Cream of Tomato Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 T. butter
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2-28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
9 oz can chicken broth
2 T. sugar
Pinch of baking soda
1 T. Basil
1 T. Italian Seasoning
1 clove garlic
2 cups cream

Saute celery, butter and onions. When finished add all other ingredients EXCEPT CREAM in large pot. Simmer for 1 hour, with lid checking. Puree and then add warmed cream. Do not boil after cream is added.

**I added 1 cup of orzo pasta which is good if you like a lot of texture, but this soup already has texture so you can leave it out.

**Add FETA cheese and it's amazing!

***To freeze--do not freeze with cream. Freeze soup and once thawed, reheat and then add cream.

Basil Cous Cous Salad

This is SOOOOOO yummy. Everyone must try it!

Basil Cous Cous Salad
3 c. spinach/Euro mix lettuce
1/3 c. dried craisins
1/3 c. grated Asiago cheese
1/3 c. toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts
2 c. white corn
1 pkg. couscous, olive oil & garlic flavor (prepared per package instructions)

Dressing:
1 c. fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped)
1 c. mayonnaise
½ shallot, chopped
1 c. buttermilk
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

Add ingredients in a blender and blend well. Salt & pepper to taste.
Toss with salad just before serving.

Carrian's One hour rolls

This recipe if from A Bountiful Kitchen who actually got it from "sweet basil". Great website with lots of great recipes. The "chef" is one of my sis-in-laws good friends.

I made these today and they were awesome. They are really easy. The only thing that took longer than expected was scalding the milk. It took me about 20 minutes because I did it in a double broiler. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?? If anyone has any tips....

Carrian's One Hour Rolls

Sweet Basil

print recipe

1 tablespoon yeast, rounded
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk, scalded
4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading and surface

2 tablespoons melted butter, optional

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water.
Melt the butter in the scalded milk. Stir to cool.
Mix eggs, 3 remaining tablespoons sugar, salt and dissolved yeast mixture to a bowl.

When milk mixture is cooled a bit (not hot), add to egg mixture.
Mix in flour. Knead dough on a floured surface, or in a mixer, adding flour until rolls are no longer sticky to touch.

This is where usually, rolls are left alone to raise for about an hour. No need with this recipe.
Roll out in desired shapes and place on lightly greased baking pan.
Place rolls in draft free place*, brush lightly with melted butter and let raise while oven is preheating. I left my rolls to raise until the rest of dinner was about 15 minutes away from being done.
Turn oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. When oven is preheated, bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips:

-*Remember, when letting items raise on a kitchen counter, best to look for the warmest spot in the kitchen. Maybe it's the top of your dryer? Granite or stone surface counter tops are not a good choice unless you are trying to quickly cool items. Tke your hand and place it on the granite if you don't believe me. Always place a towel (or two) on a stone surface if leaving dough out to raise.

-**To make knot shapes, roll the dough out, cut into strips about 6 inches long, 1 inch wide and about 1/2 inch thick. Take the strip and tie into a loose knot. How loose? Not so loose that you can see through the knot. Snug, but not so tight the dough breaks. Tuck the ends under, place on baking sheet and brush top lightly with butter. It's not as complicated as it sounds. Just experiment with a few and you'll get the hang of it. You'll also discover how large or small you like the rolls.

-Do not add too much flour when kneading dough. This will produce a tough roll. Also, the roll will be hard to shape.

Breakfast casserole

1 26 oz frozen hash browns
1/4 cup melted butter
3 cups diced ham 0r 1 1b cooked bacon or sausage
8 oz each cheddar and swish cheese shredded
12 eggs beaten
3/4 cup milk

Spread potatoes in buttered casserole 9x13 pan. Pour butter on top and season with salt and pepper. bake 20-25 min at 425. or until lightly browned. Top with ham and 2/3 of shredded cheese. mix eggs and milk and pour over potatoes and top with remaining cheese and bake 35-45 additional minutes at 350