Soup! It's what's for dinner.

After Christmas dinner, my husband always asks "why did you buy such a big ham?". Every year it's the same thing. He still does not understand the well-known concept that winter = soup season. Today is soup day... because it is cold, and because I've got a cold, and because Carrie Fisher just died this morning and I feel like making ugly green, Yoda-colored soup. 

Quick soak of the peas.

Pre-chopped ham & veggies. Saving some time...

Pre-boiling the scored ham hock.

Dutch Baby

I've always wanted to try this recipe. It turned out tasty, but it is very savory and with powdered sugar or syrup, it didn't seem as good. I think I'll top it with salsa or veggies and maybe some cheese instead next time, but it's a nice presentation piece!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
•  Pinch of nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons butter
•  Syrup, preserves, confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand.
3. Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.
4. Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges and serve at once topped with syrup, preserves, confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Davenport Hotel Peanut Brittle

** UPDATE: I sent some of this to my mother for her birthday, and my father ate most of it. Then they asked me for the recipe, which is a testament to just how awesome this is!**

"The Davenport Hotel was built in Spokane, WA in 1914 and it was the first hotel in the United States with air conditioning, a central vaccuum system, pipe organ, and dividing doors in the ballrooms. It is also the place at which the first Crab Louis (named after Louis Davenport) was created and served. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places."  It was refurbished in 2002 by Walt Worthy, the guy who bought my grandparents' land on 5 Mile and developed it into huge homes. It's quite beautiful:

 
 Here's what their packaging looks like.


Their peanut brittle is renowned, but this lady claimed to have a knock-off recipe. 
So I thought I'd give it a try.  

 

Toum (Mediterranean Garlic Sauce)

I had this Lebanese garlic sauce at a Mediterranean restaurant and it was SO awesome, I had to know how to make it at home . I found this recipe from the Mediterranean Chef online with this VIDEO.  

It was great, but I wish she'd warned me about the heat that comes from fresh garlic!  Other sites say it will die down over a few days in the fridge, but good Lord, my tongue was burning.  

It's so delicious though, and it is great as a sandwich spread, marinade, dipping sauce... just awesome.  You will keep vampires away for weeks after eating this, too!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Fresh Garlic - 2 cups

Conola Oil - 4 1/2 cups or ( more/less) depends how strong or light you want

Lemon Juice 3/4 Cup

Salt 1 1/2 tspn

Method:

Place the the fresh garlic in a food processor ( you could use a blender, if you have strong one) start with a table spoon of lemon juice alternating with the lemon juice slowy. Once you have finished with the 1st cup of oil you can increase the oil to about 2 tbls or so but keep the lemon juice same.

P.S - if you rush into this you will end up with a very thin runny sauce, what I normally do is add some more garlic to it and start all over again...hope you will not have to do that.