Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

I've been enjoying roasted tomato soups at Corner Bakery and Paradise Bakery the last few months and wanted to try a recipe at home.  I based this recipe off of one by Ina Garten and then just a few adjustments I thought would make it taste more like the soup at Corner Bakery.  

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions) (I only put in 1 sweet onion, 2 seemed like a lot)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock or water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. (I also sprinkled the tomatoes with sugar and added some basil leaves)

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes (I peeled the skins off the tomatoes at this point), including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. (I just used my food processor) Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

The Verdict:  

I really liked it, it wasn't quite Corner Bakery but I'm not sure yet what it needs different.  I'll probably make it again in a double batch and try and freeze extra.  Joshua and Avery liked the soup, but also like to eat it when they go out with me.  Ethan did not like it stating it "had too many spices."  Michael said it was good, and used it to dip his grilled cheese.  He never seems to do well with the texture of soup just by itself.  

Baked French Toast

I wanted to try out a baked french toast recipe to do a practice run for Christmas morning.  I found this recipe done by the Pioneer Woman.

• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Fresh Fruit (optional)
• Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
• Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
  In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
  When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you're using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
  Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.
  The verdict: This made the house smell amazing, I think it will be perfect for Christmas morning.  Josh loved the French toast and ate seconds.  Ethan and Michael thought it was good but had some hesitations to commit to it for our Christmas breakfast.  I thought it was pretty tasty I especially liked the crunchy top.  I takes 1 hour to cook in the morning but that'll work out well to cook while we are opening presents. 

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I saw Anne Burrell make this on the Best Thing I Ever Made and I had all of the ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try.  I used bacon instead of pancetta and just didn't add any extra salt.  From reading reviews on food network I made sure to turn off direct heat while adding the eggs so they didn't scramble. 

Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 scallions, cut on a severe bias

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat.

Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta a medium heat and cook until it starts to color and become crisp. Turn off the heat and reserve.

Drop the pasta into the salted boiling water and cook it 1 minute less than it says on the package, usually about 6 to 7 minutes. Bite the pasta to check the consistency.

While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated cheeses and season with salt. Whisk vigorously until it becomes a homogenous. Season generously with black pepper.

When the pasta is just about done, return the pan with the pancetta to medium heat. Remove the pasta from the cooking water. Toss or stir the pasta into the pancetta to coat the pasta with the remaining fat in the skillet. Immediately vigorously stir the egg mixture into the pasta. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the egg mixture looks like a cream sauce.

Serve immediately garnished with sliced scallions.

The Verdict:  The family loved it.  Josh exclaimed that it was his favorite dinner ever and Michael got seconds which never ever happens.  On the other hand I thought it was just ok, a little too eggy for me.  I will definitely make it again since everyone loved it and it was super easy and quick.  

Pork and Brussel Sprout Stir Fry

• I had extra brussels sprouts from my Thanksgiving dinner and saw this recipe in my Rachael Ray magazine. 
• 
  
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
• 1 lb. brussels sprouts, halved
• 2 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork and cook until golden; transfer to plate. Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil and sprouts to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add scallion whites and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, brown sugar and 1/4 cup water; cook until sauce is slightly thickened. Return pork to pan and toss to coat. Top with scallion greensThe Verdict: the boys hate brussels sprouts without even trying them so they just ate the meat and the one sprout I made them eat, Michael didn't give any feed back but ate his food which is a good sign and I thought the recipe was pretty ok and a good use of brussels sprouts. It was nice to change up the veggie in a stir fry.

Mini Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes

I've only ever made pineapple upside down cake with a cake mix, so I thought this recipe from my Food Network Magazine sounded really simple for a quick dessert.  Joshua actually did most of the work for me.

Brush 4 4oz ramekins with butter.  Sprinkle brown sugar in the bottom of each and line with sliced pineapple (I also added a marchino cherry).  Whisk 1 egg, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons melted butter and a dash of vanilla in a bowl, the stir in 1/2 cup flour, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda and a pinch of salt.  Divide batter among the ramekins, Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Let cool and then unmold and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The verdict:  Josh did a pretty good job making these for us and everyone thought they were yummy.  Miss Avery even got in on a few bites. 

Jack O'Lantern Chicken Pot Pies

This recipe was found in my woman's day magazine and I was able use leftover chicken from from my dr. pepper chicken to make it.

4 servings ( I halved the recipe from the magazine)
Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 onion chopped

1 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup dry white wine or white wine vinegar

1 cup chicken broth

About 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

1 large egg beaten
Steps:

*Preheat oven to 375, oil 4 ramekins

*Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, saute onions and sweet potatoes until tender (about 10-12 minutes), season with salt and pepper

*Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the wine and broth and bring to a boil.

*Add the chicken, parsley, and nutmeg. Divide mixture between the ramekins and place on cookie sheet.

*Cut out pumpkins with cookie cutter out of the sheet of puff pastry. Use small cookie cutters to create a face (I just used a sharp knife to make vent holes look like a face).

*Place puff pastry on top of ramekins and brush with egg wash.

*Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly.

The Verdict

I liked these, I love fall flavors and thought they were very tasty. I made the mistake of making these on a night I had to go to work so I was unable to force the judges to try. Michael insists that they tried and it was different but good. But Joshua tells me that nobody ate them and they made other things for dinner.

Dr. Pepper Chicken

So we've all seen beer can chicken made, and since we don't drink beer I use soda to make my chicken. Michael favorite soda is Dr. Pepper and it has worked really well with the chicken. I posted this recipe idea before on my regular blog, but I wanted to post again with a pic of the bird, I always think it looks gorgeous.
*I take a whole chicken and rub the outside and inside with a spice mix. I typically use a premade steak or chicken seasoning with some chili powder and a good Tbsp or 2 of brown sugar. The goal is to create a rub that is spicy and sweet just like the Dr. Pepper.

*Then I place the chicken on top of a half full can of Dr. Pepper. Use the legs to tripod the chicken so it can stand.

*I like to cook mine on my grill because it gets the skin nice and crisp, but it needs to cook for about an hour which is a lot of propane. You can also cook this in an oven, I would start at 400 for the first 20 minutes and then drop to 350 for the rest of the time.

The verdict: This is something I've made for my family for a few years. It really makes a very tasty and juicy bird. Michael likes the flavor and only gets weirded out when I remove the leftover chicken on the bird to save for another meal.