Cream of Tomato Soup

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Regina

It’s pouring rain today and all I can think of is soup.  There is something about a cold rainy day and a steaming hot bowl of soup that is so comforting!  We have run through the turkey soup I made after Thanksgiving, except the container I have in the freezer to eat at a later date.  Which reminds me that:  one of my best tricks is to make a big batch of soup and portion it off and freeze it to enjoy later.  This is a great way to get a home cooked meal on the table in no time!  I just thaw out soup for dinner and add something simple like a nice big salad, some pasta or grill up some burgers or Panini and in like 15 minutes, dinner is served!

Since we are also very conscious of how much sodium goes into anything we eat, I read the labels of every canned or packaged items I purchase.  Some popular canned soups can have more than the daily recommended salt intake for a heart healthy diet! I am shocked that even some of those soups with the heart health symbol of approval contain 600-750 mg of salt per serving.  So needless to say, they remain on the grocery store shelf. 

Today I am making cream of tomato soup.  Here’s the recipe. It’s simple and really delicious!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cream of Tomato Soup

1 medium onion, finely diced

1/2 cup of celery, finely diced

2 TBS unsalted butter

1 TBS fresh chopped thyme (can use dried, also)

½ Tsp ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 ½ TBS flour

1 6oz can tomato paste (I use no salt added variety)

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, un-drained (I use no salt added variety)

1 14.5 oz can of low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 cups fat-free half-and-half (can add a little more if soup is too thick)

 

  1. In a 3 quart pot, melt butter and sauté onions, celery, thyme, garlic and pepper until vegetables soften and onions are clear (about 7-10 minutes) 
  2. Stir in flour and sauté another 1 minute
  3. Stir in tomato paste and then add canned tomatoes with the juice and chicken broth
  4. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes
  5. Add half-and-half and cook another 5 minutes
  6. Remove from heat and cool slightly if you have an immersion blender, simply blend soup in pot and serve.
    -OR-
    If using a regular blender, cool soup before blending in small batches; re-heat and serve.
  7. Garnish with a dollop of light sour cream, some croutons or even a ½ oz of shredded low-fat cheese.
  8. Enjoy!! (makes 8 servings)
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Pumpkin Crumble Pie!!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Regina

Against my daughter Simonne’s wishes, I am sharing my recipe for the best pumpkin “pie” ever!!  Now, it’s not really pie, because it doesn’t have a crust, technically.  The “crust” is on the top, but it’s more of a streusel or a crumble.  My kid’s just call it “pumpkin thing”…but publishing a recipe entitled “pumpkin thing” would not entice anyone to try it.  And does not even come close to describing how incredibly good this recipe really is!  Now I have published lots of “easy” recipes, but this one ‘takes the cake’—literally!  No really! (haha!)

So, here is the story of this recipe.  We had a huge family Thanksgiving when Simonne was two, and my girlfriend insisted on bringing this dish.  Her mom had made it as long as she could remember, and now she made it every year.  It took me an entire year of bugging her for the “recipe” which it turns out used to be printed on the inside of the pumpkin pie filling label!  And my original copy of this recipe was written on a post-it note, which I still have.  This is how simple it is to make!  I always make this a day early, so it’s ready to go on Thanksgiving day! 

Don’t let the ease of this deter you from making it! This is also a favorite pot-luck dish of mine because people always think you’ve spent hours making it and the entire effort it takes to make it can total less than 15 minutes, if you don’t count washing the dishes afterward.

As far as naming this dish, the best I could come up with was “Pumpkin Crumble Pie.”  But I am open to suggestions!!  If anyone comes up with a better name, please let me know and I will name it in your honor!

Pumpkin Crumble Pie

1 -30oz. can of prepared Pumpkin Pie filling.

2/3 cup of Evaporated mile (1-5oz. can)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 -15.25oz. box of Yellow Cake mix

1 stick of butter, melted

Cinnamon

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425◦
  2. Spray deep dish pie pan liberally with non-stick cooking spray or grease pan liberally with shortening/butter.
  3. Mix pumpkin pie filling, evaporated milk and eggs in large bowl until well combined
  4. Pour into pie pan and bake at 425◦ for 15 minutes
  5. Bake for 25 minutes and remove carefully from oven
  6. Sprinkle ½ box of dry yellow cake mix evenly over top of pie
  7. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix
  8. Sprinkle top of pie evenly with cinnamon and return to oven
  9. Bake another 25-35 minutes until top of pie is lightly golden brown and toothpick inserted into pie comes out clean
  10. Cool on wire rack for two hours.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Enjoy!!
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Best Cranberry Sauce!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Regina

When Simonne was a toddler, I used to subscribe to ‘Sesame Street’ magazine.  We loved to take the ideas for crafting and activities and try them out.  The year she turned two, there was an article and some recipes on how to get your kids cooking with you in the kitchen for Thanksgiving.  One of the recipes was for cranberry sauce, which we made that year and have made every year since then.  It is my family’s favorite! This is a great take-along dish if you are invited for pot-luck.  I always make it in advance because it’s just one less thing to do on Thanksgiving day.   Chris eats it with a spoon and nothing else.  I have to watch him to make sure there is enough for Thanksgiving dinner!  So I have taken to making it just the day before to combat him raiding the fridge beforehand.  If you are used to that jellied stuff that is shaped like the tin can it was shipped in and tastes like it too, get ready to be wowed!!  Once you try this, you’ll never eat that canned stuff again!!  

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 can of dark sweet pitted cherries

1 cup dried pineapple, diced

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup of orange juice

  1. Rinse and “float” cranberries in a large bowl of water.  The ‘bad’ ones are easy to pick out this way.
  2. Open and drain canned cherries.  Do not rinse.
  3. Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart sauce pan.
  4.  Cover and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries “pop” and sauce is thick.  It should coat a wooden spoon.  The longer you simmer the thicker it gets.
  6.  Refrigerate.  Serve at room temperature.  (Should feed everyone you have at Thanksgiving celebration!) 
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Sweet Potato Bake!!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Regina

 Sweetest sweet potato bake ever!!  Honestly, it’s amazing! I got the original recipe for this from “All You” magazine.  I’ve tweaked it a little over the years and it has become a family favorite!  It’s really easy! I use half yams and half sweet potatoes because I like to bright orange color and I also like the flavor better.  I also used a little less sugar than the recipe calls for, because yams are sweeter than just potatoes or else it is really sweet–like candy sweet!  But, if you like it super sweet keep the sugar the same!  This is what I always bring when invited to Thanksgiving pot luck.  And I always get tons of requests for the recipe afterward.  Time saver:  I make this a day ahead and refrigerate it, and then slide it into the oven on Thanksgiving Day.  Once you try this, no more candied yams with marshmallows!  This is so much better!!

  Sweet Potato Bake

 3 very large sweet potatoes (I use 1/2 yams and 1/2 potatoes)

2 sticks butter (unsalted) @ room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk (you might not use all of it)

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour 

  1. Peel and boil potatoes until tender when poked with a fork. (about 30 min.)
  2. Drain and let cool a little before mashing in a large bowl.
  3. Cut 1 stick of butter into even pieces and mix in sugar and vanilla.
  4. When well blended add in eggs and mix until smooth and well combined.
  5. Add in milk 1 TBS at a time until mixture is moist and no longer stiff.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 350◦.
  7. Coat a 7×11 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour sweet potato mixture into pan; spread evenly.
  8. Melt second stick of butter for topping.
  9. In a bowl combine brown sugar, flour and nuts. Mix in melted butter. Sprinkle topping evenly over entire pan and bake 35-40 minutes.
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