Split Pea Superific!

Tonight I was up for a challenge. Wandering the grocery aisle for inspiration led me to find a bag of split peas. Even though I am not a pea fan, split pea soup is always something that I've wanted to try. This was a good and easy recipe that is also good for leftovers!

Bring 10 cups of water, 4 cloves of garlic, and 1 cup split peas to a boil.
Skim off scum and then add one onion (chopped), 3 carrots (chopped) , 3 celery stalks (chopped), 12 oz of cut up summer sausage, one bay leaf and 1 tbs Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt
Let simmer for 1 hr or until vegetables are soft.
Place soup in a blender or food processor to puree. Now even though this looks like something that comes out of a babies rear end, it is guaranteed to please!
Enjoy with your favorite bread side!

I forgot to take a pic, but this is the pic that inspired me!!

Hot Hot Hot!

And no I am not talking about the weather. After my excitement of last weekend the MN weather came and gave us a nice reminder that its still March, the snowiest month of the year. So to get my 'hot' fix I turned to the kitchen! I made some tacos that had quite the kick! So if you are looking for that as well, try this out! (This is not for the weak of heart!)

In a large cast iron skillet add hamburger, 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce and 3 cloves of garlic
Once the the hamburger is browned add 1 tsp of oregano and one bay leaf. Let simmer for 10-15 min on low
While that is simmering mix together chopped cabbage, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt.
Warm up a tortilla with cheese, fill with meat and cabbage mixture, top off with some sour cream and get ready to be blown away! If you don't have a margarita nearby, then have milk close by as this is spicy!

Nacho Supreme

I recently visited the orginal Famous Daves in Hayward, WI. We ordered thier BBQ nachos and they changed my life! Hearty enough for a meal, these nachos will knock your socks off! They are now in my back pocket when I need to make a quick healthy meal, and tonight was that kind of night. Back from a day of engagement pics in the drizzle, cold and not in the mood to slave away in the kitchen. So BBQ nachos it was! Here are the key ingrediants to a delightful meal! And boy oh boy I cant wait until most of these ingredients will be home grown in a few months!

Tortilla Chips with melted colby jack cheese
Brown hamburger and mix in favorite BBQ sauce
Add can of Bush's Honey baked beans
Once the mixture is hot layer on top of chips
Next layer on veggies of your liking! I did corn, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, black beans and cilantro.
Drizzle with remaining BBQ sauce, top off with sour cream and you have yourself amazing nachos!

Springing into Action

Spring is soooo close to being here! Even though its only 50 degrees us Minnesotans act as if its 80 and sunny. Neighbors you forgot you had emerge to say hello and you discover that tool that you left in the yard as the snow melts all around. Today had my spring juices flowing! Seedlings are planted. Even though its painful, this year I am cutting back. Having over 50 seedlings scattered around the house was not ideal for my house or for my sanity in the midst of wedding planning. This year its tomatoes, peppers and herbs that got the head start. The rest will come later. Last year I used the cheapest seed starting soil and it took about 2 weeks to get spouts to emerge. This year I used organic soil and those puppies were up in less than a week. When the earth speaks and you listen, magic happens. Between the compost, organic soil, organic seeds and our new fencing system we should have the best year yet for crops! We ran out of canned salsa about a month ago so we need this year to be big! Spring cleaning, seeds planted, tulips coming up, snow melting, outdoor grilled steaks, sun tea brewing on the deck. Spring. is. here.

Halleluja!!

From Free to Cool

My single days are coming to an end. In about a month I will go from a Free-mont to a Cool-man (phonetic spelling of course). The starting of this new exciting chapter isnt without reflection on the past 20 some years. (hey i havent quite hit 30 yet so I can still say 20 some). No more 'hey I may be cheap but I'm not free' jokes but instead a giddy excited feeling about the next big life step. A pattern in my life has always been to wait for the next big step. And as I am knocking on the door of marriage I arrive on the welcome mat with a new refreshed sense of reality. Life happens today. Now. Not while you are waiting for the next big thing. Everyone told me that I would love being engaged. And they were right, I do love it. But for a completly different reason then I think others would expect. I dont love the planning and the details. I dont love the decisions and the colors and dresses and countless wedding blogs and budgets. What I do love is that God is speaking to me. Loud and clear. I am busy and I am stressed but God is working on my character. And He picked now to do it. He won't relent until He has all of me. Using these days as a finace to mold me into the best me I can be. I go into our wedding day bursting with uncontrollable joy, and offering my groom a new woman. Ready to be the best wife I can be. Why? Becuase he and He deserves nothing less. Now thats cool man.