COOKING THURSDAY ~ COPY CAT CPK SMASHED PEA & BARLEY SOUP ~ BLOG 365.309D

I recently had this soup on a visit to my SIL. I instantly fell in love with it and set out to replicate it. As Emeril would say, BAM, this is it!!

COPY CAT CPK SMASHED PEA & BARLEY SOUP serves 8

2 cups split peas
6 + 6 cups water
4 cups homemade chicken broth
2 small shallots, FINELY minced
2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
Juice of 1 LARGE lemon
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped parsley
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped thyme or lemon thyme
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 medium carrots, FINELY diced
1 LARGE stalk celery, FINELY sliced
2 green onions, FINELY sliced for garnish

  • Rinse and sort the split peas.
  • Add them to a large pot with 6 cups of water.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, pepper, and thyme.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the peas are soft.
  • Add carrots and celery after 1 hour.
  • While the peas are cooking, combine the barley with 6 cups of water in a saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the barley is soft and most of the water has been absorbed.
  • When the split pea mixture has become a thick soup, use a slotted spoon to remove a good deal of the carrots and set aside.
  • Use an immersion blender to puree the peas until the mixture is smooth.
  • Drain any remaining water from the barley and add the barley to the split pea mixture along with the reserved carrots.
  • Turn off the heat, cover the soup, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
  • Garnish each serving with the sliced green onions.

COOKING THURSDAY ~ MEMPHIS CHOPPED COLE SLAW ~ BLOG 365.309C

MEMPHIS CHOPPED COLE SLAW

1 medium head green cabbage, chopped into 1/4-inch dice see notes below
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, FINELY diced
2 teaspoons salt
2⁄3 cup packed brown sugar
1⁄4 cup Mexican sour cream
1⁄4 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup yellow mustard or creamy horseradish
1⁄4 cup Heinz chili sauce
1⁄4 cup Heinz apple cider vinegar
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon celery seeds

  • Toss cabbage, carrot, onion and jalapeno pepper pieces with the salt.
  • Let sit in the colander of your salad spinner at least 1 hour until wilted and excess moisture has drained off.
  • Rinse off salt with cool water, then spin dry.
  • Transfer to a large bowl.

 

  • In a saucepan, combine sugar, sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, chili sauce, vinegar and celery seed.
  • Whisk constantly until it comes to a SLOW boil over medium heat. Cook 1 minute more.
  • Remove from heat then pour over cabbage mixture.
  • Toss well to coat vegetables with sauce.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate AT LEAST 1 hour before serving.

NOTES:

  • Cabbage mixture can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.
  • Serve within 1 day of final preparation.
  • Celery seeds are a key ingredient. Harvested from wild celery and called Lovage they pack a flavor punch for many a recipe. DO NOT OVER USE – they pack a mighty punch that can be bitter if over used.

TO PREPARE CHOPPED CABBAGE EASILY:

  • Cut the cabbage head into quarters. Trim off and discard the hard core.
  • Separate the leaves of each quarter into small stacks that flatten.
  • Cut flattened stacks into 1/4 inch strips.
  • Cut strip stacks into 1/4 inch pieces.

COOKING THURSDAY ~ ROASTED GREEN BEANS ~ BLOG 365.309A

Tired of boring vegetables? Dress them up with some bold seasoning and roast them instead of boiling.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS serves 6

1/4 cup avocado oil
Juice of 1 LARGE lemon
2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1 LARGE shallot, FINELY diced
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
4 cups FRESH trimmed green beans

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Line a large baking sheet with heavy duty foil.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended.
  • Add green beans, garlic and shallot, tossing until well coated and mixed together.
  • Spread bean mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet.
  • Bake 15 minutes or until desired tenderness. Stir occasionally.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with RECIPES & MENUS week 44 of 2026 ~ BLOG 365.306

Be sure to join us at Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

GOOD MORNING friends! Can you believe we’re in November already?? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we’re only 56 days until Christmas.

I hope your week was absolutely blessed with good weather and productivity. Mine was busy, as always of late, but at least we got an hour back yesterday LOL.

Saturday night’s Halloween party was my last co-chair BIG event for the Eagles. WHEW, glad that’s over! It could have gone A LOT better, but it also could have gone A LOT worse too. Attitudes still seem to be changing and not for the better so when my duties are done I will be donating my time to other causes. As my dad used to say, “You can’t teach common sense and you can’t have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.” Both sentiments apply here, but it’s more like too many people set in their ways of procrastinating and not open to new ideas or other ways of doing things efficiently. So, for now I’m just glad it’s over.

I’m the chair for the Christmas donations for children, but that is a JOY to do and very close to my heart.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

The weather here never quite lives up to the forecast and can literally change at the drop of a hat, so I tend to multi-layer this time of year with cozy flannels and fluffy socks. I’m going to update this daily since the weather is so unreliable!

11/2 Monday ~ 55° / 40° ~ Clouds followed by a brightening sky
      ACTUAL 47° and is now going down without the sky ever brightening, PLUS it’s been misting ALL day
11/3 Tuesday ~ 61° / 37° ~ Sun and areas of high clouds
      ACTUAL 50° The sun did come out for an hour or two, but quickly turned cloudy and foggy.
11/4 Wednesday ~ 62° / 41° ~ Some sun, then turning cloudy
      ACTUAL 54° and just the reverse – foggy and cloudy until late afternoon and then very little sun
11/5 Thursday ~ 61° / 44° ~ Mostly cloudy
      ACTUAL
11/6 Friday ~ 62° / 41° ~ Mostly cloudy
      ACTUAL
11/7 Saturday ~ 61° / 46° ~ Intervals of clouds and sun
     ACTUAL
11/8 Sunday ~ 61° / 44° ~ Sun through high clouds
     ACTUAL

TO DO, APPOINTMENTS, DVR/TV & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS, TRAVEL,  APPOINTMENTS, MENUS & DVR/TV
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a little ironing to do, but otherwise things are looking good.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS We we’re planning to go away for a few days after the craft fair and bazaar next weekend, but that’s now been pushed out a week so will try and cook out of the pantry and freezer.
  • PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m finishing up my centerpieces, snowmen, wreaths and “bark” for the craft fair and bazaar on Saturday so it’s going to be a VERY busy week. It’s also that time of year when I crave some indoor creativity and these 2 painting classes caught my eye. I will be signing up this week for the snowman on the 14th and the covered bridge on the 29th. I’m hoping hubby will go with me for one or both 🙂
  • THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY time to myself for honing creative juices… curling up in a cozy blanket with a book on a cool fall evening… simple meals… laughing with friends… date nights with hubby…

READING TIME

I’m reading THE BAKER and THE BODY, BLYTHE RIVER MYSTERIES #1 by Jesse Leigh Murray

“A poisoned landlord was just the beginning. If Maddie wants to survive, it’s going to take more than cupcakes and croissants.

Maddie Dixon, proprietress of the Blythe Spirit Bakeshop, is not interested in being a detective. Despite her love of mystery novels, and her penchant for solving them before the book ends, Maddie is content with her little bakery in her placid little hometown of Blythe River.

But when Maddie finds the resident landlord, Otto St. James, dead in his home, the victim of a vicious poisoning, she becomes mixed up in the mystery, setting out to find who killed Otto before they can strike again. When her bakery is targeted, however, Maddie finds that she’s in over her head, and she’s not going to be able to bake away her troubles.

Maddie is going to have to either solve the mystery of who killed Otto St. James, or be the murderer’s next victim.”

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

 11/2 MONDAY 11/3 TUESDAY 11/4 WEDNESDAY
11/5 THURSDAY
 11/6 FRIDAY 11/7 SATURDAY 11/8 SUNDAY
DINNER
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
BLACK EYED CHILI & CORNBREAD
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
CHICKEN with CAJUN CREAM SAUCE & FIESTA CORN SALAD
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
CHILI RUBBED RIBS & POTATO SALAD
ROOT BEER CHICKEN & GOLDEN BREAD PUDDING
DESSERT
 
11/9 MONDAY 11/10 TUESDAY 11/11 WEDNESDAY
11/12 THURSDAY
 11/13 FRIDAY 11/14 SATURDAY 11/15 SUNDAY
DINNER
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
TACO TUESDAY and then a short trip
OOT out of town
OOT out of town
OOT out of town
TUSCAN HERB CHICKEN & CHEESY BAKED POLENTA
PAD THAI CHICKEN
DESSERT
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

It always cracks me up how my girlfriend can literally stack 20+ pounds of frozen chicken jenga style in her crock pot when she’s getting ready for Taco Tuesday! She layers it all with all the seasonings and it cooks down into complete deliciousness!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

  • ROASTED GREEN BEANS
  • MEMPHIS CHOPPED COLE SLAW
  • CPK COPY CAT SMASHED PEA & BARLEY SOUP

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

COOKING THURSDAY ~ DREAM SQUARES ~ BLOG 365.302B

DREAM SQUARES
I got this recipe out of an old, vintage church cookbook years ago. It was called Cherry Dream Squares, but I have found ANY fruit flavor works. You can even add some FRESH or frozen fruit.

1 BO pillsbury plus white cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
1 1⁄4 cups rolled oats
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1 LARGE egg
21 ounce can pie filling
1⁄2 cup chopped nuts
1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°.
  • Grease 13×9 pan.
  • Combine cake mix, 1 cup of the rolled oats and 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large bowl, mixing until crumbly.
  • Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for topping.
  • Add the egg to the remaining crumb mixture. Mix until well blended.
  • Press into greased pan.
  • Pour in pie filling and spread evenly to cover crust.

 

  • Add the reserved crumbs into the mixing bowl.
  • Add remaining 1/4 cup rolled oats and 2 tablespoons butter, nuts and brown sugar, mixing well.
  • Sprinkle evenly over pie filling.
  • Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
  • Cool completely.

COOKING THURSDAY ~ SMOKED SAUSAGE SKILLET ~ BLOG 365.302A

SMOKED SAUSAGE SKILLET

1/4 cup avocado oil
1 smoked sausage, sliced diagonally
2-3 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup homemade beef or chicken broth
1/2 cup marinara
Prepared Rice or pasta
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

  • Heat oil over medium high heat.
  • Add onion and sausage, cooking until onion is translucent and sausage is cooked through.
  • Add garlic, red pepper, marinara and broth. Simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  • Stir prepared rice or pasta into skillet, tossing to blend and coat well. Top with most of the cheese.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Scoop into pasta bowls and top with remaining shredded cheese of choice.