Winding Down......Easy Split Pea Soup (Week 49)

It is nearing the end of my first semester in the doctoral program and I truly appreciate all of my followers (Gawd....that has a bad ring to it....sort of Jim Jones-ish) hanging in while I struggle through the last of my posts for the calendar year.  I feel like the guy in Chariots of Fire.....running in slow motion.

So, dear friends, let me tell you about my Tuesday night dinner......

Monday is my class day.  Thank you Pha (I think) for bringing in the Mexican munchies and Nancy for the really delicious chocolate cake.  Eating in class makes things SO much better.  Even better was the massive appetizer plate of Mexican goodies (lots of fried goodies and cheese!).....it's sort of "guilt free" at this point.  I was feeling like I was run over by a freight train that night.....struggling to fight off a head cold.  Amanda (sitting next to me was also sick and shared her zinc drops - thanks - I owe you).  My thought Tuesday morning was to SLEEP and try to get better (rather than to slide down in to the abyss of illness right before a massive paper was due).

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.......

I slept till 8:15 am when the phone started ringing (questions from the dean's office):  I gave up and got coffee and thought I'd work a bit on my big team project (affectionately known as the "Stinking Elementary Case Study").  Text messages started to appear.....a deaf faculty member with a ton of questions about an event on Friday followed by the dean's assistant needing a (don't laugh.....this shows the importance of my job and my role here at Fresno State) Jib-Jab birthday greeting for the Associate Dean!  I am SOOOOOOO needed!

It was now Noon and I still wasn't sleeping nor was I working on my paper.  The a donor called......refusing to do something she had agreed to do (long story) which required me to "negotiate" with a stuffy nose (very effective).

Somewhere about 10ish, I went downstairs and through together Split Pea Soup.....I was in need of COMFORT FOOD in the worst way.  If this didn't work.....I was going to call my Mommy!

Here ya go:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped peeled carrots

1 1/2 pounds left over ham from Thanksgiving (still whole with the bone and the fat - I was lazy)

2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram

1 1/2 cups green split peas

1 packet of vegetable "flavor booster" (Swanson's I think)

lots of sea salt, cracked pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce

8 cups water

I literally threw it all in to the crock pot, switched it on high and walked away.....with a heavy sigh!

I then spent the next 6 hours fighting with this program called EndNote (it does citations) which decided that it wanted to "do its own thing" -- I went through 5 different versions, 7 "shut downs" through the task manager until I heard "Honey...I'm home!"

I plodded down stairs, shoulders slumped, heaving ragged breathes and flopped on to the bed "It's been one of THOSE days.....I think I need to throw my shoes. (The shoe throwing thing, in our house, is associated with loosing it over academic research and writing). I think dinner is ready."

It was......WONDERFUL!  Steaming hot, served with warm crusty La Brea sourdough bread.  Everything was now right with the world.

"I get by with a little help from my friends...." (Week 31)

Where would we all be without the help of ourfriends?  The same is true for me....and my food blog!  Months ago, Iput the call out to a few of my followers to weigh in on what's fresh andlocal intheir area.  Of my 14 followers (and countless others who lookin from time to time), I had only one contribution (Thanks Robyn) but it wasfrom my beautiful San Joaquin Valley.  This isn't a problem at all (I am ahuge fan of our produce) but I was hoping for something a tad moreexotic.

My, my......I am happy to pass along a "share" from oneof my dear friends who lives in Alaska.  It has been years since we haveshared a meal but I do recall she ROCKS in the kitchen.  She also provided the Chili Verde recipe from a few months back but it was low on local produce.  Today, I am truly getttin' by with the help of my friends....Katrina just moved to a new residence in Alaska.  Her prior home had the curse of the black thumb and she didn't have the good fortune she has in her new abode.  This good fortune has resulted in a bumper cropof rhubarb.

  

Rhubarb CustardBars

Crust:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, room temperature

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp flour
4 eggs beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups rhubarb
1 c. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Crust: blend flour & sugar together, then cut in the butter with a fork orpastry blender. Press crust into a 9x13 inch baking pan that has been sprayedwith a cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Preparefilling while crust is baking.

Filling: in a large mixing bowl blend sugar and flour, then add eggs, vanillaand rhubarb and blend well. Sprinkle almonds on top Pour mixture overpartially baked crust and continue baking for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm orcooled.  If you like top with powdered sugar.  (It serves like alemon bar.) Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Kat's Rhubarb Vinaigrette

2 c chopped rhubarb
1/3 c honey
1/3 c water

Heat above in sauce pan. Boil for 2 minutesthen purée. While hot add
1 minced shallot Add 1/4 - 1/3 c balsamic vinegar (taste).  Add saltand pepper.
Let mixture cool. Whisk in 1/2 c EVOO. We had over fresh greens andstrawberries

....and more help from my friends.....I finallyreceived my new business cards and the first folks I gave them to were my everfaithful suppliers of wonderful organic produce, Mike and Sandi Smith fromSmith Family Organic Farms (look them up on Facebook too).  I loaded up on figs (sweet as sugar so I consumedhalf - yes half - the basket in the car ride back to my office) and GeodeSquash.  The recipes for these bad boys to follow in the next post. I hear they are delicious on the grill and topped with blue cheese androsemary.  YUMMMMM.

Summer Savory Kebab

1 Geode Squash, cut in disks
2 small Thai eggplants, cut in half disk shapes
1 La Brea French Demi Baguette
1 long sprig of rosemary
1/4 c. Roquefort cheese crumbles
2 or 3 fresh figs
Salt, pepper and garlic powder

Cut the ends of the bread off first. Skewer one end then layer and repeat squash, fig, eggplant and bread slice- repeat and finish with the last end piece. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Thread rosemary up the skewer. Place on grill and brown as evenly as possible. Top with cheese and serve.
Fantastic!