Roasted Tomato Soup

From what I hear, the 100 degree AZ days are over for the year. That means it's time for soup! OK, maybe not, but we're well into soup weather here, and I have a yummy recipe to share. My friend adapted this recipe from Gourmet magazine, and she was kind enough to share it with me. 

This is really simple and healthy, but the end result is rich, complex and de-licious. Levy, a self proclaimed soup hater loved it, and if that's not reason enough to try it, my kids loved it too! Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Soup

4 pounds roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream (or soy milk for non-dairy eaters)

Preheat oven to 350˚F with rack in the middle.

Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in 1 layer in a large 4-sided sheet pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Roast the tomatoes and garlic for an hour and then cool on the pan. Peel the garlic cloves.

***Or you can grill the tomatoes. I haven't tried it, but here's a recipe***

Cook the onion, basil and sugar in butter in a heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the onion is softened, about 5 min.

Add the tomatoes, garlic and stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in the blender. Stir in the cream. Salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes. Bon Appetit!

FYI: The soup can be made a day in advance and may even taste better that way, though I haven't tried it. We topped the soup with bread and cheese and broiled it like a french onion soup. It was delicious, though not necessary. 

Who Needs a Taco Truck?

I've been dying for good tacos for a while now, but Pittsburgh is sorely lacking in good Mexican food. Luckily, I stumbled upon some recipes that helped satisfy my craving.

For the meat I used this street taco recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It was tasty, though I've also used this easy and equally delicious pressure cooker carnitas recipe.

Corn tortillas would be best, but I could only find flour. I topped them with monterey jack cheese, cilantro and these amazing Mexican pickled red onions. Mmmm!

These babies could give my favorite taco truck a run for its money.

Not food

Okay so I have a recipe that is not food it is cleaning supply. I found it on pinterest and decided to try it. We have hard and very silty water so my bathrooms didn't look clean after I cleaned them. I have tried everything I can think of on my faucets and shower door but nothing was working. I even tried the baking soda and vinegar paste and it didn't even touch it. I finally tried this stuff and it worked amazingly. I went on a cleaning spree when I realized it worked. Sorry, I am just a little excited to have found this. You have to try it!

12 oz white vinegar
12 oz dawn dishsoap (the recipe says blue dawn, probably to make sure you don't us it as water, but I used clear)

Heat the vinegar in the microwave until it is very hot then add the dishsoap put it in a spray bottle and start cleaning. It doesn't have to be hot when you use it.