First Thing in the morning after putting on the kettle
I turn around and take a look out of my little kitchen window.

I peer up at the sky for what the weather will be like
And glance around to make sure that
The world is where I left it the day before....

That Kind of Thing

So when I look out and DONT SEE
The hills across the way...!
Or that my neighbor's house hascompletely DISAPPEARED...!?
That there are no pine trees left,and my car is barely there at all...
I tend to have a moment ofShock and Confusion
And worry if I am awake when suddenly I find myself
QUITE WIDE AWAKE
But still trying to figure out what is going ON !

And then I realize !

It's
Fog As Thick As Pea Soup

~ HooorayyyyY ~

I love fog.

Makes me want to
wander the moors in a cape
And read Wuthering Heights.
(or at least curl up and watch the movie)

Or COOK !

My Split Pea Soup
( soooo easy and sooo good )

Rinse a pound of split peas

And then cover them with water and soak overnight
Or ! Faster
Use The Secret Shortcut !
Bring to a boil, remove from heat ,
Cover tight, and let sit for 20 minutes.

You really don't NEED this much butter
Only a tablespoon to brown an onion in
But I am bad !

Brown the diced onions
- Then OPTIONAL but really GOOD -
Add hamhocks and brown a little bit.
(The best hamhocks are the smoked ones at Whole Foods)

Cover with four cups of chicken broth,
Topping with water to cover hocks and peas.
- You CAN use water and forgo the chicken broth -
And tipping in some sherry certainly adds to the pot !Do It !
Chop up about two tablespoons of parsley
and any other herb you want to use.
I love to use marjoram and thyme.
Sage & bay leaf are good too.

Add about THIS MUCH salt

Being CAREFUL not to drop any in the cat's bowl as you go...

And now you simmer up your soup
until the peas are soft

Just loving the SMELL

I forgot the part about pouring yourself
the Glass of Sherry for STEP ONE

Once the peas are soft and have made a soup
Remove the hamhocks if you are using them
and start cutting / tearing the meat off the bones

Add ham pieces back to soup
And season with black pepper
A DASH of cayenne is Perfect
Especially when it is cold outside...

Add a dot of sour cream to the top
And not that Cherry Apricot Scones exactly GO
With Split Pea Soup
But they definitely did with this bowl.

For THAT recipe
::::::::::::::::::::
CLICK
HERE
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And substitute
dried cherries and apricots
for the cranberries(dried cranberries and peaches work really well too)

Mmmmmmmm