Tomato Soup

The recent request from my son was tomato soup. He loves it. My youngest daughter prefers chicken noodle soup. So, I decided to try this soup since it contained tomatoes with additional vegetables. Since I was in a hurry that night to attend my daughter's concert, I skipped a couple of steps like puree it in the blender to get a smooth texture. I also forgot to add the heavy cream to make it creamy. I liked it just the way it came out. My son was happy. My anti-vegetable husband liked it. My youngest daughter still prefers her chicken noodle soup. Don't feel too bad for her since she has been eating clementines none stop it seems. All my children can't get enough of them. When they hug me, all I smell is clementines. I guess it is better than to smell like tomato soup or worst things. Since we have been eating a lot of cookies lately, I am trying to up the vegetables consumption and this soup is a great start.

Tomato Soup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 slices of bacon, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (28 oz.) can roasted tomatoes, crushed
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the butter over medium high heat.
2. Add the bacon and cook for 1 minute or until crispy.
3. Remove bacon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
5. Cook the vegetables covered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 3 minutes.
7. Add the broth and the tomatoes to the pan.
8. Bring to a boil while whisking for a minute or two.
9. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. 
10. Simmer for 20 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
12. Make sure to remove the bay leaf before ladling into bowls and top with the bacon pieces. 

Recipe adapted from Food Network.
*To save time during the week, chop all the vegetables the night before and store in a storage bag until needed the next day.*

One year ago............................I made Russian Tea Cakes.

Did you already know...............
-Tomatoes originated from South America.
-Early settlers and explorers believed tomatoes were poisonous.
-Tomatoes are in the Nightshade family and some Nightshade species are poisonous. 

Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich

What is your favorite go to meal when you have to make supper in a hurry? My first choice is pizza but for some reason the rest of my family think we shouldn't eat pizza every night. Well, I agree since I think we should have it for breakfast and lunch too with the occasional bowl of cereal. However, they would have no problems if we had sandwiches every day. When I make sandwiches, I like to change it up. Some days it is just a cold sandwich. Other days I use the broiler to toast the sandwich. Then there is always the grilled cheese. Why make a grilled cheese when it is even faster to use a panini press, right? Except if you decide to add caramelized onions to your sandwich, then it will take a little extra time. It was worth it.

Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich
5 pieces of bacon
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
10 slices of smoked deli ham
5 slices of Fontina cheese
10 slices of crusty bread like french bread
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. Set aside.
2. Wipe out the pan and add 2 tsp of oil to the skillet.
3. After a minute, add the onion and saute every few minutes for 20 minutes. Set aside.
4. Brush the panini press with the remaining oil (or add to your skillet the oil).
5. Butter two sides of the bread with the butter.
6. On the unbuttered side of one slice of bread, add one slice of cheese, bacon, two slices of ham. 
7. Top the ham with the caramelized onion. 
8. Place the unbuttered side of the bread on top of the onions.
9. Set the assembled sandwich on the panini press and close (or in the skillet), and cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.............................I made Nutella Hot Chocolate.

Sometimes onions are messy to eat!

Did you already know...............
-Fontina is a creamy, semi soft cheese.
-There are different types of fontina cheese like Italian, Swedish, or Danish.
-Fontina is a versatile cheese and can be eaten with fruit or cooked in a dish.

My youngest sister loves chocolate. Since my sister was coming over to take the kids to visit Santa, I decided to make some cookies with chocolate of course. My sister said she liked them a lot but I think her youngest daughter takes after her. I saw her take a couple cookies plus one for the road. I didn't think it was possible but I think my niece enjoyed the cookies more than my sister.

These cookies are rich and delicious. The original recipe calls for coconut but my sister doesn't like coconut so I've omitted it. I still thought they were great. They are gooey with a crunch from the nuts. When you just need chocolate, make these cookies.

Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Clusters
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups salted macadamia nuts, roasted
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a double boiler*, melt 8 oz. semisweet chocolate with the butter. 
3. Stir the chocolate and butter until smooth and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
4. In a large bowl, cream the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
5. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture. Beat until well blended.
6. Stir in the flour and baking powder, mix until just moistened.
7. Fold in the macadamia nuts and the mini chocolate chips. 
8. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, drop about 1 Tbsp portions of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet spaced about 2 inches apart.
9. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are firm but still soft when pressed in the middle.
10. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from My recipes.com.
*I use a thick, heat proof glass bowl over a small pan filled with 1/2 cup of water. 

One year ago...............................I made Chocolate Fudge.

My niece waiting for her cookie.

Check out my brother in law enjoying the cookie too!
Did you already know............
-Around 280 A.D., Saint Nicholas is thought to have been born.
-Saint Nicholas was born in the region of Turkey.
-Saint Nicholas is suppose to have traveled around the country side helping the sick and poor.

Honey Crostini

Recently, I attended an auction with some friends to benefit the Veterans. At the auction, my husband won some honey. Now, I love honey so it will be put to good use. Even if the kids have a cough, I give them honey and not medicine. My husband brought my son in for a checkup and he had a cough. Our doctor told Chris to give our kids honey and he said that is what Jen already does. Sometimes I impress my husband. 

Honey Crostini
1 loaf of french bread, sliced (my deli sliced mine)
1 apple, sliced very thin
12 slices of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toast the walnuts for about 7 to 9 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Place the french bread on a cookie sheet.
4. Place the french bread in the oven and allow to cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
5. Place a thin slice of apple on top of the toast.
6. Top the apple slice with a piece of mozzarella cheese.
7. Place toast in the oven until the cheese has melted slightly.
8. Drizzle a little honey on top of the cheese.
9. Sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and serve.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Breakfast Potatoes. 

Did you already know..............
-Today, I married my husband 10 years ago.
-We have a total of four children together, 2 boys and 2 girls.
-I still love him.

Happy Anniversary of 10 years!

Smothered Pork Chops

Recently, I attended my son's school conference. It went well and his teacher told me how she liked how happy my son was and that he never complained. So, I told him what his teacher said then I asked him why he was so happy. He looked at me and said, "What is there not to be happy about? I have a good life." Isn't he great? Sometimes I feel like I must be doing a good job on some days. I'm just glad I don't receive a report card since it may say A for effort but C for child arrived at school one day with socks that did not match which would always be my oldest daughter's case since she is adamant about her socks being different. It's a fashion statement.

Since we have been eating a lot of poultry lately, I decided I needed a change and went with some pork chops. These pork chops came out really tasty. It was even husband approved. 

Smothered Pork Chops
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne 
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 pork chops, bone in about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. On a plate, mix the 1 cup flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
2. With a paper towel, pat the pork chops dry to remove any moisture.
3. Dredge the pork chops through the flour and shake off the excess flour.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
5. When the oil is hot, carefully add the pork chops to the pan and fry for 3 minutes per a side until golden brown.
6. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside on a clean plate.
7. To the skillet,sprinkle a little of the seasoned flour.
8. Whisk the flour into the drippings until dissolved.
9. Add the chicken broth to the pan and whisk.
10. Cook the broth for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
11. Stir in the buttermilk and return the pork chops to the pan.
12. Allow the pork chops to cook covered in the sauce for about 5 minutes and the pork is cooked through.
13. Season with salt and pepper.
14. Garnish with the parsley. 

Recipe adapted from Taylor Florence.
One year ago.........................I made Cheesy Potato Gratin.

Did you already know...........
-Almost 50 million children attended public elementary and secondary school this fall.
-Over 5 million children attend private elementary and secondary school.
-The public schools employs about 3 million full time teachers.