Best Ever Tomato Soup!!!

Although my kids' love Tomato Soup, it's never been one of my favorites...

...until.our.lips.met!!!!

Oh I cannot describe how delicious THIS recipe is!!! When we moved house last month a dear friend brought us homemade soup for lunch and it was out of this world! Thanks Chrissi for being so kind as to share it with us xxx

Best Tomato Soup EVER!

Ingredients:
30ml Olive oil
2 Onions Chopped
5ml Fine Cumin
2ml Cayenne Pepper
15ml Paprika
2 Cans Baked Beans

1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 L Water
15ml Tomato Paste

5ml Dried Mixed Herbs
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
Salt to Taste

Method:
1. In a large Soup pot, heat the oil and fry the onions until soft.
2. Add the Cumin, Paprika, and Cayenne Pepper and saute for 1 min.
3. Add the 3 tins and 1 L boiling water. Stir in the paste, herbs, and Tabasco sauce and simmer for 20 min.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Puree in a food processor or with a stick blender.
5. Serve hot with fresh bread! Yummy!!!

Serves 5-6

Trusty Crusty Pizza Base!

I have relied on this trusty Pizza Base recipe for the past 5 years and it's still the best by far. Now let me add that I love a thin, crisp pizza base and am not a fan of thick bread like bases. This recipe comes from my old friend Liesel and I have to smile every time I think of her! She's left more than a good recipe with me!

Trusty Crusty Pizza Base

Ingredients:
(These are for the pizza base only, add your own toppings etc.)
180ml Luke warm water
1 tsp Salt
22ml Olive Oil
315g Flour
2 tsp Instant quick action yeast (purple packet)

Method:
1. In the order listed above, put all the ingredients into a bread maker.
2. Set the machine to DOUGH setting.
3. When it beeps, remove the dough to a floured surface and knead well.
4. Roll the dough into 2 large pizza bases and place each onto a pizza baking tray.
5. Allow them to rise in a warm warming drawer.
6. Coat each base with generous dollops of tomato paste. Sprinkle with Italian herbs and lots of garlic.
7. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and lastly the cheese.
8. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 200* for 20 minutes.

Serves: 2 Adults + 2 kids

Mushroom Risotto!

Now, Risotto is a dish I had heard of often, but never tasted, never mind made myself. I had bought a punnet of beautiful button mushrooms and was wondering what to make of them when PING! Risotto came to mind!

I went online and watched a you tube video of some guy cooking up a storm. He really knew what he was doing, but unfortunately gave me no recipe. Just a little bit of this and a LOT of that!

So what follows is my own concoction that turned out really great. Probably just beginners luck!

Jacqui's Risotto

Ingredients:
1-2 Chopped onions
Lots of butter
1 tsp Crushed garlic
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 Bay leaf
2 C Arborio rice (regular long grain is also fine)
125g Chopped mushrooms of your choice (more if you please!)
1 C Wine (He recommends red, I used white, so it's your choice)
2-3 C Chicken stock

Method:
1. In a Medium/Large pot, melt the butter, add the onions, garlic, herbs and bay leaf and simmer on medium heat for 5 min until gently browned.
2. Add the rice and stir till translucent and slightly toasted. Add more butter if needed.
3. Add the mushrooms, stir a bit, and add a cup of wine. Now turn up the heat.
4. When all the liquid has disappeared, add the stock. Turn it down to a gentle simmer and again boil it until the liquid disappears.
5. It should now be a bit creamy. Add more butter and a cup of Parmesan cheese and give it a good stir.
6. Bonapetite!

Serves 4