Tomato Bisque Soup (4 Ingredients and Easy!)

I love Tomato Soup!   This soup is creamy, tomato-y and savory.  Even my picky 6 and 3 year old kids clean their bowls with this!

A few years ago I was introduced to Tomato Bisque while eating lunch at work, and ever since I have been trying find ways to recreate it.  I happened onto a recipe a while ago, but it was complicated and dirtied a bunch of dishes and then you had to blend it in batches to get rid of chunks and took way more time than I wanted to spare.  I created this recipe on a happy accident and it turned out almost identical to the one I have been searching for and only took a fraction of the time!

Ingredients:

2 24oz Jars of Mezzetta brand Homemade Marinara Sauce*
8oz Cream (1 small carton heavy whipping cream)
1/4 cup finely shredded Carrot
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Pepper to taste.  (No salt, the sauce has salt already and the parmesan gives it the savory flavor)

Dump the jars of marinara sauce into a large saucepan.  Add in cream and carrot (I use a tiny cheese grater or a microplane to grate mine). Bring to a simmer until the carrot is soft, stirring often.  Add in parmesan cheese and stir until melted into the soup.  Serve hot and enjoy!

* I have been trying out many different kinds of Spaghetti sauces for two reasons: 1- My husband hates it.  2- I have become very aware of ingredients and what is good and what is honestly unnecessary.  I found this Mezzetta brand and saw that the ingredient list is pure ingredients, there are no preservitives, and no high fructose corn syrup.  Just real ingredients.  I made it into spaghetti and after trying the sauce I thought wow, this would be a good soup just by itself...lightbulb... and here we are.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

4 Stars
Age: 15 and up

I've put off reading this book for a long time, I didn't think it sounded all that good.  But like I have mentioned in other posts I have been going through a dry spell with good books.  So when it was suggested to me again I decided to give it a try.

This book was flat out enjoyable!  I love it when the heroine follows her own rules and doesn't care what the 'betters' think.  I found myself grinning in several parts at America's actions.  I will most definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Other than excessive paragraph breaks within quotations I thought the book was well thought out and her writing style is easy to follow.  There is humor and intrigue, people you want to love and people you want to slap.  I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Content: There is less than a handful of light swearing and a few make out scenes.  Overall clean, I would be fine letting my daughter read this.

Carolina Vinegar Based Coleslaw

Carolina Coleslaw (Vinegar Based)

I love a good side salad, and I love the peppery zip of Coleslaw.  I am finding the older I get the more I like the taste of the vinegar based rather than the cream based.  It gives it a little more tang and a lot less calories.  Plus where I am from in the west it's not very common so it's fun to hear people say 'well that's different, I like it.'  Pair it on the side of - or even better, on top of a pulled pork sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 bag of Coleslaw.  (I don't shred my own... you can if you want...)
1 TBSP Rice Vinegar
3 TBSP Cider Vinegar
1T +1tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Chicken Bullion Granules
1 TBSP Olive Oil

In a large bowl combine everything but the Coleslaw.  Stir for a minute or two until the granules are mostly dissolved.  Add in Coleslaw.  Mix well until evenly coated in dressing.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, stirring occasionally. 

I have found that it needs at least 3 hours to sit so the flavors blend together better.  At first taste when fresh, it's honestly not good...It needs the time for the sugar to work.  if you like it sweeter add in more sugar a little at a time and let it sit.  You can prepare this a few hours in advance or even up to the day before, it will retain the crunch.

Wake by Amanda Hocking

4 Stars
Age: 14 and up.
*** I no longer recommend this series for any age ***

This is the first book in a couple of weeks that I actually enjoyed. The fantasy is solid, the characters are mostly believable, and there is an actual plot that's not very predictable. (Can you tell I've been through a dry spell?)

The ending surprised me and also left me wondering what is going to happen, I will be checking out book two when I go to the library next.

I wish there was a better division between perspectives, but all the perspectives were a good thing, it added to the sub-plot which really starts to build in this first book.

There are a few swear words, and some kissing.  There is a touch of graphic descriptions concerning a crime scene.  I would let my teenager read this.

***Edit 5/20/16***

I recently started book 2 "Tidal"

I was disgusted!

Heavy swearing including F- words.  I closed the book halfway through after there was a deal for sex.  I didn't even finish book.  I no longer recommend this series!!!

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale

3 Stars
Age: 10 and up

I've read all of Shannon Hale's books and I have noticed one consistency:  Her book 1 is always fantastic, and her follow up novels aren't.

This one was better than the second book, but still didn't live up to the first.  It had the potential to be really good, but it's the political undertone that ruins it for me.  All in all a good read for a young girl.

A tiny bit of kissing, a bit of fighting, but very clean.  I would let my daughter read the whole series.

Bacon Tomato Cream Cheese Pizza

Bacon Tomato Cream Cheese Pizza

This is one of my favorite summer meals! It looks gourmet on a plate, but it is one of the easiest meals to put together.  It's served cold, and only takes a few minutes to throw together, so it is perfect for the hot summer days, and there is nothing better than the classic combination of bacon and tomatoes!


Ingredients:

1 recipe of your favorite pizza crust.*
Garlic Salt
2 Small Tomato's sliced thinly
12 oz Bacon, cooked and crumbled
4-5 Green Onions/Scallions, chopped
8oz Spreadable Plain Cream Cheese
Black Pepper

If your crust is homemade, allow it to cool completely.  Spread the cream cheese evenly over the top of the crust.  Sprinkle with a light layer of garlic salt.  Top with the tomatoes, bacon and green onions.  Sprinkle with black pepper.  I don't use regular salt because I use the garlic salt and I find the bacon is salty enough.  Cut into pieces and enjoy!

* I use the Six Sisters copycat papa johns pizza crust recipe that I cut down to 1/3 of the original size.  I have baked this in my oven and I have also baked it on my grill.  It's my favorite crust!