Minted and Tiny Prints

I'm kind of loving Minted and Tiny Prints these days.  These two companies make my life so easy! First, I just received my box of Christmas cards (in late August...this is a first for me) after taking advantage of their 30% off sale.  Then I just got a little box of personalized cards FREE + the cost of shipping. I found out about these over at Two Ellie.  

I would like to think I will have these addressed and sent on December 1.  It's a nice thought...we'll see.

Head on over to Minted for your free box of personalized cards.  But hurry up, offer ends September 23.

Super Simple Tomato Sauce

I make a tomato or marinara sauce all the time, but I've never really had a go to recipe that I absolutely loved.  Last weekend I googled "simple tomato sauce" and up popped something from Smitten Kitchen.  Maybe I'm the only one that doesn't already know about this fabulous recipe, but if you haven't tried it, I urge you to try it right away!  It's that good.

When I read Deb's post from Smitten Kitchen about this sauce it led me to all the others who are total foodies and how much they love it too.  It seems almost too good to be true because it's so easy.  These are the ingredients:  One can of San Marzano tomatoes,  5 ounces of butter and one onion, peeled and cut in half.  That's it.  You put this all into a heavy pot, I used a 2 3/4 quart Le Creuset.  Let it come to a boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes.  I let it cool slightly and then blended it in two batches in a blender.  My kids really like it smooth.

This is what it looks like after the onion is removed, blended and then put back into the pot until we were ready to eat.

and about 9 minutes later, we were ready for dinner.

We did not have a lot leftover, but just enough for my daughter for a snack after after golf.  She reheated in the microwave and dipped fresh bread like it was soup.  YUM!

 

easy summer dinner

There are times when I use frozen puff pastry all the time and then for whatever reason....months go by and I forget all about it.  Our neighbors gave us some zucchini and summer squash and being the slacker that I have been lately....I really really wanted to make dinner from stuff we had around the house or in the freezer.  As luck would have it, we had frozen puff pastry in the freezer. 

I scored the edge of the puff pastry and used a fork to prepare the puff pastry inside the edge of the pastry.  I drizzled a little olive oil and then spread a small amount of tomato puree inside the edge.  I then added about 1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese.

My sweet husband used the mandoline (the one kitchen tool that scares me to death) to cut very thin slices of zucchini and summer squash and I arranged them side by side because the diameter of the summer squash and zucchini were different sizes.  I added a little more olive oil, salt and pepper and fresh thyme.  We baked it just until the edges browned.  maybe 25 minutes or so.

It was delicious and so easy!  Gotta love Pepperidge Farm puff pastry.

as summer begins to fade...the colors turn to yellow, gold and rust

I pass by this shop on Pacific Coast Highway everyday and love to see what they have out front.  You can tell the summer is coming to a close when the flowers are going from vibrant hues of red and hot pinks to shades of yellow and gold.

The colors around my house are getting more muted too...not as much red.

Nothing makes me happier than the mailbox full of new magazines...just in time for the weekend.

Everything is getting softer inside and out...as we get ready for cooler weather.  I love the fall and I can't help but miss the crisp feel in the air once summer begins to slip away.  There's something about the seasons and seeing one go to the next that just feels right.  There are seasons in Southern California, but not like the East Coast.

I must be ready for fall before it's time...I was at Roger's Gardens and there were no mums to be found.  I was able to change my pots from red geraniums to a bit of yellow for only a few dollars...these plants won't last long, but just til I can find a yellow mum plant.

corn and lobster soup + a summer sky

 It was the perfect night to have dinner on the patio and just as we were about to serve...the sky turned to shades of pink.  The temperature was just right to enjoy a dinner of corn chowder and crusty warm bread.

You can see the glow from the pink sky reflecting on the white bowls.

Lobster and corn soup with fingerling potatoes and fresh chives.

1.  We removed the corn from 5 ears of corn and sauteed the corn with one onion, chopped and two garlic cloves, minced in olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 35 minutes or until corn is tender.  2.  In a large pot of water, bring to a boil the reserved corn ears cut in half and the lobster tail shells.  Simmer for 30 minutes and strain through a fine sieve removing everything but the liquid.  You will use about 6 cups of this as fish (lobster) stock.  3.  Once the corn and onion mixture is ready, in small batches puree the corn mixture and stock in a blender.  Remember to remove the cap on the lid of the blender and cover with a heavy dish towel.  Reserve about 1/2 cup of the corn mixture to add texture to the soup.  Return to the pot with the reserved corn and add the cooked lobster tail meat cut into bite size pieces.  4.  Cook small potatoes just until fork tender, drain and cool.  When cool enough to handle, cut into half or quarters depending on size and add to the soup.  5.  Cook over medium heat until warm.  Stir in chives and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Note:  We used frozen lobster tails.  We added the shells to the water with the corn husks to make the stock.  This cut down significantly on the prep time and the soup still had wonderful flavor.

Fresh corn, fingerling potatoes, onion and garlic from the farmer's market and chives from the garden.

Just another beautiful day in Southern California

Strands Beach, Dana Point, CA.  Photos by Ryan Donahue.

What's your favorite summer time appetizer?

This was a big hit on the bluff this summer.  Easy on the go...a baguette or crackers, fig jam and Manchego cheese.

I was reading Sue's post today from The View from Great Island and she had a great idea for an appetizer.  One that you can make ahead, store in the refrigerator or freezer and pull it out as you need it.  Check out her homemade crackers.