Split Pea Soup Recipe

 I know it is almost summer time and it's getting to be to hot for soups. For us I makes soups any time of the year to use up items in the refrig before they go bad. I am basing this recipe from the Betty Crocker's cookbook. What you see in the photo is the basic of this soup. I usely don't measure anything for a soup but do a lot of judging and tasting until I am happy. I will give you the measurements from the book and directions. You will need the following.
8 cups of water; 1 pound dried split peas; 2-pounds smoked ham; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 2 medium carrots, cut up; 2 medium celery stalks, cut up.
Heat water and peas to boiling in Dutch oven. Boil two minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
Stir ham, onion, salt, pepper into peas. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour. Skim fat if necessary.
Remove ham, trim fat and bone from ham. Cut ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Stir ham, carrots, and celery into soup. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
Now for how I actually did it. I had a ham bone left over from dinner so I boiled that in some water along with salt, pepper and some bay leaves. I had that simmering for about 3 hours. When I was happy about how the broth look I turned off the burner and removed the bone and let the bone cool. As the bone cooled down I added the package of dried peas and brought it to a boil. Once it came to a boil I lowered the flame and let it simmer.  After about 45 minutes I added the onions, celery, carrots and what ever ham I could remove from the bone. I also removed the bay leaves. I let this simmer until the peas were soft and mushy. I added some ham flavoring that came with the dried peas. I still had to add more salt because my ham didn't have much flavor.

This is what it looks like. Doesn't look very good but it taste greats. I hope you will give this recipe a try. Let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Flags for Veterans

 We did our annual flags for Veterans again on the Friday before Memorial Day. We missed last year because Aryan was getting his wisdom pulled. Here is Aryan at the first Veteran's grave we came to. We don't know any of these Veteran's. It was a nice day but the flying bugs were a hassle. Aryan and I usually work together and we go further into the cemetery then the rest of the group. I was shone a while ago where there is a big area that has a lot of veterans grave.

Here is David at a different Veteran's grave. This was our last one for the day. David usually goes with one of my friend's to do the flags. On the back of this tomb stone there is a metal plaque that tells about his service.
This year we put up 600 flags. Hopefully next year we can do more.

BBQ Chicken Recipe

 Here is another recipe that I received from a friend. This can be made either the day of as I am doing or you can put this together into a freezer bag and freeze it for another day. Everything you see here is all you will need for this recipe. 4-6 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces; 1 (12oz) bottle of BBQ sauce; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup vinegar; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

 You will combine everything but the chicken into a bowl. As you probably saw I didn't have a full bottle of BBQ sauce so I combined  two different sauces to make my 12ozs. I also used cider vinegar instead of white.

 You will place your chicken into the slow cooker. As you can see I decided not to cut up my chicken breast into pieces. I also almost always use a liner. This makes for easier cleanup.

 Pour your sauce mixture over the chicken and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

 This is what it will look like after the cooking is done.

I sliced up the chicken and served it with rice and corn. I also made a chicken gravy for the rice. You could put the chicken and sauce over the rice if you want to. I have done that before.
What I like about this is that I can put into the slow cooker and forget about it until about 30 minutes before we eat, I also cooked my rice in a rice cooker so the rice was a quick fix also.
I hope you give this recipe a try and please let me know what you think. Until next time enjoy your day.

Meatloaf Recipe

 Here is an old but goody recipe. I got this recipe from my mom. I think she got this out of a book called 100 ways to use hamburger. I grew up eating this. Almost everything above is what you will need to fix this recipe.  Here is the list of everything you will need to make this recipe. 1 pound of hamburger, 1/2 pound of sausage, 8 slices of dried bread, cubed, 1 medium onion, chopped fine, 1/2 small green pepper, chopped fine, 3 pieces of celery, chopped fine, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and sage to taste.

 Mix altogether. I always double this recipe. This time I was missing items so I changed it up a little. My mom never added green peppers because she doesn't like them. I didn't have any this time so I omitted them. I never use celery pieces but do use either celery salt or dried celery leaves. I also used bread crumbs and sometimes I use quick oats if I don't have bread crumbs.

 Here is my mom and I differ. The recipe says to shape into small footballs and my mom did this. I on the other always put the mixture into loaf pans. I also sprinkle the tops with Paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours,

This is what it looks like after it is done. I served it with baked potatoes and baked squash. I am not a real fan of meat loaf but will eat it the first night. My family loves this meal and will eat it for leftovers. I really don't know why I am not fan of meat loaf, but this is the best recipe I have  used if I am going to make one. I hope you give this oldie a try and let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Macaroni and Cheese Soup Recipe

 I know this recipe sounds odd but it is pretty good. Extremely kid friendly. I got this recipe from The Friend which our church produces for young readers. It has been many years ago that this came out. This is really the only way I can get my kids to eat Macaroni and Cheese. I have tried to make homemade versions and they never ate them so I have had to stick to the box. This is what you will need for this recipe. 1 14oz box of macaroni and cheese dinner, 9 cups water, divided, 1 cup chopped broccoli, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 11oz can of condensed cheddar cheese soup, 2 1/2 cups milk and 1 cup chopped cooked ham. The following is how to put this altogether. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and cook the macaroni for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Make sure to save the cheese sauce packet for later. In another large pot, bring the remaining water, broccoli, and onion to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the soup, milk, ham, and cheese sauce packet to the water, broccoli, and onion. Heat well. Stir in the drained macaroni and serve.

This is what it looks like. As the soup sets it does become thicker. You can use any leftovers as a side dish the next day because the macaroni will absorb all the liquid as it sits. I just served this with bread.
This is so simple that your kids can make it. Please give this a try and let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe

 I have been gone for a while because April and May are busy months for me with two boys in track. Hopefully I will be able to post more often now that tack season is over. This recipe I got from friend who did a class on slow cooker meals. I don't know where she got this recipe. Sorry that I didn't
t a photo of all the ingredients you will need. I was in a hurry to put this into the pot before I headed to a track meet. You will need 4 chicken breasts, 1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 dry packet of Italian seasoning. You can put all these into a freezer bag and freeze. Just lay out the day before you plan on fixing. This is what I did. You don't have to freeze this before hand to fix this meal.

 You will cook this on low for 4-6 hours. Now there are many ways to fix this. I decided to shred mine and serve it over rice. You can leave them whole if you like. The track meet went way over so my chicken was so tender that it was falling apart as I tried to lift it out of the pot so that is why I shredded it.

Here is what it looks like all done. This is a very good dish and fast because I can either make a bag ahead of time and stick it in the freezer or just add all the items quickly into the pot.
I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know if you like it.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Cake Mix Cookie Recipe

 Here is a very simple cookie recipe for you to try. I got this recipe from a co worker when I was working at Dillard's in Texas. I don't know where she got it but it is extremely easy to make.
You will need a cake mix that is either moist or has pudding in it, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, and if you want M and M's or chocolate chips. As you can see I doubled this recipe. I also used caramel chips that were left over from an ice cream social.

 All you have to do is mix everything together. Don't forget to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

 I then used my cookie scoop and scooped the mixture onto my sprayed cookie sheets.

 You will need to bake them for 9-11 minutes.  I let them cool for about a minute on the cookie sheet which is on a rack. Then I removed them to another rack to cool.

 I let them cool until another batch is done. I baked these for 11 minutes.

I have bagged up the cookies to put in the boys and Mike lunches. The boys get three cookies each and Mike gets six. Pre bagging them saves me time and keeps them out of them knowing that if they are in bags they can't touch them.
I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Macaroni and Beef Recipe

 Here is another recipe that I would like to share. I don't remember where I got this recipe from but I have had it for a while. Everything in this picture is what you will need to make this dish.
1 pound ground beef, 1 medium onion chopped, 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 large clove garlic crushed, 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, dash of nutmeg, 1 1/2 cups milk, and 1/4 cup grated cheese.
I did have to make some adjustments this time because I didn't have everything. I used dried onions instead of the medium onion, I used minced garlic instead of crushed and I used shells instead of elbow macaroni. This recipe still came out tasting great. Now onto the directions.
Cook and stir ground beef and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is brown about 10 minutes; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, salt, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and the garlic. Alternate layers of macaroni and beef mixture in greased 2-quart casserole dish. ( I mixed mine altogether before placing in the dish). Heat butter in saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of nutmeg. Cook over low heat stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; spoon sauce over macaroni and beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until bubbly and cheese is lightly brown about 35 minutes.

This is what it should look like when done. Serve with a vegetable or salad and your meal is done. You are able to taste a hint of nutmeg. We enjoy this dish. I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it. Until next time enjoy your day.
*NOTE: a dash is about 1/8 teaspoon.

Maple Dijon Pulled Chicken for the Crock Pot Recipe

 Here is another recipe I would like to share with you. I got this recipe from whoneedsacape.com.
Here is everything you will need for this recipe.

 As always I like to line my crock pot with a liner but you don't have to just make sure to spray it with a non stick spray before you add the ingredients. You will need 2-3 pounds of boneless chicken breast. More or less to your family size. You will have to adjust the amounts if you change the amount of chicken.

 In a separate bowl you will need to add 3/4 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup of maple syrup (I use the real stuff), 2 tablespoons of vinegar (I used red wine but any kind will work).

 Whip that all together.

 Pour on top of chicken in the crock pot.

 You will add one chopped onion. I didn't have an onion so I used dried onions instead.
You will cook this on low for about 6 hours or longer is fine.

I almost forgot to take a picture before I put up the leftovers. You will need to pull the chicken and let it cook for about 15 minutes more (at least again longer is fine)
Serve on a salad, roll, tortilla, or just on a plate.
I served it on the plate along with some yellow rice and French style green beans.
This can also be a freezer meal by mixing the liquids together and put in a ziplock bag with chicken and onions.
Slow cooker meals have been a life saver for me these last couple of months with my boys being track and I haven't had much time to really cook.
I hope you give this recipe try. Let me know how you like it.
Until next time.