Plaid + Dots

soup night :: tomato bisque soup recipe

As you all know, Monday night is soup night.  This week's soup is a delicious (and simple) tomato bisque.  Serve the soup with a salad or a nice grilled cheese and you have an easy dinner that's sure to please!

Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion diced

3 carrots peeled and diced

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

56 oz diced canned tomatoes

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot or dutch oven (I use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven), melt the butter.  

Once the butter is melted, add in the olive oil and the chopped onion.  

Cook the onion 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  

Add the carrots and cook 5 minutes while stirring every few minutes.  

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they pop/split open (about 10-15 minutes).  

Add the diced tomatoes, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.  

Add the basil, cover and simmer for 15 more minutes.  

Remove the pot from heat and let it rest/cool for 30 minutes.  

Using an immersion (or handheld) blender, blend the soup in the pot until smooth.  

Add in the heavy cream, salt and pepper.  

Blend a bit more until the cream has been combined with the soup.  

ENJOY!!

P.S.  Here's some photos of the soup as it's being made.....

AND... the finished product!

monday night soup

Growing up as a kid, my mom would make a big pot of soup on Mondays.  We'd have soup and sandwiches for dinner and then my mom would either freeze the rest for later or we'd eat it throughout the rest of the week.  I love that tradition and have decided to do that with my family as well.  So, on Mondays during the fall/winter I make soup.  This week we used all of our squash from the CSA to make a savory squash soup with tortellini.  There's enough for three meals for us so I'll save some and freeze it for another time.  What an easy way to make a few meals that are nutritious and delicious.  

 

butternut bisque and harvest salad

Our dinner tonight was simple and delicious.  I made a Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Cider Cream and served it along with my favorite fall harvest salad.  This was the first time I've made the soup and it seriously was the best homemade butternut squash soup I've ever made - it's close to restaurant quality.  My husband devoured it and I wished we had extras for later this week (too bad it's all gone now!).  The harvest salad was a simple mixed green salad with blue cheese, walnuts and apples tossed in a blush wine vinaigrette.   The salad was a perfect complement to the soup and both used our favorite fall fruit - apples.  Bon Appetit!

baby food combos - eating her "colors"

I love to cook.  

Plain and simple.  

Fancy and gourmet.  

Fresh ingredients.  

Organic and natural.  

Ethnic and American.

It's relaxing for me to chop and stir and pull together a delicious meal.  So when it was time to start Miss N on "solid" baby food, I was really excited about introducing her to new tastes and textures.  We started with plain ole rice cereal and in about 3 months she graduated to meals full of color...  pink, orange, white, green and purple.  With every meal, I try to make a few "colors" so that Miss N gets a wide variety of food into her sweet little tummy!  She likes some of the baby food and really points her nose up at the others.  However, I've found that playing with recipes and combinations of foods has been fun for both of us and each meal is more interesting than the previous.  Here's a few of Miss N's favorite combos....  try them with your baby and hopefully you'll be getting your lil one to eat a few more colors too.

PINK BABY FOOD RECIPES

Summer Smoothie: Mix together 1 watermelon cube** and 2 apple cubes.

Tropical Smoothie:  Mix together 1 watermelon cube, 1 mango cube, 1 apple cube, and 1/4 of a smashed banana.  

ORANGE BABY FOOD RECIPES

Sweeeeeet Veggie Mix: Mix together 1 sweet potato cube, 2 carrot cubes and 1.5 Tbsp of oatmeal. Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

Peachy Veg:  Mix together 1 carrot cube, 1 peach cube and 2 Tbsp of oatmeal. Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

WHITE BABY FOOD RECIPES

Banapple:  Mix together 1/2 of a mashed banana with 1 apple cube and 2 Tbsp of oatmeal.  Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

GREEN BABY FOOD RECIPES

Hiding My "Greens":  Mix together 1 green bean cube, 1 apple cube, and 1 Tbsp of rice cereal.  Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

Popeye's Favorite Greens:  Mix together 1 spinach cube, 1 zucchini cube and 1 Tbsp of rice cereal. Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

PURPLE BABY FOOD RECIPES

Blueberry Bliss:  Mix together 1 blueberry cube, 1 pear cube and 2 Tbsp of oatmeal. Add a little water to get the food to the consistency your baby enjoys.

** I make my own baby food purees and freeze them in these great OXO baby food freezer trays.  1 cube is the equivalent to 1 oz of baby food.

easy fish tacos

I absolutely LOVE fish tacos and today was a perfect day for enjoy them for dinner.  We use two different recipes (thanks to Cooking Light Mag) and our tacos always turn out great and taste yummy!  Plus, they are super easy, healthy and great for a weeknight meal.

So, here's the scoop on our twist on tilapia tacos..  Make the Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and top the tacos with the Lime-Cilantro Crema.  Serve with guacamole, chips, a nice cool margarita and enjoy!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!