A Full Measure of Happiness

Just Some Projects

May 12, 2013

For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’ve probably seen all these pictures (or most of them). But I thought I’d share some of my latest projects, since we’ve been too busy packing/meeting with friends/organizing/cleaning to cook or even consider turning on my oven.

I found this project from Pinterest on how to make a t-shirt rag rug. We are moving to an apartment with all hardwood floors, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone–make a cute little throw rug, and get rid of some t-shirts at the same time.

The tutorial I used is absolutely perfect, so I won’t even try making my own. Just go here to see it.

The cats are in love with this rug.

Next I refinished an old dresser that we’ve had for a few years and have just been putting up with.

I used a bunch of different resources to figure out what to do. The basic gist of it was:

Removed the hardware and filled the holes with sawdust+wood glue (can also just use wood filler).
Sanded the whole thing down, using a DeWalt random-orbit sander I borrowed from a friend (which worked so well! I sanded the entire dresser in a few hours) with minimal arm soreness. Cleaned off all the dust.
Primed with a latex primer (one coat). We bought an “oops” can that someone rejected that was a light gray color for $5.00! Score.
Painted with a latex water-based paint (Valspar in London Coach)–three coats. I lightly sanded between each paint layer with 220-grit sandpaper and cleaned the dust off.
Finished with three layers of water-based (so it doesn’t yellow) polyurethane (Minwax). I sanded between each of these layers as well, but not the last.
Fritz added new hardware, which we changed the placement of.

Sounds time consuming, but I just moved the dresser to the basement and did one layer of paint a day. I also let it “cure” for a long weekend before moving it back inside and putting anything on it.

I have to say, the finish feels really strong and awesome–you can easily wipe it clean and I’m not really nervous to scratch it. It just feels so solid, and not at all tacky.

My last project is the antique dental cabinet I found in my landlord’s basement. I knew it was some kind of medical cabinet, but you can imagine how happy I was to find out it belonged to a dentist–and even happier when my landlord said she’d be happy for me to take it off her hands (for free!).

I had to clean off a thick and really disgusting layer of grime and sticky tape reside, but now it looks a million times better. There’s some bald spots where the paint must have been removed by the tape that some smartie-pants must have used on it at one point.

At some point I’m gonna try to match the paint and buy new hardware for this too.

I’ve had lots of fun making some new stuff, and I’m sure we will attempt a lot more projects after we move at the end of this month.

And of course–Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing mother!

I can’t imagine life without my mom. For more pictures of my absolutely gorgeous mother, check out this birthday post from last year!

5 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/05/12/just-some-projects/

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

April 22, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

April 22, 2013

Hey! It’s been so long since I’ve dropped by that my own blog doesn’t even recognize me–I had to sign in and remind my laptop to keep me logged in. I haven’t even been around to delete the weird fact-filled spam comments I’ve got a million of lately.

There are so many things racing around in my mind right that I don’t even know where to start. If I’m not going to blog as frequently, I may have to start keeping a real life paper diary, cheap gold key and all.

Perhaps a list to keep us all organized?

When I wrote my blog post about stepping back and not blogging as often as I was, some of you guys wrote me some really awesome stuff. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It made me feel loved, and it made me want to keep blogging.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes. I’ve used this carrot cake recipe (completely unaltered) since I learned how to use the internet. Sam, wherever you are, thank you. You paved the way to my in-laws hearts when I made (and even when I slightly over baked) this cake for my father-in-law’s birthday. Just bake for less time when making cupcakes (20 minutes or so? I can’t exactly remember). I shall continue to put pictures of these throughout the entire post.
For some reason “throughout” just looked so wrong to me, but I Googled it and we’re all good.
Since I last wrote in this blog, I have been offered (and accepted!) a new job in Rochester, finally working exclusively with kids! Should be a drastic change that I hope I am ready for.
We also put a deposit on an apartment right in the middle of downtown. I think it’ll be fun to be able to walk to bars and restaurants–and try my hardest not to live like my inner geriatric cat lady tells me I should (nougat, anyone?).
I struggle a lot with anxiety, especially when there’s a big change (even a positive one) lurking around the corner. Even silly things that really don’t matter (Should I book a flight? Should I drive? What day should I take off work? Will they think I’m taking off too many days? Maybe I should take off another day if I plan on driving. Don’t I kind of deserve a vacation? Why do people always think they deserve things? Will I have time to make that cake I said I’d make? How much should I charge? What if I can’t remember which chocolate cake recipe I used and liked last time? What if they don’t like it? Are they expecting some crazy professional cake? Is this tape strong enough to hold the box closed after it’s packed? Is so-and-so mad at me? Did I say something awkward or accidentally not invite someone to something?) are constantly wheeling around in my head. Most days I am excellent at ignoring it all. Other days I come home and watch thirteen episodes of Chopped because I don’t know which thought to start acting on.
Irish breakfast tea.
Why in God’s name would a makeup (poll: makeup, make-up, make up?) company ruin a perfectly respectable product by calling it a “Chubby Stick”!??1?! I love it but can never buy it again without feeling like a creepy ex-frat boy trying to be relevant and cool.
I’ve been trolling Pinterest for ideas to decorate our new apartment, and a lot of it revolves around painting some furniture. A project I’m excited about but kind of dreading is painting a kitchen table and chairs. Excited to have real chairs (oh yes, we currently have stools), but so not looking forward to sanding all those legs. Any success stories to motivate me?
Henry and Emerson’s honeymoon phase is over. They are definitely no longer best friends, but can still tolerate each other for the most part–until 5:30 in the morning and at night (an hour before they eat). Then Henry runs around hissing at Emerson and smacking him in the face as if Emerson is a one-cat brigade standing in between his breakfast/dinner. Emerson is too laid back to care at the moment.

Shaky cat truce:

Menacing death trot:

Anyway, I have a book and a mug of tea calling my name. What’s going on inside your brain today?

9 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/04/22/carrot-cake-cupcakes/

Ham and Bean Soup

April 7, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

April 7, 2013

I’ve had a hard time focusing lately.

On the weeks that I actually exercise, I only manage to blog once–if I’m lucky. I’ve been cooking and baking just as often, but ignoring my poor camera laying forlorn in a corner covered in cat hair.

Okay, not totally covered, because I do find time to (make Fritz) vacuum.

The most important thing I have been doing, however, is filling our weekends with visits with friends and long walks outside, exploring all the parks and arboretums that Long Island has to offer and that we haven’t bothered to discover until we knew we were moving.

Just soaking in spring, I guess.

And trying to spend times with the friends and family who we will be leaving soon.

Needless to say, I frequently find myself thinking of shutting down the blog. That way, I can do whatever I want in my free time without feeling guilty.

But here’s the thing. Besides needing an outlet in which I can write exclusively in sentence fragments without facing (much) judgement, I started this blog as a creative outlet for myself. Even when my mom was the only person reading it (hi Mom!), it helped me pass long hours of boredom while Fritz was studying and while I was exhausted from trying to cram my brain full of physical therapy notes.

Now that I’m working in the real world, Fritz is more available (senior year! holla!), and I have some really great girlfriends that I want to spend time with, I don’t need my blog as much. But I still like it. And feeling guilty about not writing in it is something that only I have created. No one else cares if I post once a week or seven times a week (except, perhaps, Mom!).

So for now, I’m gonna keep this thing kicking. But I’m going to continue to focus on stuff that makes our lives richer, like having friends over for brunch or serving Fritz a fancy warm dinner without having to take 1,000 pictures of it.

But when the stars align, and I feel like breaking out my SLR, or I found a recipe that’s really worth sharing, or I want to remember what kind of cake I made Fritz for his birthday this year, or I need motivation to make something wacky with spaghetti squash that y’all might like, then I’ll blog it.

No pressure.

Plus, I’m moving again and just might find myself needing to blog more often until we establish ourselves.

Also, sometimes I overthink things. Thanks for listening!

in recipe news, here’s how we used up our leftover Easter ham this year (aside from eating it cold, straight from the fridge–I’m a classy lady, folks).

Ham and Bean Soup

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
leftover ham bone
2-3 C diced ham
5-6 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
1 can (14-oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
bunch kale, roughly chopped (I actually used a bag of frozen kale from Trader Joe’s)
water to cover
salt and pepper to taste

This soup is nothing too exciting–a great way to use up leftovers, and a delicious way to pack your lunch full of vegetables and protein.

Also, I just love having soup at work for lunch. So filling and comforting, though you do have to face the occasional post-lunch coma with a heavy soup like this.

Start by sautéing the garlic and onion in the vegetable oil over medium heat in a (very) large stock pot.

When they are starting to turn golden and translucent, add the ham and the ham bone and let them simmer.

The browner the hambone (and all the leftover ham on it that I’m too lazy to get off) gets, the more delicious your soup will be. This is all the flavor, baby.

I always buy the shank portion of the ham when I’m making a holiday dinner, because it has the best bone (and therefore flavor) for leftovers.

When the ham is all sizzle-y and delicious, add the potatoes, parsnips, and beans. Toss in the kale and cover the whole thing with water (feel free to toss in a little broth here, if you wish!). Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the bone and season with salt and pepper. I think the most important part of this soup is the last step–take a potato masher and roughly mash the soup, breaking up about half of the potatoes and parsnips. This thickens the whole thing up and gives it a much better texture than a thin-broth-with-stuff-in-it that you started out with.

As always, soups like this are born to be full of substitutions. Use what you have and try new stuff–it’ll probably be delicious.

A soup like this is forgiving. That’s why ham is so awesome–tastes great with everything!

I’ll be having the last bowl tomorrow for lunch, then I’m braving another round with my worst enemy of fad food–spaghetti squash. Pad thai version.

Also, I made carrot cake cupcakes for a friend’s birthday tomorrow! Can’t wait to share them.

27 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/04/07/ham-and-bean-soup/

Vegetable Fried Rice

March 29, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 29, 2013

This is just one of those classic quick-to-make, filled-with-veggies-when-I-know-I’ve-been-eating-nothing-but-Reese’s-and-cupcakes-all-week, easy-way-to-use-up-leftovers recipes that we always need in a pinch.

Vegetable fried rice. Add another protein (besides the eggs) if you want more. Pretty easy.

Also, I keep typing “friend rice”, which is a whole different kind of satisfying.

Vegetable Fried Rice

2 t coconut oil (you can sub in vegetable oil if you want!)
2 C cooked rice (I used leftover long-grain white rice)
3 eggs
1 C frozen peas
1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetable mix (mine had broccoli, carrots, peas, baby corn, water chestnut, and peppers)
2-3 T low-sodium soy sauce
2-3 T rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat and add the rice.

Sauté quickly for a few minutes, then push to the sides of the pan to clear a space in the middle for the eggs. Add the eggs and scramble them.

Add the frozen peas.

And add the frozen vegetable mix.

Continue to sauté until the vegetables are hot, then add the soy sauce and the rice wine vinegar–start with a little, and add to taste.

Let any remaining water/sauce boil off (this should only take a minute or two).

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Here it is! Simple, quick, healthy, delicious.

This made four to six side servings, or three to four main dishes, depending on how much leftover rice you had.

You can easily add extra vegetables, chicken, more rice, or whatever else you have on hand to beef it up.

I haven’t been feeling very inspired to cook when coming home from work this week, and my schedule was switched up a bit last-minute, so not many exciting recipes on the blog lately. Sorry!

Unless you’d like to discuss my peanut butter and jelly methodology.

No?

And to celebrate the weekend, I give you my dancing cat:

And when he head-butted Fritz in midair:

Happy Easter!

5 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/29/vegetable-fried-rice/

Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon

March 24, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 24, 2013

This recipe has been taunting my from my “Pictures” folder since I made it two weeks ago, all 300 photos that I took.

So I’ve decided to take the cowards’ way out. Since I didn’t change a thing from Julia Child’s original recipe (I would not presume to do so), I’m gonna let you see the original recipe here or here (or pick up a copy of her book).

But I’ll let the pictures inspire you (hopefully) to want to make there. There’s still a few weeks of cold weather left (at least around these parts), so get thee to the grocery store. We ate this for several meals, served with boiled potatoes, and loved every serving.

This is one of those meals you make when you need some “You Time” with a capital Y-T.

Where you drink the rest of the bottle of wine slowly and savor it.

You play music you like and you wear wool socks and sweatpants with your apron, because, let’s face it–it’s cold out and this isn’t the roaring 20s. We’re liberated women (or men) now.

Enjoy!

6 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/24/julia-childs-boeuf-bourguignon/

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

March 20, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 20, 2013

I know, it’s not St. Patrick’s Day anymore.

In fact, it is the first day of spring!

Vernal equinox, my friends!

Tomorrow is also my beloved mother’s birthday.

Isn’t she gorgeous?

I honestly don’t know what I would do without my mom. No idea. She is and always has been such a rock in my life.

But that’s moms, for you. Mine’s just exceptionally great.

Back to business.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Whiskey Buttercream Frosting (cupcake recipe lightly adapted from here)

Makes 18 large cupcakes

3/4 C cocoa powder
2 C sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
12 oz. Guinness stout, at room temperature
1 T vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 C heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line cupcake tins with paper liners.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter and beer together with the vanilla. The ingredients should all be room temperature to prevent the butter from solidifying.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time, and add the heavy cream.

Add the dry ingredients slowly and mix until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.

Fill the baking cups 3/4 of the way, and bake for about 15 minutes, just until an inserted toothpick comes out with crumbs on it.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the whiskey frosting.

Irish Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened
confectioners’ sugar, to preference (start with 2 C)
3 T Irish whiskey
heavy cream (optional)
1/4-3/4 t salt

Sorry.

I’m aware that’s the least helpful buttercream recipe ever. The reason being is that I think buttercream is so specific to your taste. I like buttercream to be a bit on the salty side, and I also like it a bit less soft.

Start with the butter and confectioners’ sugar, and combine until mixed. Next, add the whiskey and combine. Now alternate whiskey (and/or heavy cream, if you don’t want to make the whiskey flavor too strong) and confectioners’ sugar until you reach the consistency and taste that you want.

This means you must taste a lot of buttercream.

For that I am also sorry, except that buttercream frosting is seriously so, so, so, so much better if you taste it and add salt when it needs it!

Fritz loved these cupcakes. I made a dozen full-sized cupcakes and 18 mini-cupcakes using this recipe.

Tinted with a little green icing and it’s festive!

You can leave the green food coloring out so the cupcakes aren’t so themed, but still make the delicious recipe to use up all the Guinness and Irish whiskey you have left over in the fridge.

Party on, friends!

And happy birthday, Mom!

5 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/20/guinness-chocolate-cupcakes-with-whiskey-buttercream-frosting/

Corned Beef and Cabbage (Crock Pot)

March 16, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 16, 2013

I made this recipe yesterday–and by no means do I claim rights to it. Some friends were talking about it around the office, and I just followed (the most basic) general guidelines for a hassle-free corned beef and cabbage.

It was so easy and delicious that I just thought I’d share, in case you need a last minute recipe.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 corned beef roast
4-5 potatoes, peeled or scrubbed and quartered
4-5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 can Guinness
1 head green cabbage

This recipe is super basic.

Add the corned beef, potatoes, and carrots to a lightly oiled crockpot.

Pour in the beer, cover, and set to cook for 5-6 hours.

Because I didn’t have enough space, when the corned beef and potatoes were done (and smelling deliciously beer-y and yeast-y), I removed them from the pot and set aside (keep the broth!). I cut the cabbage into sixths and put that in for 20 minutes in the beer broth that remained in the crock pot.

Strain out the cabbage and serve!

Seriously delicious. The corned beef is moist and tender, and the potatoes and carrots taste really rich and, as I so eloquently put early, beer-y.

A very satisfying and delicious start to St. Paddy’s weekend!

Any other tricks that you lay claim to for the best corned beef recipes? Last year I made this whiskey-glazed corned beef, which is definitely worth repeating if you want to try something new!

We went to a surprise baby shower for a friend out east today, and braved a chilly walk down to the beach with some of my favorite Long Islanders. I’m so happy that we went (and that I had my camera!), because I’m gonna miss all these people a lot after we move.

Pictures always help keep those friends around, even when they live far away.

Kathleen and Freddy:

Steve and Gill:

And, of course, Fritz and I (thanks Kathleen for manning the camera!):

Also, because I can’t help but share cats every minute of every day–this happened.

Cat antics. Gotta love ‘em.

1 comment

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/16/corned-beef-and-cabbage-crock-pot/

We’re Moving!

March 15, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 15, 2013

…again!

Fritz and I have known that this move would likely be coming for a while, but we have only recently had the full information and top-secret security clearance (meaning: I told my job) to be able to share with the world.

Since the last year has unfortunately been filled with stressful last-minute moves from one apartment to another on Long Island, you might imagine that this move is another of the same.

But you would be wrong! This is a move for the right reasons.

Fritz has accepted a position at a residency in Rochester (for prosthodontics), and at the end of May we will be journeying to upstate? (western? I should clarify this!)New York to start the next phase of our lives.

Though no one likes to upset their entire lives (well, almost no one), I’m actually looking forward to the move. I’m really sad to leave my job, my apartment, the wineries out east, and most importantly, some amazing friendships that we have developed–especially some new and stronger ones in the last year–but there’s a good side to the move.

Fritz will be starting his residency, meaning he’s finally done with dental school! The last four years have been really challenging, stressful, tiring–okay, exhausting, both physically and mentally–and draining on Fritz. They’ve also been fulfilling and rewarding, but it’s time to move on to the next phase.

Also, not to brag (actually, I’m totally bragging) but Fritz got accepted into some very vigorous and selective prosthodontics residencies, and he chose Rochester for reasons that are meaningful for both of us. He’s seriously such a hard worker.

Secondly, (and most excitingly for me), we’ll be living within an hour or two of my parents, two of my sisters, and some close friends of ours from both our undergraduate years and my high school years. It’s going to be a really exciting time to reconnect and spend some time with my family, whom I have sorely missed since being on Long Island.

(I know I’m a real whiner-baby, since many of you live much further than 6 1/2 hours away from your family, and you survive–kudos to those of you who can do it!).

So in conclusion, the next few months will be busy ones as Fritz graduates and I start searching for an apartment to move to and a new job. Busy, but exciting.

We went to his dental formal last night–can’t believe his four years of dental school are drawing to a close.

I also am a little surprised that this photo does prove that Fritz is, indeed, taller than me even in five-inch heels. Just barely, but it counts.

Here’s to new change! And to my finally posting my adventures with boeuf bourguignon…tomorrow.

8 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/15/were-moving/

Bourbon Molasses Cookies

March 11, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 11, 2013

I sometimes wish I was one of those cool girls who can slap on a Panama hat and sling back whiskey while talking about Nietzsche and women’s rights, but frankly, straight up liquor like that makes me grimace in the most unflattering of ways. It is certainly not cool.

That’s not to say that I don’t on occasion drink too much wine and start gibbering incomprehensibly about equal pay in the workplace or reproductive freedom. That has happened before. And if you’ve been subjected to one of those rants, I’m sorry (would you like to come over for a glass of wine?).

But if I’m going to find a way to suavely imbibe in rum, it’ll probably be mixed in spiced apple cider. Whiskey has to be disguised with lemon (hello, whiskey sours) or in a corned beef glaze (which I strongly suggest you make for the weekend!). But bourbon? Either I’m gonna soak a chocolate cake in it–or make these molasses cookies.

I may not be cool, but I’m definitely happy to eat these cookies. With milk.

Bourbon Molasses Cookies (makes three dozen cookies; slightly adapted from une gamine dans la cuisine)

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole-wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
3/4 C softened unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
1 T bourbon
extra sugar (about 1/4 C) to cover cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy, then add an egg and mix.

Add the molasses and bourbon and mix, scraping the bottom.

Add the flour mixture in and stir until just combined.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Scoop a tablespoonful of dough and quickly roll between the hands, then roll around in the white sugar until fully covered. Set the balls about two inches apart from each other on the cookie sheet.

Stick the cookie sheets in the freezer for a few minutes to cool the dough down (alternatively, roll the dough and put them on a plate to cool down, then put them on the cookie sheet before baking. Also alternatively, chill the dough for a few hours or overnight before shaping).

Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They will puff up in the oven and sink down as soon as they start to cool.

These cookies will look underdone when you take them out of the oven. Let them cool and firm up on the baking sheet before trying to move them or they’ll fall apart.

I liked them baked around the 9 minute mark–they were super chewy, and almost “melt in your mouth” tender.

The slight crunch of sugar around the edges is heaven.

Don’t you love this dreamy daylight savings’ light? It was shining right into my lens and I kinda liked the low contrast I was getting at some angles.

Fritz was mad at me because I only let him eat two cookies–the rest we had to save for some friends coming over tonight. I’m sure he’ll manage to snag a few more when they get here.

So what’s your bourbon drinking secret? I want to be as cool as this:

6 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2013/03/11/bourbon-molasses-cookies/

Split Pea and Lentil Soup

March 9, 2013

by Lauren Zietsman

March 9, 2013

It’s finally the weekend! I’m feeling much recovered, which was helped along fabulously by the gorgeous weather outside today (got to open my windows for a little while to air out the house, which felt great).

Then I spent the whole day slaving over the stove to make boeuf bourguignon ala Julia Child (and by slaving, I mean watching various shows on Hulu while I sipped wine and shooed cats off the counter), and let me tell you, the work was worth it.

But more on that in another post.

Tomorrow Fritz and I are checking one more item off our Long Island bucket list–going to breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen. I’ve heard only the most fabulous things, so I’m pretty excited to finally get to experience it (wait lines and all). Apparently the diner-style breakfast place started as a truck stop and got very, very popular. Not sure how it will rival my current reigning breakfast champ, Toast, but I’m open to new discoveries.

And finally a recipe for you!

This soup is a slight variation on the classic split pea soup because I ran out of split peas and subbed in lentils. It hardly changed to taste of the soup (not even sure I would have been able to tell if I didn’t see myself do it), but it did add some extra nutrition, which is always nice. Lentils are full of protein and fiber, along with some other good stuff (Wikipedia tells me folate and vitamin B).

This recipe makes a ton–we ate half (about six servings) and froze the other half for later. I also used the ham (and hambone) that I had baked earlier in the week, but you can buy smoked ham hocks if you don’t have the leftovers handy). You could easily halve the recipe if you don’t have quite as many leftovers to use up.

Split Pea and Lentil Soup

1 T olive oil
6-8 carrots, peeled and diced
6-8 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hambone (mine was leftover from a ham shank made a few days earlier)
8 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 C chopped ham
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth, plus additional water to cover
1 C split peas
1 1/2 C green lentils
salt and pepper to taste

This is a pretty basic soup.

Cook the celery, carrots, garlic, and onion in the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until translucent. You can throw in the hambone at this point to encourage any browning of whatever meat is on there–browning=flavor.

Add the potatoes and diced ham.

Next, add the broth, split peas, and lentils. Add additional water (you could also use a few cups more of broth as well, just be aware of not adding too much salt!) to cover everything. You need a lot of water here for the split peas and lentils to soak up, but you can always add more as you need it.