Roasted Tomato and Pumpkin Soup with Homemade Croutons

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes | Serves: 6 – 8

It’s fall! The leaves are beginning to turn and fall a little at a time. I love it! Cozy soups, comfy sweaters, soft blankets, and evenings when you can sleep with the windows open. Football season is starting. Sunday afternoon drives to look at the beautiful landscapes in our area will be spontaneous. Who’s with me?

I found a couple of cans of pumpkin purée that I purchased last fall… (I know!) A fun and yummy soup was calling my name.

This recipe uses a can of pumpkin purée, but you are welcome to roast a pumpkin, scoop out the flesh, and purée as a substitute.

A couple of decades ago, I made a truly homemade/made from scratch pumpkin pie only to be incredibly disappointed that it tasted exactly like a pumpkin pie made with canned, store-bought purée. Bummer. That was a lot of work with high expectations, only to be let down. That’s the only “from scratch” pumpkin pie I’ve ever made.

There are many tomato soups online. There are many pumpkin soups online. There are some tomato and pumpkin soup recipes online. But, let’s add some flair.. some roasted vegetables for depth of flavor. Not just roasted tomatoes, but a mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onions lightly caramelized.

I have also included a crouton recipe. It is a little bit extra work, but here, going the extra mile is worth it. My first batch of croutons were eaten up by my son and his girlfriend straight out of the bag, but that allowed me to experiment with the next batch. Win-win!

Here’s the most important tip for this recipe. Taste the pumpkin before adding it to your soup. I dumped an entire can into a pot of chipotle-pumpkin soup, and the soup was gritty! Talk about a nightmare. The Libby brand that had never failed me before, was gritty and ruined my dish. Talk about learning the hard way. Pumpkins/squash are grown in sandy soil, so I guess it was inevitable that some dirt and grime would get through quality control at some point. I do still buy Libby’s pumpkin products, but it’s ingrained in my brain to taste-test first. I highly encourage you to do the same.

I’ve also learned some brands are more “watery” than others. That’s important in making scones or biscuits, but for this soup, it’s perfectly fine.

Serving suggestion: My son’s girlfriend topped hers with sour cream and loved it! I purchased a bottle of sun-dried tomato olive oil to drizzle over my warm soup. Wow! It changed the flavor quite a bit, but it was a wonderful bowl of soup.

My recipe does not use the entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée because I want the tomato flavors to be dominant and the pumpkin an undertone. You will have about ½ cup of pumpkin purée leftover in the can. If you already have an idea about how to utilize it, go for it! If not, here’s a link to some pretty-yummy Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats with PS Granola! Yumm-O! But if you’d rather use the entire can of pumpkin purée, go ahead, but be sure to adjust seasonings and liquids.

Enjoy!

Eggplant in Spicy Chiles

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 40 -50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Serves: 6

“Galaxy of Stars” eggplant is one of the most beautiful vegetables I have ever seen. Stunning. My husband and I found these at a semi-local Amish farmers’ market in Tellico Plains, Tennessee. It was a busy Saturday at Tellico Community Farmers Market so I was happy they had not sold out of this vegetable.

I love eggplant. I always have. My husband, not so much, but I was determined to win him over. Let’s add a lot of heat and smokiness.

I could’ve added chili powders, such as arbol and chipotle, but I wanted the real deal… dried chilies. Not to mention, I’m getting into a dried chilies kick right now. I have a refried bean recipe I am developing. Yummy. Hopefully that one will show its beautiful face here soon.

This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It. Is. Spicy. You want to serve with cold milk or some sour cream to cool the heat. Seriously. It’s pretty powerful, but sooo good!

Eggplants are keto/low carb! They contain some good amounts of potassium and fiber. Being high in antioxidants is a plus, too! (healthline.com) Did you know that eggplant is actually considered to be a large berry?

Other countries call eggplant an aubergine, so if you see recipes with this term, it’s your eggplant at the farmers’ markets and grocers. Choose eggplants with glossy, smooth skin.

Serve the spicy eggplant as is, or over rice, quinoa, lentils, etc. This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could certainly add a protein of sautéed chicken, salmon, or a hearty NY strip steak.

Super easy, SUPER delicious!!

You can substitute other veggies, such as cauliflower, for the eggplant. You may need to adjust cook time.

Love eggplant, too? Try my Hoisin Eggplant, Ratatouille, Best Veggie-Bacon Grilled Cheese, and Roasted Vegetable Panini.

Enjoy!

Chili Roasted Cauliflower Over Spicy Romesco Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

Romesco is a very flavorful, versatile sauce on its own, but add some flair with chiles and a beautiful head of roasted cauliflower, and you have a vegetarian dream come true.

Looking into the origin of this sauce, of course, there were conflicting dates; however, a couple of things were consistent…it was developed by fishermen to use as a condiment to serve with meals they prepared with their catch off the coast of Catalonia, Spain. Talk about “fresh catch of the day.”

Romesco sauce’s base is tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Toasted almonds may sound a bit unique if you’re used to only sprinkling them over stir-fry. Yes, you do taste them, and you’ll be quite glad about it.

If it helps to prep a couple of days in advance, feel free to do so. You may roast the peppers, toast the almonds, and reconstitute the chiles the day before. Or, you may make the complete Romesco Sauce up to 3 days in advance.

My recipe calls for you to char the red bell peppers under your oven’s broiler or over a gas cooktop flame. Yes, it would be easier to twist a store-bought jar of roasted red peppers and dump it into your blender, but the flavor will be much more “pure” by roasting yourself. I tasted the store-bought and homemade side by side. There is a difference. Jarred peppers are preserved with citric acid, so they have a bit of salty/sourness. It’s not bad; it’s just not as pure a red bell pepper as it can be. Plus, it does not take a whole lot of time to char your peppers yourself, but it does take your full attention. Don’t cremate the peppers; only blacken the skins.

Using dried chiles for heat, smokiness, and flavor is the way to go versus chile/chili powders. Plus, there’s just something wholesome, fulfilling, and therapeutic about making food yourself. I chose morita/chipotle chiles on purpose. You may choose other varieties of dried chiles that may be more accessible to you. Pasilla, guajillo, etc. are good substitutes.

Roasting a whole head of cauliflower instead of florets does take a bit longer, but the presentation is lovely.

Serve as a side dish if you are serving a protein and need something colorful and delicious!

Enjoy!

Vegetable Stir Fry

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 15 – 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Serves: 6 – 8

I was preparing to feed about 30 people when I got the late notice that someone else was bringing veggies. I found myself with about 13 pounds of vegetables already cut up and ready to roast. Holy crow. So what now? I was trying to dream up all kinds of recipes, almost ready to create a zucchini smoothie. What am I going to do with all this food?

Kabobs recipe is in the making (I’m waiting on my hand-made skewers, forged by a blacksmith I found on Etsy), but for now, let’s do a stir fry! This dish is usually made out of necessity, when the veggies in my fridge are getting past their prime. Sound familiar?

FRESH is the word. Do not use frozen (or canned!) vegetables. Ew. They have a taste of their own and it is not good. I grew up with frozen vegetables and I very clearly remember the smell and taste. Just don’t. I know I sound pushy, but trust me here. Your trip to the produce department and/or farmers’ market will be rewarded.

I know after prepping your veggies, it will look like you have way more than you actually need. If you cook with veggies often, you know those babies shrink in the cooking process. You are welcome to reduce the amount of veggies for fewer servings, but you’ll need to reduce the amount of sauce, also.

Funny, most of your time will be wrapped up in the prepping. The cooking process will be about 15 to 20 minutes if you’re cooking rice, too. If you’re making only the vegetable stir fry, cook time will be about 8 to 10 minutes.

Be sure all your veggies are dry. Wet veggies will steam, producing more liquid and ultimately dilute your sauce.

This is a vegetable stir fry, but it is not vegetarian. There is oyster sauce in the sauce.

Since we have quite a variety of vegetables to add, it does matter when each is added. Hardest to softest. Longest cook time to shortest cook time. Makes sense, right?

Feel free to halve the recipe if this is a bit much for your crowd.

Enjoy!

Beet and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour – 1 hour, 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours | Serves: 6

Getting your hands on a Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar is not mandatory for this recipe, but, come on.. Why not?? There are many other uses for a delicious vinegar like this! Drizzle over ice cream, pair with an excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil as a salad dressing, or combine with granulated sugar and fresh strawberries to macerate and serve atop strawberry shortcake! Those are just a handful of ideas.

I have been gifted a bottle of Strawberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar from Abingdon Olive Oil Company. This Beet and Strawberry Salad gets a double dose of the fruity flavor…fresh berries and a Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette in a mouthful of Wow.

The steps can be divided over a couple of days if necessary for your schedule, making this salad de-licious and convenient, not to mention beautiful.

Many homemade vinaigrette recipes call for a sweetener such as honey. I did not add that to this recipe because it allows the sweetness of the balsamic to shine!

The recipe calls for the vinaigrette to sit at room temp for an hour, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. It is not a must to strain, if you want the tiny bits of shallot, garlic, and herb.

If your beet greens are healthy and not wilted, check out my recipe for Beet Greens! No waste.

Enjoy!

Classic Ribollita

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes | Serves: 6

I’m sitting at my desk watching the lightning light up my room and listening to the heavy rain’s steady downpour. This is the perfect weather for a hearty soup like Ribollita. It’s brimming with vegetables in a yummy, brothy base with smoky bacon and cannellini beans. Even though it’s a soup, it still makes a filling meal. Perfect for winter nights, stormy nights, or even Sunday lunches with friends and family around the table.

Ribollita is a Tuscan soup that traditionally includes day-old bread added to the soup to thicken. I like to ladle the Ribollita over lightly toasted chunks of bread in the bottom of my bowl. You can leave the bread out completely if you’d like for dietary reasons, but a true Ribollita is thickened with almost-stale bread. If you read about Tuscan cuisine, you’ll see that it’s about being resourceful and using what is in season and on hand. It’s not the creamy, sun-dried tomato-filled dishes you see online everywhere.

Another great addition to ribollita is a Parmesan rind. It will impart some extra flavor that you really don’t want to miss. I keep Parmesan rinds in my freezer just for uses like this.

Canned cannellini beans are a convenience, but you could cook your beans from dried. I used drained and rinsed canned beans in this recipe.

You can change out the veggies if you’d like. Use more or less of what’s listed in the ingredient list, but don’t throw in something off-the-wall like beets. It’s easy to double the recipe to make sure you’ll have easy-to-reheat leftovers.

Be sure to wash your leek slices. They are grown in sandy soil and are usually quite dirty. I will use a sharp “junk” knife to slice them because I don’t want to hurt my good knives with the dirt and grit. Then I pour the dirty water from rinsing out in the yard, NOT down my drain.

Okay, let’s be real, if you want to put a whole pound of bacon into the soup, I’m not going to judge. I probably would, too, when I make and serve my family! And if you would snack on the cooked bacon sitting there on the counter, yeah, you might want to cook the whole pound. Bacon. Sometimes there are just no words.

Or, if you must, you can omit the bacon and use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock/broth and enjoy this soup vegetarian-style.

I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Why don’t you just cook the bacon first and sauté your vegetables in the bacon grease?” Am I right? My thoughts on this are… I don’t want the flavor of bacon throughout the entire dish. I want the bacon flavor on the bacon, not on everything else. However, you may use the method of cooking everything in the bacon grease if you would like. I am only justifying my reasoning.

This recipe has been updated with more practical serving sizes and much-needed photos.

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

I love a good French Onion Soup! It is not a complicated dish. There are steps, as there are to most delicious recipes, but it is not a difficult dish. My touch of flair here lets your oven and a good dousing of an excellent-quality olive oil do the work for you. Most recipes are made of sliced yellow onions caramelized on the stovetop. Here you are bringing together a variety of onions to create flavor, texture, and aesthetics to your dinner table.

If you cannot get your hands on shallots, cipollinis, and pearl onions, use what you can. The oil and other ingredients will still work for you to create a yummy dinner.

I love the “hands-free” part of the recipe. I put my oven to good use while I clean dishes or prep for the next phase of the recipe. It may not be “traditional,” but the end result is a-mazing.

The quality of the extra-virgin olive oil does matter because it plays an important flavor factor in the recipe. There is a substantial amount used for the Onion Confit, but the flavor imparted is worth it. I love Abingdon Olive Oil Company’s oils and vinegars for my recipes.

If you like the idea of the “Onion Confit,” check out my recipe for Shallot Dipping Oil. The confit could also be used as a spread onto sandwiches or topped on toasted bread slices as a bruschetta.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Galette with Thyme and Lemon

Prep Time: 2 hours | Cook Time: 45 – 55 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours | Serves: 8

Mmmmm… most people probably think of a fruit filling when they hear the word “galette,” but I really wanted to go a little beyond the traditional, something with flair. This French free-form pastry is simply composed with a crust and filling. The fillings can be sweet or savory, and are so versatile that you can make a galette into a side dish, appetizer, the main dish, or dessert. You can make them the sharable size that serves 8 (as this recipe instructs), or small enough to satisfy one.

They do take a little planning, but once you make a couple galettes, you’ll learn the process and will be able to whip them up for any occasion.

#1: Read through the recipe a couple of times. There’s a lot to this recipe, but it is so worth it.
#2: Mise en place: have as much prepped as you possibly can.
#3: be sure you have transferred the rolled dough on parchment before adding the sweet potatoes. It is a hassle to transfer the filled dough from your cutting board to parchment. (Please, just trust me. Don’t ask me how I know.)

I went on a short galette kick and made my Chipotle Sweet Potato Galette with Pepper and Parmesan Crust and this savory Sweet Potato Galette with Thyme and Lemon. Garlic and thyme come together in the filling, melded between layers of thinly sliced sweet potato. But it doesn’t stop with the filling. My crust had to have some personality, too. The crust adds a little zing from lemon zest, and freshly-cracked black pepper adds some “bite” and heat. It is a mouthful of WOW.

Just a few things beforehand… You’ll need to clear off some counter space for rolling out the dough (into 14 – 15” actually) and a microplane helps zest the lemon into fine flecks for the dough. Be sure to chill the dough before rolling it; it’s a very soft dough.

Don’t worry about making the dough perfectly round or the edges perfectly trimmed. A galette is a freeform wonder. Enjoy making it. Have fun with your food.

If you don’t have a mandoline, a very sharp knife and cutting board will work fine for slicing the sweet potatoes. Mandolins are super-handy, though.

I have used a combo of traditional orange sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes we found at an Amish Farmers’ Market in Englewood, TN. I used the purple in our Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole this year, and it was so fun! We found them to be slightly sweeter than the orange variety. You can use all orange sweet potatoes!

The dough can be halved and made into 2 smaller galettes.

Recipe and photos updated 12.13.2025.

Enjoy!

Pimento Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: None | Total Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

Recipe updated 11.4.2025.

My daughter and I recently took a trip to “Lowcountry” Charleston, SC. Even though the weather was not that great, we enjoyed a short time on Folly Beach. Living in TN, we don’t have many options for fresh seafood, so we ate many meals with. Locklear’s on Little Oak (LOLO’s), The Charleston Crab House, and Hyman’s (my fried oysters gave me a souvenir: a pearl!) were our seafood highlights. Toast, Bagel Nation, Point Break Coffee, and Baguette Magic were delicious and yummy!

The area of Charleston is known as “Lowcountry.” This region has a few quintessential dishes that are found on almost every menu. You’ll find a restaurant’s own take on traditional Lowcountry dishes such as pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes (which is generally served with a side of a homemade remoulade), and key lime pie, just to name a few.

I already had a Pimento Cheese recipe on my website, but this trip has inspired me to take another look and revamp it a little.

There will be a few more “low country” recipes to come, with my own flair… Fried Green Tomatoes with a remoulade sauce and a new version of Shrimp and Grits. I do have a Shrimp and Grits recipe currently on my site, but it highlights a particular brand of sauce. This new recipe will be more traditional “Old Bay” flavors.

My Pimento Cheese contains the traditional pimentos, but also a special ingredient to give it a little more “oomph.” Two cheeses give a bit more dimension to this spread than using only cheddar. It’s really a delicious cheese spread! Serve spread over crackers, over celery slices, make into a grilled cheese, or just enjoy with a spoon!

Some cool, fun history on what seems to be a southern icon… pimento cheese actually originated in NY in the 1870’s when farmers created what we now call “cream cheese.” About that same time, Spain was sending cans of the pimento peppers to the states. A Good Housekeeping recipe blended the two ingredients together in 1908 and the recipe was a hit. Mass production, mainly in the South, caused the humble pimento cheese to be sent country-wide. After WWII, pimento cheese began to be made in homes and revamped with a few tweaks into what we have as a more modern version with mayonnaise. But, still today, cooks continue to modify this food to fit their dietary needs, preferences, and tastes.

If you like pimento cheese and have never made it from scratch, try it at least once. It’s really delicious. Creamy, fresh, flavorful!

Enjoy!

Mushroom Pasta

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

I don’t know many people who are opposed to mushrooms. I kind of feel sorry for them, missing out on so much flavor! Or, maybe they’ve just not had a dish with this much flavor coming from mushrooms.

I have been collaborating with “The Spice and Tea Exchange” in Blowing Rock, NC for several months now, and I am loving their spices and blends! This recipe features two of their products, Sautéed Mushroom Spice Blend and Porcini Sea Salt. This recipe is a mushroom lover’s dream!

I use fresh “baby bellas” and dried chanterelles from a local mushroom producer here in Knoxville, “Everything Mushrooms.” Super-delicious!

I am also collaborating with an excellent oil and vinegar shop, “Abingdon Olive Oil Company.” I have never been disappointed with their products. They offer a very wide variety of infused olive oils and balsamics. A few of my faves are Butter Infused and Lemon Infused, along with Toasted Sesame Oil. Asian recipes are not complete without it. Pottery, olives, dry spices, and pastas are available, also. The extra-virgin olive oils are really delicious.

I chose a non-noodle pasta on purpose. I wanted my sauce settling into groves and pockets for flavor and texture in every bite. Yumm.

Fresh mushrooms and reconstituted mushrooms vary in flavor and texture, so I was sure I wanted to use both. Take the extra steps to utilize both mushrooms for the most flavor. Plus, you need the reconstituted flavor from the dried mushrooms. This isn’t just mushrooms and pasta. It’s a mushroom dish with flair!

A few tips as you make this recipe:
The Sautéed Mushroom Spice Blend does contain some sodium. I highly suggest you use an unsalted or low-sodium beef broth so you don’t overdo the salt and ruin the dish.

Be aware the pasta listed in the ingredient list tells you to cook according to package directions First, be sure to cook the pasta in salted water, and two, cook the pasta while cooking the mushrooms, etc. It’s multitasking, but will bring your dish together quicker.

There is a good amount of prep work so be sure you account for some time for this. Bringing water up to a boil for the pasta, wiping and slicing mushrooms, slicing and rinsing leeks, etc. But, your efforts will be rewarded!

Enjoy!