Split Pea Soup and Parker House Rolls

Ahhh, yes. First I go about promising a baking blog, and here I am already about to go against my own word all for that "smidge of cooking for good measure" previously mentioned. Well, a bit of a cooking excursion is worth it, though, and let me tell you - if you are ever in the mood for split pea soup, just do it because you'll be loving it for days (and days, and days, and days... if you double the recipe!) For those of us who grew up with Anderson's Split Pea Soup - I know I don't even have to explain the enchantment involved here.

Every year for the holidays we make an awesome sugar-rum glazed ham and have a wonderful hambone left with which to make this soup. Martha's recipe is included when you get her great smoked ham through Cost-Co, but with her permission and free offer, you can just get it right here too.

(I like to put all my spices together before I start...maybe it's just to look at them, I don't really know.)

I decided to try out Don's famous "onion goggles" that I got him for Christmas. Oh, yeah... I hear you laughing, but guess what? The joke's on you 'cause my eyes aren't burning! Yep - they totally work and I don't care if I look dorky (besides... they're green. ;-)

The ingredients start melding together quite quickly in a big Dutch oven over simmering heat.

I've trained myself lately to use a "trash/compost bowl" to keep on the side as I go along with recipes. (So brilliant - why the heck did I actually used to run back and forth to the trash all the way across the kitchen before? Silly.)

I like to use a combination of homemade chicken stock and organic vegetable stock if I have it on hand - otherwise water is fine.

After simmering for a couple of hours, the ham falls off the bone and you can mince it into nice little pieces to add to your soup.

Don's final Christmas present from me was this awesome blackened cherry ladle from Jonathan's Spoons. I swear, for everything Don serves up in the kitchen he uses a ladle - it's kind of an ongoing joke. I figured the Ladle Man himself should have a really nice one, therefore, and one which is this beautiful crafted to last (nearly) forever. (My luthier/woodworker father approves :-)

Alright...back to baking!

My boss was kind enough to share with me his mother's secret recipe for Parker House Rolls. We thought they'd go really nicely with this soup, so Don tried his hand making them. We don't have permission to share this winner, but if you surfed around for "Parker House Rolls" I think you could find a good version online.

(Mmmm...can you feel the steam coming off your screen?)

Delicious dinner duo! :-)