Our Family's Favorite Tomato Soup

This is one soup recipe we go back to over and over again.  The kids love it too and of course, it's awesome with grilled cheese sandwiches.

It's a Pioneer Woman recipe.  Everytime that show is on, Ben and Dan yell, "Mom, your favorite cooking show is on!".  Her recipes are all so good.  I've altered it just a tad bit.

6 Tablespoons melted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 bottle (48 oz) tomato juice
2 cans (14 ounce) diced tomatoes seasoned with basil and garlic
1 chicken bouillon cube
6 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh basil

Saute onions in butter until soft then add all ingredients except sherry and cream.  Stir well and bring to low boil.  Reduce heat and add the sherry and cream.  Heat for a few minutes, turn off heat and then using an immersion blender, food processor or Vitamix, blend the soup until smooth.  My kids like no chunks!  Garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve.

Crustless Quiche

This recipe is easy and versatile, as you can use any veggies and cheese you have on hand.  I tend to make this when my fridge is starting to look bare and I clean out my produce drawers and use up the rest of my eggs and cheese before I go food shopping again.

2 cups sauteed fresh vegetables (I usually use onions, garlic, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers in various combinations)
1 cup cheese
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
butter for greasing the pie pan

Start by chopping and sauteeing your veggies until soft.  You can season them with salt, pepper and anything else you like while they cook.  Spread into a greased pie pan.

Pictured here is fresh cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic & fresh spinach

Then top with any kind of shredded cheese you like.  Mix together the eggs and milk and pour on top of the vegetables and cheese.  

Bake at 375 for 40 to 50 min, or until the middle is set when you jiggle the pan.

Fig, Carmelized Onion, Goat Cheese, Parmesan & Arugula Pizza

Oh man, is this so good!!!  I recreated a flatbread appetizer from one of our favorite restaurants and made a pizza with the same ingredients.  It turned out amazingly delicious!

Preheat oven to 400.  Roll out premade or homemade pizza dough into a rectangle then transfer onto a baking sheet.  Pop it in the oven until slightly brown and crisp.

Meanwhile, saute one large onion in some butter and olive oil until carmelized (soft and brown).   I add salt and a tsp. of sugar to help the carmelization process.

Once onions are ready, spread some fig preserves or fig butter (Trader Joe's)  as the pizza "sauce"on top of the baked pizza dough.  Then spread the onion on top followed by chunks of goat cheese and thin slivers of aged parmesan cheese. 

Put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until all cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and top with a few handfuls of fresh arugula.  It will wilt just enough to stay put as you take huge bites.  It's so good!

Buttery Garlic & Basil Smashed Potatoes

These are delish and so easy.  I just made this recipe (it's more of a side dish) up one night when I opened my fridge and saw a bag of cute yellow tiny potatoes looking back at me.

I boiled them up with the skin on and then smashed them with a hand masher with some thick pieces of butter, pressed fresh garlic, salt, pepper and some fresh basil.

Scalloped Tomatoes

My friend Colleen passed along this yummy veggie recipe to me.  It's an Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) recipe and it is delicious and super easy.

Since our little container garden is thriving right now, I was able to use all of our homegrown tomatoes that were currently ripe plus one huge Jersey tomato I purchased for the recipe.  We also have tons of basil too which was needed.

I altered the olive oil and bread type to make it a bit healthier.  Here it is:

3 Tbsp.  olive oil
2 cups healthy bread ( I used sprouted sesame Ezekiel sandwich bread), cubed
2 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese (I omitted this altogether)

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat olive oil in Dutch Oven and add bread crumbs, stir well and cook until toasted on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  When bread is toasty, add the tomato mixture in and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in basil  (top with cheese if desired) and cook in oven 35-40 minutes until bubbly.

Lentil Stew

I have kind of perfected this recipe of mine.  It's so healthy that it is surprising that it tastes so darn good!  If you want to make it more of a soup, just add more broth.

1 large vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large zucchini, cubed
1 large red pepper, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 bag red lentils or small green lentils
1/2 jar marinara sauce or 2 cans diced tomatoes
approximately 4 cups vegetable broth

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes in a large pot.  Once they begin to soften, add the sweet potato and red pepper and saute just a few minutes before adding the zucchini.  Saute a few minutes more then add the tomato sauce and the lentils.  Stir well then start adding vegetable broth.  You should add enough so that the lentils are submerged plus maybe another inch.  Stir well, cover and bring to just a boil.  Reduce heat a bit and let simmer for about 40 minutes until lentils and all veggies are soft.  Be sure to watch the liquid content as it cooks, you may need to add a bit more broth here and there.  Adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper if needed at the end.

Popcorn

Why buy microwave or already popped bagged popcorn when making the real thing is healthier and less expensive?  It's also easy!  Here's how:

Buy some popcorn kernels in a jar or in bulk section of your grocery store.

For the microwave, put 1/4 cup kernels in a dry brown paper lunch bag.  Fold over the top of the bag twice and put in microwave for 3 minutes.  If you hear significantly less popping toward the end, take it out before the 3 minutes is up so it doesn't burn.
Three minutes is usually perfect though!  Melt some real butter and toss in the popcorn with some salt too.

For the stovetop, put a few tbsp. of oil - either canola or coconut- in a large heavy bottom pot with a lid.  Turn on the heat and add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels.  Put on the lid and let it sit until the you start to hear some popping.  Shake a little here and there until you hear less popping.  Take a peek in but be careful!  Those kernels will still be popping!  Once most of the kernels are popped, remove from the heat and keep the lid on while you melt the butter.  Toss in the melted butter & salt and enjoy during family movie night!