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Monday, January 10, 2011

GIVEAWAY and Split pea soup

Giveaway Closed.  Thanks for entering!


   My mother has made this soup since I was a little girl and I have always LOVED it.  I know I was a strange kid.  It is still one of my favorites and fortunately my husband likes it too.  I think there are two kids of people: those who like split pea soup and those who don't... or they think they don't.   If you have never had it or only had it from a can you are missing out.  You have got to try this.  This is a very basic recipe.  Many people add potatoes too, but I usually opt not to. I am not really a potato girl... I know I know and I live in Idaho....
  I love the lemon juice it really brightens it up and lighten the flavor.  This is a must on a cold day. It is so healthy and just pennies to make.... It would be great in a bread bowl too or top with croutons....mmmm


Ingredients
1 pound split green peas, picked over and rinsed
3 medium smoked ham hocks or ham shanks (what ever look like they have more meat on them)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1t dried
salt
2 quarts water
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped medium
2 onions, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped medium
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pepper

Directions
1. Bring peas, ham hocks, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and water to a simmer for an hour in a large dutch oven or heavy pot.  Cook for one hour.
2. Stir in carrots, onions and celery.  Continue to simmer until peas have soften and are broken down. 25-35 minutes.
3. Remove hocks.  When they are cool enough to handle remove any fat skin and bones and separate meat I shred mine and add to soup.  (if your hocks or shanks do not have much meat on them add deli ham.  You can buy it sliced 1/2 inch thick  about 6 ounces then chop up into small chunks.
OR  you can put all ingredients at the same time into the crock pot and leave it for 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on low!!  How simple is that!

Note:  if you read the label on split peas it always reads sort and wash peas.  I would rinse mine, but never would I sort them..  what did they want me to sort.  It seemed pointless and and extra step I didn't want to take the time.   While I was researching my recipe before I made this soup, I was reading in my  America's Test Kitchen Cookbook that often there are small rocks or pebbles in the peas.... yikes....so I sorted,  who wants to bite into a pebble?... not me... I have expensive teeth.   So guess what I found.... TWO ROCKS!!  well pebbles.  They were easily recognizable as a rock while sorting through.... Moral of the story  if it says sort they is a reason you should sort.  Hopefully you will not find anything, but on times you do you will be glad you sorted.

I got this recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook.  It happens to be exactly my moms recipe as well that she has been cooking for 30 years.   But a side note I LOVE this cookbook,  it has so many helpful hints and tells you why you should do something what the technique is behind it.  You learn so much while reading it.   I often find myself curled up on the couch reading this book.  They also have gadget reviews and recommendations.  I think this is a must have cookbook.  I think you all should have one too!!!  One lucky reader will receive one courtesy of me. I am new to this food blog and I have received so much love and support and I would like to thank you all!!


     This is my first giveaway here on The Very Hungry Caterpillar so please help to make it successful so we can do more.
  • All you have to do is leave me comment and tell me what your favorite soup is.
  • You can leave additional comments for extra chances to win:
  • if you are a follower, 
  • Like me on facebook 
  • post about my giveaway on your blog or facebook page
  Good luck!! 
  All entries must be submitted by Thursday January 13th.   Please leave your email if your profile doesn't have a way to contact you when you win.

69 comments:

  1. Hi Nicole,
    Our new favorite soup is Zuppa Toscana!
    Have a great day!

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  2. Hey lady:)
    Fav recipe is eggplant parmesana....sooo good!!

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  3. Baked potato soup, although I made a blackeye pea salsa soup the other day I loved!

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  4. I havent made a soup yet:) but my fav is taco soup... shredded chicken not hamburger:)

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  5. markandddeea@yahoo.comJanuary 10, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    I love soup! My current favorite is chicken enchilada soup! Sooooo good!

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  6. markandddeea@yahoo.comJanuary 10, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    also like/love you on FB!

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  7. Our favorite soup is Asparagus Leek Chowder - we found this recipe in a magazine years ago and I always make it when I find asparagus on sale. Two others that are family favorites are Taco Soup and Creamy White Chili! Love your website!!!

    Ginny

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  8. Soup is one of our favorites at dinner time. We make my grandma's Chili Macaroni Soup a lot, and I also love creamy chicken noodle and white chicken chili! So many to choose from!

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  9. I shared this giveaway on facebook!

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  10. Our families favorite soups are white chili and broccoli cheese :)

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  11. Oh. My. Goodness. I love this cookbook! I should just break down and buy it because I have borrowed it from the library for months at a time (renewed over and over). :) I think I will just try to win your contest instead!! :D

    So my favorite soup is a taco or tortilla soup or minestrone or white bean/chicken or ... I love soup! :)

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  12. oh, I also like you on facebook.

    (well, I like you off facebook too.... :D) teehee

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  13. I am a follower on your blog also.

    Aw shucks...now I guess I have to tell all my facebook friends about you and ruin my odds of winning this cookbook. Oh well...maybe my hubby will give it to me for Valentines. :D

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  14. Baked potato soup for sure is my fave...
    I have heard that this is a great cookbook!

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  15. O-kay I posted about you on facebook. :D So now if I post about you on my private blog will I get another entry?...I have to increase my chances as much as possible! :)

    p.s. I am off to try out your cookie recipe and make taco soup for dinner. Thanks for the soup idea.

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  16. What a fun giveaway! My favorite soup is probably broccoli and cheese but I think I could be converted over to the split pea variety - looks delicious!

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  17. Jenn sure if you post on your personal blog you can enter again. if you do not win I will make sure your hubby gets this book for you. You are so funny!!!

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  18. My favorite soup is chicken and dumpling soup. :0) Mmm soooo good!

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  19. Okay, I created a very sweeeet blog posting all about your fab food blog. :) Hope you get lots more hits from it!

    Thanks Nicole!

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  20. Nicole the soup looks delicious! Im gonna let my readers know about your giveaway tonight when I post a new recipe : )

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  21. ooooh I hate split pea soup Nicole! yuck! but I do love tortilla...and I have the best recipe! when I worked at cheesecake factory we could have free soup and their baked potato is soo good! :)

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  22. and if I had a blog I'd be a follower!

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  23. And maybe I have known you the longest?....plus I know secrets...one word..eyebrows?

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  24. marissa,
    you are funny... I know secrets too..
    ps you can follow even without a blog you just have to have a google account.

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  25. Yay! That cookbook sounds great!! My favorite soup is baked potato soup yum! Thanks Nicole your the best!

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  26. Found your blog when you were a guest post for The Girl Who Ate Everything.

    That looks like a great cookbook! My favorite soup would be homemade chicken noodle. Delish! :)

    Thanks!

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  27. Favorite soup of the moment is Potato!

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  28. I love baked potato soup... or broccoli cheese... basically any of the creamy ones!

    kellibean121@msn.com

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  29. Chicken Tortilla soup! YUM!!!

    Staceyroylance@gmail.com

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  30. Any soup that starts with a hamhock is a thing of beauty. Yum!

    By far, my favorite soup is my mom's potato soup. It warms my belly--and my soul--on a chilly winter's day!

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  31. Great looking soup! My favorite soup is a creamy broccoli soup without any cream added! It only requires 3 ingredients!

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  32. my fav soup...hmm. I really enjoy the turkey tex mex soup on allrecipes that I stumbled upon last year.

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  33. I love homemade chicken noodle and cream of broccoli soup!

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  34. I am a follower. I love your blog!

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  35. I made a new soup to me over the weekend! It's a Tuscan cannellini bean soup, yum!!! It's so much better on day 2! Check it out at my website, mimiskitchen52.blogspot.com

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  36. okay done! now I follow your blog too :)

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  37. I think my favorite soup is lentil! Or black bean. Or straight up vegetable. AHH I love soup! haha

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  38. I also embedded your giveaway several times and included your button on my post about soup today over at Sprinkles of Flavor, check it out!http://www.sprinklesofflavor.blogspot.com/

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  39. My favorite soup would have to be broccoli cheese soup. I have a friend at work who makes the cheesiest!!!

    Rhonda Guinn
    rguinn@btes.tv

    P.S. I shared this recipe on my FB account!

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  40. Baked potato soup and cheeseburger soup are my favorites.

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  41. My favorite is taco soup, we all love it.

    Evelyn L. Jenkins
    evelynlj@charter.net

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  42. my favorite is broccoli and cheddar soup served with crispy french bread.

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  43. My favorite is a Polish soup, Dill Pickle Soup!! Adore it!

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  44. Love Brocoli and Cheddar soup! With a close second being French Onion! Love your blog!

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  45. Corn Chowder is my favorite! It has to have potatoes in it. Such a comforting meal with some good bread. Mmmmm...

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  46. My absolute favorite soup is a Baked Potato Soup recipe that I found when searching for a copy-cat version of Houlihan's Restaurant's soup. It is so delicious and cheesy and creamy!

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  47. chaoscorral789@yahoo.comJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:39 PM

    I left a comment when I "liked" the site. I really am excited to have found this site as I am not such a great cook and am stuck in the same old rut, but I can hold my own when it comes to baking. I love to bake! I can't wait to try out so many of the recipes here! I'm soon to be single and will need all the help I can get on improving my cooking skills - you know they say the way to a man's heart is thru his stomach - LOL!

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  48. My favorite is baked potato soup :)

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  49. I LOVE turkey chili. Some people consider that a soup. If not then tomato soup is my favorite. Boring, but true. I love this cookbook. It's one of our favorites. We also have the family baking book which is another favorite.

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  50. I liked you on facebook forever ago.

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  51. I love soup and have so many favorites! But I think Clam Chowder has to be my choice. I just love a bowl on a cold day! Your blog is so fun!

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  52. I love tomato and also chicken noodle!!

    suzannebake@gmail.com

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  53. facebook like you too:)

    suzannebake@gmail.com

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  54. So my favorite soup is SO not healthy, but I love it anyways--Corn Chowder. I have to admit I'm a bit hesitant about split pea soup, though I think my hubby would love it.

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  55. I love butternut squash and French onion soup! But split pea is another fave. I'll have to try this recipe.

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  56. My favorite soup is the clam chowder at Zupas, actually :) Good stuff!

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