Kitchen Flops

[Laddsburg Wine - pairs well with dessert!]

Something about this week of gorgeous weather followed by chilly rain makes me want to curl up with a big blanket. Anyone else?

Usually I have no trouble deciding what to make for dinner. I think about what we have, look at the many recipes I have marked to try, and choose from the list or decide to create something new. No such luck this week. Hence the lack of posts. Sorry!

 I have failed at a lot of recipes this week. Just so you don't think that everything I make comes out right, I thought I'd share some flops with you. This week was full of them!

Maybe the oven knows that I'm just not quite with it. Or else it needs a drink, too.

[sampler tray from Troegs]

I tried to bake this Easy Little Bread Recipe from 101Cookbooks.com. It rose beautifully and then sunk in the middle when I baked it. Still tasty, but really ugly. And when I packed a slice 3 days later to bring to work, it molded in the baggie even though the rest of the loaf was fine.

I tried to bake Pumpkin Protein Donuts from peasandthankyou.com. They looked done, sprang back when I touched them, and pulled away from the sides of the pan, but when we ate them, they were still gummy in the middle. Ick.

I made myself a Pumpkin Spiced Latte and it was so bad I had to pour it down the drain. I didn't want to bother with the blender, so it was chunky and the spices all sank to the bottom. I hate wasting food!

Last night I decided to be safe and made big salads and roasted broccoli. All was fine until I found a piece of apple core in my salad that should have gone into the compost bucket. Who knows, I probably put the actual apple chunk in the compost. I didn't want to fish it out, so I didn't check.

I'm beginning to question my kitchen skills.

I didn't try to make these Blueberry Lime Margaritas. Maybe I should have.

Let's hope that the Chocolate and Coconut Cake from The Little Red House I'm making tomorrow for my grandma's birthday turns out better!

Happy Birthday!!

October is a big birthday month, so here's to all of you!

McKensie

Grandma K.

Andy

Mommom

Alex

Bryttani

Dad K.

And everyone else out there with October birthdays!

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup

I love fall.

I can't say it enough! There's just something about this time of year that sings to me.

Sunshine

Crisp morning air

Leaves crunching under my feet

Warm colors

Cinnamon scents

Raking leaves

Pumpkins everywhere

We had warm fall weather this weekend but I'm still craving soup. This soup combines the flavors of summer with the cooler fall weather. Our tomato crop is starting to wind down, so we're eating them as much as possible before they're gone. The basil leaves are getting cold spots on them, so the first frost must be coming soon.

In other interesting news, one person found my blog by doing a google search for "пиво и девушка." I wonder what they were looking for...I hope they found it.

Hopefully you're enjoying fall as much as I am! Take some time to go for a walk and admire the changing leaves and breathe in the fresh autumn air. Then come home and warm up with the last flavors of summer in this easy to prepare soup.

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
Serves 4-6

12-15 fresh tomatoes, any variety (should be 6 c once pureed)
1/2 c fresh basil, packed
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 small onion
1 T minced garlic
1/2 c raw cashews
1/2 c water
1 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
sucanat, to taste (or substitute sugar)

Measure cashews and cover with water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes or overnight. Quarter tomatoes and remove the white stem/core. Fill VitaMix/blender with tomatoes and process until smooth. If all of the tomatoes did not fit in the blender, hold the rest for later. There should be no skins or seeds visible at this point - they should be blended together with the juices. Add basil, nutritional yeast, onion, and garlic. Process again until smooth. Transfer to a medium pot and heat over medium heat. At this point, if there are any tomatoes remaining, blend those and add to pot. Drain the soaked cashews and blend with 1/2 cup of water in the same blender (no need to wash it in between) until it reaches a creamy consistency. Once the soup comes to a low simmer, add cashew cream, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let cook on medium low for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally. Taste the soup. If it is bitter, add sucanat, 1 teaspoon at a time. Ladle into bowls and serve!

Note: If you do not have nutritional yeast on hand, substitute parmesan cheese for a similar flavor.

Note: I find that making the cashew cream is well worth the effort. Not only does it provide additional nutrients & healthy fats, but it also doesn't curdle like dairy would. You can use milk or cream, but be cautious and do not allow soup to boil.

Foods We've Been Loving

Apple Pie

Behold, my very first 2 crust pie!

It's a little shaggy around the edges, but the taste & texture are what pie is all about. Everyone says the crust is the worst part of making pies, but if you ask me, it's all the chopping/peeling. As you can see if you look closely at the picture, many of my apple slices still had peels on them. I did a haphazard peeling, mostly because I hate doing it, but also because the skins hold so many of the nutrients. I hate to throw them into the compost!

I followed a Betty Crocker recipe from an old cookbook I got at our church bazaar. The apples came from trees around our cabin. Most of them got made into applesauce for a grand total of 65 pints & 6 quarts of applesauce.

[Almost Chipotle Burritos]

Enchiladas

After my Chipotle burrito remake last week, I was still hungry for more beans & tortillas. I had a link saved for Roasted Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas from Daily Garnish that I was anxious to try, so I made it for dinner with my parents. I made a few changes & additions, as usual, but not as many as I do for some recipes. These were SO good. All of the textures & flavors just blended together perfectly. The prep time was long, with cutting & roasting the squash & cooking the sauce, but it was completely worth it!

Green Smoothies

Our kale crop is seriously out of control, and this is the fastest way of ingesting it (kale chips rank right up there, though!). Kale is pure health food, nourishing our bodies in so many ways. Just a few examples include Vitamins A,C & K, manganese, fiber & calcium. With the addition of the VitaMix to our lives, we're especially loving these thick & creamy smoothies.

Fresh Tomato Soup

The tomato crop is slowing down, but they're still coming in. With all the rain we've had lately, they're a little ragged & split, so I've had to use them quickly. The best use we've found so far is tomato soup. We can't stop eating it! I've made it several times already, with plans to make it again this weekend. I just chop & core the tomatoes, add a few handfuls of basil, and puree it in the VitaMix. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with this thing? It's crazy!)

Recipe coming soon!

What are you loving right now?