Last updated on April 12, 2020
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Dear 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine hell was NOT on my vision board!
I don’t know about all of you, but I’m starting to feel cooped up and crazy. I don’t even remember the last time I left the house … all of this “home and together” time is more difficult than I ever imagined. I seriously want to scream, cry, throw things – basically throw a temper tantrum, but what good would that do? A mere 3 weeks ago, I was dreaming for time to get things done around the house and now look … I have all the time in the world. My dream came true, although not the way I had hoped.
Outside of working from home, I have spent time organizing closets, cleaning out drawers, creating massive piles of items to take to Goodwill, posting stuff for sale on FB, and the list goes on. I would love to share that I have been working out, going for walks, cooking healthy meals, but that is not the case. The WI weather has yet to fully cooperate and the weeks have been cold and rainy with a nice day here and there. Come on Wisco, show us some love and SUNSHINE!
As you all know, I love to cook and create wonderful healthy recipes, but my extroverted type A personality has crashed and burned during this “safer at home” order. I have become dependent on pizza fries and Cool Ranch Doritos to sustain my depressed self. This new bad habit led me to purchase a new digital high-tech scale (arrive today!) as a reminder that junk food is NOT my friend and that I NEED my work pants to fit when this is all over.
Here is the scale that I purchased if anyone is looking to upgrade!
I made a bone in spiral ham for New Year’s Day and froze a large portion of the bone and hocks to make a hearty split pea soup. Today was the day to make it, and thankfully I had everything needed to make the recipe I had dreamed up in my head months ago. This soup will comfort those quarantine blues and make you feel perfectly cozy during the dreary WI weather.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Be well friends and find a few things each day to make you smile. We will all get through this, together.
Hearty Split Pea & Ham Soup
Notes
Pairs well with toasted garlic french bread.
Ingredients
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 medium red potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon mined garlic
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, add more/less if desired
- Salt to taste (optional)
- 1 pound (16-ounce bag) split peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 meaty ham bone and 2 ham hocks (or 2 cups cubed ham)
- 2 (32-ounce containers) low-sodium chicken broth
- Water (to thin soup to desired consistency)
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add chicken broth, rinsed peas, ham bone, hocks, OR cubed ham to a large stock pot. Simmer on medium-low for 45-60 minutes, or until the peas become mushy.
- NOTE: Skip this step if you added cubed ham to the chicken broth and split pea mixture. After 45-60 minutes, carefully remove the ham bone and hocks from the stock pot and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting the meat into cubes. Discard the boiled bones and extra fat from the meat.
- Add butter, garlic, and spices (thyme, rosemary, sage, black pepper) to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until spices become aromatic (about 1 minute). Add in the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes and sauté for 5-10 minutes, just enough time to completely coat the vegetables with the butter and spice mixture.
- Add sautéed vegetables and cubed ham to chicken broth and split pea mixture. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add 1 cup of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I used 4 cups, but I like the soup on the thinner side.
- Allow soup to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the vegetables have cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley & serve.