Soup in the summer?

While I was on the Morning Star (the live-aboard I was on in The Bahamas) we were served many delicious meals. My favorite was the creamy tomato soup. I've never been much of a soup in the summer kind of girl. I always just thought of it as a winter food. When we were served soup and sandwiches for lunch one day I decided to go ahead and try the soup. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It was the best soup I think I've ever tasted! I immediately asked Chef John for the recipe and he just kind of laughed at me and said, "It's just creamy tomato soup." He was nice enough to pass the recipe on though and last week I made it for my family. It pretty much tasted the same...except I accidentally put too much salt in it. I also made my favorite pasta salad and BLT's.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for the creamy tomato soup, which I am now calling:

Famous Chef John's Creamy Tomato Soup

Olive oil
3 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 64oz can Tomato Juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 quarts Heavy Cream
1 large can diced tomatoes
Dry basil, to taste
Garlic Salt, to taste
White Pepper, to taste
Kosher Salt, to taste
1 tsp sugar

Sautee the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Put the tomato juice and sauteed vegetables in a blender and puree.

Mix the puree mixture, heavy cream, and can of diced tomatoes in a large pot. Add the seasonings to taste and heat over low to medium heat until hot, stirring frequently.
Viola! That's it! Oh, and I must say...this version of the recipe will feed A LOT of people! I suggest you half it. I halved it and there were still plenty of leftovers (I fed 5 with it).

Now the recipe for my favorite pasta salad!

Brooke's Favorite Pasta Salad

1 16oz box of Garden Rotini (the multi-colored pasta)
1 block of mild cheddar cheese
1 block of mozzarella cheese
1 block of Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
1 package of Pepperoni
2 - 3 small cans of sliced black olives, drained
1 bottle of Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. While the pasta is cooking cut the cheese into small squares and cut the pepperoni slices in half. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Put the pasta in a bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients. Use as much dressing as you like (I usually use 1/2 - 3/4 of the bottle.) Another ingredient I sometimes add is halved cherry tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.

Dinner with good company

For about a month or so my sisters and I have been setting aside one night a week to get together and have dinner. We take turns at each others houses. A couple weeks ago we had it at my house and I made Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas. We were on a Mexican "kick" for a couple of weeks...Tacos at Raine's one week and Enchiladas at my place the next. Who doesn't love Mexican food though, right? Okay, I'm sure there are a few strange people out there that don't like it, but I think Mexican food is DELICIOUS! It's even better when you can enjoy it with good company! :) Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of my sisters and I...just the food. Tonight we had dinner at Quinn's. She made BBQ chicken, pasta salad, and rice. It was yummy. Still no pictures of us girls though. I'll have to remember next time!

Anyway, I found the recipe on my favorite cooking/baking site, Recipe Zaar. This is where I find many of my recipes. You can pretty much find any recipe on this site. I love it! The good thing about the Cheese and Chicken Enchilada recipe is that it can be made as a OAMC (once a month cooking) recipe! I ended up freezing half.

Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup picante sauce
3 ounces neufchatel cheese (1/3 fat free cream cheese)
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups bottled green taco sauce
flour tortillas

I put 4-5 frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot. I then covered the chicken in picante sauce and cooked on high for 4 hours. I then used two forks to shred the chicken. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat over low heat. Mix the chicken, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, picante sauce, and cream cheese. Add to the skillet and cook until cheese begins to melt. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling on each tortilla and roll up. Place enchiladas (seam side down) in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with taco sauce and remaining cheese. (At this point you can freeze some if you want. Just put them in the freezer until hard and then bag them. To cook, just thaw in the fridge and bake.) Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

"A sister is a forever friend." ~ Unknown

"It is better to be alone than in bad company." ~ George Washington

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream...cake!

I'm behind in blogging because I didn't have Internet at my house for about 1 1/2 weeks, so there may be quite a few blogs in the next few days...or maybe not. We'll see.

So, a couple weeks ago Pacen participated in his First Holy Communion. For those of you that don't know, First Communion is a Catholic ceremony. Yes, my family is Catholic. All of my grandparents are Catholic, except my Grandpa Herren who is non-denominational. I was raised Catholic and confirmed into the Catholic Church when I was a junior in High School, but I don't practice it. A choice I made when I realized how many different religions there are in the world and started questioning what I believe. My mom is bound and determined that I raise Pacen as a Catholic and since I don't attend church or practice the Catholic religion (something she has finally accepted) she has taken over in the religion department of Pacen's life. So far he doesn't mind (he doesn't like going to church, but what kid does?) and if he chooses to follow in my footsteps in the future that's just fine. A person has every right to believe what they want and follow any religion they want.

Pacen with Father Berger

Okay, enough about religion. To help Pacen's celebration better I made him a home-made ice cream cake. I found a recipe that was similar to Dairy Queen's ice cream cake (supposedly) and went from there. So, my recipe is as follows:

Similar to DQ's Ice Cream Cake

2 quarts ice cream (one Vanilla and the other any flavor you want. I used Moose Tracks.)
Oreos (or cheap version)
Fudge topping (comes in a jar)
1 recipe Whipped Cream Frosting

Put a 10" springform pan in the freezer. While the pan is chilling take the Vanilla ice cream out of the freezer to soften (15 minutes or so). When the ice cream is soft, but not runny, remove the pan from the freezer and quickly (yeah right) spread Vanilla ice cream around the pan wall (not too thick but not too thin...maybe around 1/8") with a rubber spatula. (I had to put the pan back in the freezer a few times before I was able to cover the entire wall.) When the wall is completely covered put the pan back in the freezer.

Now remove the other ice cream from the freezer to soften. Remove the pan and empty the entire quart of other ice cream into the pan and spread evenly. Put the pan back in the freezer.

Crush some Oreos in a bowl (slightly large chunks). I don't know how many Oreos I used so go with what you think would cover the first layer of ice cream. Now pour some fudge topping in the crushed Oreos and mix well (again use as much as you think is necessary).

Take the pan out of the freezer and pour the Oreo/Fudge mixture over the first layer of ice cream and spread evenly.

Since your Vanilla ice cream is already soft (probably way soft by now) pour the rest of the quart on top of the Oreo's and spread evenly. Put the pan back in the freezer. Now whip up a recipe of the Whipped Cream Frosting. If you are planning on using different colors go ahead and mix your colors and put the colored frosting in pastry bags. Remove the cake from the freezer and put a layer of white (or whatever color) frosting on top of the Vanilla ice cream and spread evenly. Put back in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove and finish decorating.

(I took the following picture after I transported the cake to Harrison and the cooler I had it in (DQ ice cream cake cooler) touched the letters and screwed it up.)

When you are done store it in the freezer until it's time to eat! :)

Look at all the layers! (From bottom to top: Moose Tracks, Oreo/Fudge, Vanilla, and Whipped Cream Frosting)

"My advice to you is not inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it's on your plate." ~ Thornton Wilder

Surprise!

Friday evening after I got off work Quinn and I headed to Breckenridge, CO to surprise an old friend of ours. The friend we surprised was Matt Seidel. He grew up in Crawford, NE, which is only 30 miles or so from Harrison (the town I grew up in). We've been friends for 10+ years and he is just an all-around awesome guy (super nice, hilarious, etc). He moved to Sacramento, CA a few years ago or so and ended up joining a band. Arden Park Roots. They released their first album last year and this year they went on their first tour. They also have another band, The Livin's Easy, which is a Sublime Tribute Band. They do awesome with their own music and with Sublime's. Anyway, I've been wanting to see them play for quite some time and when I found out they were going to be in Colorado I was stoked! Many of their shows were on weeknights and the shows that were fairly close to where I live were taking place while I was in The Bahamas. Luckily their final Colorado show was in Breckenridge on a Friday night.

After 5 1/2 hours of driving (and giving my sister a major panic attack with my driving skills) we made it to the Three20South bar where the band was playing for the night. We got there at just the right time. The band was just getting ready to play so we got to say hi to Matt before they started. Unfortunately, our surprise was ruined. Matt had heard we were coming just a couple hours before we got there. By some odd coincidence Matt's mom and our dad ran into each other and dad told her about Quinn and I driving down to see Matt. Apparently neither knew it was a surprise so she called Matt and let him know. :) Oh, well. He was still happy to see us.

The band(s) did great and it was so awesome to see Matt in action (he plays the guitar)! The only downfalls of the trip were the fact that it was a very fast trip (we had to be in Harrison by 7:00 Saturday night for Pacen's 1st Communion) and we ended up staying in a creepy Motel. The Motel looked nice online when I made the reservations, but it turned out to be pretty trashy. I slept with a can of pepper spray next to me and Quinn slept with my softball bat, aka Baby Blue, next to her. We also had my self-defense class moves to protect us. :) Nothing happened, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, right.

So, everyone, be sure to check out Matt's bands. You can find Arden Park Roots here and The Livin's Easy here.

Quinn, Matt, and I

Matty in action!

Quinn and I with a creepy statue thing. :)

Our creepy motel room. (It was way worse than it looks)

"Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us." ~ Boris Pasternak

"The secret to humor is surprise." ~ Aristotle

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I think it's safe to say The Bahamas helped me get back to my old self (not completely, but pretty close). For a while I didn't feel like doing anything in the kitchen...not even eating, let alone baking or cooking, which is not like me at all. Last night I broke my "baking/cooking dry spell" (that lasted a month) by baking a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, from scratch.

Pacen has been asking me to make something with the Rhubarb that is growing in our backyard, and since I've never baked with fresh Rhubarb, or any Rhubarb for that matter, I kept putting him off. Well, I finally decided it was time to try and make something with the small bounty in our backyard. I debated on whether to make Rhubarb Crisp (one of my favorites) or Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (another favorite, but not quite up there with the Crisp). Since I'd just bought some Strawberries from the store the day before, I decided to go with the pie. It turned out okay. Yeah, just okay. Pacen loved it and gave me an A+. I'm glad he liked it, but I just felt something was missing. Maybe it wasn't sweet enough. I just don't know. Oh, well.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, red, 1 inch slices
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups strawberries, fresh, sliced ( I used about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup enriched flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp corn starch (to keep the filling from being too runny)

Let eggs sit out for around 15 minutes so they can get close to room temperature. Combine the eggs, sugar, flour, salt, and nutmeg; mix well. Combine the strawberries and rhubarb and let them sit for a while too. (You can make your pie crust at this time so you're not just sitting there waiting. The recipe I use for pie crust is below.) Line 9" glass pie plate with pastry, fill with fruits. Pour egg mixture over the fruit. Dot with butter. Top with lattice crust, crimping the edge high. Cover the edges of the crust with tin foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Pre-baked

After it was baked. (Yes, I am aware that I need to work on my crust edges.)

Mmmm, looks yummy

Most Incredible No Fail Pie Crust
(This crust is so easy to make and takes no time at all!)

3 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
5 Tbsp cold water
1 tsp vinegar

Cut together flour, shortening and salt until it resembles small peas. (If you don't have a pastry blender/cutter, like me, use a whisk. Yup, a whisk. Works for me!) Combine the egg, water, and vinegar and gradually add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened and soft dough forms. Divide into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Roll out and use with your favorite pie recipe. (I roll on a slightly floured surface.)






So there you have it...I am no longer a Rhubarb baking virgin. :) It was actually easier to work with than I thought it would be, so from now on instead of mowing over my Rhubarb plants, I'll actually take the time to pick it and use it.

Rhubarb Pie-Ku
"The knotted leaf Unfurled to red stalk
Cleaves the earth with such happiness" ~ Anne Dimock

Paradise

Well, I've been back from The Bahamas since Saturday and I miss it so much! I fell in love.

I fell in love with the crystal clear water.

I fell in love with the sea life.

I fell in love with sailing (I already loved sailboats, but now I know for sure that sailing is definitely for me).

I fell in love with almost everything about The Bahamas. (The traffic is something to be desired and Nassau is a little dirty, but everything else I saw was amazing.)

I've been obsessed with the Ocean since I can remember and I've always felt that I was meant to be near the Ocean. Now I know for a fact that I want to be near the Ocean. I want to move somewhere warm that offers great diving. Some place that has the crystal clear water, the abundant sea life, and that's oozing with personality.

As for the trip...it was AMAZING! I lived on a sailboat (The Morning Star) for a week and it was great! We headed South from Nassau along The Exumas (some out islands). The furthest South we went was Staniel Cay. Staniel Cay is home to Club Thunderball. For those of you who are James Bond fanatics, you know that Thunderball was filmed in various areas of Staniel Cay. We spent port night at Club Thunderball watching one of the NBA Finals games. While at Staniel Cay we got to snorkel in a cave under an island...it was awesome! We mostly stayed on the West side of the islands, but a few times we went East of the islands to do some wall dives. The first couple times we did this we encountered very rough seas. Only one person got sea sick...and it wasn't me! I got "rocked" to sleep and sunburned my back bad! As long as we were on the West side of the islands everything was smooth.

Here's a map of The Exumas

I made 12 dives the whole trip and saw numerous kinds of sea creatures, including an Eel, Sea Turtle, Sharks, many Grouper, Angel Fish, Flamingo Tongue, Conch, Rays, and the list goes on! I made my first night dive, first wreck dive, first drift dive, and first dive over 60'. All the dives were awesome, but my favorite was when we saw the Sea Turtle. She was beautiful! Some other things we got to do were feed the Iguanas on Allan's Cay and feed the swimming pigs near Staniel Cay. I saw the most beautiful sunsets and the stars were absolutely breathtaking (on the nights it was clear) as was the full moon reflecting off the Ocean.

Pretty much everyone on the trip was cool. There were a couple people who were annoying, but I guess that to be expected. The crew was absolutely amazing! Grayson was our captain, John was the chef, Adam was the master diver, and Jamie and Mike were engineers/mates. They all made the trip very enjoyable and made sure we all had a good time.

Thursday night when we got back to Nassau the crew took some of us to a bar called Crazy Johnny's. Crazy Johnny's plays mostly 70s and 80s rock and we danced our butts off! It was a BLAST! I was sad to leave and if I didn't have the responsibility of a child I think I would've stayed! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, thus far. I can't wait to go back!

The Morning Star!

Crystal Clear blue waters in the Exumas.

The water was like glass this day!

Beautiful Bahamian Sunset

Captain Grayson doing a trick with an orange. He made it float & spin in mid-air using a SCUBA tank.

Grayson with a Grouper he speared while free diving.

Isn't she majestic

Pretty fish

Shark dive!

This is in the cave at Staniel Cay. The sun was shining through a hole in the ceiling onto the coral. So pretty!

"The reason I love the sea I cannot explain — it’s physical. When you dive you begin to feel like an angel. It’s a liberation of your weight." ~ Jacques-Yves Cousteau

"It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage." ~ George William Curtis

2 days!

Two days left until I'm here.
Nassau, Bahamas. (Thank you sumolounge from flickr for the use of the picture.) I can't wait. I will be living on one of these for a week!
The company that owns those boats is Blackbeard Cruises. I found out about this trip through Western Divers. Western Divers is where I became SCUBA certified. If you haven't ever gone SCUBA diving before I suggest you try it sometime! It is so fun and relaxing. I'm hoping this trip helps to get Kurtis off my mind for a while (at least a week anyway).

I'm ready for sunshine (it's been dreary here). I'm ready to feel the ocean breeze on my face. I'm ready to feel the sand on my feet. I'm ready to see the full moon reflecting off the ocean (it's suppose to be full while I'm there). I'm ready to relax. I'm ready to dive. I'm ready to sail. I'm ready for fresh sea food. I'm ready for Rum and fun! I'll be sure to post pictures after I return.