There’s something about the onset of Autumn that brings out a deep need for me to make soup. Winter has its slow cooked meals and stews, summer is for smoking and grilling and spring is for whatever fresh greens might be coming up, but Autumn and Fall are for soups, the heartier the better. The closer to winter it gets, the heartier the soups get, but right at this point, when temperatures in the early mornings are in the fifties and afternoons are in the eighties, it’s time for lighter fare, usually vegetable or fish. It’s a time of year I wait for, and now it’s here.

I got the idea for this dish from my herb garden.  My basil has grown into a jungle and the oregano is doing fairly well.  With ten pounds of herbs outside, I figured I’d best find a way to start putting a dent in it.  Since basil and tomatoes go so well together, it seemed obvious that I needed to toss a tomato-basil soup together and I wanted a thin soup to dip the crusty rolls in.  My wife is a huge fan of zucchini, so that addition was a no-brainer. The rest was just seat of my pants cooking at its best, the kind that produces something that is far more than you expected, but with very little effort. In a way it’s the perfection of keeping the soul of your ingredients pure, and purely enjoyable as well.

I hope you try and enjoy!

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Tomatoes pack a huge amount of flavor into a very small package. so much so that there is not much need to “guild the lilly”, to turn a phrase.  I made this dish as a side for the tomato glazed chicken we had the other night, but then had to make it again yesterday as a light lunch for myself.

The flavors are more than enough to stand up to being the main course in a light, healthy summertime meal, but if you’re in the mood for something a bit more substantial, just add a few greens and a basil vinaigrette for a wonderful baked tomato salad.  How about using these little gems on your next burger?

I used a mix of Colby and Monterey Jack because that’s what I happened to have lying about at the time, but there’s no reason that this has to be made with those cheeses. If you don’t like Colby and Jack on your tomato, use what you like, this is the perfect vehicle for experimentation! Use some goat cheese and thyme instead for a bit more of a Greek flavor.  Try some pecorino or asiago.  How about a little muenster with a bit of fresh oregano or sage?  The choices are yours.  Please use this recipe as a guideline and create something wonderful with it!

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Fall is just about upon us. Cooler weather has settled in over much of the country. Most of my fellow food bloggers have broken out recipes for braised, slow cooked foods that highlight the best ingredients that fall, or at least late Autumn, has to offer in their area. Looking over their recipes has me dreaming of cool afternoons and a dutch oven simmering over low heat, waiting to offer up its succulent slow cooked contents for our family, and my son’s first taste of braised pork roast or slow roasted chicken.

Here in the great state of Texas, we’re still dealing with 90 degree days, but the mornings are foreshadowing cooler days to come. The cravings for more winter-esque foods are becoming increasingly pronounced as the days get shorter, and yesterday I caved in to them.

Tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich is not only the perfect cool weather lunch, though the combination has definitely been one of the most common in my household for years. The two together are also a quintessential American comfort food meal of nearly epic proportions, so I doubt too many people will find it surprising that I chose this combination for my first officially “fall” dish.

I won’t go into the sandwich in this entry, as it was a simple Muenster sandwich browned in olive oil. The star of the show is the soup and it is what deserves our attention here. Thick, rich and so very satisfying that it could almost be called a tomato stew, and could definitely be used as a sauce, it’s a far cry from anything you’ve had out of a can, and more than worth the trouble to make, I assure you.

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Blame it on Elise Bauer. I do. I was browsing through my favorite food blogs recently and came across a photo and recipe at Simply Recipes that made me stop and drool profusely. Not only did her Tarragon Tuna Melt make me want to run to the kitchen and get cooking, and once again her photography skills brought out the green eyed monster in me. (Down, Boy!)

I love tuna melts. They’re simple, filling and scrumptious, in essence, the perfect lunch. It took a few days for me to get around to it, but I finally assembled my version of this absolutely fabulous sandwich. In fact, we’ve had them twice in the past two weeks, so I’m confident in proclaiming it was a hit with my wife as well.

Elise’s recipe called for cheddar and while I’m a fan, I prefer a lighter flavor with my tuna. I’m also not particularly fond of tomatoes with it, so I modified the recipe a bit. (Who would have thought that I’d ever do that!?!) I used low fat mayo instead of “real” mayonnaise to cut the cholesterol content a bit, and I prefer to brown up bread in olive oil rather than butter. I just like the flavor and texture more, not to mention that it’s a bit better for you.

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An omelet can be a cook’s signature dish or worst nightmare. When everything goes properly, the result of a simple mix of beaten eggs, milk and seasoning becomes something more than the sum of its parts. A lighter than air collection of flavors and textures that can make any true foodie cry.

Of course, tears can be shed if things go wrong as well.

That’s my story for this morning. Something went wrong. I’m going to blame my dishwasher, which obviously left a residue in my normally reliable EmerilWare. Instead of sliding gracefully from the pan onto the plate, the otherwise perfect omelet slid gently out of the skillet to right about the half way point , then skidded to an abrupt halt and folded all over itself, leaving me with something that definitely did not look as appetizing as it should have. (I won’t blame the fussy baby, though he was distracting me just a bit at the time.)

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