Monthly Archive for August, 2010

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Published on August 31, 2010 in Soup and Vegetarian. 0 Comments

How is summer almost over???  Wasn’t it just yesterday we were breathing in the fresh air of spring?  Us New Englanders have had quite the summer though – I think it’s rained five times in three months; a welcome change from last summer’s continuous monsoon!  It’s been a busy but lovely summer; weekend trips to Wells, ME, BBQ’s with friends, family reunion in Canada and fresh produce up to our eye balls :) .  My parents’ crop of tomatoes is just starting to come in, so I headed home this weekend to grab a few.  On Sunday I made a Roasted Tomato Basil Soup that paired perfectly with some toasty grilled cheese.  The recipe below can be altered based on how many tomatoes you have or basil.

Ingredients:

  1. 10 Roma tomatoes or 5-6 beefsteak tomatoes – honestly, enough tomatoes just to fit on a sheet pan :)
  2. 4 cloves of garlic
  3. 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves 
  4. 1/2 medium onion; diced
  5. 2 small cans diced tomatoes
  6. S&P to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 465 degrees and place the rack on the 2nd highest level.
  2. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and lay on tomatoes, cut length-wise, cut side up.  Add two cloves smashed garlic.  Spray tomatoes and garlic with nonstick cooking spray and add S&P.  Roast for 30 minutes. 
  3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, saute onion and remaining two cloves diced garlic until translucent; approx. 5 minutes.
  4. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes, roasted tomatoes & garlic and red pepper flake.  Bring mixture to medium-high heat for 5 minutes. 
  5. Turn off heat and stir in basil leaves. 
  6. Let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes and pour into food processor.  Blend for 1 1/2 minutes.  I like a little texture left to the soup – feel free to blend for more or less time depending on your preference.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Bon appetit!

-Christina

Blueberry Muffins

Published on August 26, 2010 in Breakfast. 4 Comments

Blueberry muffins :) .  There’s just something about them that takes me back to childhood.  Growing up, my mom would sometimes stop at this cute little shop Country Kitchen on the way to school and I’d get one of their famous blueberry muffins.  Hands down the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had.  Trish, the owner, makes them fresh every morning and sprinkles the tops with course sugar – yum!  It had been quite some time since I had a muffin like that (store bought ones tend to taste so greasy and fake), so when I saw We Are Not Martha post a recipe for the tasty treats, I decided to try to make them myself.  Goodness gracious, these are incredible!  Soft, sweet, the perfect blueberry to muffin ratio – absolute bliss when you eat them right out of the oven.  Store bought muffins be damned; these are my new go-to :) .

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar & 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for tops of muffins)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cupcake/muffin tin with liners.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
  3. Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in a small bowl.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer.
  5. Add one egg at a time, beating the mixture after each egg.  Add the vanilla.  Add the milk and dry ingredients (adding alternately) and beat until well combined. 
  6. Stir in the blueberries with a spatula (not the hand mixer – unless you want smooth purple muffins). 
  7. Fill the muffin tin with the mixture – it’s best to have a heavy hand with these, almost overflowing the liners. 
  8. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the tops. 
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool slightly (best while warm!) and enjoy.

Bon appetit!

-Christina

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Published on August 10, 2010 in Dessert. 0 Comments

I’ve really gained quite the sweet tooth over the past few months – cookies, cakes, sweet breads and brownies.  And now that I’ve figured out how to bake these delicious treats (I used to think boxed-mix was homemade/burned everything I baked…story for another day) I’ve been enjoying them more and more!  Might be time to up the gym regimen ;) .

These Chocolate Chip Cupcakes have a dense body that’s almost like a soft cookie (some taste-testers noted it was ‘crumb cake-esque) and the topping offers a crunchy/chewy combo.  The original recipe comes from Bake or Break, who has the most gorgeous photos accompanying every delicious creation.

The cupcakes were pretty easy to whip up – all though it’s not a ‘set it and forget it’ process; you need to first mix & bake the cupcakes, then mix the topping, top the cupcakes and finish baking – just a heads up for planning your time.  Also, I highly recommend spraying your muffin/cupcake pan with non-stick spray after lining it.  I missed that step and had a lovely time trying to prod out half the cupcakes stuck to the pan.  The topping adds a fun flair to these sweet treats, making them a perfect party dessert.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cupcakes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line a mini muffin/cupcake pan with liners and coat with non-stick cooking spray (this will be helpful for removing the cupcakes as the topping is pretty sticky right out of the oven).
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter & sugar with a hand mixer. 
  4. Add the vanilla extract, mix well, then add the egg and mix well.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. 
  6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. 
  7. Spoon about 1 & 1/2 teaspoons batter into each muffin cup and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Topping:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, egg and salt until blended.  Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. 
  2. After the cupcakes have been baked, remove from the oven and spoon topping mixture over each cupcake.
  3. Return to oven and bake for 8-10 more minutes. 
  4. Cool & enjoy!

Bon appetit!

- Christina