homemade tomato soup...

today was a pretty busy day.  we had family visiting from out of town and headed out early this morning for breakfast in napa.  after breakfast and a bit of running around...i finally made it home in the early afternoon.  

i had picked quite a few tomatoes from my garden and begin browsing through my cookbooks for a tomato soup recipe.  i found a couple of recipes...and after reading thru them...knew the basics of what i should do.  

first...i roasted the tomatoes.  and a couple of red peppers.  and an onion.  romesco style.  whole.  skin on.  drizzled in olive oil.  sprinkled with kosher salt.  

while the veggies cooled...i sauted garlic and shallots in butter.  added a bit of broth.  some tomato paste.  & lots of fresh herbs from my garden.  

served with focaccia bread and sparkling wine.  i'm anxiously looking forward to the next harvest in a few days. 

herb crusted snapper...

so...this past weekend i was playing catch-up with my magazines.  truth be told...i only got thru the june issue of my food network mag...but that was enough to give me my idea for tonight's dinner.  

i grow quite a few herbs in my garden...and was drawn to the article on emeril and his new cookbook (farm to fork).  i make my own pestos..  i infuse my own oils.  i've never used herbs for breadcrumbs.  until today!  

fish - red snapper

herb topping - cilantro, dill, lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper.  

directions - drizzle olive oil on fish.  dip into herbs.    *bake on a bed of lemon slices & shallots at 400 degrees for 15-20 min. 

served w/rosemary roast potatoes & tossed salad.  delish!  

there was another fish recipe in the mag...sicilian swordfish...and nuts were added to the topping.  perhaps i'll try that one next time.  

btw...i hope you know...these are non-recipe recipes.  i cook with what we like...and what i have on hand w/o having to go to the store.  #justsayin

stir-fry...

posting to the blog two days in a row.  i'm as shocked as you!   don't worry...i won't be posting tomorrow.  it's just that when i was getting ready to make dinner tonight...and had laid the veggies out on the cutting board...i saw a photograph.  

well...one thing lead to another...and next thing i knew...i was photographing the different stages of the meal prep.  

it was filling, tasty & healthy...and will also be tomorrow's lunch! 

pesto pizza...

i wasn't really sure what we were having for dinner tonight (didn't plan a thing) and while looking thru one of my fresh cookbooks...came across this recipe for 'just like pauline's pesto pizza.  that's what i'll make!!!

i keep a supply of homemade pesto in my freezer...and i ALWAYS have cheese.  good thing i picked up a pizza dough when i ran thru trader joe's at lunchtime today.  

the pizza is SIMPLE!!!  dough.  cheese.  pesto.  *though i did add a touch of red sauce...and a thinly sliced shallot.  it doesn't get much simpler than that...unless you're talking pasta & pesto.  but...that's another one of my 'go-to' meals.  

the most difficult part of this dinner was grating the parmesan cheese.   mrchazman happened to walk into the kitchen when i was telling him how i had to be VERY CAREFUL so i wouldn't lose a knuckle.  he said...you should use the holder for that slicing thing you have.  i'm like...the mandoline?  PERFECT!!!  

the cheese was grated lickety-split  and added to the pesto...along with a bit more olive oil.  *when you prepare pesto for freezing you don't added the cheese.  the pesto is brushed over the hot pizza when it is removed from the oven. 

dinner is served!
dessert? 
vanilla cupcakes & strawberries.