Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

 If your garden is full of big, red, ripe & juicy tomatoes this recipe is for you! I had a cup of this yummy soup for lunch at my desk this afternoon and it reminded me of why I love fall. So I snapped a picture and I am sharing the recipe with you.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

5-6  large ripe garden tomatoes, cored and sliced into three slices
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2" slices
1 large  jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded
2  medium bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4 pieces
olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable  or chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus additional cheese for garnishing)
½ cup of heavy cream 

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange the tomatoes on a  baking sheet with sides. Place peppers and onions on a separate sheet.  Drizzle olive oil all over. Roast tomatoes  for 20 minutes and veggies for 30.

2.      Take out of oven and let cool. Depending on the size of your blender, combine 1/2 of the tomatoes and juice with veggies in blender and blend till smooth.  Do the same with the second half. Put in a large pot and add the broth and spices.

3.      Heat all together over medium high  heat and add ½ cup of heavy cream

4.       Garnish with Parmesan cheese and croutons. Enjoy

Cantaloupe Pasta

  Cantaloupe Pasta!  I know, you're thinking it sounds too weird to be good, but it has a refreshingly good flavor. Sweet yet spicy, kinda like - but not exactly like the Asian sweet chili sauce you buy in a jar.

I tried this recipe out on a whim for my daughter's birthday dinner because her friends are such good sports when it comes to my experimental cooking. Plus it was supper easy and paired up nicely with the savory salmon.

The  recipe came from the Fred Meyer Sunday paper produce ad.
You never know where you're going to find a fun recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 ounce package linguine or spaghetti
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1 Cantaloupe, cubed (the more ripe, the better)
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1/2 Cup Half and Half ( I used a little more)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Seeds, shelled and toasted

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta as directed.
2. Heat butter in a skillet. Add melon and saute until it breaks down. Mash with a potato masher if needed, it will still have lumps in it.
3. Add tomato paste, cayenne pepper and salt; cook for 3 more minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup of half and half, salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
5. Toss with spaghetti, top with pumpkin seeds and serve immediately. 

  

 

Fall Apple Party Favor

APPLES

Thank You party favors!

     Nothing says thank you in the fall  like a fresh, crisp, apple and chocolate or caramel dip. I made 15  of these for my women's ministries leadership team.  Perfect little favors for our pre-retreat information dinner. Our theme this year is JOY, and gray & yellow are our colors.
  I considered making some yummy homemade dip and putting it in cute 1/2 pint mason jars, but they would have needed refrigeration and the thought of 15 of these in my already full fridge wasn't good. So I was thrilled to find individual containers of dip in chocolate/peanut butter and caramel, which enabled me to make these ahead of time.

Step 1.
Assemble needed supplies:
*  Big pretty apples ( I used Gala)
*  Individual dip packets. ( I found these in the peanut butter section and the caramel packets in the produce department.  This option was cheaper then making my own, but I am sure not as tasty :) )
* Ribbon ( 8 inches of the gray and about 14-16inches of the yellow per apple)
*Small glass bowl ( Found at the dollar store 3/$1.00.  Much cheaper then Mason jars)
* Clear plastic favor bags ( Also at the dollar store or cake dept of  Joann fabrics)
* Thank you tags ( Handwritten, but printing off the printer would be easy too!)
* The tags can say anything you like.  Happy Birthday, a name, etc.
* Yellow tissue paper. ( Added just for fun & color)

Step 2

1. Place  bowl, chocolate packet  and tissue in bag.
2. Gently drop in the apple.
3. Tie on the gray ribbon catching the apple stem if you can
4. Tie on the thank you with the yellow ribbon.

Sit back and enJOY

Peach Cobbler & Berry Parfait

Peach & Berry Parfait 
Summer in a Pint Jar!

This peach and berry dessert is a burst of summer! Featuring peaches and berries from nearby farms.
I was craving a peach cobbler but didn't want to heat the kitchen up using the oven and  this was a great alternative.

Update: I've made this fun parfait  a few more times with some variations.  One of the variations was using scones crumbled at the bottom instead of  the Angel food cake. The heartier texture was well received and since scones are pretty easy to whip up it kept me from a trip to the store for Angel food cake.  I know I could make Angel Food cake... but it's always been one of things that seem easier to buy then make.

One more variation is to make these in 1/2 pint jars instead of pint jars. It really is a lot of dessert in the pint jar. But oh so delicious!

Ingredients

Large Angel Food cake
4 large peaches
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp corn starch
Instant vanilla pudding
1 3/4 cup  milk
Frozen marionberries or blackberries
Blueberries
Vanilla Ice Cream
Whip Cream
6 pint mason jars

Directions

1. Peel the peaches and cut into bite size pieces
2.  In a sauce pan  combine the cornstarch with the cold water, add the peaches and sugar, cook on low-med heat stirring often until sugar is melted and sauce thickened. (3-5 minutes)
3. Take off heat and let cool.

Peaches simmering

4. Tear the Angel food cake into small pieces and layer on the bottom of 6 Mason jars
5. Next layer the peaches
6. Place some frozen berries ( I used  5) on the top of the peaches ( helps cool down the peaches) :)

Frozen Marionberries

7. Make the pudding using a little less milk then the directions call for and add as the next layer.
8. On top of the pudding layer the fresh  blue berries

9.Cool in the fridge while you make dinner.
10. Add a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream

11.Top with whip cream and a fresh cherry or blueberry and sprig of mint. Or whatever berry is handy!
 Even an editable flower would be cute.

Heavenly deliciousness as the flavors meld together into the perfect summer dessert.
 Fresh peaches always make me smile.
ENJOY!

Terri's Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Yummy cinnamon coffee cake made by my co-worker for a retirement party we hosted yesterday.

I don't normally just love coffee cake, but this cake was moist with just the right amount of cinnamon swirled in the middle. And apparently pretty easy to whip up.

Delicious!

RECIPE

Terri’s  Cinnamon  Coffee Cake

1 yellow cake mix

½ Cup Sugar

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

¼ tsp salt

Mix ingredients together and layer three times in Bundt pan, putting cinnamon and brown sugar between each layer of batter.

Cinnamon mixture: 6 Tbl Sugar & 6 tsp Cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Olympic Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

The perfect summer salad for an evening of watching the Olympics. Not only is it red, white and blue, it is medal winning  in flavor with  a refreshingly sweet and tart taste.   I feel like I should apologize for the picture.  Or maybe I should apologize to my family for bringing my phone to the table and annoying them by taking pictures of their food.
I was just thinking it would be a good recipe to share...

RED,WHITE AND BLUE.....Go USA

Chili & Lime Dressing

This dressing is worth making. I just love it. 

6 Tbsp low fat mayonnaise

 3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped   

3 Tbsp water

1 medium  or 2 small scallion(s), minced   

2 Tbsp fresh  squeezed lime juice   ( 1 lime)

2 tsp sugar  

 1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix the above ingredients well.

Olympic Salad

Small bunch of spinach torn into bite size pieces

1 head  of  Romaine Lettuce Chopped

1 Cup of fresh blueberries

1 can white beans ( cannellini or Great Northern)

1/3 cup cranraisens 

Feta Cheese

Tomato - optional  ( I had a few slices left over from the other parts of dinner to use up) 

MIX the above and toss with dressing.  

Some info I thought you might enjoy.

Cannellini beans are large and have that traditional kidney shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a relatively thin skin and tender, creamy flesh. They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and ragouts.

Great Northern beans are smaller than cannellinis and and suitable for any number of uses: salads, soups, stews, ragouts, purees. Their texture is slightly grainy, with a nutty, dense flavor. Popular in North America, Great Northerns look like white baby lima beans.

What?  You want to see a picture of another dinner item?

Turkey burger ( made with garlic and basil) topped with a tomato slice, feta cheese (light broiled) & more basil.

Fruity Chicken & Gorgonzola Salad

Fruity Chicken & Gorgonzola Salad

Enjoy these long  hot days with some of the best things summer has to offer - tomatoes and cantalope. The protein of the chicken makes this salad a complete meal in one dish.  I love the sweetness of the fruit combined with the saltiness of the Gorgonzola.

Fruity Chicken and Gorgonzola Salad 

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce

Cantaloupe

Tomato

Chicken salad

 Chicken Salad Recipe

2 Large chicken breast - baked and chopped

1/2 Cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1/3 Cup walnuts  roughly chopped 

 20 -24 red grapes halved

1/2 low fat or regular  mayo

2 -TBL   fresh chopped basil ( or parsley would work)

1 - TBL  Milk

 Salt & Pepper to taste.  I find the Gorgonzola adds enough salt. 

Mix the above  till thoroughly combined

Directions

In a large bowl combine:

 2 cups chopped romaine

1/4 of cantaloup chop into bite size pieces

About  1/2  large tomato chopped into bite size pieces

 Add  chicken salad to mixture and toss well.  If needed add a little bit of milk to chicken salad to moisten and help it incorporate into salad.  

Perfect Yumminess

 ENJOY!

Chicken & Gorgonzola Stuffed Tomato

Lunch-time in the summer!

 Chicken & Gorgonzola

 Stuffed Tomato

 

A refreshing summer dish combining the saltiness of Gorgonzola with the sweetness of grapes.

Ingredients

2 Large chicken breast ( baked and chopped)

1/2 Cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1/3 Cup walnuts  roughly chopped 

 20 -24 red grapes halved

1/2 low fat mayo

2 -TBL   fresh chopped basil ( or parsley would work)

1 - TBL  Milk

 Salt & Pepper optional

1 Medium tomato

Romaine lettuce

Directions

Prepare chicken salad mixture by combining  everything but the lettuce and tomato.   Mix well.  Chop enough  romaine lettuce to cover bottom of your bowl. (For a little more flavor  I lightly  sprinkled the romaine with some raspberry vinaigrette dressing.)  Next slice tomato into sections and place on top of bed of lettuce. When cutting the tomato be careful to not cut all the way through the tomato, it will then create a nice "bowl" for you. 

Add the chicken salad to the center of the tomato and ENJOY! 

When I made  the chicken salad recipe I doubled it  and used the leftovers for a fruity chicken and Gorgonzola salad.  Again,  a very nice refreshing flavor and a great way to use summer produce and leftovers.  Find this recipe on the blog.

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

 Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

Made these yummy bars for our church's in between service social
this morning.  Not what I typically serve for a breakfast item, but I figured if Nutella considers itself a breakfast item, these could be too. At least they have oatmeal in them.

But really, I just wanted a reason to try these since I've been reading some great salted caramel recipes lately on Pinterest. So I took my favorite oatmeal bars and added  salted caramel to the middle. yum.

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Cup butter (2 cubes softened)
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
12 oz chocolate chips ( optional - I left out this time)
Chopped walnuts
 9x 13  Pyrex pan

Caramel
10 ounces caramel squares
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Melt in microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring about every 20 sec.
Stir & heat till smooth.

Directions

1.Blend butter, sugars, vanilla and water; beat in eggs. ( Love my kitchen aid mixer for this)
2. Stir together and add flour, soda, and salt.
3.Stir in oats and chocolate chips.( sometimes I add cran raisins or coconut)
4.Press 1/2 of the batter in a 9x 13 glass pan prepared with non stick cooking spray.
5. Pour  and spread caramel sauce evenly over the bottom layer.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt ( I like the sea salt in a grinder from Costco)
7. Drop small spoonfuls of cookie dough over the salted caramel and spread dough with a spatula till caramel is covered.
8. Sprinkle  top with chopped walnuts ( optional) and additional sea salt.
9. Bake bars for 25-30 minutes at 375.  Allow bars to cool  on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting.

Let me know what you think!

Peacock Fridge Magnet

Peacock Feathers & Vintage Buttons

I've been blogging  recipes because I have a passion for cooking and I am still trying to figure this blogging thing out.  But  basically I enjoy creating, creating anything.  So today I thought I would share something non-food related.  A party favor I recently created for a peacock theme wedding shower. Plus I have to admit my other motivation -  I want to  pin  it on  Pinterest!

These fridge magnets are made with wooden clothespins, real peacock feathers and vintage buttons. Great for hanging on the fridge to hold recipes and perhaps........ a picture of the bride and groom.

In action on the fridge 

Another fridge action shot

Supplies needed:

•  Peacock feathers
• Buttons vintage or new ( I just gleaned from my old button collection)
• Wooden clothes pin
• Gems for center of button ( these were self adhesive)
• Magnet
• Glue gun 
• Diet Coke

Supplies

Instructions:
1.Heat up glue gun
2. Fasten gem  to buttons
3. Glue magnet to clothes pin
4. Glue feather onto clothes pin
5. Glue button  onto feather
6.  Put on fridge
7. Remove diet Coke from fridge, drink and enjoy how easy these are to make!

I displayed the  feather magnets on a sheet of metal ( bought at a craft store) during the shower to add to the peacock theme. To ensure a safe  arrival home  they were put  in small plastic gift bags for the guest.  Everyone was thrilled to get something related to the wedding theme. ( or so they said  :)  )



I hope you enjoyed my attempt at something besides a recipe.  But I am still going to end with a picture of food.  And just so ya know, I am hoping to get a "real" camera soon  to capture what I really think I am seeing.  : )

Peacock theme cupcakes - baked and decorated by my niece