Roasted Tomato Soup

Happy Hallowe'en! May your day be filled with too much candy, not too many slutty versions of unassuming costumes, and a good dose of tricks and treats. I'll be heading out on the town withs some friends and no general plan to see what the night has in store... which is hopefully only good things!

Do you have any big hallowe'en plans? Do share!

Anyway, on to the soup. Up until now if you had asked me what my least favourite of all the soups were, I would have unhesitatingly answered "Tomato!"

I just didn't get the appeal, I mean the flavour was fine but when you have a whole world of other soups out there, why would you ever choose tomato!?

Well folks, I stand corrected, because the world has brought me roasted tomato soup and I am forever grateful.

This soup is super cozy and comforting, and roasting the tomatoes first adds a ridiculous depth of flavour that regular old tomato soup just won't give you. So while I wouldn't fully call myself a tomato soup convert, I will gladly take a bowl of this deliciousness anytime!

When I'm feeling out of my element I have a tendency to want to over-add things to a dish because I figure the more the merrier. While this sometimes works, it also definitely sometimes does not. I knew for something as basic as tomato soup I needed to keep it simple, so I practiced a lot of restraint in order to do so, and it really worked in my favour.  So while I didn't keep it purely tomato I did dial it back a few notches from what I was originally planning.

One thing I did do to add to the flavour of this soup I also roasted up a red pepper and some white radishes that desperately needed to be used. Neither of these overpowered the soup, but did add that little something extra. Served with some crusty whole wheat sour dough from the local bakery this was the perfect meal for a cold night.

Keep reading for the recipe!

9 Fresh Takes on Hallowe'en

You guys, I'm feeling fresh lately. I recently cut off what feels like 983,412 inches of hair and i'm sporting a look that is very new to me. And I'm loving it. I was in need of a change and this was a great kickstart.

To continue on with this feeling of freshness, and my love for getting seasonal I thought I'd give a little round up of Hallowe'en themed DIY's and food-stuffs to help get in the spooky spirit.

If you're anything like me (or perhaps even nothing like me), you don't necessarily desire reams of cotton cobwebs and plastic witches to take over your abode. Maybe, you're looking for something a little more simple, modern, or homemade. Halloween doesn't have to be just for the kids and I think if you dig around these links you'll find there are a lot of ways to keep it fresh. Enjoy!

Keep your pumpkins looking mod with this Ombre DIY (via Martha Stewart)
Avoid the pumpkin thing altogether and opt for this awesome pineapple-olantern instead (via The Sweetest Occasion)
This Boo Banner is simple, modern, and not at all kitsch or childish (via A Beautiful Mess)
This black flatware set is super subtle and beautiful (via Design Within Reach)
While I might leave off the spider, this web cake is thematic in a simple and charming way (via The Cake Blog)
Dark Chocolate Caramel Corn? Yes, please. (via Lemon Tree Dwelling)
If you're looking for something else to do with all of those pumpkin seeds, these sweet and spicy pepita clusters look crazy good! (via Organic Gardening)
Traditional colours, untraditional snack. Done. (via Joy the Baker)
This whole black and white party is a modern take, but the photo for this blackberry cocktail is the most inspiring (via Style Me Pretty)

Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream Float

Fridays seem like such a great day to indulge in an extra special treat, don't you think?

It's the end of the working week. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done, you've made it.

You've met with that pesky client and came out with clear objectives. Well done!

You've read and marked 56 short stories, of which only one made any grammatical sense. Bravo!

You've successfully avoided your boss long enough so they can't reasonably ask you to work this weekend. You're a champ!

What a great/long/productive/exhausting week it's been. No matter which adjective you choose to use, you deserve a treat. So let's do this!

To break this down for you we've got ice cubes made out of coffee, almond milk, pumpkin spice syrup, coffee, and vanilla ice cream. All of these a great things to have individually, but when you put them together ... that's when the magic happens.

Bitter coffee with sweet ice cream. Spicey pumpkin syrup with cool ice cubes. Just the right amount of creaminess from the almond milk. There's a lot going on, and it's fantastic.

Keep reading for the recipe!

Farm Fresh

It's rainy and dreary and Monday where I am, which is an unpleasant mixture of characteristics that can only be made better by talking about food. Or consuming chocolate. Or playing with puppies. 

I don't have any chocolate or puppies. So let's talk!

Other Half and I have made the decision to cut our farm shares back to a biweekly order. Even the small share seemed to be just a tad too much for us to handle each week without feeling like we were going to let something rot, which is the opposite of the purpose of this whole thing.

So, I'll still be posting Farm Fresh on Monday's but it will only occur every other week. In between will be the usual collection of recipes and whatnot.

These weeks share was the most cold weather box to date. It was full to bursting with roots and autumnal fruit and veg. Here's a closer look:

1 bunch white radish

1 bunch baby bok choi

5 apples

2 tomatoes

1 large head of broccoli

3 sweet potatoes

approx. 15 mini white potatoes

approx. 10 red and white carrots

2 red onion

I have recently perfected my pizza dough recipe (which I'll hopefully share soon), and so I'm hoping that some of the mini potatoes will go to a roasted potato pizza with caramelized onion. The apples are destined for an apple-cinnimon skillet cake, if I can get to it before Other Half puts them all in his morning smoothies. And a mixed vegetable strata will likely take care of the bok choi, broccoli, and several carrots.

What are you cooking this week?

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

I should probably just start a new feature called "pie for breakfast" because with this smoothie, and these Apple Pie Breakfast Bars, I am well on my to proving how much I like to mask everything so it tastes like dessert. I can see it now... pecan pie overnight oats, lemon meringue pancakes. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Until I run out of pies. Which would happen in approximately 11 days. Because I cannot name more than 11 pies. How sad.

Oh well, at least I've got this smoothie.

Smoothies are a daily consumption in this household and while I have my go to mix-ins, I am trying to broaden my horizons a bit. And since it's all-pumpkin-all-the-time these days, the move to adding pumpkin in my morning smoothie was only a matter of time.

Pumpkin is fairly dense in smoothies and can sometimes create a semi-gelatenous texture - not something I'm a personal fan of - so to combat this I've added more liquid than I normally would in other smoothies. Though this is personal preference.

To make this morning mixture even more nutritionally satisfying I've added some goodies like ground chia seeds, hemp hearts, and flax seeds. If you don't have these don't worry about it. They don't alter the flavour but they do add a recommended boost and can assist in keeping you feel full longer.

Keeping reading for the recipe!

Wide Angle: Vol. 15

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving! A day made for taking a moment to find gratitude for the big and small things in your life. I have a lot to be thankful for this year and I was lucky enough to have not 1, but 3 hearty meals with family.

Because I've been in France for the last week (yes, it was great), and I'm still fighting some bleary-eyed jet lag, I don't have a food post or a travel post. Just quick little look at what's been happening behind the scenes.

It's been busy and awesome and I'm thankful for every second of it. So let's get to it.

1. & 2. Are a couple of glimpses from when I was exploring the new neighbourhood. Unfortunately the ferris wheel was a temporary installation for a local street festival.

3. That gold french press is the thing of dreams. It was given to be by my sister as part of a wedding shower gift and it makes coffee time feel 1,000 times more glamorous, instantly.

4. Beautiful flowers also help make coffee time extra special. Just saying.

5. Did I mention I went to Paris!? I had the chance to stay with two wonderful human beings in the most picture perfect Parisian apartment. To make it even more perfect, one of them happens to work around the corner from this famous site. A fact I was informed of but didn't truly believe until I parted ways with her and then stumbled on this view. I was charmed.

6. After Paris it was time for some good ol' country life. This also led to a few side trips, which led to ridiculously charming views, in ridiculously charming villages. France is charming.

7. This is where I'm lucky enough to call home (in France).

8. That is not a painting, I swear. Coulon in the Marais is a sweet little village with some pretty great views. It is also the home of a cafe that will serve an entire baked camembert on top of a salad. I ate the whole thing.

Well friends, that's me. I'm going to spend the next couple days getting over this jet lag, but I'll be back soon, and hopefully with something tasty to share!

Link Love-In: The Paris Edition

Surprise! There's going to be no Farm Fresh for the next two weeks because I'm in France this week (and feeling so gosh darn lucky to be here!) and next week is Canadian Thanksgiving. That means that on both occasions where I'm supposed to be showing you all the lovely fresh veg I've got to work with over the next week, I'm actually stuffing my face full of delightful treats.  This week is all about rich cheeses and flaky croissants, and next week it's pumpkin pie and gravy coated potatoes. Ooooh baby! And in week three, I'll be wearing bulky sweaters and flawy skirts to hide it all. I can't wait!

Anyyywayyyy.... As I said, I'm in France right now! I had the luxury of spending the last two days in Paris with two very dear friends of mine, caught up with old friends from my days of living in Amsterdam, and now I'm lounging in the Poitou-Charantes region soaking up some country life.  Yes, it's as charming as it sounds. Yes, my intent is to make you jealous.

Actually, that's not true. Jealousy is not my angle. I heart you all.

In lieu of a regular post we're going to check out some sweet links that may or may not be thematic.

They are totally thematic.

Enjoy!

These maps to "secret" Paris are just great! I would like to get lost in every one of them. (via Messy Nessy Chic)

Oh, were this my apartment... (via This is Glamorous)

I'm a wanderer when I travel. I feel like they made this for me. (via Kevin and Amanda)

This in-depth about Paris, centred on the Seine is full of interesting facts and tidbits. Oh the things those divers must find! (via National Geographic)

Pumpkin Carrot Muffins

We're not even two full days into October and already there has been a huge pumpkin overload in the blogosphere. And I totally get it. Once the season hits I'm all pumpkin all the time.

This morning I made myself a Pumpkin Spice Latte (using this recipe), a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, and I ate one of these Pumpkin and Carrot Muffins. And I won't even admit to overdoing it, because every sip and every bite was totally awesome.

I will however try to not overwhelm you with 52,348 pumpkin recipes this fall. No promises, but I'll try.

I totally love when muffins are all craggily and misshapen, it makes it look like I might be eating something healthy. Like there isn't a load of butter and oil and whatnot to smooth out all the edges. You know? No? Just me? Ok. Don't ask me where I got that logic, but I'm sticking to it. And, I'll happily note these little morsels are relatively good for you. Certainly better than the oil packed versions you'll get at the local coffee shop, anyway.

I packed these full of good things like whole wheat flour, shredded carrot, ground chia seeds, and chopped walnuts. And just because I can, I added some chocolate chips. Because everything is better with chocolate chips.

Keep reading for the recipe!