Oh the weather outside is frightful...

But the soup in here's delightful!  Ok, sorry for getting that stuck in your head.  But the weather here is just gross: cold, windy, rainy, icy- none of the things I enjoy {like: tropical, beachy, pooly...}.  Soup just sounds cozy and warm right now.  And this soup is craazy easy.


Easy like 4 ingredients.  Easy like how it would have been to stay in bed this morning instead of getting up and de-icing my car and driving to work.  Easy like a marathon of Scandal from a prone position on the couch.  Oooh, easy like laying by a pool!  Ok right, it's still winter {why does everything keep coming back to the pool?} And yes, come summer, I'll be telling you all every 10 seconds how gross and hot I feel.  I'm just awesome and easily pleased that way.


This is that soup for the time when you want to put things in the oven, kick back with a glass of wine, and have the whole thing just happen in front of you.  Also, I'm sure you could sneak in some other veggies here, like spinach or beans or something.  I mean, hey, the whole thing gets blended together!  And these flavors are the perfect canvas: they have their own depth and satisfying flavor, but could easily accomodate something else.  Ooh, you could add bacon!  {In crumbles at the end though, not to be blended. ew, liquid bacon.}

 
Mmm, give it a try, eh?  And serve with good bread, oh please serve with good bread.

Roasted Onion & Garlic Tomato Soup
Serves 5-6

1 35oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes
4 small (or 2-3 large) onions
2 heads of garlic
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce + 2 tablespoons sauce
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 and peel and trim the onions, slicing them in half.  Place on a parchment (or foil) lined baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, until they are soft and browning.  Slice the tops off of the garlic heads and wrap them in foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  After the onions and garlic are roasted, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head and place into a large pot with the onions and the can of tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add in the chipotle peppers (be careful, they can get spicy quickly) and adobo sauce.  Then using an immersion blender (or other blender) puree the mixture.  (If using a regular blender, do it in batches and be careful!)

Sometimes you just need a dish that's a little fancy.

While that garlic {why do I want to say gar-leek? zoolander?} was roasting, I rolled out some pie crust {store-bought. I am afraid/see no need to make my own} and used the tart pan to cut out circles of crust.  Too cute.


Then I added in some roasted corn {that began life as frozen corn.  or at least it's life in this house}, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese.  Because I've decided that goat cheese should be added to EVERYTHING.  Five out of the last six meals I've eaten have included goat cheese.  Including breakfast.  I might have a problem.  And then I baked the tarts.  And then became frustrated that I had rolled out the cute cross-dough too thick, so I turned it on broil.  And forgot about them for 90 seconds. Too long, broil wins.  This shall explain the over-brownedness of the cross pieces.  Oops.


Don't be like me.  Roll out your cross dough thinly.  And never let broil have it's way with your foods.

Roasted Garlic, Corn & Tomato Tarts
Make 4 small tarts

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 head of garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons goat cheese
1 pie crust

Preheat the oven to 375, slice the top off of your head of garlic, and wrap it in aluminum foil.  Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, roll out your pie dough and cut out four circles to fit small tart pans {or other small baking dishes- not everyone's Grandma is as cool as mine}.  Add the basil, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese to the halved tomatoes and mix.  Then spread the corn out on a baking sheet and set it under the broiler for about 10 minutes, or until corn begins to brown {the garlic is happy sitting under broil too.}  Once the garlic and corn are finished, add the corn to the tomato mixture, pull the garlic cloves from the head, chop a bit, and add them to the mixture as well.  Divide the mixture evenly into your four pans, then top with the remaining goat cheese.  Add extra pieces of dough on top if you're feeling exciting.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is slightly brown.


Hot crossed tarts.  Delicious and nutritious!

You know those tastes from your childhood?  Not the perfect {velveeta} macaroni and cheese or homemade ice cream pie that your mother labored over, but the tastes that she intentionally tried to steer you away from and then eventually gave up and bought mass quantities of.

Tomorrow is Saturday, which means tomorrow you should have brunch.

 Or Sunday.  Whichever weekend day is your brunch jam.  Regardless of the day, your brunch should include quiche.  Specifically this caramelized onion, sausage, cherry tomato quiche (with goat cheese and parmesan, of course).  Why?  Because sometimes scrambled eggs are just tired.  And they don't include caramelized onions.  Ok, sweeping declaration: onions should always be caramelized.



Sausage, Caramelized Onion, and Cherry Tomato Quiche
Serves 4

1 pie crust, I use pillsbury
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved depending on size
3/4 pound of sausage, I always use spicy (I also cook the whole pound, because that's how it's usually packaged, then save the rest for scrambled eggs later)
1 whole onion, sliced
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 tablespoons goat cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
3 eggs and milk to make 1 3/4 cups when measured with the eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 and roll the pie crust out into a pie pan.  Bring a cast iron skillet (or other pan) to medium heat with oil and begin to caramelized the onions.  Stir onions frequently to prevent burning.  When the onions are mostly cooked (about 10 minutes, when they are light brown and slightly wiggly), add in the sausage and rosemary and brown.  When everything is cooked, pour onions and sausage into the pie crust.  Then evenly distribute the tomatoes and goat cheese ove the top.  Crack the eggs into a 2 cup measuring cup and mix into a scramble.  Add milk to the measuring cup until the mixture measures 1 3/4 cup.  Stir again.  Pour egg/milk mixture over the ingredients in the pie pan.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the eggs are set and crust is brown.


Mmmm, brunchbruchbrunch.  Is it Saturday yet?

I made a bad decision.

Rather than accepting the plethora of shows I watch as enough and simply being content, I started another one.  And then in a great show of moderation, I watched five episodes at once.  Thank you, Netflix, for badgering me about Revenge until I couldn't resist, and then offering up 20 hours of distraction.  This is great for my life productivity.





Citrus Chipotle Fajitas 
Serves 6, adapted from Food Network

For the marinade:
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

For the fajitas:
2 pounds flank steak
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
3 Bell peppers, assorted colors
1 large white onion
12 tortillas

Other toppings:
Sliced avocado
Cheese
Sour Cream
Pico de Gallo (recipe to follow)

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large measuring cup.  Then using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (or use a regular blender or food processor).  Place steak in a large plastic bag and pour marinade over.  Seal and shake to cover the steak.  Allow steak to marinade for at least 2-4 hours (longer is ok, too).

Before cooking, allow steak to come to room temperature by sitting out on the counter for approximately 1 hour.  While it's resting, slice the bell peppers and onion into large strips.  Heat a cast iron skillet, coat with 1 tablespoon oil, and place the peppers and onions inside.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.  Heat up and oil a grill pan.  Once its medium-hot, drain the marinade off the steak and place on the grill pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes each side.  Take steak off the grill pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Then slice against the grain.

Serve with tortillas, pico, and assorted other toppings!



Pico de Gallo
Serves 6

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/3 red onion, diced
1 large jalapeno
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt

Quarter cherry tomatoes and combine with red onion, cilantro, and salt.  For a bit of bite, add the vinegar.  Then half the jalapeno.  For a spicier pico, slice the jalapeno into strips and dice, leaving the membrane and seeds.  For a less spicy pico, remove membrane and seeds and dice, adding jalapeno to the mixture.  Stir and allow pico to rest for at least an hour before serving.