself included) find it almost impossible to do. This is my latest cakewalk, an 18" X 18" wall hanging using a technique developed by Terry Kramzar. It isn't actually quilt-as-you-go, though you do quilt each block individually. Terry presented at our guild last year, and while I didn't take her workshop, I admired the blocks as background and went ahead and experimented with how I thought it was done. I learned my mistakes on the fly and will attempt it again as I think it makes a nice background for beading.

Glazed Vegetables

For some reason, I've only ever glazed carrots. I can't imagine why it never occurred to me to use the same preparation for other vegetables. That changed when this month's Fine Cooking magazine arrived. Food writer Michael Ruhlman waxes poetic about super chef Thomas Keller's "eye opening" lesson on how to glaze vegetables, a preparation often used at Keller's French Laundry.

I typically use chicken or vegetable broth along with a bit of sugar and butter to glaze my carrots. I decided for the purposes of food research to use Keller's version on some cut up butternut squash. The major difference is that Keller uses water, not broth. While there were no hard and fast measurements for the sugar and butter, there were some useful tips about how to ensure the vegetables don't overcook before the liquid, sugar, and butter mixture glazes them. Here's what I did:

3/4 - 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs sugar
chopped tarragon

Use a large pot that will hold all the vegetables in one or more snug layers. It's important not to spread them out in a huge pot. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and add the sugar and butter.Bring to a boil over high heat. Check the vegetables after they've been boiling for 10 minutes. If they're cooked through but there's still a lot of liquid in the pot, remove the vegetables and let the liquid continue to cook until it's syrupy, then add the vegetables back in. If the glaze forms before the vegetables are cooked, just add a bit more water and let them cook longer. Mine were done perfectly after 12 minutes of rapid boiling.

The most useful hint was to listen for a "sharp, frenetic bubbling sound, almost a crackle." Ruhlman was right about this. When you hear this sound, lower the heat because the glaze is just about done. Sprinkle with chopped tarragon and serve.
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TASTE NOTES
I was afraid that substituting water for the chicken broth would produce a less flavorful dish, but that was not the case. The suggestions regarding the timing of cooking and the sound to listen for to catch the glaze at precisely the right moment were spot on. That said, while the glazed butternut squash was delicious, I prefer to roast this winter vegetable with some olive oil. That produces a lovely carmelization that just tastes better to me. I will, however, use Keller's method on my usual carrots and on the next bunch of broccoli I buy.

Snickerdoodle Scones

A few months ago I made snickerdoodle bread and while eating it was certainly the best part of the experience, the wonderful smell permeated the house for hours. Since I don't like keeping sweets around the house, but enjoy indulging every now and again, I decided to make something that was already portioned: snickerdoodle scones. I figured I'd use a basic scone recipe and add the spices and some of those wonderful cinnamon chips that I discovered in the chocolate chip aisle.

For the Scones:

1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter

For the Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg; refrigerate until needed.
In a separate small bowl, make the cinnamon/sugar topping be stirring together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and toss with a fork to cover in flour mixture. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal flecked with pea-sized bits of butter, about 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together. Shape into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle with cinnamon topping. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges. (I have a scone pan, so I used that.)
Place wedges on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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TASTE NOTES

Because I wanted to squeeze in my morning walk (yes, there was an element of guilt there), I prepared the scones the night before and placed the pan in the refrigerator. I took them out of the refrigerator and left them on the counter for about 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. The smell drifted downstairs to where I was on the treadmill trying to burn some calories in anticipation of this Sunday morning treat. The scones had a wonderful crumb, were as delicious as they were fragrant, and leftovers have been wrapped in freezer bags to be enjoyed on a future Sunday morning.

Oreo Truffles

The recipe for these easy-to-make truffles was all over the blogosphere this past Christmas and I tasted one at some point, thinking I'd make them sometime when I needed a quick and easy dessert. This month's quilt guild meeting was just the occasion.

Makes 40-45 small truffles
1 (16 oz) package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
16 oz semi sweet baking chocolate, melted (you can use the Wilton chips or regular baking chocolate)
OPTIONAL:  small candy cups

Crush 9 of the cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Set aside. Crush the remaining cookies into fine crumbs and place in a large bowl. Add the softened cream cheese and mix well. Shape the mixture into 45 one-inch balls.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating and stirring in 15 minute increments until it is completely melted.

Set up a station. Use 1 fork to dip the truffle in the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Use a second fork to roll the truffle in the reserved crumbs. Place in a candy cup or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill before serving.
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TASTE NOTES
While these are not your usual chocolate ganache truffles, how can anything with Oreos in them be bad? They are sweet, chocolaty, and delicious. If you're not a purist, you might want to make them with the colored melts available from Wilton. I saw some wild turquoise and purple melts.

Brickle Brownies

I go back and forth on what kind of brownies I really, really love ( See cake-like brownies), but sometimes nothing but a fudgy, candy-enhanced brownie will do. It doesn't hurt that these brownies are made in one bowl either.

Makes 24
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil hang over the short edges (to use to remove the brownies later). Spray with nonstick butter-flavored spray.

1 1/2 cups butter
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup Heath English toffee bits

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter and chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds until chocolate is completely melted.  Add sugar, stirring well. Add vanilla and eggs and stir to combine. Add flour and brickle bits and stir thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Do not overbake! Cool in the pan or on a rack. Use the aluminum foil to remove from the pan and cool another 30 minutes. Remove foil and cut into 24 brownies.
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TASTE NOTES
When you first see these brownies out of the oven, you may be disappointed that they are very thin. The taste more than makes up for that. These are dense, chewy, and scream for a glass of cold milk.

Eggplant Lasagna (Lazy Girl's Rollatini)

I love eggplant rollatini, but frankly it's too much trouble to make except for special occasions. It also requires frying the breaded eggplant--something I rarely do. A simple solution is to take the same ingredients and put them together in a different way. This eggplant lasagna has the same ingredients as eggplant rollatini, but the eggplant is breaded and oven-fried, making it a lighter option.

Serves 4-6

1 large eggplant

1 egg plus 1 egg white

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

olive oil nonstick spray

1 lb part skim ricotta

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

1 egg

3 tbs chopped parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1 jar Bertolli vodka sauce (or your favorite sauce)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with olive oil nonstick spray. Beat the egg and egg white. Peel the eggplant and slice it into 1/4 inch rounds. (I prefer to salt both sides of the eggplant, leave it for 1 hour, rinse in cold water, and dry thoroughly. I do this to take any bitterness out of the eggplant, but you may wish to skip this step).

Dip each slice in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking sheets, then spray each slice with the olive oil nonstick spray. Bake for 15 minutes, turn slices, spray, and bake for 15 minutes more. The slices should be lightly browned and crispy as in this photo.

While the eggplant is baking, mix the ricotta,grated cheese, egg, parsley, garlic powder, and most of the shredded mozzarella together. Place a few tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Fit some eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Cover with sauce, then spread all the cheese mixture over that. Fit the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese, top with sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, uncovering for the last 10 minutes of baking. Let set for 10 minutes, then serve.

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TASTE NOTES

What I love about this dish is that it combines my two favorite eggplant preparations in one--eggplant parmigiana and eggplant rollatini. It serves 4 very generously or 6 with a small side of pasta.

Pasta Carbonara for Two

This is a dish I seldom order in a restaurant because there's a better than even chance they'll ruin it by adding cream. Authentic carbonara does not have any cream in it. In fact, it was conceived as a dish to eat when one has been out late (or early, as the case may be) and is looking for a little something to snack on.

Serves 2-3
1/2  lb dried spaghetti
Kosher salt
4 oz pancetta, but into small dice
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 oz finely grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
freshly ground black pepper
Optional garnish: braised leeks

Bring an 8 quart pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and 2 tbs salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.

While the pasta is cooking, put the pancetta and oil in a large heavy duty skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until golden brown (5-7 minutes), but don't render all the fat. Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and cheese along with 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Slowly whisk in about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.

Immediately after draining the pasta, add it to the skillet, then quickly pour in the egg mixture, tossing continuously with tongs until the pasta is well coated (15-30 seconds). Add more of the reserved water if needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Serve immediately with more freshly ground black pepper to taste.
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TASTE NOTES
This is a dish best eaten as soon as it is prepared. Frankly, leftovers do not reheat well, so plan to eat it all up or eat the leftovers cold. Don't let the simplicity fool you. Carbonara is a very satisfying dish, unfussy, but unctuous.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I love Mexican food, but it's not always the healthiest choice when you're eating out. So I'm always on the lookout for a recipe that isn't too heavy on the fat or cheese, and this adaptation of a recipe I found online fit the bill. While it isn't a fast and easy weeknight recipe, with a little planning it can be. For example, you could substitute rotisserie chicken for the chicken thighs. Or, you could roast the chicken thighs the night before or prep the whole casserole on the weekend to be baked on Monday night (in which case you would need to leave the casserole out to bring to room temperature or increase the cooking time). If you're on the lookout for a fast and easy chicken enchilada recipe, you might want to check out this one  from my files for a weeknight meal and try the recipe that follows on the weekend. But please try it, because it is very, very good.

4 servings (10 WW pts. + per serving)
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
cooking spray
cumin
chili powder
1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro
3 oz Neufchatel  cheese(reduced calorie cream cheese)
salt and pepper
2 cups chopped onions, divided
6 chopped garlic cloves, divided
1 cup lower sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup salsa verde
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup shredded lowfat Mexican cheese
9 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Optional:  2 tbs chopped jalapenos

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

1. 2. Place chicken thighs in a baking pan and seaons  with cumin and chili powder. Spray with nonstick spray. Cook for 20 minutes, turn over, and return to oven for 20 minutes more. Let cool for 15 minutes then shred chicken with 2 forks.   Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, Neufchatel cheese, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside.
2. 3. Spray a nonstick skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.
3. 4. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water (and jalapeño, if desired) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend completely (or let cool 10 minutes and puree in a blender).
4. 5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.
5. 6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro.
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7. TASTE NOTES
8. This was absolutely worth the little bit of effort it took to put together. The salsa verde adds just enough spice for me and the serving is quite generous. A bonus is that it is even better reheated!

Easy Garlic Chicken

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I prefer dark meat despite its slightly higher fat content and buy this cut in bulk and repackage it in freezer bags. It's not only delicious and versatile, it's economical as well.  While I have many ways to prepare Asian-style garlic chicken, I don't remember ever using butter in the marinade.  The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of butter, which was far more butter than a pound of chicken called for. The 3 tablespoons  was more than sufficient. The original recipe also called for soy sauce, but I prefer teriyaki. If you want dinner on the table with very little fuss, give this one a try.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbs butter
3 tbs low sodium teriyaki sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbs chopped parsley
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter, teriyaki sauce, garlic, and parsley until butter melts.  Brush both sides of the chicken with all of the butter mixture. Bake 20 minutes, turn chicken and baste. Bake another 20 minutes, turn chicken and baste. Cook chicken under the broiler another 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned.
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TASTE NOTES
I was very pleased with the results of this easy recipe. The chicken was exceedingly moist and flavorful. Nothing beats butter for a satisfying mouth feel. I will be making this chicken often and plan to try it on chicken breasts as well as thighs. There is plenty of  "sauce" left over for those who want an accompaniment for their rice.

I'm a Believer--Overnight Irish Oatmeal

I spend time nearly every day reading my favorite blogs and following links on those blogs, widening my circle of "must reads" and filling my Pinterest boards with great new ideas. One of the more "pinteresting" ideas I came across this week was a very easy method for cooking Irish oatmeal. If you haven't tried Irish oatmeal (steel cut oatmeal),   I urge you to do so. In my opinion, it bears no resemblance to the mush that is regular oatmeal. It is nutty, has a bit of bite left to it, and provides a healthy, filling breakfast. The downside for me was that it took 30 minutes to make with a bit of attention necessary (stirring to keep it from sticking).
Thanks to my addiction for reading about food, I can now have Irish oatmeal whenever I want and with a minimum of effort.

To make 4 servings, the night before, using a large* saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Pour in 1 cup of steel cut oats and stir. Cover, turn off the heat but leave on the same burner (the residual heat helps cook the oatmeal), and leave overnight. You'll awaken in the morning with nothing more to do than put your serving in a bowl and reheat it in the microwave.

*the large saucepan is to accommodate the continued boil even after the heat is turned off; I didn't use a large enough pan the first time and had spillage all over the stovetop

Aside from delicious oatmeal ready in the few minutes it takes to reheat in the microwave, clean up was a snap since there was no chance of the oatmeal sticking. Some of my favorite add in's are:

chopped apple sprinkled with cinnamon
peanut butter
honey
sliced almonds

Slow Cooker Chicken and Black Bean Tacos

I enjoy using my new slow cooker both for the ease of preparation and clean up as well as for the way it allows me to take the "fix it and forget it" approach to cooking (after all, there are quilts to be made, books to be read, sales to be investigated). When I saw a recipe for chicken and black bean tacos on Skinnytaste, I decided to give it a try. With minor modifications, here is the recipe:

Slow Cooker Black Bean and Chicken Tacos

Servings: 4 • Size: 3 tacos •  Points+: 8 pt 
Calories: 313 • Fat: 8 g • Carb: 41 g • Fiber: 8 g • Protein: 22 g • Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 716 mg (without added salt)


Ingredients:

• 12 oz raw skinless chicken tenders or breast
• 15 oz can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed (Goya)
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1-2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp plus 1/8th tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano 
• 1 medium scallion, diced
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For the Slaw: 

• 1 1/3 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar 
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Taco:

• 12 crisp corn taco shells

Optional toppings: (not calculated)

• low fat sour cream
• pico de gallo
• 1 medium haas avocado, sliced
• salsa
• fat free shredded cheese

Directions:

Season chicken with pinch of salt, garlic powder, oregano, and half the chili powder and  cumin. 
Add the beans and tomatoes to the crock pot and season with the remaining chili powder and cumin. Place chicken in the crock pot and cover. 
Cook on HIGH 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Meanwhile, combine shredded cabbage with vinegar and oil, season with salt to taste; set aside. 

Remove chicken from the crock pot and shred with two forks. Drain bean and tomato mixture and transfer to a platter, or back to the crock pot to keep warm. Top with shredded chicken, scallions and cilantro.

To serve, warm the taco shells according to package directions. Fill with equal amounts of bean and chicken mixture. Top with cabbage and your favorite toppings.
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TASTE NOTES
You'll be clamoring to move dinner up when you smell this cooking. I topped my tacos with low fat sour cream and the cabbage slaw and they were delicious. Next time, I'll add some avocado as well. The 3 tacos were very filling along with a tossed salad. The chicken and black beans would be equally delicious served over some yellow rice.

Another Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

I've come to the conclusion that the real reason I buy spiral hams are so I can squirrel away the bone to use for split pea soup. I dutifully wrapped and froze the bone from the Christmas ham and with the weather forecast predicting very chilly weather for the rest of the week, today seemed the perfect day to whip up a batch. I've posted other recipes for split pea soup, some made in my Dutch oven and others in the crock pot. This is a simple recipe, but it yields a lot of wonderful, thick split pea soup. I love making it in the crock pot because it's so easy. You don't have to soak the peas and the texture is perfect. An added bonus is that  the soup freezes well.

1 lb dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 ham bone (with a generous serving of ham attached)
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
6 cups water

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, nestling the hambone in the center. Cook on high for 5-6 hours. Really, can it get any easier than that? And it makes a lot of soup!

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TASTE NOTES
This is a great way to get your veggies in. The carrots make the soup sweet and the absence of potatoes makes it leaner. All you need are some croutons and dinner is served. The soup is very thick; if you prefer it thinner, use some low-salt chicken broth or water.