So here it is again Sunday night and I am planning what to cook next week.
I feel that I had been very busy last week and not completely right-in-the-head. Having my lower two wisdom teeth pulled really took it out of me.
I know it has almost been two weeks now, but it really hurt! Plus I have what the dentist thinks is a bone spur.
It is a little bump under my gum, the dentist says it will start to work its way out. When I feel something sharp, I can go back in and they will pull it out. Meanwhile, it causes me some pain.
I have a few started posts, but nothing finished, as I just couldn’t find the time last week. So I have nothing really to share with you, except my menu.
I did want to share this picture of Baby Sid, as it is food related.
You know those little puffs that they make for babies, the quick dissolving snack ones?
Well he was trying one for the first time. He loves to try to eat them, but doesn’t like the texture.
Last week I had my two lower wisdom teeth pulled. I had had the uppers pulled a few weeks ago.
The uppers weren’t that bad, in fact I was able to eat chicken for dinner that night. The pain got worse as the days went on, but it still wasn’t all that bad.
So I figured the lower ones would be no big deal. I am a pro now, after all.
Wrong!
Not only did it take longer for the extraction, but the pain was worse, and lasted longer. In fact, they are still sore and swollen.
Since I knew I was having them pulled, I planned on making this tomato soup and these grilled cheese sandwiches. I originally thought it was great that the recipe used a crock-pot. However, it seemed unnecessary, since you have to make a roux, and add it before serving. Really you just have to cook the veggies.
So I clicked back through all the links and found a stove-top recipe. Which I ended up altering, a little.
Now, if you know me, you know I am not a fan of soup. I don’t like the liquid with chunks in it. And I don’t like vegetables. And I don’t like soggy stuff.
But blended soups, like tomato soup, I can tolerate.
I have this handy-dandy soup blender. Which to date I have mostly used to make baby food. I figured it was perfect for this.
I was going to make a smaller batch, but changed my mind. I am glad I did, because I couldn’t eat for the next 3 days and the soup was perfect!
Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Ingredients:
oil for sauteing
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz (or 3 cups) diced tomatoes with juices
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil, or 4 Tbsp fresh
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups half and half, warmed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup parmesan-romano cheese blend, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
Directions:
Saute carrots, onions and garlic in oil, over medium heat until onions are soft.
Add oregano, basil, bay leaf and tomatoes. Stir for a minute, pour into blender with chicken broth.
Turn heat on high and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for about 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For Stove Top: After sauteing vegetables add herbs, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-30 minutes.
While soup is simmering prepare roux. Melt butter over low heat in a sauce pan. Add flour and stir until mixed.
Slowly whisk in one cup of hot soup. Add another 1-2 cups of soup, whisk constantly. Add mixture back to the rest of the soup, in blender or soup pot. Simmer while constantly stirring until soup thickens.
The blender is not big enough for all 6+ cups of soup, so I had to add the warm cream in a separate bowl. Blending in two parts.
Remove bay leaf and blend until desired consistency is reached. Add parmesan cheese and blend until cheese is incorporated.
For Stove Top: Whisk in cheese, stir until cheese is incorporated. If you want a smooth soup transfer to a blender at this point. It is fine to serve as a chunky soup too.
Add warmed cream, salt and pepper, simmer another 15 minutes.
Serve with cheese on top and saltine crackers, if desired.
Ian’s Portion of our dinner
Meal Plan 4/22-4/28
Mon: I will be gone so the boys are fending for themselves
I kept asking my husband if he was sure we didn’t need to go pick our taxes up and sign something. He kept telling me that it was all electronic this year (this is the first year we don’t have a bunch of stuff that makes e-filing impossible). I got a call on Sat, “this is a reminder you need to mail your state taxes in on Monday, so come by this weekend and pick them up”….
Once again it was a very busy weekend for us. While I never made it to the store, I was able to make a meal plan for the next couple weeks. Which includes a day for making baby food.
Baby Sid has graduated to a highchair. I am not as pleased about this as I should be, simply because we have no space in our dinning room for our highchair. It has these folding legs that form a very large triangle. It takes up SO much space.
But he is super cute in it. And Ian is happy to have him at the table.
It is nice that he can sit with us at restaurants now
even if he does want to use the table as a chew toy…
Sometimes when I cook I don’t really use recipes. This is gonna be that kinda week. So my plan might help you with some ideas, but not so much with actual recipes. Oh, and we are using a lot of hamburger meat…
Menu Plan 4/8-4/14
Mon: Spaghetti, no not the kind from a jar, but the kind I don’t have a recipe for
I Tri and Craft 