Hearty Tomato Soup from Scratch

I finally did it! I made tomato soup from scratch for the first time yesterday and it was amazing! My husband loved it! He said I could make it any time and, with how cold it has been the past few days, I definitely will be making it again. I will warn you. There are a lot of steps but it is worth it! The best part is you don't need to add cream to make it thicker. It's thick on it's own.

Ingredients:
8-10 plum tomatoes, halved or thirds
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 sweet onion
1 red bell pepper
fresh basil, minced
2 spoonfuls of minced garlic
olive oil
1 tbsp of butter
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven at 350.

Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Cut all tomatoes in half (the plums may need to be cut into thirds depending on thickness). Cut bell pepper into strips and cut the strips in half. Cut onion into small chunks. Lay all tomatoes and vegetables on the cookie sheers and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes.

At the 5 minute mark during the roasting process, add olive oil and butter to a large stock pot that is over medium hear. Melt butter. Add garlic with the crushed pepper and a little salt. Allow garlic to cook until lightly brown. Add chicken stock and stir.

Remove vegetables and tomatoes from oven and add to stock pot, along with fresh basil. Stir and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Once mix has cool, use an immersion blender to blend ingredients until mostly smooth.*

Serve with a classic grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!



*Tip: I didn't do this but some soup recipes recommend that you remove the tomato skins after roasting.

Lita's Favorite Challah Recipe

I adapted this recipe over the past year and it has not failed me! Instead of writing out how I did it, here's a video!

As always, enjoy!

Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes

Not an appetizing title but I promise that these are absolutely delicious! Made them last night and they were a hit with my fiance.

Cupcake Batter
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of hot water
1/4 tsp of salt
4 tbsp of cocoa powder
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp of baking soda
splash of vanilla

Frosting
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp of Melt or butter
splash of vanilla

1. Preheat oven at 350.
2. Line a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sugar, and hot water until well combined.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients until well combined. Then, pour in mayo mix and whisk together. Add vanilla and stir again.
5. Fill cupcake liners up to 3/4 full with batter. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until comes out clean with a toothpick. Once cupcakes are ready, set them aside and the m to cool completely.
6. Put chocolate chips and butter in a coffee mug. Heat in microwave for one minute. Stir until all chocolate is melted. Add vanilla and stir again. Frost cupcakes with a rubber spatula (or the back of a spoon like I did). Serve and enjoy!

Go-To French Crepe Recipe

Hi everyone! I know, I know. It's been too long since I posted. Between work, vacation, and wedding planning, my brain is pretty...cooked?

This is the recipe I've come across for crepes! I promise it makes up for my bad pun! Made this for my soon-to-be in-laws and it was a huge hit!

Crepe:
1 cup of AP flour
1/2 cup of water
2 eggs
1 tbsp of raw sugar
3 tbsp of melted butter
Splash of vanilla extract
Grated orange zest
1/2 tbsp of butter for frying every crepes

Blueberry Filling:
2 cups of fresh blueberries
Juice of half a lemon
Cinnamon, to taste
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of flour

1. Preheat frying pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Put dry ingredients in blender first. Then add wet ingredients. Blend until dry ingredients are well incorporated. Batter should be thin and kind of watery. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time until you get the right consistency.
3. Spray a small saucepan with cooking spray. Add blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey. Allow blueberry mix to cook down, stirring occasionally. Once blueberry mix cooks down, add a little flour  and stir. Once well incorporated, turn off burner and put a lid on so it stays warm.
4. Add butter to pan. Be careful! Butter spits when hot.
5. This next step is tricky so I always have a practice crepe (or the chef sample hehe). Pick the pan up off the burner. Use a ladle to pour mix into pan (this evens out the portions and gives you more control). As you pour the batter, gently tilt the pan in a counter clockwise manner until the batter covers the pan. Place back on burner and cook crepe for 2 minutes on one side and about 1 minute on the other.
6. Add filling to crepes and serve! Enjoy as always! 😀

Lita's Nutritious Fruit Smoothie

Made this this morning and it is delicious! Nice and summery, even on a cloudy day like today.

1/2 banana
4-5 strawberries  (depending on sizes)
1 nectarine, pitted and skinned
1/2 navel orange, peeled
Splash of water

Prep your fruit for blender. I used a Ninja single serve cup attachment so I to put the fruit in the cup first before screwing on the blade attachment. I put thickest fruits in the cup first and worked backwards. So I did it in this order: banana, strawberries, nectarine, orange, and then added water. This seemed to make the blending easier. If you're using larger blender, feel free to do whatever order you want...or just throw everything in as you prep lol.

Anyway I blended my smoothie for about 15-20 seconds and called it good. As always, enjoy!

Lita's Quesadillas

Made these tonight and they were a huge hit! Quick and easy to make.

4 whole wheat tortillas
1 leftover grilled chicken breast
1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
Mexican blend cheese
Newman's Medium Black Bean & Corn Salsa

1. Preheat oven at 425. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Chop chicken and jalapeno. Set aside.

3. Layout tortillas on cookie sheet. Sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortillas. Add chicken and jalapenos.

4. Add two spoonfuls of salsa on top of chicken and jalapenos per tortilla. Sprinkle more cheese on top.

5. Fold empty half of tortillas over the ingredients. Gently press down.

6. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Cajun Sweet Potatoes

I find that I do a lot of the same things with potatoes. Well I was feeling a little adventurous last night and came up with this.

Cajun Sweet Potatoes (serves 2)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-1/2" cubes
Cajun seasoning (I used a homemade blend that's been sitting in the pantry for so long I don't remember what's in it lol)
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven at 425. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Then place on cookie sheet. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the cookie sheet and move the sweet potatoes around so they're coated with olive oil. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over sweet potatoes.
3. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. They turn out crispy on one side and soft on the other side. You can gurn them over halfway through the cooking time but I liked mine crispy and soft.

Cheerio Snacks!

I love these! They're sticky and messy, but so delicious! Three ingredients and that's it!

Cheerios, as much as desired

Honey, about 1/4 cup...I don't know, I never measure for these.

Peanut Butter, 1/4-1/2 cup. ^ See above LOL ^

Mix all these ingredients together. Put them into individual baggies and place them in the fridge until solid. These are great for snacks when you're at the office or on a road trip (make sure to pack waters though).

Tortilla Pizzas - 2 Varieties

I know, I know. Its been waaaay too long since I posted a recipe and this is what I come up with? Trust me. You'll be pleasantly surprised. I know I was! Theo and I were drooling over these last night they were that good. I adapted this recipe from the dozens that were on Pinterest.

Chicken "Parm" Tortilla Pizza

1/2 of leftover grilled chicken breast
Tomato Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella
1-2 spoonfuls of Minced garlic
Italian Seasoning
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven at 425. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Poke slits in the tortilla with a sharp-ish knife. Lay flat on cookie sheet. Spread generous amounts of garlic on each tortilla. Then, add tomato sauce to the center and spread outwards.
3. Cut leftover grilled chicken into small chunks. Put that deliciousness on those tortillas. Now sprinkle lots of cheese on top. This will keep the chicken in place.
4. Now cut your tomatoes into quarters (this will make it less watery). Place them strategically about the tortillas. Make it look pretty!
5. Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top. Place them in the oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle crushed red pepper on top and enjoy! Pepper optional, enjoying is not.

Veggie Tortilla Pizza
Tomato Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella
1-2 spoonfuls of Minced garlic
Italian Seasoning
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 flour tortillas
Mushrooms, fresh
White onion, diced
Green bell pepper, optional
Black olives, optional

1. Preheat oven at 425. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Poke slits in the tortilla with a sharp-ish knife. Lay flat on cookie sheet. Spread generous amounts of garlic on each tortilla. Then, add tomato sauce to the center and spread outwards. Now sprinkle lots of cheese on top.
3. Prep veggies and place them on the tortillas. Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on the tortillas.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Add crushed red pepper for extra zing! Enjoy!