Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Tomato-and-Spianch-Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Terri was our "hostess with the most-ess" this month...it was her first time and she did fantastic!!

She also made a REALLY delish dish, which I thought was in top runnings for both Taste AND Presentation. It was REALLY beautiful, and REALLY yummy.

I had seconds...(shhhh...don't tell).

Tomato-and-Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Roulade

• 4 6-ounce chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 1 cup whole baby spinach, divided
• 1 cup shredded lowfat cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 TBS olive oil

For the Topping:

• 1 cup diced tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
• 2 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• Fresh or dried basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Place chicken on work surface, smooth side down. Top with 1/4 cup spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1 tomato slice. Fold in ends and roll tightly. Place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining chicken.

3. Whisk together egg whites and broth. divide flour onto two large plates.

4. Coat rolled chicken with flour, then dip in egg whites, and back into flour. Shake off any excess. Set chicken on baking sheet lined with wax paper.

5. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Brown each roulade, then placed on unlined baking sheet. bake for 20 minutes.

6. While chicken is baking, prepare topping. In a small saucepan, combine tomato, spinach, vinegar, broth, and herbs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Slice each roulade horizontally into 1-inch slices and place on a plate. Top each portion with warm tomato mixture and serve.

Courtesy Terri Metts

Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas with Avocado Smash

I was folding clothes the other day, and simultaneously flipping through channels, and I stumbled on an old episode of 30-Minute Meals with Rachel Ray and the Food Network. She was making her version of Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese...

She called it Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas with Avocado Smash.

Well, I am still on my soup kick, so I thought I'd give it a try. Not only that...but my kids LOVE salsa and quesadillas, so I figured this recipe would be a no-brainer in the "child eat-ability" category.

And, it's vegetarian...so a great way to get those veggies in my kids diet.

Rachel Ray calls this "Stoup"...because it's thicker than a soup, but not quit a stew. She's always making up funny stuff like that.

OH!! And by the way...I did not double the actual stoup recipe, but I DID double the amount of quesadillas I made. Just in case you were wondering. So this recipe is the original...if you're cooking for a crowd, then you might want to double the quesadillas as well...but leave the stoup...this makes PLENTY...

Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas

• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, plus some for brushing on tortillas 
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped with greens
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 3 TBS chopped cilantro
• 6 flour tortillas, 6-8inches
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 4 ounce brick Pepper Jack OR Chipolte cheese, shredded, about 1 cup
• Sour cream, to pass at the table

1. Preheat oven to 300.

2. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 TBS olive oil, jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and the saute veggies 5 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and stock, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir in cilantro.

Yummy...

3. Paint 1 side of tortillas with extra virgin olive oil and place them next to each other, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix cheddar with scallions and divide the cheese between the tortillas evenly.

This is totally a kid-friendly-in-the-kitchen recipe...

 Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush tops with extra virgin olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes in the oven to melt cheese and crisp tortillas. Cool quesadillas 5 minutes to set and then cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces.

Pre-baked quesadillas...

Avocado Smash

• 1 avocado
• 2 TBS chopped cilantro leaves
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 plum tomato, finely chopped

1. Remove avocado flesh to a bowl. Add cilantro and scallions. Pop the lime in the microwave for a few seconds, and squeeze the juice into the mix. Add sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. With a fork or spoon, smash up the mixture, leaving chunks for a good consistency.

2. Chop and seed the plum tomato and fold into the avocado mixture.

Cool and refreshing...

Serve bowls of stoup with 3 wedges of quesadilla along side each bowlful. Pass the Avocado Smash and the plain sour cream for topping stoup or quesadillas.

courtesy Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals

Ribolitta

I'm still on a soup kick...

I just can't help it!! I LOVE soup, and I want to make it ALL THE TIME!!!

I wanted a delicious vegetable soup to follow up our hearty Chicken Marbella recipe, and found this delightful gem tucked away in a Family Fun magazine, of all places. It is an entirely attainable and fairly authentic recipe for Ribolitta...a Tuscan peasant soup.

Ribolitta literally means to "boil twice" in Italian...and that's exactly what you do. Heavy on the green, this is by no means a flimsy broth with a few veggies floating around. It's an almost eat-with-a-fork vegetable sensation that explodes with flavor and gives new meaning to "eating your greens". You can easily substitute different vegetables in and out if you don't have EXACTLY what the recipe calls for.

It requires a little time to prepare...but is worth the effort. No need to double...this soup makes 10+ cups.

This soup is especially good the day after it's made...so it's lucky that the recipe yields a generous amount...you'll want leftovers.

Hearty Ribolitta

Ribolitta

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced (white stalks only)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with basil and oregano added in)
• 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped
• 1 bunch spinach or swiss chard, chopped
• 1/4 head savoy cabbage, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 TBS salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakeswater
• 1 loaf stale (day old) French or Italian bread, sliced
• Grated Parmesan

 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic...

Add the onion, leeks, garlic, celery, and carrots; saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Sauteed veggies with the canned veggies...

 Add the tomatoes with their juice, the beans, and the remaining vegetables...

Kale, spinach, cabbage, zucchini, and potatoes...

...then season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables (about 10-12 cups) and bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer the soup for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Add the slices of bread (I can hear you now..."You want me to do WHAT to the bread? Isn't it for dunking...or garnish?"...No...it's not. It's part of the soup. Now do as you're told and add it in!!), then raise the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a second boil, stirring occasionally, until the bread has fully broken down, about 10-15 minutes.

Just do it, already...geez...

3. Let soup stand about 10 minutes before serving. Ladle soup into bowls, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil, if desired (I add the cheese, but not the extra oil...so I guess that makes me decidedly UN-Italian).

Ohhhh...yum, yum, yum...

4. If you just can't help it, serve with freshly sliced Italian or French bread...

courtesy Family Fun magazine

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Sooo...this is a real treat...because this is a recipe that I didn't pilfer from anyone...I completely made it up.

Which may...or may not...be a good thing.

See, I just got off 14 days of Master Cleanse...I have eaten anything but this lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne water for 14 days.

And the first day you're off, you have to SIP orange juice all day (best damn orange juice I ever tasted)...and THEN...depending on your stomach (listen to your body, they say)...you're supposed to eat vegetable soup. Homemade vegetable soup, with vegetables only minimally cooked. No seasoning. Nothing canned or processed.

Vegetables...and water.

I can't TELL YOU how excited I was to make this soup.

The first day you eat it, you're supposed to really just stick to the broth...minimal solids. Then each day introduce more and more solids into your tummy.

So...I think you know that I cheated. First of all, I used a Vegetable Stock and Vegetable Broth as my base. I used certified organic stuff...but still.

And I didn't MINIMALLY cook stuff...but here...I'll let you see for yourself...

So, first I poured a whole box of vegetable stock in my pot, and a whole box of vegetable broth. I put the stove on warm and let it heat oh-so-slowly.

Then I diced a whole onion and several stalks of celery, and sauteed them with a couple tablespoons butter and some pepper and sea salt.

I'm just a rule breaker.

Oh, yeah, Baby Bellas...come to mama...

When those were soft, I added about 8 oz sliced Baby Bella mushrooms and cooked them just until they smelled DIVINE, and then I dumped them in my waiting (and now lukewarm) broth.

Then I sliced up a zucchini, and a yellow squash, and one, whole, peeled eggplant. I didn't bother peeling the zucchini or squash...but I DID the eggplant. I'm weird like that. I also cut those zucchini and yellow squash slices in half to make little half-moons, but I cubed the eggplant.

Shapes and colors...

I like varying shapes and textures in my soups.

Then I added, like, 4 or 5 tomatoes, all chopped up...seeds and all.

Just put the whole bunch in there...seeds and all...

 About now I saw I had more veggies than broth, so I added another box of vegetable broth. My eyes are DEFINITELY bigger than my stomach...this is a LOT of soup. But since it's all I'm supposed to eat for the next couple days, I'm going BIG.

After the broth, I added a whole bag of spinach...stems removed.

Spinach added...pre-wilt...

Now here's where I break the rules AGAIN...I added a can of water chestnuts. I know, I know...but I like them in soup!! What can I say?

I know, I know...nothing processed...but I couldn't HELP myself!!

I added some sea salt and generous amounts of pepper, and I turned up the heat to make it boil. Once it boiled, I turned it back down to a low simmer and cooked until everything was soft and yummy (except those water chestnuts).

Now I'm gonna eat it...slowly...and I'm gonna chew the veggies (which are already soft) until I can pretend they're just broth, too.

I love soup.

I love vegetables.

I am SO HAPPY to eat again!!

Heaven in a stock pot...

courtesy me!!!

Harvest Ratatouille

Yummy, yummy, yummy...warm food in my tummy...

I made ratatouille tonight...but a simpler version than the Thomas Keller recipe I posted earlier. I thought perhaps that some people might be a little...intimidated...by copying a famous chef's recipe (although it is PAINFULLY simple)...so I am making a simpler version with a happy autumn name.

Don't bother doubling...just serve with French bread. It is VERY hearty. Enjoy!!



Harvest Ratatouille

1 medium onion, chopped

2 TBS oil

1 medium unpeeled eggplant, cubed

1 medium zucchini, cubed

1/2 of a medium red pepper, chopped

1/2 of a medium yellow pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (I always add more)

1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, drained, cut up

1/4 cup Sun-dried Tomato salad dressing

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook onion in hot oil in a large skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add eggplant, cook and stir 5 minutes. Add zucchini, peppers, and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, dressing, thyme, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

courtesy Kraft foods

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009 - Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini

This is another amazing entry from our Iron Chef Miami competition for October, submitted by Heidi Tyler. Its a GREAT appetizer (I ate, like 4 of them...so make lots!! And then invite me over!!)

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Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini

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3 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 large tomato, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 TBS chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

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1. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomato, onion, parsley, and mint; gently toss to coat.

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2. Top each crostini with about 2 rounded teaspoonfuls of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with feta. Serve.

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Note: This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead; just cover and store in the refrigerator.

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To make crostini:

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Preheat oven to 350. Stir 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves, pressed. Brush 1 side of a sliced French bread baguette (slices should be about 1 inch thick). Bake, garlic side up, 10-12 minutes until lightly toasted.

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courtesy Heidi Tyler

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009 - Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

We had some really yummy dishes this month for our first-ever Iron Chef Miami competition. Our featured ingredient was "tomatoes"...and this entry was great because it was fairly simple, you could make it with items found in your pantry, and it is a Weight Watchers recipe!!! It was entered by Melodee Cooper.

Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

1-1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded (or two cans canned chicken)
15 oz. whole tomatoes
10 oz. enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
4 oz. chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
14-1/2 oz. fat-free chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 whole bay leaf
6 whole corn tortillas
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS chopped cilantro

optional: 1 can of whole kernel corn, 1-1/2 cups of cooked white rice

optional additional garnish: shredded pepper-jack cheese, torn fresh cilantro

1. In a Crock pot, combine chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic. Add water, broth, and seasonings. Add can of corn, if using. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil; cut into 2-1/2 by 1/2-inch strips. Place on baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes until crisp, turning occasionally.

3. Prepare rice separately and add to soup just before serving...heat through.

4. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with tortilla strips, cilantro, and cheese.

courtesy Melodee Cooper

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009

So, a couple weeks ago, three of my girlfriends and myself were lounging around a pool...

...isn't that a GREAT way to start a story?

Don't you wish you were lounging around a pool?

I suppose I shouldn't admit that that was our occupation for the day..."pool loungers".

After all...I work very hard to dispel the "housewife" myth of lazy ladies who hang out in yoga pants all day and play on Facebook and have housekeepers and nanny's that do any actual "housewife" stuff. That's why I prefer terms like "homemaker"...or better yet..."domestic goddess"...

...of course, there isn't another activity that is more "goddess-like" than lounging around a pool with your girlfriends, sipping lemonade and eating fresh-cut fruit...

...but still...

ANYWAY...we were lounging and chatting and LAUGHING (which is my favorite part)...and talking about how we needed more stuff to do (yah right)...and we came up with this GREAT idea to host our own Iron Chef competition...

...we'd invite a few other choice ladies and have a monthly mini cook-off on the second Monday of every month, and choose a secret ingredient to "star" ...something easy and accessible to make great...

So today was our FIRST EVER Iron Chef Miami competition...and the secret ingredient was "tomatoes". We had GREAT entries...and after tasting some delicious entries, we voted, and crowned Tina Fabiano as our Iron Chef for October!! She won with her Capellini Caprese!! It was AWESOME!!

Doesn't everything look delicious?

This is Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup by Melodee Cooper. We topped it with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, and pepper jack cheese. Best of all...it was a Weight Watchers recipe!!

This is Tina Fabiano's WINNING entry, Capellini Caprese. She puts capers in it...which makes it amazing.

Heidi Tyler made Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini. So good...I ate four...

This is my entry...Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons...which I got from a recipe I found in Family Fun magazine a few months ago. It is WAY delish!!

We had a GREAT time...we tried everyone's dish and graded on presentation, originality, and taste. Then we tallied the points and named an Iron Chef!!

I'm posting all the recipes here on my blog!! So dig in!! Enjoy!! And we'll see you next month when I host our next Iron Chef competition...featuring "pumpkin"...

New Potato Summer Salad

Ahhh...another potato salad recipe...and this one is aptly named for the season in which the salads appearance is the most common.

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I used red potatoes...not necessarily "new" reds...but very small red's...because that's what I bought at the store and had to use. And this salad is great served chilled OR warm...so you can be pretty flexible if you forgot to make it in the am and have to whip it together real quick before dinner.

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New Potato Summer Salad

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3 lb. new potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup bacon bits (this recipe calls for those bacon bits you buy to top salads with...but you all know my love affair with bacon...so I went ahead and fried up a pound and added it in. It'll make the salad...but perhaps not your waistline... better. Just you try it and see...)

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1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1/4 Miracle Whip

2 tsp Dijon mustard

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1. Cook potatoes in boiling water 10 to 12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. Place in large bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, bacon bits, and basil; mix lightly.

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2. Mix remaining ingredients. Add to potato mixture; toss to coat. Cover.

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3. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled OR...

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...toss ingredients with still warm potatoes and serve WARM.

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courtesy Kraft foods

Baked Seafood Lasagna and Garden Vegetable Salad Stackers

In most of the U.S. of A, summer is winding down. School is starting. Days are cooling off.

But not in the Jungle. In the Jungle...summer is heating up.

I really miss Autumn. It's my favorite time to cook. I have more recipes suited for Fall than any other season (just think apples and squash...lots and lots and lots of apples and squash).

But here it's still WAY TOO HOT to start my Fall Favorites. So - I am hosting another FABULOUS summer recipe that I hope tantalizes taste buds no matter WHERE you live...yummy Baked Seafood Lasagna with a fresh Garden Vegetable Salad Stacker.

I didn't double the lasagna...it feeds 12. But you'll need to make enough Salad Stackers for everyone at your table. Incidentally, both these recipes are GREAT party recipes. The lasagna can be prepared ahead of time, and bake in the oven while you sit and enjoy your company. And they'll think you slaved away for HOURS...which of course you won't. And the Stackers work well as sides OR appetizers...they are VERY visually appealing...and again your culinary genius will be praised. Oh - and please pardon the paper plates...we are in the middle of moving...it just can't be helped.

But when you think about it...this IS a summer recipe...and who wants to do dishes in the summer, anyway?

Won't you feel good about yourself then?

Baked Seafood Lasagna

3 TBS butter

3 TBS flour

3 cups milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I actually used 1 cup...cause I'm a rebel like that)

1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

1 cup Cottage Cheese

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained

1/2 lb. fresh or thawed frozen cleaned medium shrimp, cooked, w/o tails ( I used more...my kids like shrimp)

2 cans (6 oz. each) crab meat, drained, flaked

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. add flour, stir with whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, mixing well after each addition. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese; set aside.

2. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, 2/3 cup Mozzarella, and the nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Spread 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles and layers of 1/2 EACH of the shrimp, crab meat, and then spinach mixture. Top with another 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce, and start the layers all over again (noodles, shrimp, crab meat, and spinach mixture). Top with remaining 3 lasagna noodles, remaining Parmesan cheese sauce, and the remaining 1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil.

4. Bake 25 minutes. Uncover, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until lasagna is heated through and top is browned (after the 20 minutes uncovered cooking time, I moved the lasagna to the bottom rack in the oven and turned on the broiler for a few minutes...just to get the cheese ca little toasty).

5. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 12 pieces. Serve.

Garden Vegetable Salad Stacker

2 large tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices

6 oz Mozzarella cheese, cut into 6 slices (I buy the pre-sliced stuff at CostCo)

1/3 cup Italian dressing

1 large red onion, cut into 6 slices

1 seedless cucumber, cut into 12 slices

6 fresh basil leaves (I forgot these...but they add to the presentation)

1. Place 6 tomato slices on platter; top each with 1 cheese slice. Drizzle with 1/2 dressing.

2. Top each stack with 1 onion slice, 2 cucumber slices and a second tomato slice.

3. Drizzle with remaining dressing; top with basil.

both of these recipes are courtesy Kraft foods

Bistro Chicken Salad and Roasted Tomatoes

I am running very, very behind. There are many things going on at once, and I'm just having a hard time keeping up. My house is a wreck (it's usually the first thing to go), I'm behind in my blogs, my laundry is seriously about to consume the kids closets, and I'm so irritable I've been picking fights with everyone from my hubby, to my son's fifth grade teacher, to a member of my Bishopric.

I think I need a "time-out".

All of that has absolutely nothing to do with dinner...I just wanted to share.

I made this two nights ago. Sorry I'm only getting it up now...this is a recipe whose bones I found on Kraftfoods.com and then tweaked my way. I served with Roasted Tomatoes (recipe following salad recipe), steamed asparagus, and some Italian bread. I also, like, tripled the recipe so there would be leftovers.

Bistro Chicken Salad

8 ounces farfalle pasta, uncooked

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins (whatever you got)

1/2 cup Italian dressing, divided

20 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves, sliced

1/4 to 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced

1/2 a red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup asparagus hearts (mine are already quartered, so I just put them in that way. Leave them whole or halve or quarter...whatever your pleasure)

8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

4 to 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (depending on taste)

4 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves

1. Cook pasta per package directions; drain but do not rinse

2. Brush chicken with a couple TBS of Italian dressing. Grill over medium/hot coals, brushing occasionally with more dressing, until cooked through. Cut into strips.

3. Toss pasta, chicken, tomatoes, peppers, onion, asparagus, basil, and cheese in a large bowl. Add Italian dressing and toss again (add more to taste, if desired). Place spinach on serving plates; top with pasta and chicken mixture.

Roasted Tomatoes

1 lb. Campari or Roma tomatoes

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

1 TBS chopped fresh herbs (basil,chives, and/or parsley)

1. Heat broiler. Place tomatoes, cut side up, in a greased broiler pan or foil pan. Top with dressing and cheeses. Cover with foil and place in broiler.

2. Broil about 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and bottoms are browned. take off foil and let cheeses brown for 30 seconds under broiler.

3. Sprinkle with herbs.

inspiration www.Kraftfoods.com, courtesy me

Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

I found this spectacular recipe the other day, and I just HAD to try it. Most of the soups I make have a decidedly fall or winter seasonal flair...but tomato soup is good in any season. The roasted tomatoes added a delicious rustic flavor, and I thought making the grilled cheese sandwiches that almost ALWAYS go with tomato soup into croutons was genius.

This recipe makes 10 cups, so there is no need to double.


Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Soup:

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I substituted this with two 14.5-ounce cans of Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes...which are a new product by Hunt's foods that I discovered while shopping for ingredients for this recipe.)
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Croutons:

6 slices bread
6 slices American cheese
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
about 1/2 tsp thyme

To Make Soup:

1. Heat oven to 400. On a baking sheet, combine cherry tomatoes, 2 TBS olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer.


Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35-45 minutes.


2. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice (here's where I added those fabulous canned roasted tomatoes...),


the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.


3. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting it boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grilled cheese croutons.

To Make Croutons:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine butter and thyme. Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter mixture.. Place 3 slices of bread in the pan, buttered side down. Top each with 2 slices of cheese, and then with the reamining 3 bread slices, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

2.Remove the sandwiches from the pan. Let them cool slightly, then cut them into 1-inch squares. makes about 60 croutons.

courtesy Family Fun magazine, who adapted it from "300 Sensational Soups" by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds.