heirloom tomato and onion quiche

This is a great way to use up some of this years bumper crop of tomatoes. It is quite tasty. And to cut prep time I use a frozen deep dish pie crust. Too bad I didn’t make 2.

And here is the recipe http://www.recipebridge.com/g/108/4763565/heirloom-tomato-and-onion-quiche

accessorizing, organizing, watching, cooking

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We get a lot of guests. And some are more rewarding than others. Last week Justine and her daughter Kenalee came for a last minute overnighter. Justine was running in RAGNAR. As a thank you gift Justine gave me this set of her grandmother's pearls. This is completely excessive on so many levels. Too think she would give me something so personally meaningful. I am touched beyond words. And the fact that I really do like pearls, but only special pearls. I have my lovely 10th Anniversary pearls. I have my mother's wedding pearls and now these.

 

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This is the Summer of skirts and some new bigger accessories for me. The long R necklace came from the Velvet Button Boutique on Monroe St. And looks great with grandma's pearls. And I got all these new earrings on etsy. I searched retro, mod, 60s, 70s... Some actually are from the 70s!

 

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I am always decluttering and on a quest for more organization. I found 14 of these ceramic dishes at commercial kitchen supply store. Since I have 8 of these small drawers in my office they are a find. I also found out that I have way more black pens than I ever thought. But now I will use them instead of buying yet another box.

 

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Season 3 is coming soon! Airs June 28 - August 2.

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And Orange is the new Black is what I am watching this week as I work on "Dear Rae". Well that, and I am rewatching Gilmore Girls. An interesting combination for my work day. Finished "Grace and Frankie" and am glad it was renewed for next year.

 

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Made these Salsa Verde Enchiladas this week. Very good. Got a rotisserie chicken at Costco. My first and it was really big and had more then enough chicken for this recipe. This will be a do-over recipe. Next time I may try and use a crunchier tortilla. But made according to the recipe it is gluten-free.

 

breakfast smoothie

Time for a cold smoothie instead of a warm morning drink.

The day before.... 1. Brew coffee and put in the refrigerator. 2. Peel bananas and wrap individually in saran wrap and freeze.

To make:

I use my little Cusinart smoothie marker. (Thanks again Jen!)

In the tumbler I put... 1 c skim or 2% milk 3/4 c cold coffee 1 frozen banana chopped in pieces 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

If you want it a little sweeter add a little sugar or stevia.

If you want it a little more chocolately add a bit of Trader Joe's sipping chocolate.

Blend and enjoy!

snowing...

photo As predicted, we woke up to snow. Snow always makes me think soup. Yesterday anticipating the snow I make a pot of Spicy Tuscan Soup. A hearty, Winter snow day kind of soup.

 

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This is a new recipe for me. Decided to try one of the many, many recipes I have pinned on Pinterest.

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/spicy-tuscan-soup/

This soup is much like one of the soups at Olive Garden. And perfect for a snowy Winter day. I did add more kale because I like kale.

Enjoy!

Corn Soup

Harmony Valley Farm Sweet Corn Soup - L'Etoile Restaurant

3 T butter 2 large yellow onions, peeled and julienned (cut like matchsticks) 1 T salt 1/2 t black pepper 1 T sugar 1/4 t red pepper flakes 12 ears sweet corn, shucked and corn cut from the cob 3 cups cream 3 cups whole milk 2 T snipped chives

Melt butter in 6- to 8-quart stockpot; add onions, salt, black pepper, sugar and pepper flakes. Saute onions, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated (thus concentrating their sweetness), about 20 minutes. Add corn, cream and milk; bring to a boil and cook another 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and puree in blender in small batches (blenders work better than food processors for this). Pass through a medium-fine sieve, season to taste, and reheat. Sprinkle each bowl with chives. Makes 8 servings.

kryptonite. Yes this soup has been referred to as that. It might be my favorite soup recipe. Best made with fresh corn but during the rest of the year I get bags of Trader Joe's Organic Super Sweet Cut Corn.

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The recipe comes from this great Madison cookbook. If you like veggies or the farmer's market it is a must have. Other fav recipes of mine are the Cauliflower Blue Cheese Soup, Spicy Potato Sausage and Greens Soup and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto.

If interested you can get it here. In fact I think I will order one for a favorite gardener of mine.

 

almost spring, more knitting, good soup & font promos

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another post following the theme that it is still Winter ish here. I am now going to say it is almost Spring. I just noticed yesterday that there is water right next to our retaining wall. That is serious cause for celebration!!! But there is still an awful lot of frozen lake out there. But it is starting to get that mushy look.

 

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Here is a cute pair of Scrunchy Ombre Arm Warmers. This is also from KnitPicks and uses the same yarn as I used for the Frida Mitts. This is washable wool. And they got even softer after being washed.

 

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I am still making Chicken Gnocchi Soup. This soup you can make last minute and it is very forgiving. I use it as a base soup and then add extra veggies that I have. Sometimes I use a roasted chicken or even canned chicken in a pinch. It is always good. I prefer the Trader Joe's gnocchi as it seem to be a little smaller. This is a make it and eat it soup rather than a simmer all day type of soup.

For the recipe click here.

Tomorrow is April, so if you need any new Kitchen or Food fonts there are 4 on sale 50 off. Links on the right.

 

grand raspberry trifle

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Just finished making this for a party. It is always a hit. It is tasty and pretty too. It is a Martha Stewart recipe. And can be found here.

It says it takes only 20 minutes and I find it takes a bit longer to assemble. I use Sara Lee Pound Cake. If you go looking for it the packaging is now different and the one I found was already sliced. I also beat my whipping cream until it is rather stiff. This can be made 24 hours ahead of time.

enjoy!