The Lion, the Witch and some breakfast.

Happy Monday everyone!

I enjoyed my day off yesterday, even though I spent most of it sleeping. I couldn't figure out why I was having trouble falling asleep at night and then realized that a food runner at work has been making me these wonderful coffee drinks the last few nights and I think there are two or three shots of espresso in each one. Duh, Lauren. No wonder I've been up until six a.m. with no problem.

The sad part of that is, I still really want the drinks. They are so delicious! I suppose I'll just have to ask him to tone down the amount of espresso that is in them.

As you know, Christina and I went to that wonderful grocery store last week. I do have to say, all this fresh fruit is really a blessing. This morning I made fruit salad with blueberries, strawberries, grapes and some local honey. I made enough so I could have some for a snack later and ended up eating it all...so there goes that idea. I suppose there are worse things I could have had for breakfast, and I still have plenty so I can make some to go with lunch as well.

For now, I'm sitting on the couch while Christina and I enjoy the second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia on our projector. Nothing like being able to watch movies on a seven foot screen on our wall.

Last night I couldn't decide what I wanted to make, but I had a bunch of tomatoes that needed to be cooked before they went bad. So, in the spirit of sharing, I'd like to tell you about the wonderful tomato soup that I made. Some might call it a tomato bisque, but just to clue you in on a little secret. If you ever see something that isn't made with shellfish called a bisque, they're lying to you. The definition of a bisque is something that was made with shellfish shells. So...there's no way that you could have a tomato bisque.

Little fun food fact from my brain to your eyes.

Anywho, if you like tomato soup, making it at home is always fun because you can put whatever you want in there. Here's how I make mine.

What you'll need:
-3 cans diced tomatoes (I used fresh and if you'd like to know how to concasse tomatoes, I'd be happy to tell you. For the spirit of making this easy on you, just used canned. They're still delicious.)
-4 cloves fresh garlic
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1/2 red bell pepper (You can roast this in the oven with a little olive oil if you'd like, but sometimes I like to just cook it with the onion instead, which is what we're doing with this recipe.)
-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (Give or take a little. It's really just about consistency.)
-1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (This is optional, but I like just a little kick in my soup.)
-1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
-1/2 teaspoon thyme
-3/4 teaspoon dill
-1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
-1 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to taste

Take some liberties with your seasoning. I added some cumin to this as well, really just put whatever you like it in. I think you have a nice base with these flavors. If you're not super familiar with seasonings, stick with what I've said the first time you make this and then if you want to go back and change it later...you have a better idea of how you want it to taste. I love tomato soup with dill in it though, so I really suggest trying that if nothing else.

Once you have your onion, garlic and red pepper chopped, get that cooking in a large sauce pot with a small amount of oil. Cook for about ten minutes until the vegetables start to get tender, then add your tomatoes, juice and all. Once it starts really cooking, the tomatoes will basically start to disintegrate. This is a good thing. Let this keep cooking for about ten to fifteen minutes and then add in your stock and seasonings. Stir it well and cover, letting it simmer for a little bit. You can keep checking it to see the consistency and if it's too thick, add some more stock. You can even taste it now and see where you're at.

With any soup, you want it to cook for a little bit once you add the seasoning to really let the flavors develop. All these are fairly simple, so I say let it cook for five to ten minutes longer. Your veggies should all be nice and tender and the flavors nice and married. They'll be going on their honeymoon in a minute, so put on your dancing shoes.

Pour in your heavy cream and stir it up. The soup will take on a lovely color and the heavy cream will start swirling around, making out with all the other wonderfulness you've got going on in the pot. This is when it gets fun. If you have an immersion blender....you're a weirdo. But if you do, now is the time to use it. If you don't, get your blender out. Spoon the soup into the blender a little at a time and puree all the delicious steamy goodness so it thickens and is smooth. Pour it back into the pot and taste it again to make sure your seasoning is spot on. Adjust as you see fit and turn the burner down.

Then make a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich. That's what I like best with my tomato soup. Pour yourself a steaming bowl and if you've got any of that chopped basil left, sprinkle a little on top. Then dip your bacon sandwich into the tomato-y pool and take a giant bite. Melt into the chair and sing yourself a little song and even do a little happy dance.

But don't stop there. Share your tomato heaven with friends and family. Or hoard it and become a crazy tomato soup hoarding weirdo.

My favorite thing to do with this soup is add strange things to it. If you're a fan on fennel, I love nothing more than tomato soup with fennel and dill. I make it as often as possible, and you really don't need much fennel. If you're not familiar, let me know and I'll tell you how to cut it and cook it and get the most out of your delightful fennel bulbs and fronds. If you want to add an odd twist to your tomato soup, throw in some orange zest. It goes together beautifully and will change a very old, familiar dish in a surprising way.

I'm a soup girl. Always have been, always will be. You should be one too. Unless you're a boy....then don't be a soup girl.

I have some fresh black beans from Miami that I need to figure something out to do with today. I have chicken breasts and cheese and some veggies I might steal from Christina....we'll see how creative I can get.

I hope you all enjoy your week!! Keep me posted on any good food buys you have or if there is anything you want a recipe for...I'd love to take some requests!

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."-George Bernard Shaw

Happy eating,
Lauren