It is HOT here today! I am house-sitting for my parents while they are on vacation up north and this morning I got started early. I mowed the lawn - somehow this feels like such an accomplishment! :-) Then I decided to make some fresh tomato soup with all the tomatoes my dad's ONE plant is producing. I have tomatoes and peppers coming out my ears! So below is my new tomato soup recipe - I have to say, it is delicious!

Ingredients:

6 large tomatoes, quartered (I think that is how many I used....I don't remember!)
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
1 red onion, large slices
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 inch)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
¾ cup of chicken broth
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup of minced basil plus some to garnish
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup sour cream

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add tomatoes, red onion, green pepper and 1 carrot to baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, and salt and pepper veggies. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring once. Meanwhile, add Vidalia onion to olive oil in a dutch oven (or large pot). Cool for 2 minutes, then add 1 carrot (diced). Cook on medium for 15 -20 minutes then add garlic and cool for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add roasted veggies to pot and add bay leaves and chicken broth. Simmer on low for 30 minutes, covered. Remove bay leaves, add basil, and using a blender, blend the mixture til smooth. Return to the pot and touch up with immersion blender if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste and then mix in sour cream. Serve with basil on top.

Beautiful day

I've been a hiding a little lately.  I feel like a hermit, a recluse, or some other crazy person who just wants to be by themselves.  I've always been fine going for days without talking to anyone, just being in my own little world and shutting everything out.  That's what it's been like the last few days.  I don't want to make contact. So sorry for no posts.  :-)

But today I worked outside in my mom's gardens - weeding, pruning, dead-heading, watering etc.  Oh it's been an absolutely beautiful day.  The sun has been shining and the blue sky has big puffy clouds - the kind that you want to stare at to see if you can make animals out of their shapes.  There is a cool breeze and across the street I can see the tops of the trees moving in the woods.  As I am sitting here on the patio listening to the birds and unfortunately the cicadas (ugh) a hummingbird popped by to say hello!  (Well, not to me, but to the red flowers along the patio wall!) 

I know I have lots of things to do (the list I made takes up one full page!) but I have a hard time getting motivated to do anything I "have" to do.  It's summer after all, and I will do things I "want" to do!  Soon school will be starting and the craziness that is teaching will take over my life.  Right now, I wish summer could last a few more weeks.