An awaiting bowl of warm happiness on a cold winter's night.

Every once in a while I get a nagging craving for a particular comforting dish, and in the winter it often comes in the form of soup. I’ve found that the craving will go on and on until I actually make whatever it is…oddly, even if I have some of it out of the house somewhere. This time it was Split Pea Soup with Ham.

This recipe began years ago when I was living on my own in a condo, and I really didn’t cook too often. One cold winter day, a downstairs neighbor of mine was working in the kitchen on something that smelled really good, and I was smelling that delicious aroma for hours…it was making me crazed with hunger! I kept passing my neighbor in the hallway during this marathon of cooking, and asked him what it was…”Oh, that’s just my split pea soup,” he said casually, and back into his apartment he went, shutting the door with a disappointing finality. Continue reading →