Going Greenhouse

Whether in a poor economic situation or rich, herbs are dang expensive. Unfortunately, they are as important in good cooking as gasoline in an automobile. However, our good Swedish friends at IKEA designed a greenhouse that fits perfectly on our windowsill.

Katie and I have loaded up our house with some Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Parsley, and Rosemary. After one week we had little sprouts in the Basil and Oregano, and are hoping the harvest will be great. We hope that we can save a little green on the greens sometime by late spring.

If anyone has greenhouse (or faux greenhouse) tips, send them our way!!!

It's not actually green

Basil

Oregano

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Lately, we have been on a bit of a soup trend and this is our favorite to date. The recipe comes from everyone's favorite Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten and was so good we made it two weeks in a row.

The tomatoes roast for a good while giving your house a powerful aroma for the remainder of the evening, but it is completely worth it. After the simmering time, the red pepper flakes really give the soup a kick. If you are more of a mild heat kind of person, I'm sure the amount can be lowered.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock or water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Tomato Basil Soup with Italian Sausage Muffins

I don't know if it is because the air is getting colder, or if we are just on a trend, but last night we made some soup again. I am definitely not complaining. Katie put together an incredible soup. The tomato basil soup had a creamy taste, but the sauteed onion allowed for the perfect texture. Creamy enough to swallow without having to chew forever, but thick enough so it doesn't feel like your taking spoonfuls of water. On top of basil, there was also thyme and bay leaf in the soup. The mix of herbs gave it a lot of spice and a little bite.

Tomato Basil Soup

This was the second time I made the Italian Sausage Muffins. I always associated muffins with blueberries and crumbled tops, so the idea of a savory muffin was intriguing. There is half a pound of Italian Sausage dispersed throughout 12 muffins, giving you a bit of meat in every bite. The other major ingredient, spaghetti sauce, rounds out the overall taste and makes the muffins almost like little compact meals.

Italian Sausage Muffins

The muffin and the soups made a great combination (unless you really dislike tomatoes, of course). For me, though...sausage, tomato sauce, and onion...its fail proof.

Recipes to follow. I kind of promise.