Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon & Rosemary

How can you go wrong with soup? I would wager that you can't... it's downright impossible. It's warming and calming and comforting... it does for your soul what a blanket and a fuzzy pair of socks do for your body. Soup is nourishing, too, usually full of stuff that's good for you and will keep you going. Plus it's a good way to stretch the food budget... add more water, and you've got more soup.

Well this right here is the stuff chicken soup for the soul is made of... in tomato soup form, of course. It's a creamy blend of wonderful tomato flavor, with a few rich elements that you may not be expecting. For instance, I bet you'd never guess that there are beans in this soup. They're in there! ...just hiding from plain view. And the savory whipped cream is certainly an unexpected detail. Have you ever had savory whipped cream? I hadn't, until this recipe. And I almost skipped it... but I'm really glad I didn't. 

No friends, don't skip the whipped cream. Yes, the soup is perfectly wonderful without it, but why not go the extra mile, just this once? With just a hint of lemon and rosemary, it really is the perfect cool complement to the warm fragrant soup. Perfect for a cool October evening... with flavor that will have you coming back to it all winter long.

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

While the rest of the world feels like baking sweet cookies and pies, autumn makes me crave savory food. The cool air and gloomy skies make me want to spend all day making soup and bread. Stick-to-your-ribs kind of food... comfort food.

Well we've had plenty of that cool and gloom since October hit... it's rained ten out of the fourteen days we've had so far. Is it sick that I love it? Sometimes I think I should move to Seattle, because I'm happiest in a hooded sweatshirt with the fresh smell of rain in the air. Give me a warm latte and an umbrella, and I'll spend more time outside this time of year than during the summer. I'm an autumn girl, through and through.

This is a perfect autumn pasta dish. It's a great way to use up any straggling tomatoes left over from summer's bounty, and the hearty chicken meatballs give it amazing savory flavor. Plus there are three different kinds of cheese in it. Like gratuitous amounts of cheese. How can you say no to that? And well, you know me... I love any excuse to eat pasta. With a warm, broth-based sauce, hearty chicken meatballs, and melty mozzarella cheese, it's almost as comforting as a big bowl of soup!

Spinach-Stuffed Shells

Is it weird that I'm a 22 year-old food-lover, who has a blog that's almost a year old, and I have never until this week tried stuffed shells? It's not that I haven't wanted to... this recipe (in one form or another) has been on my mind for years. I've seen countless recipes, countless mouth-watering photos, countless claims of heavenly flavor and consistency... why oh why has it taken me so long to try this dish?

Well let's just say, friends... I think I have a new favorite meal.

I've always been a big fan of lasagna. Starchy pasta, creamy cheese, gratuitous amounts of tomato-y, basil-y, galric-y marinara... what's not to love? And, after perusing the ingredients lists on most of the recipes I found, I wondered how much different stuffed shells could be from lasagna. Not that it really needed to be different. After all, I do love me some lasagna.

But somehow these are different. In the same way that calzones and pizza are comprised of essentially the same things but somehow totally crave-able in completely different ways. But, most importantly, stuffed shells are different from lasagna in an amazing, I-could-eat-this-every-night-of-the-week kind of way. Not kidding folks... new favorite meal, right here. :)

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and White Beans

Is there anything better than roasted garlic? If there is, someone please introduce me because I need to try it. NOW.

In the meantime, I'll go on believing that if heaven exists, it must be overflowing with roasted garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese. I simply cannot imagine a better combination of flavors.

It's no wonder I couldn't wait to try this recipe.

Now I know I said the other day that I don't really like tomatoes... but this recipe just might make me change my mind. Roasting the tomatoes under high heat completely changes them, into something velvety and very sweet. Seriously... they just about melt in your mouth. Combined with the creamy cannellini beans and the pungent roasted garlic... and the nutty pasta and the fresh, aromatic basil... it's basically heaven on a plate. Give it a try and you'll understand why this recipe just jumped into my top five favorites.

Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I live with a veritable grilled cheese master. It's kind of Dane's signature dish, if you will... always his first suggestion when he's in charge of lunch or dinner and the thing I jokingly tell him he's best at making. (While I am still teaching the boy to cook he does make many things very well... but it is true, he does also make a mean grilled cheese.) So imagine my nerves when I decided to tackle this recipe. I had no doubt it would be easy and delicious... but would it live up to the boy's high standards of a great grilled cheese?

The easy answer? Of course it did.

These sandwiches are every bit as yummy as their name makes them sound. The simple yet genius combination of flavors make these anything but your everyday ordinary grilled cheese. Slightly caramelizing the onions brings out an amazing sweetness that, when paired with the summer's sweetest, ripest tomato, lends an almost candy-like quality to the sandwich. Then the sharp flavors of the full-bodied cheddar and spicy pepper jack kick in, and suddenly you're on a whole new level of delicious. Serve it with the Summer Corn & Vegetable Soup I shared earlier this week, and you've got yourself a healthy, flavorful meal fit for even the busiest night in your week.

Summer Corn & Vegetable Soup

Let's face it, when the temperature outside begins to approach 100 degrees, soup is probably the last thing on your mind for dinner. But I encourage you, friends, don't rule it out! This soup is great for the summer because it uses a wide variety of fresh summer veggies, it can be served luke-warm, and it doesn't require hours of simmering on the stove. In fact, it only needs to boil once, and the whole thing can be ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes! Who doesn't love that? And the flavor cannot be beat. This soup is light and fresh, with a lovely creamy consistency and just a hint of sweetness from the summer corn. I highly encourage you - especially if you've got a garden at home threatening to take over your backyard - make this soup! It just might be the most surprisingly satisfying meal you'll have this summer.

Pasta with Fresh Roma Tomato Sauce

I wish I could say I liked tomatoes. Every summer I watch so many people revel in the flavor of sun-ripened tomatoes, juicy and plump and fresh. They look so good... nestled amongst fresh mozzarella and basil in a caprese salad, or the crown jewel atop a juicy grilled burger. But I just can't do it. Well, at least not raw. But I do love them cooked! I love them stewed and added to a warm winter soup, roasted with garlic and served over crusty bread, or cooked down and pureed into a lovely sauce...

...such as this one.

If you're like many people at this time of the summer, you've probably got a garden overflowing with tomatoes. Consider yourself lucky, as my humble little apartment does not afford me the pleasure of a garden.   But no matter. The point is, you should definitely make this sauce. It's a great way to use up some of those overabundant vegetables, and it's downright delicious. Imagine, Roma tomatoes, naturally sweet in their own right, simmered down until they are soft and succulent, together with summer sweet carrots, pungent onion, and earthy celery. Can you smell it? Now add a little white wine - go ahead, pour some for yourself too - and simmer away until the sauce is rendered luscious and sweet. Pour over your favorite pasta, sprinkle on a little Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil, and prepare to be amazed. All that flavor with no extra seasonings? Really? Really. It's really that simple. And that delicious.