Fire Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

On the days that I'm in the office, I have an obsession with usually lunch on soup from a local shop.  I lurve a good soup, especially in the winter.  This past weekend was super cold - perfect for simmering a pot of deliciousness on the stove.  I had all the ingredients to whip up a pot of Red Pepper & Tomato Soup (with Gouda and Parmesan) and decided to do just that.  This is a great 'whatever kind you have onhand' type of soup - in fact this is the first time I actually wrote the 'recipe' down.  I usually just start with a pepper or two and some canned tomatoes and throw in whatever I feel like as the pot simmers.  For this one, I used fire roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers with garlic and both Gouda and Parmesan cheeses because that's what was in my pantry. 

Fire Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 12 oz jars of Roasted Red Peppers (I used in oil with garlic), chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 oz smoked gouda, shredded
2 oz Parmesan, shredded

1 - Heat butter in large saucepan or stockpot over medium heat
2 - Add onions and cook 5 minutes
3 - Add roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes (including juice) & garlic

this is the chopped roasted red peppers

and here's what the fire roasted tomato can looks like

4 - Continue cooking over medium heat for another 10-15 minutes until onions are tender, stirring occasionally

5 - Add chicken broth and stir well

6 - Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes

7 - Transfer soup to a blender (in batches) and blend - pulse for a rough texture or puree for a smooth soup

8 - Return to pot and increase heat to medium

9 - Add half and half, pepper, salt, gouda and Parmesan and stir well to combine

soooo gooouda

sorry...I couldn't resist

10 - Simmer another 10-20 minutes to allow cheeses to melt and flavors to combine

11 - Serve with a dollup of sour cream (I prefer to top with a dollop of sour cream blended with ranch seasoning - it adds another fantastic layer of flavor)

A few notes:

•  The tomato flavor is very prevalent - if you prefer to taste a bit more of the red peppers, sub out some of the tomatoes for more peppers
• If you are using fresh bell peppers, dice them and add to the pot with the onions to allow plenty of time for softening

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Potato Soup w/ Garlic Cheese Swirl Bread

Here in Pennsylvania, our weather has been crazy!  It's warm...then it snows...then it's warm...then it snows...  This past week we had a few cold and snowy days - perfect soup weather!  Hubster is not a fan of soups...or stews...or casseroles.  In the past decade I've tried lots of different soups, but the hearty loaded potato soup is the only one he likes...it could be that I also make a batch of bread swirled with garlicy-cheesy deliciousness to go with it....

Loaded Potato Soup

4 cups cubed potatoes (I leave the skins on because I'm lazy like that)...its usually about 6 medium potatoes or so
1 stalk celery, finely minced
1/4 medium onion, finely minced
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon salt (if I'm out of celery, I substitute 1 teaspoon celery salt for both the celery & salt)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded plus a little for a garnish
1/2 pound bacon, cooked
chives or scallions (for garnish)

1 - Add the chicken stock/broth, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, potatoes, celery & onion to a medium saucepan over medium heat
2 - Bring to a boil then cover and simmer over low heat for 20 min
3 - Whisk the flour and milk together and add mixture to the pot - simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until thickened
4 - Add cheese and stir until melted
5 - To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and chives/scallions


Garlic Cheese Swirl Bread

dough
1/2 of The Pioneer Woman's pizza dough
If you're pressed for time and don't want to bother making dough - frozen bread dough works great!

filling
1 cup shredded cheese (more if you like it really cheesy) - I use a colby jack blend
2-3 roasted garlic cloves, mashed (2 teaspoons garlic powder or even sauteed garlic also works just fine in a pinch)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - Roll out the dough to 3/4 inch thickness
2 - Spread the dough evenly with mashed garlic cloves/garlic powder, pepper, salt & cheese
3 - Roll up the bread jelly roll style and pinch the edges to seal.  Rearrange dough seam side down to bake.

4 - If your using the PW pizza dough, bake at 375 degrees for 30 min or until golden brown.  If you're using frozen bread dough, bake per the package instructions.



This was last week...this week has 50's on the forcast.

I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to Z, The Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring Creations, Romantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter, One Artsy Mama, Dittle Dattle, Southern Lovely, Naptime Creations, Ladybird Ln,