Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed
2 med carrots, peel and slice ( I used a bag of matchstick cut carrots – so easy!)
2 med celery stalks, med dice
½ - 1 onion medium dice
2 med garlic cloves, minced ( or several dashes of garlic powder)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs Italian parsley ( I  did not have this)
1 meaty smoked ham bone, or bag of pre-diced ham ( I used pre diced ham - so fast!)
5 cups chicken broth
Sea salt or kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Arrange the spit peas on the bottom of the crockpot in an even layer. Layer the carrots, celery, onion, garlic bay leaf, over the peas in one even layer. (Or several layers!) Place the hambone on top or the diced ham.

Pour chicken broth over all and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours till peas are very soft and meat is falling off the bone.

Remove the ham bone, cool, and pull the meat off.  Put back in the soup and discard the bay leaf.  Stir a bit and serve with crusty bread.  The soup gets thicker as it cools.  You don’t have to blend it at all; it just gets really soft and the peas lose their shape.

Minestrone Soup

1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
3 cans Campbell's minestrone soup
3 cans water
15 oz. Pork and Beans (with maple and brown sugar)
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbl. Worcestershire (optional)

Sauté and drain hamburger and onion.  Add the rest and simmer 1 hour or all day on very low heat.

Better variation ( 12/15/2013):

Add 2 cans pork and beans and if they are not maple flavored, then add some maple syrup!

Add 1 24 oz can of cheap pasta sauce by Hunts – onion and roasted garlic.

Also add 1 cup of small shell noodles at the beginning if cooked in the crockpot.

Cook 4 hours on low.

If cooking on stove top then add the pasta and some extra water so the noodles cook but you don’t lose liquid. 

Or don’t add extra pasta at all, very flexible soup!

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2/3 c. tomatillo salsa verde (can or jar)
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. sugar
2 T. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. canola oil
1/4 c. cilantro (more according to taste)

Blend all ingredients except oil and cilantro. Add oil slowly while blender is on high speed. Add the cilantro in bursts until broken up into fine pieces.

Chewy Coconut Bars

Christmas Countdown 2012

8 1/2 graham crackers (or 1 1/2 c. crumbs)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

1 c. coconut

14 oz. can sweet and condensed milk

1/2 c. nuts (opt.)

Melt butter in 9x13 in. pan at 350 degrees. Sprinkle in graham cracker crumbs and press down into a crust. Sprinkle over chips, coconut, and nuts. Pour sweet and condensed milk over top. Bake for 30 minutes. (Alyssa baked them for 23 minutes and it was a little too much.)

Homemade Fudge

Christmas Countdown 2012
                  
3 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)
2-3 drops vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Mix first three ingredients by hand. 

Slowly mix in powdered sugar until no longer really sticky (about 4 cups).

Roll fudge into logs on wax paper.

Refrigerate until hardened.

Cut into slices and serve.