Sausage Split Pea Soup

My daughter is wild about split pea soup, my son, eh only eats it if he has too. So my challenge was to come up with a version that both children would eat without too many difficulties.

The answer of course is adding sausage to the pot. Yes, I did say sausage in split pea soup, you did not miss read what I wrote. I have to be honest; I did almost drop a bowl of soup when my son said it was good. My daughter, who was upset over her split pea soup being changed, also claimed it was good. *Mom does the happy dance secretly in the kitchen*

When I made the soup, I was really worried about how salty it might turn out. I used three smoked ham hocks and Hillshire Farm’s beef sausage sliced into bite size pieces and two potatoes. I did not add any salt to the pot, because of the ham hocks and sausage.

I was surprised to find,  the soup in my bowl did need some salt added to it. The power of the potato, took all the salt.

Sausage Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound dried split green pea, washed and sorted

1 lbs ham hock

1 1lbs package of Hillshire Farm’s beef sausage

½ Tablespoon Jamaican curry powder (I use Blue Mountain Country brand)

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, chopped

2 Celery ribs, chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

Six cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place onion in soup pot with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and sauté until translucent.

Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer on low for two hours.

Add additional water if needed and simmer on medium for half hour.

Remove ham hock, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Helpful hint: Do not store your onions and potatoes together, your potatoes will rot quickly

Thirty Days and Counting!

Well I have survived over thirty days! I want to thank those of you who have sent me note, sent recipes, forwarded this little adventure along or even shared it on Facebook.

So how about we have a little fun with yeast rolls and bread.  I have mentioned several times making a “Cheryl worthy yeast roll” and have gotten a few requests for the recipe.  The other day, I was scanning the internet for “gift in a jar” ideas, and came across the cutest idea for bread rolls.

Instead of using bread plates, they took the little four-ounce jelly jars, and baked a yeast roll in it. I do not have any jars that small, but I did try it with a pint jar. The idea worked out well, besides the fact I did not have enough dough in the jar.

The trick is to coat the inside of the jar with either olive or vegetable oil and then place cornmeal in the bottom. These two steps will prevent the bread from sticking and your guests will be able to remove the bread with no problems.

Cheryl worthy Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

½ cup warmed milk

1 large egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

3 ½ cups of all purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Place all ingredients into bread machine on dough setting, let run its cycle.

By hand method:

Slowly adding flour last, mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Remove from bowl and knead several times before placing in an oiled bowl

Cover with a clean, lint free, towel and allow dough to rise, doubling in size.

 When bread machine has ended its cycle OR your hand made dough has doubled in size.

Form dough into to 20 to 24 individual rolls.

Place rolls on cooking sheet brushed with vegetable oil.

Cover again with a towel and allow dough to rise a half-hour before baking for 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush each roll with melted butter.