Split Pea With Ham Soup Recipe

When the season change from summer to autumn the days are cooler and the nights can be cold. As a rule, when the weather is cooler I will go to my mother's cookbook and look for her split pea with ham soup recipe.

This is a hearty and wholesome recipe that is packed with protein and nutrients. It is also a one-pot meal that can be served for dinner and a bowl of soup for lunch the next day. Normally I serve warm from the oven dinner rolls or crackers.

It takes two days to prepare this recipe because it is best to soak the split green peas overnight in a pot of water. Then the following day you would gather your ingredients and make the soup.

Ingredients:

Chopped Carrots

Chopped Leeks

Chopped Potatoes

Diced Ham Steak

Split Peas

Chicken stock

Diced clove of garlic

2 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a soup pot add olive oil and heat to medium-high. Then add your garlic and saute it before adding your leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Stir so that vegetable cook evenly. Cook for five minutes. Add your chicken stock, split peas, ham, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir all ingredients and cook on the stove until soups come to a boil. Stirring while the soup is cooking will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn heat to simmer and cook for an hour. Continue to stir the soup until all vegetable and peas are tender.

Here are other split pea soup recipes that you may like

Keep your soup recipes organized with a custom card.  Buy as shown or add your recipe.  I like the recipe cards because it is a nice way to share with my family and friends.  All cards were created by artists at Zazzle.com. 

Soup Recipe Pages for Recipe Binder

by kjscreations

Bean Soup Recipe on a Card

by susan52z

Trendy Retro Recipes Personalized Notebook

by reflections06

Navy Bean Soup Recipe

When the temperature changes in mid to late fall I cook soups and stews for my family. One of my favorite evening meal soups is Navy Bean made with fresh vegetables, ham steak and served with warm in-the-oven French Baguette loaf of bread This hearty soup is packed with nutrients that will fuel my family, providing them energy for their evening chores and will help to fight off colds and flu.

When it comes to making this soup I have no rules on what vegetables to use. Normally I prepare this soup with leeks, potatoes, celery, and carrots. I will peel, chop and cook the vegetables together in a large pot of low-sodium chicken broth. When the vegetables are cooked I will add the navy beans, fresh herbs, and two sprigs of rosemary tied together and dropped into the soup pot. I will season the soup with a freshly grated peppercorn medley by McCormick, and a clove of freshly chopped garlic. When all of the seasonings are added I will then add the chopped ham steak or chicken sausage to the soup and stir well and allow the soup to simmer for another 30 minutes.

I like to serve a bowl of this navy bean and vegetable soup with warm in-the-oven banquette bread topped with herb-whipped butter spread. You can garnish the bowl of soup with grated Parmesan cheese and diced chives.

A large bowl of navy bean soup usually fills my family up to the point that they do not want dessert or a before-bed snack. I like making a pot of soup because there are always leftovers for lunch or after-school snacks the following day.

Here are some other recipes for Navy Bean soup.

Spooky Halloween Cookie Recipe

 Tonight is the first cold fall night and I found that I was thinking about Halloween cookie recipes to serve at our annual gathering. Normally when I am looking for a unique recipe idea I will go to the food network but this year I went to Allrecipes.com and found witch cookie fingers.

The cook that shared the recipe mentioned that she made the base of the cookie from her sugar cookie recipe. Yes, the same recipe that we all use during the Christmas holidays so you know the cookie will taste good. Apparently instead of making the cookies the traditional way you would roll them in the shape of a finger and bake.

Then cool the cookies before applying the frosting for the fingernails. I love this idea and know that this cookie will be a hit at our party. I plan to add a few witch fingers to the dessert trays.

Learn other Halloween cookie recipes at Allrecipes

Collecting Acorn Nuts for Recipes

Acorns are a nut that comes from oak trees. We have 12 Oak trees on our property and in the past, I collected them during the fall season to be used as feed for squirrels and deer during the winter months. Feed for animals is good, but using the acorn nuts for food is a better idea because they are rich in B vitamins, protein and are also good for controlling blood sugar levels.

Acorn nuts are a good source of food for wildlife in the winter.  

Ripe acorn nuts

You can collect acorns at parks or from your backyard but before you begin to gather the nuts know that not all oak trees are created equal and some produce acorns that are best left on the ground for wildlife. White Oaks produce a bland tasting acorns. Swamp Oak, Oregon White Oak, Emory Oak and Burr Oak are the best for harvesting for food recipes.

When we collect acorns we look for brown ones because they are ripe. Stay away from green or black acorns or ones with mildew/rotting You want a smooth and firm acorn with no damage to the nut. Toss out any imperfect acorns or leave them for wildlife.

Collect brown nuts only.  Throw out the black or green nuts.

I do not know of an easy way to pick up acorns other than getting the family involved. My husband will rake all of ripe (brown acorns) into a pile then we fill our buckets with the best acorns we can find.

Get your acorns ready for processing by removing the shell (cap on top of the nut) then wash them off to remove any dirt or debris. In order to make the acorn tasty (a sweet nutty flavor) you will need to a water blanching; put the acorns into a stock pot, fill the pot with water that covers the acorns. Bring the water to a boil, turn heat to medium-high and blanch the acorns for 40 minutes. (water will turn brown) remove the brown water from the stock pot and refill the pot with fresh water and bring the water to a boil again. Repeat the process until the water is no longer brown.

When the water is clear (no more brown color) strain the acorns and allow them to dry. It is best to pour them out onto the counter, rather than leaving them bunch up in a pot. Or you can lay them out on cookie sheets.  

When the acorns are dry you can use them for making flour for baked goods, dry them for coffee, pickle them and more learn acorn-recipes here https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/acorn-recipes/

Here is an acorn cookie recipe that you may like.

Favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

One of my favorite beverages in the autumn season is pumpkin spice latte. Normally I buy a cup of this delicious pumpkin brew at Starbucks to enjoy but the costs for this drink does add up. So this year I found a recipe that is quick and easy to make at home. The pumpkin spice latte tastes so good that it became a fall favorite recipe.

I searched online and found several recipes at Allrecipes. What I like is that the recipes shared on this website by people that really enjoy cooking and all recipes are tested by their readers. This recipe got many rave reviews and one taste will tell you why everyone loves the autumn season drink.

For the pumpkin spice latte, you will need the following ingredients

Almond milk

Pumpkin puree

Vanilla extract

Sugar

Pumpkin pie spice

Black pepper (this is a taste preference)

A whisk

A saucepan

2 coffee mugs

Here is a latte recipe from Allrecipes enjoy! View another latte recipe in the video below.

Jot down the recipe on this card. Keep the recipe for yourself and give one to a friend. I think this card is very cute and would make a thoughtful gift for some who loves to cook.

Cooking Is An Art Recipe Insert

by HeritageMatters

Here are some cute pumpkin spice coffee mugs that you may like

Pumpkin spice & everything nice coffee mug

by Kymberli_Designs

Pumpkin Spice Season Coffee Latte Autumn Fall Coffee Mug Set

by rebeccaheartsny

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Fall Mug

by beckynimoy

Harvesting Apples at U-Pick-It Farms

One of the benefits of living in the Midwest is being able to go to one of the many farms to pick your own apples at the end of the summer. We are fortunate that there are apple orchards close by where we can spend the afternoon harvesting apples from the trees. 

Normally our weather in late summer is hot during the day, so we always look at the upcoming weather forecast and try to choose a day that is cloudy or less hot.

A good way to find U-pick-it farms is to go to your local farmers market and ask another way is to watch your newspaper as there are sometimes ads. I recommend that you call the farm before you go. Find out if the apples are ready to be picked and if they prefer people coming on the weekdays or weekends. In the past, we drove an hour to a U-pick-it farm only to find out that they were out of apples.

Always dress properly for picking apples. I would recommend that you wear a comfortable long sleeve shirt and pants, hiking boots and socks are important and also a sun hat. Treat your clothing for an insect repellent that would include biting flies fleas and ticks.

Bring along bottled water and snacks. I like breakfast or protein bars, but if you are going to be out in the country you may want to bring along a fleece blanket for kids to use for an afternoon nap in the car or for putting down for a picnic lunch at the park or an open meadow.

Don’t forget your camera. Make happy memories with your family by spending the day in the country picking apples. These photos are great for scrapbooks and sharing on Facebook.

Pick enough apples for your favorite recipes for your family to enjoy throughout the fall season.

Here is a recipe for spiced apple chutney.

Orange Color Scheme for Bathroom

Orange is a color that represents the autumn season but that does not mean that you cannot decorate your bathroom for other seasons. I personally like an orange color scheme because these colors represent warmth and it is a wonderful contrast to my cream-painted walls.

You can decorate your home with patterns that are not traditional leaves, such as flowers, stripes, or abstracts. Here is an orange design that I created for the bathroom. The artwork consists of an orange leaf pattern that was mirrored to give it an abstract look.

The orange pattern bath accessories will look fabulous when coordinated with solid warm colors like towels in brown, beige, and orange. Accent your walls with decorative switch covers or wall art. Add a wicker or bamboo clothes hamper in a brown or tan color.

It is best to have solid color wall creams, beige, light orange, and tan would be complementary to the autumn colors in the shower curtain. When you shop look for paint that is mildew-resistant and has zero VOC. ( Paint can release a low level of toxic emissions into the air. The source of these toxins is a variety of volatile organic compounds known as VOC / Vocs are toxic solvents that get released into the air when you are painting.) I like Home Depot paint the Behr Semi-Gloss low VOC paint in the color Cream Puff.  

Zazzle Has Sweet Treats For All Occasions

Now that fall is here and a chill in the air my family and friends seem to eat more baked goods, brownies, cakes, and cookies. My friend's kids are getting excited about going trick or treating and normally I will buy Hersey kisses but last year I bought my friend's children special chocolate covered Halloween designed chocolate covered Oreo cookies.  The cookies arrived individually wrapped so it was easy to hand them out to the trick or teeters. 

My friends told me that the Oreos were wonderful and asked me where I bought them. I told them I designed the frosting top at zazzle.com.  Here is the cookie that I gave to my friend's kids that were trick or treating on Halloween.

Spooky Halloween Cat Oreo Cookie

by Susang6

Zazzle has a variety of delectable sweet treats; candies, cookies, and brownies that you can buy as shown with a print on demand unique design or you can customize these treats with your own photograph and words. Thus making a special dessert for your gathering and a sweet gift for your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Have you bought the cookies, cakes, and candies from zazzle.com?

Zazzle.com also carries delicious sugar cookies that come in four or a dozen. These cookies are really tasty. You can taste the butter, sugar and a hint of lemon. This cookie is mouthwatering good. I have given the sugar cookies as gifts to neighbors and have arranged them in gift baskets for adults and children. Everyone loves sugar cookies, brownies, cake pops, and chocolate candies.

Halloween Graveyard Wall Decal Review

Decorating your home for Halloween is easy when you hang a decal on your wall. While shopping online today at Walmart.com I found a spooky Halloween decal that would look fantastic in my office or in my family room. 

 I liked that it was large and that it would take up most of the wall. Then all I would need to do is add a few decorations on my table, throw pillows for chairs, and a pumpkin or two.  Before ordering the Halloween wall decoration I did read the customer's reviews and learned that the bats were individually cut from cardboard and that the tree and graveyard of the decal were one piece of lightweight vinyl.  

All of the reviewers said that they had to tape the decals to the wall and I thought I would use two-sided gorilla tape so that the pieces would stay on the wall.

As you can see the room set that I created the decal looks great. If you are seeking easy Halloween decorations for your home then I would recommend this decal.

Here are a few Halloween products that I created at my Zazzle.com store 

Everything Halloween 

Make your own Branch Centerpiece

Decorating your home with branches is a great way to add interest to your décor. You can shop for branches online at walmart.com or you can make your own by using branches from your trees.

Using your own branches is a frugal and fun way to create unique decorations. I have created branch decorations for under $10.00, of course, it does take the time to complete but if you enjoy doing crafts then you will love making branch centerpieces.

The best time to gather branches in late summer or after the trees or shrubs have been pruned. If you have no branches then look for them at a park.  Look for a branch that is 18 to 24 inches in length, it should have a straight center branch then side branches.

Clean the branch with warm soapy Dawn antibacterial dish soap to remove excess dirt. Let the branch air dry. When the branches are dry you would then treat them with a pesticide to kill any insects. Allow the branches to dry.

Spray paint the branches the color of your choice. I like the colors gold, silver or white, but you can choose the color that you like. Use a spray paint like the brand name Krylon or Rust-Oleum.  It is best to spray the branches lightly otherwise it can be messy. You can always reapply the paint with second spraying.

When branches are dry, secure them so they are standing upright. Buy from the craft store a Styrofoam block and a hot glue gun. Push the branches into the center of the Styrofoam block and use a glue gun to keep the branches in place. Gluing around the top of Styrofoam and the base of the branch is good.

When branches are secure you would then put the Styrofoam block into the display box or vase. If using a vase to display your branches then choose one that is not clear, a pattern or color vase, pot or urn is best.

Decorating Ideas

Decorate your branches with glitter by spraying the tip of the branches with glue then dust the branches in the glitter.

You can also decorate your branches with Halloween lights or garland. For autumn drape a swag of autumn leaves or small lightweight autumn season ornaments.

Here is another way to decorate, learn how to use the leaves from your trees.  

FUN Autumn Activities for Teenagers

Autumn is the last season before the bitterly cold weather so our family always spends quality time outdoors doing activities with our teenagers. Most people think that teens do not enjoy traditional activities but if you start them out doing the same things every year they do look forward to the activities, especially if they can bring along their friend.

Here are a few autumn activities that my family enjoys

On a sunny afternoon, we make plans to go to a pumpkin patch. Pick out pumpkins for decoration and for carving into a Jack O’ Lantern. Our teenage kids always like picking the biggest pumpkin that they can find. Half the fun is getting it back to the car.


I will watch for the advertisement for the fall bazaars in my hometown then check out the activities, looking for the traditional autumn activities like pumpkin carving, drinking apple cider, going for a hayride, or enjoying roasting marshmallows on an open fire for s’more chocolate treats. Teenagers love participating in the carving contests, they will eat smores and listen to live music. City festivals are always fun for families with teenagers.


Know that teenagers have different interests so my husband will plan an ATV outing. He will choose a trail where the trees are in full autumn color. Sometimes he brings along a picnic lunch, other times just snacks and drinks for the kids. Everyone loves this outing especially if the day is warm and sunny.


What activities do you do with your family during the autumn season?

Caramel Chocolate Pie Recipe

Chocolate pie is one of my favorite desserts, especially during the fall and winter months. my family craves comfort foods and this caramel chocolate pie is satisfying.

When you serve this pie to your family and friends they will scrape the side of the plate with their fork and when they finish they will feel comforted. It is very chocolaty and the nuts make it taste delicious.

Here is the chocolate pie recipe

You will need the following ingredients

• Store bought ready-made chocolate cookie crumb crust
• 30 vanilla caramels
• ½ cup caramel ice cream
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 cups chopped unsalted peanuts or pecans
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate morsels ( I like Ghirardelli)
• ¼ whipping cream

Optional: vanilla ice cream for topping

1. Turn on the stove to low heat and melt caramels with the caramel ice cream in a saucepan. Keep stirring, then add ¼ cup whipping cream, stir to blend all ingredients.
2. Remove saucepan from the heat
3. Add nuts to pie filling and stir
4. Add pie filling to the 9-inch pie plate
5. Spread the filling over the crust
6. Let the pie set until it is cool, then cover with saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
7. Make the topping for this pie by melting the semisweet chocolate morsels in a saucepan over low heat. When chocolate is melted stir in the remaining whipped cream.
8. Top the caramel chocolate pie with the melted chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate over the pie. Recover the pie and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
9. Cut and serve with vanilla Ice cream

Here is a video that will show you how to melt chocolate in a double boiler.