Was a busy one. And a hot one. So how did we keep cool? By biking some errands on Saturday (the Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's), and babysitting on Sunday. How is that keeping cool? You guessed it: it's not.
We didn't need a ton from Trader Joe's on Saturday, but we got a prime bunch of basil at the Farmer's Market, and so we decided it was worth braving the 100+ degree heat index on our bikes to go out and get some Parmesan to make pesto. And boy, was it ever! We ate it on bread and crackers that day, and then we had it over pasta tonight. Pesto is hands-down my absolute FAVORITE food (though it's really more of a condiment--but not the way we eat it!), and it also has a lot of positive memories since it was one of the very first things Matt and I made together. We also busted out the old classic of a pesto-spread grilled cheese sandwich with tomatoes, along with homemade tomato soup.
Tomato soup is one of those foods I've come to question why everybody doesn't just make from scratch--it's so fast and so easy and so...free of hydrogenated oils and artificial colors, and such. The way we make it is:
Homemade Tomato Soup
1. Dump a couple cups of canned tomatoes in puree (which is canned, I know, so not totally free of processing--but the ingredients list is refreshingly simple) in a pan.2. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar and a couple teaspoons of garlic.3. Puree with a hand blender (or you could do it in a regular blending) and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of baking soda to cut the acidity.4. Optional: If you want cream of tomato, combine about a cup of cream or whole milk with a couple of spoonfuls of the soup, stirring slowly, and then add that to the pot (which will prevent the milk from curdling).
Done! And delicious! And you know (and like) exactly what's in it. Where has this been all my life?!
We love these canned tomatoes (or really, any huge cans of tomatoes) because they make such a versatile base for so many things: the tomato soup, spaghetti/lasagna/pizza sauce, Indian tomato-based sauces (such as for mattar paneer)...and they cost about $3, or less than $.50 a pound. There's not a ton we buy in large bulk anymore, but whenever we go to Costco (which is every few months now), we make sure to stock up because we know we'll use them. Highly recommended pantry staple!
Get a load of that slim ingredient list
Here's a closer look at those delicious sandwiches:
As far as the sandwiches go: historically, we pan-fried them in the classic grilled cheese (fried cheese?) way. But, as we became a little more calorie-conscious, we switched to baking them. This led to almost-abrasively crunchy crusts. This time, on a hunch, we first toasted the bread, then assembled the sandwiches and popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds. The result? Slightly softer, but still crispy bread, and perfectly melted cheese. We're sold!
On Sunday, we babysat for friends of ours who were in town. For people such as ourselves, who live a relatively simple life with cats, chasing four kids around Washington DC was a definite change of pace. Especially in the heat. We agreed that it was a good experience...both in showing us how well we can work as a team, and also in reminding us that we're happy for now just being a couple.
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