Pea Soup

My day?
Wake up at 6:30 > Get home at 6:30 (pit stop at Albertson's) > Make pea soup > Eat pea soup > Watch Real Housewives of OC Reunion Part 2 > Watch Switched at Birth > Watch Teen Wolf

I am loving Monday night TV!  It also starts at 7 pm here, so everything was recorded and I didn't have to watch any commercials :)  Yes, my choice of shows are a) Very dramatic and b) Very immature but I love them.

So, I tried to stay at work a little longer today, in the off chance that I might be able to leave early Friday (hoping for around three).  Obviously if something important comes up, I won't leave, but it will be nice to at least keep that option open.

My quest for dinner began with the reminder that I still had those two scallions left, so I wanted to make something easy and that would use them up.  I found a recipe for pea soup at Orangette.  All I needed to buy was peas, a block of parmesan (can never have enough) and vegetable broth. I ended up needing one and a half cans of vegetable broth, and it was $1.50 a can (which I thought was expensive) so I just bought one can and used chicken broth for the other.  I think the whole thing would be fine with chicken broth if that is all you have.

So, I get home, unload my groceries, and get the scallions out of the fridge and am greeted with this.

I didn't think those scallions could get any worse, but apparently I was wrong.  They were all rotten and gross, so that was out of the question.

I decided to move right along, and I put a big pot on medium-low heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and a half teaspoon of minced garlic.  I let it cook for about five minutes, and then I added four cups of frozen peas.

I LOVE peas!  If I had any forethought, I should have put more than four cups, because I ended up snacking on a bunch of them while they were cooking.  I also added the two cups of vegetable broth and one cup of chicken broth, as well as half the rind from the parmesan.

All of this simmered for ten minutes while I did laundry (believe it!).  You are supposed to cover it, but once again I ran into problems with ill-fitting lids, so I went without one and it was fine.  Make sure to let the soup cool before blending it, or the liquids might explode.  The recipe has a good rule of thumb - it says to wait until the steam stops.

After that, you are supposed to throw the cheese rind away.  Of course I ate it but that is your choice!  It was delicious...all melty and rubbery and parmesan-y.  All you have to do is blend up the soup.  I used my magic bullet and it only took two batches.

mmmmmmmmmmmm how yummy does THAT look????? HAHA!
To eat, I like lots of pepper and a dash of turmeric.  I try and put turmeric on everything I can, because it is supposedly a super spice.  It takes a bit to get accustomed to, so use sparingly your first few times.

Now, right before bed I am about to go and try to purchase lots of $$$ at U-Swirl from Living Social.  How perfect that I was just raving about frozen yogurt yesterday???