Vegetable Soup

Last night I had the pleasure of dinner by myself with a glass of wine and a book. This is *very* unusual and was most welcome. I've always enjoyed dining by myself. I like to go to restaurants by myself as well. Sometimes I really miss the days when I was working and I'd go hide at Houston's for lunch because it was highly unlikely anyone from my office would come looking for me there. No, I didn't have any business eating lunch at an expensive restaurant like that. It probably took me the whole day's pay to make up for my lunch. But it was divine. These days, I make no money and generally travel with an entourage of toddlers. Plus sometimes my husband works from home, and he'd totally bust me for extravagant lunches like that.

Last night while the kids watched Aladdin for the 10 billionth time, I hid in the dining room with my dinner, glass of wine, and book. Which also has totally made me make the jump from vampires to faeries. I finished Wicked Lovely in one day mainly because I am obsessed. Granted it is also a young adult novel, but I love the escapism.

As for the blackeyed peas, you can use fresh or dried that you've soaked overnight after cooking them in water for about an hour. Just don't put them in your ham stock raw. Or you can use canned, but I'd rinse them first.

Vegetable Soup

Leftover shank bone from ham, with some meat still attached

Water

large white onion, sliced

1 lb of carrots, peeled and sliced

6 stalks of celery, sliced

2 c. cooked blackeyed peas

8 small red potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin discs

40 or so ounces canned diced tomatoes

22 ounces canned whole kernel sweet corn

salt

pepper

cayenne

Place ham bone in stock pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 3 hours or so, the longer the better. Remove ham bones with a slotted spoon. Add blackeyed peas, carrots, celery, onion, cook 30 minutes. Add potatoes cook, 10 minutes, add tomatoes and corn, cook another 20 minutes. Season to taste, serve with grilled turkey and cheddar sandwiches.

Black Eyed Pea Soup and Home Sweet Home

Tonight's Recipe : Black Eyed Pea Soup

1 leftover shank bone with some meat attached from a ham

1 lb of dried black eyed peas, pre-soaked

1 whole yellow onion, chopped

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

9 stalks extra large celery with leaves, sliced

2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp chili powder

2 cans Italian seasoned tomatoes

1.4 lbs sausage

salt and pepper to taste

In a 6qt stock pot, cover the ham shank with water, boil for 2hrs. Add onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cayenne, and chili powder. Boil for another 2hrs. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cover the black eyed peas in two inches of water. Simmer for 45 min or until soft. Drain and add to soup. Let simmer another 30 min. Grill sausage in a grill pan, slice and add to soup. Let simmer 10-20 min and serve with some crusty bread if desired.

We've been on a short vacation, and we're just returning home. Nothing like the comforts of homemade food. My husband travels all the time, I seem to travel in spurts. Sometimes when I'm here, I'm wishing desperately that I were in a hotel, free to shower with millions of fresh towels and promptly leave them strewn about for someone else to pick up. But when I do travel, I really start to miss the comforts of my own home. I miss my kitchen, and cooking my own food the way I like it. It does wonders for my meal planning, as I can actually think through what I want to make in the upcoming days instead of the typical 4pm what's in the refrigerator panic.

Soup is love, and this hearty soup will warm your heart. You can alter it up by using fresh or canned black eyed peas or increasing the spice level. I'm feeding toddlers, and even though mine like spicy food, I can't really serve five-alarm dishes. This soup is even better the day after, but for the most part, I tend to add my sausage near serving time, not leaving it to soak for days.