Sunday and a little this and that...

I got up at 7:00 AM, warmed up a cup of coffee and worked on the Blog entry for yesterday. After my excess yesterday (especially at breakfast) I decided to go with something simple: Scrambled eggs and a toasted English muffin.

I shaved and showered and began to face the day. It's sunny but cool here (61 degrees F at 10:00 AM) but supposed to get in the mid 70's later on. So, I have the windows open, catching the morning air.

It's probably time to do something with the rest of the pork shoulder, so after thinking about it a bit, I sliced off enough meat for another Cubano sandwich or two (or pulled pork, if I be so inclined). And the rest? Well, its not smoked ham hocks or a ham bone, but it's a smoked pork shoulder with the bone, so I decided to make a simple Split Pea Soup.

I chopped up one large Vidalia onion, two smallish carrots and a nice big stalk of celery, trying with each to maintain my favorite 1/4 inch dice. I put that, along with 1 pound green split peas, (picked over, rinsed, and drained) into my cast iron Dutch oven. Then I made up an herb bundle in one of my kitchen-only white handkerchiefs with a handful of dried parsley, about half that amount of dried thyme leaves and a single bay leaf. I tied the bundle with kitchen string and tied the other end to the pot's handle (for easy retrieval, later).

I added the smoked pork shoulder and a teaspoon of salt (I'll salt to taste, later), plus eight cups of cold water. I brought that to a boil, turned it to simmer, added the lid and will let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours (or until the peas are soft).

It is quite cool as I said, but I do have a few things to accomplish out back. So, out I went, just before noon. First, I used the herbicide pump on anything still green in the driveway, keeping the spray tip right on the grass or weed, as its windy out. When I had that done, I took it and the garden shears out to the back garden and any weed still alive after last week's spraying (I was surprised to see just how many were still alive, BTW) I snipped off at ground level and sprayed the plant site thoroughly.

Do you remember me saying there is a triangle of grass I can't cut with the riding mower near the roses? Well, I had sprayed the grass last weekend, so now I cut it off with the shears. Then I took a handsaw and cut two of the border tree trunks down and added a landscape timber to make the triangle I needed.

Then I got the shovel and the wheelbarrow and dug out some of the wood chips we had left in a pile by the fence last year for repair jobs. Unfortunately, they have already started to rot and compost, but I got four loads full and covered the bare spot. I'll take pictures when the sun is shining back there (I learned my lesson from the shady pictures I posted yesterday).

I went back into the house after refilling the bird feeder and washed up. It's time to work on the soup again. So, I took out the pork shoulder and put it on a plate to cool. I took out the Bouquet Garni (or herb bundle) and cut the string on the handle. Once it was cool enough to handle, I removed the meat from the pork shoulder, discarding the bones, fat and skin. I am trying to cut the meat into cubes like usual, but this meat is just falling apart. Once I have all the good meat on a plate, I put two thirds of it back in the soup, and reserve the other third. I added 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.

I pureed the soup using my immersion blender. You can also do this in a blender, but as my daughter Amy noted in a prior comment, you need to do it in small batches ONLY, putting a kitchen towel on top the lid and holding down the lid tightly. Otherwise, you will remodel your kitchen walls and ceiling in a pea green color!

I take the bone, skin and fat outside and leave it in the lawn for the wild things. Inside, I decide not to add anymore salt now, so I put the soup into three freezer containers (some for Mom and some for me - I'll add more salt as needed when warming it up). I clean up the mess and notice that the sun is now shining on the new triangle addition to the rear garden, so I go out and take the photos I wanted this morning. Back inside, I posted them.

Now it's 2:30 PM and I am taking a break. I taped a movie (Pollock) and now start watching it. But, an hour into the movie, it cut off! Not sure why, but that was very annoying!!! So, disgusted, I went back to other taped shows, hoping to catch a nap, but no dice.

I gave up at 5:00 PM and went out to start dinner. As a preliminary move, I opened up my last bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and poured a glass (wine is my tradition when making Italian food). I was planning on making a low-cost knock-off of a Giada De Laurentiis recipe: Penne a la Carbonara. Why low-cost? I am planning on substituting regular bacon instead of pancetta. So, I got out 6 eggs and 1/2 cup of heavy cream and set them on the counter (they must be at room temperature, you see).

I started browning one pound of bacon, cut into one-inch chunks. However, when I went to get the package of shredded parmesan cheese (I need 1+ cups), the damn stuff was green! I quickly grabbed the grated can of parmesan cheese, but there was only about 1/4 of a cup left!! Aaauugghhh! So, I reluctantly got out my chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the micro-planner and grated another 3/4 cup of cheese. I am turning my low-cost dinner to something now pretty pricey! I combined the 6 eggs, the heavy cream, all the parmesan cheese, a tablespoon of dried parsley (I didn't have any fresh left) and whisked it all together and left it sit on the counter near the stove.

Then, I took off the bacon and drained it on paper towels. I boiled salted water and cooked one pound of penne pasta al dente (about 11 minutes). Working quickly, I drained it but did not rinse it (you want to retain the natural starches so that the sauce will stick). I put the pasta back into the empty pasta pot. I added the bacon and mixed it well. Then, I added the cream/egg mixture and coated the pasta completely. It's important to work quickly while the pasta is still warm, so the cream/egg mixture will cook, but not curdle. It looks pretty good, so I put the lid back on to keep it warm and washed up the dirty dishes and implements.

I dished up a plate and tried it. Not bad! I would have preferred to add in some saut�ed mushrooms (I didn't have any), but, on the whole, quite tasty!

I went and watched my usual TV shows and then the news, so I went to sleep at 11:30 PM.