roasted tomato soup

I combined a few recipes to get my own version of yummy soup. I got my inspiration from Barefoot Contessa and Bobby Flay. I also threw in some things from this recipe. I really love thinking of a recipe that sounds good and then looking at several different recipes and creating my own based on what I want it to be. I wanted to make this because when we lived in California, I LOVED the Tomato Basil Soup at Safeway. I have searched for a long time for a good recipe that matches, and haven't found one.

Given my newfound love of all things roasted, I figured roasted tomatoes would easily find their way into the category.


Recipe:

5 pounds roma tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
minced garlic (6 cloves total)
1 onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups half and half

I used just less than 5 pounds of roma tomatoes (I wanted a lot of soup!) and just cut them in slices. Lay them in a cookie sheet (mine overlapped) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and minced garlic (I used 4 cloves). Roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, turning once halfway through.

In a large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil, saute the onion and garlic until soft (but not brown). Once the tomatoes are done, add the contents of the pan (juice and all) into the saucepan. Add the chicken broth, heat through. Add the half and half. Put in batches in a blender, then back into the saucepan to heat more until ready to serve.

chocolate bowls with brownies, white chocolate mousse drizzle, and white chocolate and almond cream

I saw this recipe and thought it would be the perfect dessert for our Valentine's dinner. I made something like this once with white chocolate and muffin tins, but this was so much easier! You use a balloon to create the bowl shape. First, melt some chocolate slowly in a glass bowl, over a slightly simmering pan of water. I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips because that's what I had. I figured the dessert would be really sweet and the semi-sweet would be a nice balance.

Next, you take some balloons. The smallest I could find were 7 inches and I wish I could have found water balloon size. Oh well, I guess that's what I get in February. I actually rinsed the balloons out in the sink before I blew them up to get any powder or anything off them.

Then I blew them all up (I made 6, just in case some didn't turn out - and if they all did, I would have leftovers) to make sure they were about the same size. I didn't blow them up all the way, so they weren't perfectly round but it didn't matter.

Next, dip the balloons in the chocolate. I just did it once, but I suppose if you wanted it thicker you could do it again. *I didn't even eat my bowl because it was such a rich dessert - so I don't recommend this, I'm just saying you could.*

Next, set the balloon on waxed paper. I put mine in the fridge so they would set faster, but I don't recommend doing this. when I popped the balloons, they stuck to the chocolate so I had to wait until they were room temperature to peel the balloons out of the bowls. So either way is probably the same amount of time. So after they are set, pop the balloons. Be sure to wait long enough so the chocolate is set or else you'll have sprayed chocolate all over. (One of my balloons popped on its own just as I was setting it on the waxed paper, and it went everywhere).

Next, I filled my bowl with little brownie bites (about 1 inch squares) topped with the mousse and cream.

White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream

3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 pound good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour 1 1/2 cups white chocolate mixture into a small bowl; cover and freeze until cold, about 1 hour.

Let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.

2. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. Refrigerate whipped cream just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours.

Lemon Brownies

1 Dry Lemon Cake Mix
1 Cube Melted Butter
4 Eggs
1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese
1 Lb. Powdered Sugar

Directions: Beat cake mix, butter and 2 eggs together. Put in bottom of 9X13 pan. Mix the cream cheese, the powdered sugar, and the remaining 2 eggs. Put this mixture on top of the first (do not mix) and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Do not under cook it. The secret (which is no longer a secret) is to cook it long enough so that the edges are a crisp brown and the soft
part in the middle is just cracking.

from the amazing kitchen of Sue Beutler

Sugar Cookies

I have tried several different sugar cookie recipes over the years (I only really make them about once a year so it's not like I've tried thousands or anything) but I think I've finally found my favorite. Mmmmm. There's just something about them. But honestly, what's not to love about sugar and butter with frosting on top?

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .
2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in lightly beaten egg, vanilla and cream. Blend well. Chill dough for one hour for easier rolling.
4. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients
2 teaspoons milk

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

assorted food coloring colors

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and confectioners sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in corn syrup and the vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If the icing is too thick, add additional corn syrup to thin slightly.

3. Divide the icing into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to the preferred color intensity. Paint the icing onto the cookies or pipe with decorator icing tubes and tips.

Tips for making perfect sugar cookies:

• If you are rolling the dough to use cookie cutters, remember to keep the dough chilled. As it warms it sticks to the rolling pin and the surface you're rolling on.
• The thinner you roll your dough, the crispier the cookie will be. This recipe calls for rolling the dough 1/4 inch thick, which makes them soft with just the right amount of crispness around the outside of the cookie.
• Soften the butter at room temperature for about an hour or two before mixing. Butter that isn't softened won't mix properly and your cookies will be flat. Do not microwave butter to soften, it will soften unevenly.
• The eggs should also be room temperature. Cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle.
• Halfway through the baking process, take a minute to rotate the baking sheets from back to front for even baking. This step is worth it to prevent unevenly baked batches of cookies.
• If you are making more than one batch, do not put the dough on hot cookie sheets. It will spread as you're placing the dough on the sheet, and baking will be uneven.

Potstickers

Davis learned how to make these when we were at DLI. He was taught by native Chinese people, so I consider these to be pretty authentic, even if I make them. We don't really follow a recipe

and tend to change/improve them each time, but here's a general idea of how to make them.

I usually get a little saucepan with meat (I have done both chicken and boneless pork ribs and both are excellent) and water. If I use chicken, I usually do one breast and 3-4 boneless ribs if I do pork. I add probably 1/4 cup of soy sauce to the water. Then I let it cook s l o w l y for about 3 hours on the lowest temperature (with a lid on so it is slightly simmering). After that, I cut the meat up into tiny pieces.

Put it in a bowl with cabbage, also cut into small pieces. I usually try to do about a 1:1 ratio of meat to cabbage. Add some fresh ginger, also chopped really small, and diced onion. Then a few drops of sesame oil (maybe a teaspoon? I really don't know how much). This is what the mixture looks like now.

Next you take the dumpling wrapper (I like the round ones) and put a spoonful of the meat in the middle. Dip your finger in water and rub it around the edge of the circle. Then you can press the edges together and they will stick.

You want them to be sealed really good because if not the filling will leak out during boiling. You can pinch it together to make little folds if you want.

Next they go in the water. Davis's teacher said to let the water reach boiling, then pour in a cup of cold water. Let it reach boiling again, then pour in another cup. Do this 3 times. However, I usually do it just once or not at all. Since my meat is already cooked, that doesn't matter.

Next they go into a frying pan with just a little oil over medium-high heat. Turn them after a few minutes and let them cook a few more minutes on the other side.

Mmmmmmmm

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 ½ pounds skinless chicken
14.5 ounces chicken broth
1 jalapeno chile, diced
6 corn tortillas
3 Tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Monterey Jack cheese, scallions, green bell peper, avocado, cilantro, and lime for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400º. In a large pot, bring the chicken, broth, jalapeno, and 8 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Brush both sides of the tortillas with oil, stacking them as you go. Cut the stack in half, and then slice crosswise into ½ inch strips. Place the strips on a rimmed baking sheet: bake, tossing the strips occasionally, until golden 15-20 minutes. Using a large spoon, skim the fat from the surface of the broth in the pot, and strain the liquid through a sieve into a clean pot (you should have about 8 cups). Shred the chicken with a fork or with your fingers and return it to the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Garnish as desired.

Garlic Asiago Bites

My aunt has a really fun recipe for quick cinnamon bites using refrigerated biscuit dough. I love making this recipe for a quick fun breakfast or even just a snack for a movie or something.

Basically, just a little butter, sugar and cinnamon, cut the rolls into fourths and bake it.

Last week I decided to try something tasty with asiago cheese, garlic, and butter to make a tasty bread dish to go along with our spaghetti. It was a smashing success! Just writing this is making me want to have more right now. I used 2 whole cloves of garlic for just 1 can of biscuits and it might have been a little much for some people's tastes, but we liked it. I don't really follow a recipe anytime I make these, but here's the basic idea. (It's really easy to make more depending on how many cans of dough you have.) I do about 2 Tablespoons of butter for each can of dough, like I said I did 2 garlic cloves and just grated some asiago cheese in there. If you're doing the cinnamon, use 2 Tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of sugar and a couple hefty shakes of cinnamon. Mmmm. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, but it may be more like 30 if you do a few cans at once.

I'm trying to think of what other "flavors" would be good. Any suggestions?

Ice Cream Sandwiches

For a fun and tasty treat, put a scoop of ice cream between two cookies. We have a handy-dandy ice cream sandwich maker from Pampered Chef (thanks mom!) and we enjoy using it to make this quick snack. Of course, mine never turn out like the picture in the catalog but they're still yummy!

Chicken Pillows

This is a classic recipe in my house growing up. They're so tasty! I have recently made one small change -- I add asiago cheese into the mixture and it is so yummy!

2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
⅔ cup mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
10 Tablespoons butter, divided
15 refrigerator crescent rolls
⅔ cup crushed Stove Top stuffing

Cream together cream cheese and 4 Tablespoons butter. Add chicken and mushrooms, stir until evenly mixed. Spread crescent rolls out. Put ¼ cup chicken mixture into center of each roll. Bring edges up to the middle, tuck and seal.

Melt 6 Tablespoons butter. Dip chicken pillows in butter, then roll in stuffing mix. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375°.

It is too much work to take pictures all the way during the preparation of a meal. For one thing, I never remember until the end. And for another, I don't really feel like blogging that step-by-step right now for this. So at least for a little while I'll be changing this to include just the recipe and any pictures I get of the finished product.