Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Roasted Pepper Soup and Award

After my parents left, it turned into the use-everything-up-before-it-spoils game!

First on the list were some cut peppers from the veggie platter on Christmas. There was the equivalent of about 4 peppers that were already cleaned and cut still left over. Very convenient for snacking and cooking, but I didn't want to let them go so long they turned slimy.

Jenn of Slim Shoppin' had posted a roasted red pepper soup recipe the week earlier, so I referenced that and one from Tasty Kitchen to create my own!

Mine used:

~4 bell peppers (mixture of green, yellow, orange, red)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion, quartered
5-6 cloves garlic (I used 2 elephant cloves)

~3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh sage
~1 cup fat free half and half (leftover for mom's coffee, otherwise I'd use milk)
dash pepper

To start, mix the first list of ingredients together and spread on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425°. Let cool, then peel the waxy skin off the peppers. Place everything, including the extra oil, in a soup pot.

Add everything from the second list of ingredients and use a stick blender to puree. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Bring up to temperature and ladle in bowls, garnishing with extra basil if desired.





Maggie of Say Yes to Salad gave me a beautiful blogger award!! I first "discovered" her blog after clicking on one of her comments left at 101 Cookbooks. I've been a loyal follower and fan ever since! She posts not just about healthy food, but also a healthy mind and body.

I'm supposed to list 7 random facts about myself and then pass it onto 7 fellow bloggers!

First, the facts:

1) I am allergic to penicillin.
2) I collect piggy banks and have close to 60!
3) I burp really loudly! (It's a trait certain members of my family and me are really proud of!)
4) I cannot stand being referred to by any nicknames of Christina (Chris, Tina, Chrissy, etc.), or being mistakenly called Christine.
5) My hair was not curly until I was about 13 or 14 years old and cut it from waist-length to a chin-lengthed bob.
6) I've never broken any bone - not even a toe!
7) I have two tattoos! (Only one has made an appearance on the blog.)

And for the bloggers:

1) Biz of Biggest Diabetic Loser who I've had the pleasure meeting in real life! I love her spunk and she's always a great source of wisdom, ideas, and motivation!

2) Sophia of Burp & Slurp~ who I honestly love! She posts with such beauty and truth, it's always a treat to see a new post of hers pop up on my reader, plus she couldn't be more of a sweetheart!

3) Laura of Hey, What's for Dinner Mom? who is one happening mama, full of spirit, an outrageous sense of humor, and brutal honesty which I LOVE. She's fantastic to e-mail and I'd love to be brave enough to live her life (garden, home-grown chickens, 365 In) for a year, but doubt I'd last!

4) Allie from Live Laugh Eat who if I had to sum up in one word, would be "energy!" Just reading her blog makes me tired half the time! She takes beautiful pics of her healthy eats and is just a joy to read with an upbeat personality.

5) Amy of Please Don't Eat Me! who I feel a special bond with and love reading her blog and e-mailing with her. Sometimes it feels like we grew up in the same family - we just get each other like that!

6) Cyndi of So Much More than a Mom who isn't a food blogger, but I love her anyways! A fellow Chicagolander I've yet to meet, she's another great e-mailer that just "gets" me and writes about some important topics!

7) Last is Mara of What's for Dinner?, another blogger I've had the luck to meet in real life! She is one happy girl and I love her healthy recipes, honest posts, and cute food Saturdays!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the shout out Christina! I could steal no broken bone from you - me too!

Having just said that, I am sure I just jinxed myself! :D

Sadly, I didn't learn the burp thing until I met Tony - we'd have contests with the kids to see who could burp the loudest, which was never me!

That is, until Hannah and I went to Hobby Lobby. I burped really loud, looked to my left to see Hannah's awe at my burp, only to discover it was a complete stranger!

OMG, we laughed our way out of the store that day! Happy Hump Day Christina!!

Christina said...

hahaha great story, Biz! Once I was at the grocery store really, really late, so thought we were the only ones there. I heard somebody in the next aisle, assumed it was my mom or brother and let out a huge burp and starting laughing. Then I heard the person (a stranger!) say "excuse YOU!" - oops!

Cyndi said...

Congratulations on your award you absolutely deserve it!

And thank you so much for awarding it to me. That is so sweet! I am honored to be included in this illustrious group.

We sure are on the same page a lot and I enjoy our e-mail talks. Someday....I WILL try one of your delicious recipes. I am getting slightly more adventurous (for me) with my "cooking". :)

Thanks and congrats again!

sophia said...

Biz and Christina: Oh please! Burping is a sign of contentment! It's RUDE not to burp after a meal in some countries. :-)

And Christina, I think I love you more now that I know you burp really loudly! It's a family trait for me, too! :D
Oh, and THANK YOU for the award and the kind words, I'm blushing! >.<

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

Thanks CHRISSY!!!! I can't believe you don't like nick names!? They are my signature style. Seriously, I am the nickname creator. I come up with the best ones.

Love the garnish in your soup--nice touch!

Christina said...

haha thanks Allie! ;) I don't mind nicknames, I just hate the ones associated w/ my name! I strongly prefer Christina. My brother couldn't say it, so I went by "Sissy" for awhile, and now all of my younger cousins call me Mystina (Miss-Tina) b/c they couldn't say it.

Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats said...

This soup looks great...I need to get an immersion blender! With all the snow we have here in IA (which I'm sure is the same for you in Chicago), soup needs to be on my making list this week!

Nowheymama said...

Great list!

A@ Please Don't Eat Me! said...

thanks for the award my twin from the midwest!!!!! so cool! i wish my hair had been that long when i was a kid, sadly i had the bowl haircut for the longest time lol the only haircut my mom could do!

Sook said...

Congrats on your award! :)

Casey @SpicyandSweet said...

Mmm...soup looks so yummy! And CONGRATS on the award! :)

Laura said...

Awww Thanks MissTina Love that nickname. I don't think my dad even knew our names growing up we were always sissy. Either one of us, both and at the same time.

You have a great list here all the bloggers rock.

I'm off to write up a post.

omg my captcha for my comment was gybutpik...nice do you handpick these for us?