Happy Labor Day!!

We spent most of the weekend socked in with rain...


the tiny dregs of the previous week's horrible hurricane had passed through our area.


Rain stopped long enough for chores to be done, but that was about it.


We were all able to get outside long enough to prevent cabin fever.


The rest of the time was spent indoors writing and cooking.

This past week's autumn-like weather had given me a chance to catch up on garden weeding...
a task made much easier by the intermittent rains.


I hauled a whole gator load of weeds and spent vegetable plants to the compost pile.
I harvested hot peppers for another batch of hot pepper relish


and the rest of our spindly tomatoes
(who were shriveling on the vine from lack of sunlight and too much rain)
which I popped into the oven to roast.

If you have never roasted your tomatoes, I highly encourage you to try it.
I slice them in half, sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle with olive oils
and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until they look like this...


At this point I either drop them all into a freezer bag and freeze for later use,
or make a pot of roasted tomato basil soup.

This is absolutely the best tomato soup ever (in my opinion),
and oh, so easy to make.

I chop one onion and three cloves of garlic and sauté them in the bottom of my
cast iron pot until translucent.
To that I add one container of chicken stock and the roasted tomatoes 
and a couple diced, fresh tomatoes.


Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
I simmer this until the tomatoes are well cooked...maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
Then I use my immersion blender to liquify the entire pot.


Season with a little sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a handful of fresh chopped basil.


Serve, sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
Delicious... and especially good with grilled cheese sandwiches!
(or quiche... I used the leeks and sweet peppers in the garden to make this quiche.)


I received a lot of questions about our skunk formula.
Here is the recipe:

1 quart hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
1 tbsp. dish detergent ( I often just use baby shampoo)

Mix the above ingredients in a bucket and apply to the affected area with a sponge.
Really scrub the stinky area until saturated.
Then rinse dog and shampoo with dog shampoo (or baby shampoo).

In addition, I spread Technu on the affected area first.before ever bringing the dog in the house.
After the Technu, I use the above skunk formula.
Technu is a liquid that you can purchase in the drug store.
It is a little pricey, but really seems to help this whole process.
I hope you never need this recipe!
We keep everything handy in a bright red bucket... 
which is good, because we use it at least 5 times each summer.

Comments

Louise Stopford said…
Glad to hear that the awful stormy weather didn't affect your area too much. We have seen and read some terrible news about other parts of America that have been affected and the poor people whose lives will be affected for a very long time to come (we need to count ourselves lucky). Your home cooking looks absolutely delicious, especially the quiche. Looks like Autumn has come early this year. We seem to have started Autumn in August here in UK and are well into it now with the trees changing and leaves dropping. Can't believe how quickly this year is going.
Candice said…
Soup and quiche look so yummy, especially using your homegrown veggies. The Technu is pricey in a pinch, but I bought 32 oz online for less than $20. Even had to use it on myself when I inadvertently pulled a bunch of poison ivy when weeding the yard. It does the trick if you catch it before the rash and it definitely helps on skunky dogs. Happy Labor Day!
daisy g said…
That food is making me hungry! The quiche looks gorgeous. I love homemade tomato soup and roasting tomatoes is one of the best ways to use them.
Hope you have sunny skies this week!
Junebug said…
I love soup and then add quiche, yum! One problem it's 100 degrees here. That weatherman say it will be over Tuesday! Maybe then I can have soup!
This N That said…
Happy Labor Day to BHA...Always something to do no matter what the weather..Hope you had a good weekend xoxo