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My father-in-law came over to show me how to make lentil soup, and we decided to make a whole meal out of it. He ended up getting split peas by accident, so we decided to improvise the whole meal. WOW...everything turned out awesome!
Split Pea Soup
Ashley & Settino Covelli
16 ounce bag dried green split peas
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
8 ounce package diced ham
1 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ yellow onion, diced
1 ½ cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 leaf fresh bay
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 dried chile arbol, left whole
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Add ingredients to large stock pot and bring to a boil. Turn down medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 1 ½ hours. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to thicken it up a little, leaving chunks if you like. Top with fresh parsley and enjoy!
MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars
I mentioned that I had never cooked a whole chicken before, so we made a beer can chicken recipe. It was super moist, and the skin was nice and crispy.
This is how you set up the chicken:
This is what it looks like when it comes out:
And this is what it looks like cut up:
Beer Can Chicken
Ashley & Settino Covelli
1 4-5 lb. chicken
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 can beer
1 leaf fresh bay
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
dry rub
Remove gizzards from chicken. Wash and pat dry. Apply your favorite dry rub to the outside skin of the chicken. Tuck the wings back so they don't burn. Drink ⅔ of a can of beer, and throw the herbs and garlic into the can. Stand the beer can upright on a roasting pan and place the chicken onto the can, standing upright. Place in a 350°F oven for around 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars
Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Thyme
Bon Appétit April 2008
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 ¼ pounds slender asparagus spears, trimmed
fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
Melt butter with oil and thyme sprigs in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus in single layer; using tongs, toss to coat. Sauté, turning often, until crisp-tender and beginning to brown in spots, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper and serve.
MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars
savorythoughts
Mmm, my wife and cook the beer can chicken on a regular basis, and it seems to work perfectly every time! It's given us a chance to experiment with a number of dry rubs, and they all seem to come alive with that crispy skin you mentioned. You have terrific recipes and photography on your blog, and I very much enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing!
- Nate at Savory Thoughts
Ashley
i thought the beer can chicken was a fun way to test out making a whole chicken - i've heard it's pretty hard to mess it up since the beer keeps it so moist. do you have any specific dry rubs that you like making? my husband is the spice mixer/sauce maker of the house, but i always like looking out for new ideas.
thanks for stopping by, and for the compliments! i'm off to check out your blog now 🙂