Caprese Salad Bowl
Simple.
Life should be made up of simple pleasures and simple tasks.
Unfortunately, for most of us its not.
So we have to compensate and try to find simplicity in some of the things we do.
For me its in the food.
Summer Vegetable Bake Tian
Originating in Provence, a tian is a French word that describes a shallow earthenware casserole and because why use another word for it? The food it contains. Traditionally it features a variety of vegetables, herbs and cheeses that are layered and then baked. Showcasing summer’s squash and tomatoes, I threw in some potatoes too – because well I’m crafty like that.
But if you search a tian can be made with pretty much any vegetable you like, onions, eggplant, herbs, and I can go on and on.
Tomato Rice Salad Stack in celebration of Florida Tomato Month
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a representative from the Florida Tomato Committee in order to participate in their blogger outreach program. The Committee funds research and development projects and marketing promotions that focus on maximizing Florida tomato movement, including consumer and marketing research and customized marketing programs.
In celebration of Fresh Florida tomato Month in April, they were looking for blogger to develop an original recipe celebrating the Florida tomato.
Read MoreRoasted Tomato Soup
I love soup. buttttt...
...I hate making soup.
I cannot give you a particular reason why – I never been good at it. And my mother has totally spoiled me when it comes to soups.
Why?
Well, because, my mother is an excellent soup maker. She can take anything (and I mean ANYTHING) and make it into an out-of-this-world soup.
Me, I know how to open a can (yes, you can cringe now – go ahead, I give you permission) and modify the soup and make it better, but from scratch? No-can-do. And if I wanted something homemade, all I had to do was call my mom up and she would whip something up in a day. How is that for one-stop take out?
To top all of this soup insecurity is the fact that I’m also very fussy about the soups that I eat. Show me a leek and potato soup, lentil soup, lobster bisque, butternut squash bisque, broccoli- cheddar and I will choose that over a fancy entre, hands down.
But, the one that has my heart, the one that I seek is the tomato soup. I have searched high and low for the ultimate tomato soup. I have a few very good contenders thru the years. And so far the tomato soup sold by Whole Food is good choice. It has the qualities that I love about a tomato soup, chucky pieces of tomatoes with the creamy texture of everything else, and with a bit of a tart and sweet flavor filled with fresh herbs. You can usually find me buying the large take out of this and eat it throughout the week. Then there is the tomato soup from a local restaurant called The Red Elephant Pizza and Grill – this is so far one of my favorites, its filled with bits and pieces of roasted tomatoes and onions and the smoky flavor compliments the richness of the soup. This IS a TOMATO SOUP.