Tomato Soup

 4 lbs. tomatoes (or at least 2; you can supplement with good, canned diced tomatoes)
 1 large onion, chopped
 1 medium carrot, thinly chopped (for a change I will use 2 red bell peppers instead of the carrot)
 1 stalk celery, chopped
 1 clove garlic, chopped
 4 T. butter, room temperature
 1 1/2 T. flour
 2 sprigs fresh thyme
 water
 1 c. milk
 salt
 pepper

 Turn the broiler on in the oven and set the rack six inches below it.
 Spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray. Core the fresh tomatoes (not as essential with Romas) and spread them out on the pan. Broil on both sides until the skins are blackened. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
 In a large saucepan (larger is better so it doesn't spit at you), sauté the onion and a couple of pinches of salt in 2 T. butter for about 5 minutes over medium high heat. (Adding the salt immediately with the onion helps to bring out the sugars in the onion, which will help it to carmelize faster.) Add the carrot and celery and continue to cook until the onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 more minutes, until they're more thoroughly browned but not burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
(I have found that I perfer to slow roast the tomatoes, rather than broil - cook onions and tomatoes in the oven at 250 for 4-5 hours until fully cooked and browned around the edges.)
 Place all of the contents of the saucepan in the blender. If you're supplementing with canned tomatoes, add a 15-oz. can, juice and all, along with the onion mixture to the blender, purée the tomatoes, in two batches, in the blender. Strain the seeds and skins and add to the saucepan. Stir everything together and return to heat. Add 1 cup of water and leaves from the thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

(Beurre manié (French "kneaded butter") is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter. When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps)

Stir together the remaining 2 T. room temperature butter and flour to make a beurre manié.
Stir the beurre manié into the soup and continue stirring as the soup thickens slightly. Stir the milk into the soup and remove the pan from the heat. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add more milk. I like to use whole milk for a richer soup.


 Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
 You can, of course, strain the soup if you don't like the tomato seeds in there. It wasn't a big deal to me, and straining would take a while. Plus I really liked the consistency of the soup, which would smooth out more upon straining. Removing the skins before puréeing the soup takes away the biggest reason to strain, but use your own judgment.
 Also, one or two tablespoons of chipotle purée would be a great addition if you're not serving it to spicy-sensitive kids.

Mashed Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. 
2. Allow potatoes to cool enough to peel the skin off with your hands.
3. After peeling, put the sweet potatoes in a bowl, add butter and season with the salt and pepper.
4. Mash with potato masher
5. Serve

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

• Calories 214
• Calories From Fat 50%
• Fat 12g
• Sat Fat 7g
• Cholesterol 31mg
• Sodium 230mg
• Carbohydrate 26g
• Fiber 4g
• Sugar 5g
• Protein 2g

Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 14 oz), ribs removed and leaves sliced into 1/4-inch shreds
• 1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus shavings for garnish
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs, toasted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes. Add kale and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes.
2. Add grated cheese and breadcrumbs and toss.
3. Garnish with shaved cheese before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers up to two days.

Grilled Peaches

I had never tried this before, but my friend did it the other night and it was amazing. 
Cut peaches in half sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.  Throw them on the grill for a few minutes until tender, but not falling apart.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream on top.
YUMMY

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch salt
4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
Canola oil
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl add the butter and stir until smooth. Add the cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar and salt and mix until combined.
Heat grill to high. Brush peaches with oil and grill until golden brown and just cooked through. Top each with a few teaspoons of the butter and garnish with mint leaves.

Green Enchiladas

Green Enchiladas

This is our new favorite enchilada recipe. These are jer's favorite enchiladas ever.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 green onions, sliced
3 T. cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 C. grated montery jack cheese
1 bottle of green salsa verde (16 oz) - I like the Herdez brand
2 T chopped green chilis
1/2 C. fresh cilantro
2/3 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C. vegitable oil
Corn tortillas

In a bowl:
combine cooked, shredded chicken (I stick frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins in the crock pot with a little salsa verde in the afternoon and it works perfect for these), green onions, cream cheese, and 1 cup cheese. set aside.

In blender combine salsa verde, cream, chilis, cilantro.. blend until smooth.

In small frying pan heat small bits of oil and cook corn tortillas one at a time for about 10 seconds each - set on paper towel

Place chicken mixture inside tortillas seam side down in baking pan. Pour salsa verde sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or so and bubbling..

I like to serve it with Mexican rice, and fresh avocado and tomato slices.

Enjoy!

EASY Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is my go to when I've got sick kids or we need a comforting and filling supper. I usually use rotisserie chicken when I make this, or any other leftover chicken I have on hand.  I sometimes even use canned chicken.  When I want to make it extra chunky I add the vegtables. Chicken soup really is a cure-all, especially when it can be made from start to finish in just over half an hour. Serve with biscuits or crispy crackers to sop up all the flavorful broth.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon & 4 cups of water or use Chicken broth
• 1 package linguine noodles
• 3 cups chicken meat, cooked and chopped into bite size bits
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 package chicken gravy mix (optional)
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. (IF ADDING VEGTABLES) In a large stockpot, melt butter with olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add Broth, cream of chicken soup  and chicken, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Add egg noodles and cook for approximately 9 minutes, or until noodles are tender.
   Then add chicken gravy mix to thicken if needed.
   Serve.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lb stew meat (cubed beef) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion (thinly sliced) 1 cup carrots (chopped) 6 potatoes (cubed)

I bunch of celery (chopped) 1 bay leaf 1 package brown gravy mix 1 package beefy onion soup mix (optional) 2 tbsp flour

Directions

Place beef and flour in a plastic baggie, Shake.

Pour oil into a large stock pot or dutch oven, high heat.

Add beef cook until brown, stirring occasionally.

Add water, vegetables, bay leaves, soup & gravy mix

Bring to a boil.

Cover.

Reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender.

Discard bay leaves.

Serve