Tomato Soup

Whenever we had tomato soup growing up, it did not come out of a can but a mason jar. At the end of summer, right when the garden started producing the most tomatoes, Grandma would start canning tomato soup. Instead of taking a whole day to can everything she could, Grandma would do one batch at a time- which was only a few jars a day. By the time the first frost came around, Grandma's basement pantry would be full of pint sized jars filled with deliciously smooth real soup, layered with flavor. There is still nothing like it. I no longer live right next to my Grandparents. I occasionally crave her homemade soup so badly that I almost jump in the car and drive the 6 hours immediately. And no matter what, I refuse to eat tomato soup from a can.

So I decided to come up with a remedy for my tomato soup cravings- my own homemade tomato soup. In my mind, I called it "semi homemade" because even though it is not directly from a can, several of the ingredient are, which makes it simple, but it's still not Grandma's. I was very happy with how this soup turned out. It is simple to make, and really has a lot of flavor. I used an immersion blender to make the soup smooth, but if you don't have one, you can use a food processor or leave tomato chunks. In that case, you might want to use diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes. Grandpa always added a little Tabasco sauce to his soup, and the red pepper flakes added a nice subtle spiciness to the soup, which you can certainly leave out if you like. And of course, nothing complements tomato soup like grilled cheese sandwiches!

Tomato Soup
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake (optional)
salt and black ground pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cream or half and half

While heating a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the butter and the oil. When the butter has melted, add the onion and the garlic to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften.

Add the tomato paste, the stewed tomatoes, and the chicken broth. Stir the ingredients together and add the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes so that all of the ingredients have a chance to blend together.

After the soup has cooked, use an immersion blender or a food processor to puree the soup and make it smooth. Reheat the soup on medium low. Add the 1 tbsp butter and the cream. When the soup is heated through, serve garnished with shredded cheese or basil.

Fettuccine with Ham and Cream

I love it when I find a new recipe, then discover that I already have all the ingredients I need right in my kitchen! Most of the time, I plan meals around the things that I picked up on my previous outing to the grocery store. So, it was a pleasant discovery when I saw this pasta dish in my favorite pasta cookbook and realized that I would not have to make an extra trip or wait till the next time I bought groceries just to make this for dinner. (Plus, it is always better for my budget when I don't have to make extra trips!)   When you look at the ingredient and directions, you'll see that dinner could hardly be any simpler. 

Fettuccine with Ham and Cream
Serves 4

4 ounces prosciutto crudo or other unsmoked ham (raw or cooked)
1/4 cup butter
2 shallots, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
12 ounces fettuccine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black ground pepper
fresh parsley sprig, to garnish (optional)

Cut the fat from the ham and chop both lean and fat parts separately into small squares.

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan and add the shallots and the squares of ham fat. Cook until golden. Add the lean ham, and cook for 2 minuted more. Season with black pepper. Stir in the cream and the oregano. Keep warm over low heat while the pasta is cooking.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, turn into a warmed serving dish and toss with the sauce. Stir in the cheese and serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley.

Source: Pasta: Irresistible Recipes for Perfect Pasta

Apple Cake

I always end up buying more apples than I know what to do with, especially this time of year. After making a batch of slightly dry and crumbly banana muffins earlier in the week, something with really moist apples seemed too good to resist. I ended up making this cake instead of muffins however, because as I flipped though my cookbooks, it sounded exactly like what I was craving. Maybe sometime I'll try it as muffins instead! I got up early Sunday morning to try this recipe out, and my husband and I ate warm apple cake with tea before heading out the door for church. It was perhaps a little sweet for breakfast in my opinion. And in my husband's opinion- well, nothing is ever too sweet for him, no matter the time of day. Enjoy!

Apple Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/2 whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, or regular milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped apples, with skins on
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)


Optional Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour an 8-inch square baking pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.

Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Be sure to pinch out any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla and stir together until smooth. Then stir in the apples and the nuts, if using.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. If desired, use additional thinly sliced apples to garnish the top of the cake before baking. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.

Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk to create a glaze. If the glaze is too thin or thick, add a few more drops of milk or a little more powdered sugar as needed.  After the cake has cooled, but is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. Or, drizzle the glaze on individual pieces right before serving.

Source: Joy of Cooking (2006)