Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Yesterday, I made a pot of Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. I had a bowl for lunch with a grilled sharp cheddar cheese sandwich. Ultimate cold weather comfort meal. Shockingly, I actually didn't even eat this as a kid. I was so picky. I only learned to appreciate this combo as an adult.

I put a couple servings in the fridge to have for dinner with Audrey one night this week and the other half in the freezer. It's one of my favorite soups - it's easy, healthy and of course, delicious. There's actually no cream in this soup. There's only 2 tablespoons of butter in the whole pot, and even that could probably be omitted if you don't eat dairy, and the chicken broth could be replaced by vegetable broth if you're vegan/vegetarian.



Yummmm

 


Excuse my paper plates - classy, I know. :)

Grumpy Cat Cake!

I'm going to make Audrey's birthday cake myself for two reasons: to make sure I get exactly what I (she) want and because I can't fathom paying hundreds of dollars for something I can do myself.

However, the cake we want for her birthday will involve fondant, something I had never really worked with before. It's going to be something along the lines of this:

Source

The cake itself is decorated with fondant and frosting, and the figurines are store bought (I'm not going to kid myself and even attempt to make the characters out of fondant). The '3' is probably a decorated sugar cookie.

Anyway, I wanted to practice first, being a fondant virgin. We were doing a little celebration at work for a coworker's birthday. I had come across this Nerdy Nummies video a few weeks ago and wanted to try it. A grumpy cat cake was perfect, since we refer to my boss as grumpy cat. My final product didn't come out *quite* like Rosanna's, but for my first attempt at really decorating a cake/working with fondant, I'll take it.

I used this recipe for the cake, this one for the sugar cookie ears, this one for the vanilla buttercream and this one for the chocolate buttercream (on the ears).

Work in progress

 

Just another angle - after successfully transporting it to work

Because I've never worked with it before, I used store bought fondant. I didn't think trying to make my own without having an idea of the consistency and what it's like to work with was a good idea. The Fondarific brand had pretty good reviews and seemed to be the best tasting of store bought fondants. To color the vanilla buttercream and fondant, I used AmeriColor Gel Food Coloring. The fur was done with Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags and Wilton Tip #233.

Some things I learned/need to remember for next time:

• I broke this up into stages (frostings and sugar cookie dough one day, cake and baking the sugar cookies the next, and frosting/decorating/making the face the last). This was definitely the way to go. I spent hours working on it each day - there's no way I could have done it in one day.
• I cut circles out of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan, so the cake wouldn't stick, but forgot to grease the sides. This isn't a new concept to me, I've made probably hundreds of cakes by now, I'm just bad at remembering this part. I ran a knife along the side of the pan to get the cake out, but there was some sticking, so I had to cover up some flaws with extra frosting.
• I've also insulated the sides of the pan by wrapping the pan in aluminum foil in the past, which is supposed to help prevent doming. I didn't do that this time. My cakes didn't inflate too much, but I'll remember to wrap the pans next time anyway.
• The gel food coloring is INTENSE. I put a few drops of brown into my 3-4 cups of vanilla buttercream thinking I'd get the light tan color - nope, it was light brown. I had to correct it by throwing it back in the mixer and adding more butter, sugar and cream. It was still a little too dark but I had run out of butter and didn't want to go overboard with the sugar and cream. Next time I'll start with a teeny tiny amount of food coloring and work from there.
• This is specific to this cake, but in the video, it didn't look like she did a crumb layer before frosting the sides of the cake. When I tried just piping the 'fur' right on the cake, it didn't stick to the sides very well. Adding a thin layer of frosting first made it much easier.
• I was a little prissy with working the gel into the fondant at first. I was afraid it would stain my hands and I'd have rainbow colored fingers for days. So I put the fondant into a Ziploc bag, added the food coloring and tried kneading it through the bag. Didn't work too well, so I had to just dive in. It really didn't stain though, the color all came off my hands after a couple washings.

I had extra everything, so I made little Grumpy Cat cupcakes. By this point it was like 11 pm on my last night of baking/assembling and my enthusiasm was waning so these were done quickly.

I'm glad I made this. Everyone loved it and I'm definitely feeling much more confident about making Audrey's cake now.

Dinner for Two

It's usually just Audrey and I for dinner, so I've never been in the habit of making elaborate dinners. I do like to cook (most of the time), but it seems silly to make a 20 ingredient, mess of a big dinner for just the two of us. Often, I will make something on the weekends that will either leave us a couple days of leftovers or a big pot of soup. When I don't already have something in the fridge, I keep it pretty simple: pasta, some chicken and veggies, etc. Audrey is a pretty good eater. There aren't a lot of things that I eat that she won't, so dinner is usually easy.

Audrey at approx. 2 years old. Even then she was big on veggies

But she's always loved the sweets too :)

I did notice that I tend to involve her in deciding what we are having for dinner if I don't have something planned. I made a comment about it to my brother and he said he had wondered why I did that. I think this habit has added to getting her to eat most things. If I give her the option of say, broccoli or green beans, even though she likes both, she's much more likely to eat what she chooses. Teaching healthy eating habits is hard enough as it is, thanks to her persistent sweet tooth. I don't necessarily want her to think she always has to finish her plate, nor do I want to instill in her the idea that its wasteful to not eat food you don't want just because its in front of you. However, I do want her to understand that some foods have benefits - they're good for you, they keep you healthy, they help you grow - and it's important to eat those foods first rather than saving room for candy.

 

I also let her help me cook when it makes sense. Obviously, things that involve the stove or oven I do myself, but if its something she can stir or add ingredients, she's eager to help. If I can get her excited about cooking, show her what goes into her food and teach her about good healthy foods, its worth slowing down the process a bit sometimes.

I'm always looking for new recipes to add to our rotation, so I browse Pinterest and Foodgawker on my phone pretty often. Some dinner ideas to try soon: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Risotto Cakes, Great Greens Pasta.

Peanut Butter Pie

This pie ... omg. I actually loved this pie as a kid but then it was forgotten about, and only recently revived. My aunt always made this pie for family gatherings growing up, but when I was a teenager my Aunt and Uncle moved down south. My mom and I were brainstorming dessert ideas for a family dinner recently, and we thought of this pie. We did some googling to find a recipe that sounded similar to my Aunt's, and found a winner. We first made it a month or so ago, and followed this recipe exactly. It was amazing, but my crust didn't stick together very well. So the second time I made it, I used Double Stuf Oreos instead of regular, and increased the butter slightly.

This is another one of those recipes I can't make for just Audrey and I, because I'd eat far more than necessary. It's very rich, and I don't even want to think about the number of calories in a slice.

Peanut Butter Pie
Only very (very, very) slightly adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
Crust:
25 Whole Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (I used Double Stuf Oreos)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/14 cups powdered sugar
One 8-ounce package whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed

To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Chop the cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press into a lined or greased pie pan and bake 5 to 7 minutes. Allow to cool.

Filling: Mix the peanut butter and cream cheese till smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix. Add the whipped topping and mix until smooth, scraping the sides.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of my favorite homemade soups. It's so easy to make, it's filling and one batch lasts for several meals. I love the lemon and the dill together.

I made pot of this on Sunday and we've had it for dinner twice and I had it for lunch with a small salad today. I'm not a fan of celery, but if you like it, you can just buy pre-chopped mirepoix and this recipe gets even easier. Take the chicken off a rotiserrie chicken from the grocery store and you can practically make this in your sleep.
 

 

*Note: I used a full 16 oz of pasta in my soup because I knew I'd be eating it as a meal. As you can see, it's pretty hearty. If being served as an appetizer or with a larger meal, I'd probably stay closer to 8 oz.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

 

I started making these muffins years ago. The recipe I use is slightly adapted from this Allrecipes one. I don't like nuts in my baked goods so I switched the walnuts for chocolate chips. I also added vanilla and cinnamon for a little more flavor. I decreased the baking time because I found even 30 minutes to be too long. I start checking them around 20 minutes, although it's usually more like 25. Fresh from the oven, cut in half and topped with peanut butter (or cookie butter!) ... yummm.

 

Tomato Sauce and Reminiscings of Learning to Cook

Tomato Sauce is one of the first things I remember learning to make truly from scratch. I'd made pasta countless times, with jarred sauce and some sauteed chicken. I'd made tons of boxed crap - Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, etc. But it didn't feel like truly cooking, but rather like throwing stuff together according to the directions on the back of the box.

I lived with my grandparents for the second half of high school. Upon his retirement, my grandfather grew bored and taught himself to cook watching cooking shows on TV. His spaghetti sauce was something I loved. His included sausage and meatballs and he left it chunky, but he'd strain it for me and I'd devour a huge plate of pasta. When I left for college, my grandparents moved down south so I didn't see them as much, but whenever I visited, my grandfather made his sauce.

For my first couple of years "on my own," I lived in dorms or with (awful) roommates. But my Senior year, I moved into my own apartment, and slowly began stocking up my kitchen. This tomato sauce was always a work in progress. I took the basics from my memories of my grandfather's sauce, and added different things with each new attempt. I puree my sauce with an immersion blender, and I have a different recipe for meatballs, but I love my sauce as much as I love my grandfather's. 

My love of cooking and baking eventually grew and I learned to make a lot more than sauce. I cooked a lot when Audrey's father and I were dating. Cooking for someone else is rewarding, when its appreciated. Even if it's not your best cooking, the constructive criticism is helpful. The more I cooked & the better I got at it, the more I liked it.

Cooking and baking are my biggest hobbies, so I plan to share many more recipes - my own or ones from elsewhere that I enjoy. But I thought starting with the basics, and one of my first successes, is fitting.

Tomato Sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cans Whole San Marzano Tomatoes*
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Bell Pepper (I usually use red**)
4-5 cloves of garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste, start with about 1/4 tsp.
3-4 bay leaves
1-2 T Oregano
1-2 T Basil, or a large handful of fresh torn basil leaves
1/4-1/2 Dry Red Wine
2 T Butter
1/4 Cup Grated Parm or Romano
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 T Sugar

Clearly there's a trend here - this recipe isn't an exact science, and it's very customizable. Omit the butter and cheese if you don't eat dairy. Add in more veggies - carrots, mushrooms, etc. Leave out the wine if you don't have it.

1. Dice all the veggies. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers. Cook till softened. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and cook for another minute or two.

2. Add the canned tomatoes and the paste. With a potato masher, break up the whole tomatoes a bit.*** Add the oregano, basil, red wine, butter, cheese, salt, and sugar. Stir and add the bay leaves.

3. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. I usually let mine simmer for more like an hour or two. Taste and adjust as necessary.

4. Once you're satisfied with how your sauce tastes, remove the bay leaves and blend, either in a blender (with a towel covering the hole up top to let the heat escape but keep in the mess) or with an immersion blender. Serve immediately, or let cool and then store in jars to refrigerate or freeze.

*You can also use your own canned tomatoes - something I plan on doing later this summer. Or, you can roast fresh tomatoes by washing, halving, seeding, coating in EVOO & S+P and putting skin up on a baking tray in the oven. Obviously, fresh is best but as long as you're using quality canned tomatoes, it isn't a huge enough difference to be worth the extra time/expense, in my opinion.
**Red peppers are just fully ripened green peppers. They are the sweetest, with green being a bit bitter and orange and yellow peppers in between in sweetness.
***Why use whole tomatoes if you're just going to break them up anyway? Whole tomatoes are usually the best tomatoes from a crop. The bruised ones are what is used for diced tomatoes.

I learned a lot about cooking and making it up as I go with this recipe. Such as the tidbit about whole vs. diced tomatoes, the difference between green and red peppers, and why a little sugar is necessary (it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes). There's a science to cooking and baking, and it's been fun learning along the way.