creamy tomato soup

now i know for sure it's fall.

friday night, with a million food choices (ok, maybe not a million, but enough) i only wanted a grilled cheese and tomato soup. nothing more or less.

flash forward two days and finally, the perfect fall comfort meal was mine. coupled with a grilled cheese - half gruyere and cheddar, grilled on the foreman for about 3 minutes - it was perfect.

i think i'm going to have to breakdown and buy the america's test kitchen cookbook, because that's where i seem to be ending up a lot lately, and this one is no different. the recipe is a bit unlike other tomato soups i've made - canned tomatoes are roasted in the oven, added to stock and tomato juice, and finished with cream and sherry. the original post by deb at smitten kitchen says to drain the tomatoes and use your hands to remove the seeds. after following this method for half the tomatoes, i gave up trying to get all the seeds out (there really aren't many), and just crushed them with my hands before roasting. i didn't notice the seeds at all, especially since the soup is blended smooth at the end. and like deb, it was perfect without any additional salt or pepper.

creamy tomato soup
adapted from smittenkitchen, who adapted it from the america's test kitchen cookbook
1 hour, serves 4-6

2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 3 cups juice reserved
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, minced
pinch ground allspice
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry

1. preheat your oven to 450F. use your hands to break up the tomatoes to release any juice from them. lay the tomatoes in a single layer in a 9 by 13 inch pan. sprinkle with brown sugar and bake about 30 minutes, until the water has been cooked off. remove from the oven and set aside.
2. when the tomatoes have 10 minutes left to roast, saute the shallots and allspice in the butter over medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes. sprinkle flour over the shallots and cook until the flour is browned, about 30 seconds. gradually add the chicken stock, whisking to ensure there aren't any flour lumps. mix in the reserved tomato juice and the roasted tomatoes.
3. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes. using an immersion blender or traditional blender, blend the soup until smooth. return to the pan on low heat.
4. add the cream and sherry immediately before serving.

mini pumpkin spice cupcakes

mini bites of fall. topped with brown butter and sugar.

short. simple. sweet.

and perfectly spiced.

mini pumpkin spice cupcakes
adapted from martha stewart's cupcakes
1 hour, makes 36 minis

3/4 cup butter
1 2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
brown butter icing, optional

1. in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. cook until butter turns golden brown, but doesn't burn, about 5 minutes. pour into a bowl and leave behind any burnt bits. let cool for 30 minutes or so.
2. preheat your oven to 325F. spray mini cupcake tins with non stick spray or line with paper liners.
3. whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
4. in a separate large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sugars, eggs, and brown butter.
5. add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until combined.
6. fill mini cups about 2/3 full. bake about 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. let cool in the pan a couple minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
8. when cool, ice with brown butter icing if you wish.
9. cupcakes are best within a day or two of making them. then they start to get gooey on the outside and dry on the inside. not a good cupcake combo.

pierogis and mushroom goulash

i was finally getting into the groove of summer when it ended. it's all over. on to fall.

and i know it's fall because the first thing i think in the morning is "it's too cold to get up." not too early. or i'm too tired. but it's simply too cold. the worst part is that it's only going to get worse! too cold now is a mere 50 degrees. nothing compared to the below freezing mornings i have to look forward to in january.

not that i'm complaining. see, i don't think i could ever leave the cold. at least not now. there's something about it. maybe it's not the cold so much, but everything associated with it. warm mugs of delicious drinks. cold noses and pink cheeks. skiing and sledding and skating and everything else that can only be done outside in the winter.

so maybe i'm getting a bit ahead of myself. i mean, it's only september. i haven't even picked apples yet, and i've already skipped past the cool transition from hot and humid to cold and dark. the transition, which in my opinion, is the perfect climate.

which means it's time again for cold weather food.

now i can't be the only one who cooks like this, with the seasons. a big pot of chili in the summer? nope, not for me. but now, it's perfect. a bowl of freshly churned ice cream in the middle of january? barring any crazy cravings, it just doesn't seem like the right fit. maybe it's just me, but i've got a feeling there are others too. especially with the influx of apple and pumpkin recipes flooding magazines, blogs, tv, and any other food related media you can get your hands on. and get them while they're hot, because soon, that mug of hot chocolate and pot of simmering chili will have their time.

pierogis and mushroom goulash
adapted from rachael ray
45 minutes, serves 4

1 pound frozen potato pierogi
1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 small-medium sized tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in ~1/4 cup water (whisk it in so there aren't any lumps)
olive oil, salt, pepper
cook the pierogi according to the package directions.

1. coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium low heat. add the mushrooms, season with salt & pepper and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. remove the mushrooms and their liquid (mushrooms have a lot of water that will cook out. don't get rid of it! it has tons of flavor) from the pan and set aside.
2. coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil and add the onion, pepper, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, marjoram, and coriander. mix well. add about a half cup of the reserved mushroom cooking liquid. cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. add the mushrooms back to the pan with the other vegetables. add the chicken stock and cook about 5 minutes.
4. when your pierogi are almost done, add the cornstarch mixture to the mushroom sauce. mix well and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. it will go from a runny, thin liquid to a thicker, almost gravy like consistency. once it thickens, it's done.
5. serve the pierogi with the mushroom goulash.

cinnamon basil shortbread cookies

on a whim, i bought a cinnamon basil plant early this summer when i picked up my lemon and italian basils. lucky for me, the cinnamon basil took off, and is now a huge bush overflowing from it's spot in the garden. i just don't know what the heck to do with it all!

i've looked high and low for recipes that use it - hasn't anyone else ever gotten sucked in by the cinnamoney aroma? i guess not. because there really isn't much out there for suggestions. so i did the only logical thing - added it to shortbread. my favorite, most requested by my friends and family cookie recipe.

surprisingly, it came out pretty well. i needed a lot of cinnamon basil for twelve cookies - about a full cup of loosely packed leaves - and the flavor was really great. subtle cinnamon with a nice herbalness to it.

love shortbread, but aren't a fan of cinnamon basil? then check out my lemon shortbread. or lemon curd shortbread sandwiches. or omit the cinnamon basil and add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and some finely chopped almonds. they're all great combinations.

cinnamon basil shortbread cookies
adapted from ina garten's shortbread cookies

1 cup loosely packed cinnamon basil leaves, finely minced
8 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt

1. cream the butter, sugar, and cinnamon basil until light and fluffy, about three minutes. add the vanilla.
2. with the mixer on low speed, add the salt and then slowly add the flour until incorporated.
3. turn the dough out onto a piece of wax paper, parchment, or plastic wrap (my fav). roll into a log about 2 inches in diameter (roll it wider or skinnier depending on how big you want your cookies). roll the log in your paper/wrap.
4. chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. i always make my dough a couple hours before i plan to bake it.
5. when it's time to bake, preheat your oven to 350F.
6. use a sharp knife to cut the dough log into slices. the thicker your slices, the thicker your cookies.
7. arrange on an ungreased baking sheet. they will spread a little when baking, but not much.
8. bake about 12 minutes. cool on the sheet for a couple minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. they're soft when still warm and firm up as they cool.

weekend breakfast bowls

last weekend when jason was still trying to muster up the energy to get out of bed on sunday morning, i turned the week's left overs into a great man breakfast. in our house, a man breakfast is any kind of egg dish that also includes meat. it has to include meat.

don't ask me, that's definitely not a phrase a woman came up with.

anyway, i sauteed leftover roasted potatoes - the potatoes have to be cooked already or they will be crunchy if you try to make them from raw potatoes - and cooked up some eggs. that was the bulk of it. covered the eggs with leftover pico de gallo and queso fresco cheese. add some bacon. done. i ate mine in the bowl and jason rolled his up into the tortilla.

i bet this would be really great with a poached egg too...

weekend breakfast bowls

15 minutes, makes 2

about 1 1/2 cups leftover roasted potatoes

couple strips of bacon per person

3 eggs

couple tablespoons half & half or whole milk

couple tablespoons left over pico de gallo

queso freso, monterrey jack, or cheddar cheese

2 tortillas

1. cube the potatoes into bite size pieces if they aren't already. saute the potatoes over medium heat until heated throughout and they start to get a little crunchy on the outside (or however you like your breakfast potatoes).
2. while the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (or bake it, if you like).
3. in a small bowl, whisk the eggs with a splash of half & half or milk, salt, & pepper. make scrambled eggs. when the eggs are just about done, add a small (1/2 teaspoon or a small slice from a stick) amount of butter and mix it in until it melts. the eggs will be super creamy from the butter. you can use half & half instead of butter too.
4. serve the eggs with pico de gallo and cheese alongside the potatoes and bacon. or if you're crazy, throw it all into a giant tortilla and make your own breakfast burrito!