One of my favorite ways to cook a chicken is to roast it. In the Crock Pot, or in the oven, doesn’t really matter to me. It will taste great regardless. In our household, there are just two of us… OK, three, if you count the dog. He counts, right… Two of us eating meals, one of us cleaning the plates if he’s lucky. So when I make a whole chicken, I do it with the intention of having leftovers. I love cold, leftover chicken that’s eaten while standing in front of the fridge… warmed up is OK too. 🙂
You could basically make one chicken, say for your Sunday dinner, and reap the rewards of this delicious meal for the whole week! (Um… if you really do want to use it for every dinner meal in a week, even if there are just two of you, maybe cook up two chickens, just to be safe.)
If you’re like me, you probably don’t let much go to waste when it comes to the chicken. I make stock with the giblets, and after I’ve taken the meat off the bones, I make stock from the carcass (what a weird and grody word). With this chicken stock you can make:
And then there’s the pan drippings. You know, all that delicious goodness at the bottom of the roasting pan?! Yes, that. Don’t throw it away! Refrigerate it, skim off the fat, then use it to make gravy (like this Mushroom Gravy)! Or use it like a concentrated chicken stock.
Carla, asked about my chicken stock recipe. I couldn’t believe I didn’t have it on here, at least as it’s own separate post. Thanks Carla! Here it is!!
Tomato Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. Combined with Grilled Cheese, of course. I’m happy to buy the soup that’s in a box. It tastes good. I like it. But, you know that if I can, I like to make things myself. So, since tomatoes are in season and I have so many of them, why the heck not!?
If you’re wondering why I’m making soup when it’s 100 degrees out, it’s because I might possibly be insane. Or, because I can’t wait for fall to actually arrive. Or, because I just like soup. You choose. In any case, I’m making soup. You can watch me make it, and tuck this recipe away for a rainy day (ahh, wouldn’t a rainy day be just perfect with this meal?? Reminds me of when I was at camp when I was little, one of the two times I went… I didn’t love camp… and it was raining and we had grilled cheese and tomato soup…), or brave the heat and make it too. Or, maybe you live somewhere where the end of August really does bring cooler weather. In any case, I hope you make it and I really hope you enjoy it.
I’ve roasted carrots, tomatoes (duh), onion, and garlic. You could add other favorite veggies too! Summer squash, bell peppers, beets…
I blended it up with the Hand Blender that KitchenAid gave me (Woo hoo! Yay! Thanks!!). I’m crazy about this gadget, guys! It’s awesome, and it even comes in a case, so all the pieces can be stored together… more about it in another post, coming up soon. If you prefer to use a traditional blender, be my guest. But, please remove the middle plug part on the lid and cover it with a clean towel. This will allow steam to escape and the lid to not get all rubbery and fall into the blender, and hot soup to not fly all over you and your kitchen. No, I’m not joking. This happened to me. Now I know, and now I have a Hand Blender (that experience was precisely the reason why I got one).
This soup is delicious, friends! After I filmed and photographed, I wasn’t planning to eat more than a bite or two. Then before I knew it, the sandwich had been mostly devoured and there was just a drop of soup left. This happens often on filming days. Sometimes it’s because I’m so darn hungry. Most of the time, it’s because it’s so good that I just stand there at my little island and have “just one more bite”. I ate it twice yesterday, once already today, and I’m considering another bowl for second lunch. Husband liked it so much that he asked for another grilled cheese to go with his next helping. Always makes me feel great when he wants seconds.
Oh, and this is a fun way to sneak veggies in for those with picky eaters… they’ll never know it’s healthy because it tastes so good! Or maybe they will and they just won’t care.
Last modified on 2013-10-15 17:20:56 GMT. 2 comments. Top.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Recipe Type: Soup, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 4-6
Comforting, homemade tomato soup. Perfect for a chilly fall day.
Ingredients
10 tomatoes, each one cut in 6 or 8 pieces
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, tip chopped off
4 C veggie stock
1 1/2 C water (or stock)
1-2 t salt
3/4-1 t pepper
1 t sweet paprika
1 t fresh thyme
1/2 t dried oregano (or 1 t fresh)
1/3 C garlic chives
1/2 C basil
3 T balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 T heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or milk… whatever you use in your morning coffee) per bowl
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place onions and carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast veggies for about 30 minutes (carrots might not be tender, that’s OK, we’re par-baking them, as they will cook more later).
Add stock, thyme, oregano, garlic chives, paprika, salt, and pepper to soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until veggies are done roasting.
Add roasted veggies to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook 15-30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
Add basil and balsamic vinegar and cook 5 minutes more.
Using a hand blender (or a regular blender – if you do this method, please remove the plug in the lid and cover it with a towel instead, this allows steam to escape, and results in a non-disastrous soup making experience… trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way), submerge into soup, then begin to blend. Be careful, it may splash, and it’s very hot (I know you know this). Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a drizzle of good olive oil.
Serve it topped with a drizzle of cream, alongside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Notes
This soup will freeze and reheat well. To store, cool on counter for a while, then place in the refrigerator. Once it’s completely cooled, freeze in an airtight container. It can be reheated to use in pasta sauces, to add to Minestrone Soup, you could add pasta to it, other veggies, or just reheat it and have it with another grilled cheeeeeeese! You could also eat it chilled, as a Gazpacho.
Last modified on 2012-08-29 20:51:27 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Grilled Cheese
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Sandwich, Main or Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 8 mins
Total time: 13 mins
Serves: 1
A perfect compliment to tomato soup.
Ingredients
2 pieces of bread (frozen, opt.)
1 T olive oil (or unsalted butter)
salt
4-5 slices Gruyère cheese (or your favorite kind of cheese)
1 clove garlic (opt.) (or garlic salt, if you don’t want to use frozen bread)
Instructions
If you’re using garlic: Rub the garlic onto one side of each slice of the frozen bread. It should use almost a whole clove. (Or for non-frozen: sprinkle with garlic powder.)
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and spread the oil out evenly across the bread. Repeat on second slice of bread.
Top un-oiled side of one slice of bread with cheese. Close the sandwich and place in a pre-heated pan (over medium or medium-low heat). Cook until bread is slightly browned, flip, cook until cheese is melted and bread is browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Comforting, homemade tomato soup. Perfect for a chilly fall day.
Ingredients
10 tomatoes, each one cut in 6 or 8 pieces
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, tip chopped off
4 C veggie stock
1 1/2 C water (or stock)
1-2 t salt
3/4-1 t pepper
1 t sweet paprika
1 t fresh thyme
1/2 t dried oregano (or 1 t fresh)
1/3 C garlic chives
1/2 C basil
3 T balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 T heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or milk… whatever you use in your morning coffee) per bowl
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place onions and carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast veggies for about 30 minutes (carrots might not be tender, that’s OK, we’re par-baking them, as they will cook more later).
Add stock, thyme, oregano, garlic chives, paprika, salt, and pepper to soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until veggies are done roasting.
Add roasted veggies to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook 15-30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
Add basil and balsamic vinegar and cook 5 minutes more.
Using a hand blender (or a regular blender – if you do this method, please remove the plug in the lid and cover it with a towel instead, this allows steam to escape, and results in a non-disastrous soup making experience… trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way), submerge into soup, then begin to blend. Be careful, it may splash, and it’s very hot (I know you know this). Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a drizzle of good olive oil.
Serve it topped with a drizzle of cream, alongside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Notes
This soup will freeze and reheat well. To store, cool on counter for a while, then place in the refrigerator. Once it’s completely cooled, freeze in an airtight container. It can be reheated to use in pasta sauces, to add to Minestrone Soup, you could add pasta to it, other veggies, or just reheat it and have it with another grilled cheeeeeeese! You could also eat it chilled, as a Gazpacho.
4-5 slices Gruyère cheese (or your favorite kind of cheese)
1 clove garlic (opt.) (or garlic salt, if you don’t want to use frozen bread)
Instructions
If you’re using garlic: Rub the garlic onto one side of each slice of the frozen bread. It should use almost a whole clove. (Or for non-frozen: sprinkle with garlic powder.)
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and spread the oil out evenly across the bread. Repeat on second slice of bread.
Top un-oiled side of one slice of bread with cheese. Close the sandwich and place in a pre-heated pan (over medium or medium-low heat). Cook until bread is slightly browned, flip, cook until cheese is melted and bread is browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
