Lazy Soup

Paul was at th gym an saw Rachel Ray cooking this soup. He HAD to come home and make it. I am not kidding.....it is the best soup I have ever eaten! I can't believe Paul Mitchell made it! I made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with. Texas toast grilled with 4 cheeses, prociutto and fresh basil. Lemme tell you......TO DIE FOR! This is comfort food at it's finest!

Lazy Soup: Roasted Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup



Serves 4


If you love a good old-fashioned bowl of tomato soup, this is the soup for you! Try serving it with Cheese and Herb Puffs.

Ingredients

* 2 heads garlic
* Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
* Salt and pepper
* 12 plum or Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
* 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 can Italian tomatoes or crushed tomatoes (I use San Marzano)
* 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
* A generous handful of basil, shredded or torn

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

Cut the end off the heads of garlic, drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Wrap them in foil and roast until soft, 40-45 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 300°F. Arrange the halved tomatoes on a wire rack set on a baking sheet so that the heat can circulate around the tomatoes. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt, pepper and herbs of choice. Roast for 2 hours.

When the tomatoes are done, sauté the onion 1 tablespon EVOO, a turn of the pan, until soft, 10 minutes. Place the roasted garlic cloves, half of the roasted tomatoes, the onion and the canned tomatoes in a food processor and purée until smooth. Place the tomato base in a pot with the stock and stir to combine and heat through.

Chop the remaining roasted tomatoes, then stir them into the soup to give the soup some texture. Serve in shallow bowls topped with cheese puffs or grilled cheese sandwiches alongside.

Gratin Dauphinois

I'm feeling a little French today. Don't ask me why, but just roll with me....
Wanted to make a cassoulet, but it is just not cold enough outside for me to get the full effect. So, I decided to share another favorite that is easy, delicious, and very french. A gratin!
A gratin is the perfect side dish for almost any meal. It is delicious, easy, a looks beautiful. Typically the French would use a low oblong gratin casserole....but if you don't have one a 3 qt. baking dish will do nicely. Depending on what is in season you may add fresh vegetables to the dish. asparagus or leeks in the spring, zucchini or cherry tomatoes in the summer, wild mushrooms or cauliflower in the fall, and onions and cheese in the winter. Make it your own!

Gratin Dauphinois

5 cloves of garlic chopped
3 1/2-4 lbs. potatoes, peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mixed chopped chives and Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter your baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 of the garlic on the bottom and sides of dish.

Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife cut the potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices. Arrange a layer of potatoes in the dish, overlapping slightly and then salt and pepper them. Pour a few spoonfuls of cream over it. Sprinkle some more garlic on it and repeat....using all of the potatoes. Make 3 layers if you need to. Pour on any remaining cream and dot with more butter.

Bake until the potatoes are very tender and have absorbed all of the cream and are golden brown on top. About 1-1 1/2 hours. To get a nice brown crust raise the temp to 400 for the last 15 minutes.

Serve from the casserole dish sprinkling chives and parsley on top when you serve.

Merci!

It's Fall!

Just wanted to share with you some beautiful arrangements I created for a dinner party I had last night. Lots of fun and good friends.....and the house looked wonderful! bring out those fall colors!

Cioppino

Cioppino is to American seafood stews what zuppa di pesce or bouillabaisse are to the Mediterranean. Hundreds of recipes exist for cioppino, and as a cook you do have some latitude in what you add. But you must have a combination of shrimp, fish and shellfish -- specifically the Dungeness crab -- as well as garlic and tomatoes, if you want to make an authentic cioppino. This recipe serves up to 12 as a light soup course, or up to 6 as a main course.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 70 minutes
Ingredients:

* 6 finely chopped garlic cloves
* 1 chopped medium yellow onion
* 1/2 finely chopped bell pepper
* 1/2 finely chopped celery stalk
* 1 finely chopped hot chile, such as a serrano
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 T. tomato paste
* 1 cup dry rose wine
* 5 large tomatoes grated or 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
* 2 cups seafood stock (chicken stock will do)
* 1 T. crumbled dried oregano
* 1 pound medium shrimp
* 1 pound firm fish (halibut, sturgeon, swordfish, monkfish, tuna, tilefish) cut into large chunks
* 1/2 pound (or more) Dungeness crab meat
* 1-2 pounds various shellfish (Littleneck clams, mussels, oysters) in the shell
* 2 T. finely chopped parsley, for garnish
* 2 T. finely chopped basil, for garnish
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Scrub the shells of the clams, mussels, oysters well.

In a large, deep pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and hot chile, mix to combine and cook until the onion is translucent. If you get a little browning, that's good, but the goal here is not to brown everything.

Add the garlic, some salt and dried oregano, then cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and mix well to combine. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook this until it turns the color of brick, about 4-5 minutes. Do not let it burn.

Turn the heat up to high, then add the wine. Mix it well and let the alcohol cook off for a minute or two. Then add the seafood stock and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then drop the heat to medium-low.

Let this simmer (if you use a thermometer look for about 190 degrees) for 20 minutes.

Now it's time for the seafood: Start with the fish, which will need the longest time. Let the fish cook for 5 minutes, then add the clams, mussels, etc. Cover the pot and let this cook for 3-5 minutes.

Uncover the pot -- the clams should have opened by now -- and add the shrimp. When the shrimp are mostly pink, about 2-3 minutes, add the Dungeness crab meat (which should already have been cooked).

Turn off the heat, adjust the seasoning (it may not need more salt because the broth from inside the clams is salty). Ladle the stew into deep bowls. Garnish with a mix of the parsley and basil and serve with -- what else? -- sourdough bread.

Oh, and one more thing: Give your guests a bowl to toss the shells in, and provide plenty of napkins.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients

* 1/2 ripe medium pineapple, peeled, cored, eyes removed and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 4 or 5 slices)
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup light brown sugar
* 14 pecan halves
* 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon dark rum ( my favorite part!)
* 4 fresh cherries, halved and pits removed

Directions

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from the heat. (The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off.) Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.

Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.

Serve cake warm or at room temperature. With a rum and Coke.

Watermelon Daquiri

What is not to LOVE about this? Refreshing, delicious, and so much fun! The watermelons are at their peak right now, so indulge!!! Just make sure that when you whip up a batch you call me! I'll be right over!

WATERMELON DAQUIRIS

* Pulp from 2 1/2 pounds watermelon, seeded, cut into pieces, and frozen
* 1/2 to 1/3 cup lime juice, or to taste
* 3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
* 3 teaspoons orange-flavored liqueur....I like Cointreau
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum


In a blender, or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, purée watermelon, lime juice, sugar, orange-flavored liqueur and rum until smooth, and divide among chilled stemmed glasses.

Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Now, what time should I be there?

A Pic of me

Here is a fun pic of me while I prepared for Lanay's baby shower. The food was amazing!!!

Crab, Mango, and Avocado Salad

LOVE this simple salad! Great for these hot summer days. Grab a bottle of white wine, and you have a fabulously decadent meal! Nothing celebrates the summertime more......

Crab Mango and Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons orange juice
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
* 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, separated into chunks
* 1 large (15- to 16-ounce) mango, peeled, pitted, sliced
* 1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
* 12 large Boston lettuce leaves

PREPARATION



Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. I used Australian pink salt. Love the delicate flavor with the crab! Mix in onion; let marinate 15 minutes.

Combine crabmeat, mango, and avocado in large bowl. Gently mix in dressing. Overlap ends of 3 lettuce leaves in center of each plate, forming bowl. Mound salad in lettuce bowls and serve.

Yes, it really is this easy! And SO good! Drink your wine with your pinky finger stuck straight out. With a foo-foo salad like this, it is a MUST! LOL!

Summer Melon Salsa

This is so good and so refreshing I just had to share it. I served it at my party last weekend and it was a HUGE hit! Plus, it's easy!

Summer Melon Salsa


* 1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeds out, cut small)
* 3 cups melon ( watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew)
* 1 cup grapes sliced in half
* ½ cup onion (chopped fine - try red or purple varieties)
* ¼ cup lime juice
* 3 T cilantro (fresh is best)
* 2 T chopped hot pepper (like jalapeno)
* 1 tsp salt (sea salt is good here but plain is fine)
* ¼ tsp pepper (fresh ground pops out the taste better)


Mix together and chill for one hour. Serve with delicious chips or as a side to fish and seafood dishes.

Poached King Salmon with Cucumber Beurre Blanc

I love salmon. Pure and simple. This is salmon season, and it is SO available right now. You don't have to pawn your diamonds and get Copper River, either. The King salmon is delicious, as well as the Columbia River. I love salmon that is a bit fatty, as it will yield a moister fish. The reason so many do not like salmon is because they cook it to death. Here is a recipe that will be delicious, and SO impressive. And it's easy, too!

Poached King Salmon with Cucumber Beurre Blanc


This recipe will yield 6 servings, but if you are serving more it is easy to just add a few more fillets. Ideally you will use a whole fish, but if that is too much the fillets will be ok. Try to get the fishmonger to give you the head and tail. You'll need them. If purchasing a whole fish get him too remove the pin bones with tweezers or needle nosed pliers.

6 6-8 oz salmon fillets
4 cups water
1 1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. white peppercorns
1 bunch parsley stems
1 small onion coarsely chopped
1/2 head fennel thickly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 tspn. salt
Cucumber Beurre Blanc * recipe to follow
peeled chopped cucumber

Place head and tail into a stock pot and cover with 4-5 cups of water. Add the wine and the next 6 ingredients. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Return to a pot and stir in the salt. Pour this liquid into a fish poacher. If you don't have a poacher, don't worry about it. Use a 13 X 9 baking pan with a cake rack inside of it.

Bring the liquid to a boil, and add the fish. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove the salmon and place on serving plates. Top with Cucumber Beurre Blanc and chopped cucumber. Serve with steamed summer vegetables.

Cucumber Beurre Blanc

4 cups peeled chopped cucumber
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tbspns fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn ground white pepper

Process the cucumber in a food processor until liquefied. Strain and measure 1 cup of liquid. Combine this liquid, cream, and lemon juice in a saucepan, and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until it reduces to about 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. DO NOT OVERHEAT OR IT WILL SEPARATE! Stir in salt and pepper.

Get ready for your guests to kiss your ass. Really. ;)