CPK Smashed Pea & Barley Soup

Made this CPK Copycat Smashed Pea and Barley Soup the other day and it was SO good, it motivated me to bring back a soup habit.  When I made it, I blended half of my raw chopped carrots with some of the cooking liquid, just so the kids wouldn't see quite so many "cooked carrots," which they seem to think they don't like lately.  I also had a ten minute quick cooking barley, so I added it for the last ten minutes of cooking.  Actually, I may have even cooked it separate and added it, because the soup got so thick.  

CPK Smashed Pea and Barley Soup
½ cup pearl barley
2 quarts water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or ½ tablespoon dried)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon rubbed dried sage
Large pinch ground cumin
1 ½ cups diced carrots
2/3 cup minced onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion tops, optional 

1 pound dried split peas, sorted and rinsed

In large pot, combine peas, barley, water, bay leaves, salt, soy sauce, thyme, garlic, sage and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in carrots, onion and celery. Cover and simmer until vegetable are tender, another 25 to 30 minutes. (Check periodically, adding small amounts of additional water if needed.) Discard bay leaves. Ladle soup into warmed soup bowls and garnish with green onion tops, if desired.

Smore Bites

Made these a few times since the 4th of July and they're a huge hit, easy for the kids to help make and super yummy, even though I am not historically a Smores person.  For the chocolate part, you can use a Hershey bar sectioned into mini rectangles, or even a mini Reeses' cup!  I usually use chocolate chips, just because that's what I always have on hand.

Smores Bites

7 whole graham crackers (equals 1 cup), finely crushed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
chocolate of some sort
12 large marshmallows, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350.

Crush the graham crackers- I let the kids have at this with a gallon size plastic bag.  Combine graham crackers, powdered sugar and melted butter.

Grease your mini muffin tin!  (I've forgotten this a couple of times now, thus the exclamation point.)  Put a small amount in mini muffin tins and press down (I have a wooden dowel type thing just for this) and then bake for 4-5 minutes, or until edges are golden.  While this is baking, cut the marshmallows in half.

When the graham cracker crusts come out of the oven, I usually press them down one more time with the dowel.  Add a few chocolate chips to each cup (OK, it's more like 6-7, but I don't count them) and then top with a marshmallow.

Bake for another 2-4 minutes, until top is slightly browned.  Let them rest for 15 minutes before removing from the tins.

Enjoy within 2-3 days, but they wont last that long.  :-)

Candied Pecans

My neighbor made these for Christmas this year, and they were amazing.

1 lb pecans
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 heaping Tbsp cinnamon

Mix egg white & water until frothy. Pour over pecans. Add remaining ingredients & stir until coated. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. I line my baking pans with foil for easy clean up.