Goodbye Summer

The summer is wrapping up for us here in Southern California and we have had so many weird weather days.  One day it will be sunny and warm, the next foggy and cold.  This week when it looked like there was no sun in sight, I instantly felt like a hot bowl of soup.  

I love finding great broth based soup recipes that give you that warm, cozy feeling without the rich heavy feeling of all that cream.  This Asparagus soup is light, but flavorful and is complimented nicely with a few dollops of goat cheese.  So, if you are needing a little comfort food, try this one out without feeling the least bit guilty!

 

Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

 Ingredients

1/2 cup Goat Cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

kosher salt and pepper 

Directions

 In a large sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the broth, asparagus and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep soup warm over low heat.  

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the goat cheese and extra herbs.

Use What You Got

This past weekend my family travelled to Chicago to celebrate my dad's birthday in his hometown.  I was working down in Palm Desert all week, so when I got home late on Thursday night I still had to pack.  After a long day I wasn't too hungry and just wanted to use things from my refrigerator to make something light.  I had an apple, a pear, a rotisserie chicken and some lettuce.  With that, I made a beautiful salad with a recipe my mom gave me for an apple juice salad dressing.  It was fantastic!  Full of protein, greens and flavor.  The perfect thing to give me just enough energy to pack and then fall fast asleep before our very early flight!  We had the best time in Chicago seeing old friends and all the sights, but I am happy to be home today and back to my normal schedule.  I am currently counting down the days to Brian and my summer trip to Cabo San Lucas on Saturday!!

Apple and Pear Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 cup Apple Juice

2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 cups mixed salad greens

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

1 medium McIntosh Apple, cored and diced

1 medium Bartlett Pear, cored and diced

1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2 cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken

Directions

Place apple juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook until reduced to about 3 tablespoons.  Combine reduced apple juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk.  

Combine grapes, apple and pear in a large bowl.  Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat.  Sprinkle with cheese.  

Enjoy!!

The Perfect Summer Soup

I have been really anxious to make a summer soup lately, but I haven't found anything that sounds appetizing.  The right balance of light and fulfilling is really hard to accomplish, but as I browsed the pages of my favorite sites, I happened upon this one for Asparagus soup.  You would never know that it wasn't cream based because the asparagus and leeks create a lovely velvety texture that is a perfect compliment to the tangy goat cheese.  Try this one out, you are going to love it!

Asparagus Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese

Courtesy of Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients

1/2 cup (4 ounces) Goat Cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Cooking Spray

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

1 large leek (white and light green part only), thinly sliced

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 pounds medium Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions

Goat cheese: Line a small backing sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Using a fork, in a small bowl, combine the goat cheese and basil till smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Using a 1/2 ounce cooking scoop or a round tablespoon measure sprayed vegetable cooking spray, scoop the goat cheese into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.  

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the broth, asparagus and basil.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Keep the soup warm over low heat.  

To serve: Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the herbed goat cheese.  

Pina Colada Protein

Are you in need of a summer vacation?  Do you have dreams of laying by a sandy beach relaxing?

Nothing screams summer vacation relaxation like a Pina Colada.  It also happens to be my favorite blended summertime drink! There is nothing like the sweet, tangy blend of coconuts and pineapple on a hot day to refresh you while you are laying by the pool relaxing.  Pina Coladas just remind me of a beach vacation and since I will be headed down to Cabo in a few short weeks, I thought I would prepare with a new protein shake flavor inspired by the Pina Colada.  

Pina Colada Protein Shake

Ingredients

1/2 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1/2 cup frozen Pineapple,  roughly chopped 

1/2 cup frozen Banana, roughly chopped

1/2 Milk, add more if it is too think

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender till smooth and chunkless.  Enjoy!

Shrimp in No Time!

As as was passing by the seafood section at Bristol Farms, they were having a great sale on these beautiful shrimp.  I picked up some and made a really fresh, flavorful pasta and sauce to compliment their flavor.  I can't help but want to use all the fresh lemons that are in season now and all the lovely herbs from my patio garden.  This dish was quick and besides the shrimp I had everything else at home, so it was 1, 2, 3!

Garlic Lemon Shrimp

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 dry white wine

4 lemon slices, about 1/4 inch thick

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Sprinkle salt and black pepper over shrimp evenly.  Meanwhile in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add shrimp, red pepper and garlic.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat. Add wine and lemon to pan.  Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cook until liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 3-4 minutes.  Add shrimp back to sauce and remove from heat.  Add parsley and butter, stirring until butter melts.  Serve shrimp with pan sauce over pasta.  Recipe below.

"Roasted" Garlic and Light Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 lb Spaghetti

4 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup marinara sauce

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions till just al dente.  Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat and add garlic.  Stirring frequently over medium-low heat cook the garlic till oil and garlic become a thick paste.  Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the garlic mixture.  Let reduce by half and add the marinara sauce.  Add cooked pasta.  Toss to combine.  Remove from heat and top with Parmesan.  Serve with shrimp.  

Enjoy!

Time to Relax

The other night I was really in the mood for something I could put on the stove and then go relax.  I find cooking very relaxing and I look forward to coming home to make dinner, but sometimes I just want to sit on the couch and relax after work.  As I was searching through recipes, I came across this one from Giada for Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone and it sounded like the perfect thing to complete my day.  

Minestrone is one of my favorite soups, but it never has enough protein or substance to be a full meal.  Giada made a few changes to this one, the biggest one being that it calls for ground beef.  I used little shells like I do in my mom's Pasta Fagioli because Brian didn't want the beans.  I think it would be great either way.  This is one of those meals you could make to warm you up in the winter or in this case a summer soup full of great vegetables!

The best part of this meal was once I put all the ingredients in the pot, I was able to sit on the couch and watch America's Got Talent.  Nick Cannon makes me laugh!

Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

Recipe courtesy of Giada

• Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• 8 ounces lean (8 percent fat) ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large saucepan, add the oil and heat over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and mix to combine.  Add the broth, tomatoes, beans and bay leaf.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and discard.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

Beach Day!

Last summer we had such weird weather that I never even went to the beach.  It was way too overcast and the marine layer never seemed to burn off.  This summer however, has been gorgeous!  We have been making an effort every weekend to go to the beach and it has been glorious.  

There is nothing like the sand between your toes and listening to the sounds of the waves crashing that make me completely relaxed.  I had not a care in the world as I was relaxing on the sand and looking at this beautiful view!

What is your favorite summer activity?  Happy Monday Everyone!

My Favorite Things: Wedding Edition

On August 1st, last year, I married my husband, my best friend and the man of my dreams.  I can't believe it has already been a whole year.  Time has just flown by, but it has been one great year and I can't wait for many, many more to come.  

In honor of Brian and my first anniversary, I thought I would share some of my favorite things about our wedding.  After a whole year of planning it was amazing to see it all come together, but there were a few little details that stuck out to me that I loved.  I feel so blessed to have such wonderful memories, there are just so many, but these are just a few that I thought I would share!

My Favorite Things:

My sister and my bouquets!  They turned out just perfect!  I saw a picture of this in a really old bridal magazine and fell in love.  I just was head-over-heels for how it looks like one huge rose.  The concept went perfectly with my classic, elegant feel I wanted for my wedding day.

My Mom and Sis.  They are amazing and were especially wonderful on my wedding day.  I don't know how it would have been half-way as great if it wasn't for their help and support!  They thought of things I didn't even think of and were there for me through every little bump along the way.

My cute daddy!  How handsome is his tux?!  Only my father would have his tux handmade in Italy and shipped to him for the wedding.  I loved that it was just me and my immediate family in the room when I was getting ready.  It made for such a special memory and allowed me to focus on every moment without any distractions.  My dad is always the one who keeps things in perspective and remembered my "something blue"!

All the Candles at my Ceremony

My Seating Card Table

Our Rabbi.  The man who really brought the whole day together and made it incredibly special!

Our Sweetheart Table.  It was exquisite and I was so impressed when I was sitting there at 

just how gorgeous it turned out thanks to our florist!

My father standing up on the chair during the hora!  Who does this!?  Love this picture!

My Sister's Maid of Honor Speech.  It was priceless and perfect in every way.  No other speech I have ever heard at a wedding compares.  Thank you Lizzy for making it so special!

My Wedding Planner (aka my Sister-in-Law).  The woman who made it all come to life and allowed me to be cool, calm and somewhat collected!

The whole wedding (Grandmother's included) taking a shot together!

Last, but certainly not least, my husband.  I wake up every morning and think to myself how grateful I am to just know him.  I feel like the luckiest woman to be married to him and feel so 

blessed to be so blissfully happy!  

Happy August 1st and Monday to everyone and I hope you all have a great week!