Monday

Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup


This weekend we ventured into the garden to see what was ripe and ready to harvest.  We were surprised to find huge, red Roma Tomatoes and the prettiest little peppers.  Our herb garden was also busting over the box, so we decided to make Sunday our annual Harvest Dinner by making a big pot of Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup!


Smoky Creamy Tomato Soup

4 slices of bacon chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 yellow onion
2 Sweet Peppers
5 large carrots chopped
8 to 10 large Roma tomatoes chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, basil)
1 Teas of Smoked Paprika
Grey Salt and Fresh ground Pepper to taste
2-3 Cups Coconut Milk
Cheddar Cheese 
Sourdough Croutons


This is the most simple 20 minute soup you will ever make!  In a pot, brown bacon, rendering the fat.  Add chopped garlic, carrots, peppers and onion.  Sauté until soft.  Add the tomatoes and sauté till soft.  Add chopped herbs.  Heat till wilted.  Add the chicken broth and simmer for ten minutes.  


Add seasonings.  Use an immersion blender or processor to blend the vegetable and broth smooth.  Add coconut milk and blend again to make extra smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm (feeds 6) and garnish with basil, cheddar cheese and sourdough croutons.


My love affair with a bowl of Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup will last the rest of my life.  It is the truest of all comfort foods.  The homemade sourdough croutons tossed in olive oil, Everything Bagel Seasoning and Parmesan cheese - toasted to crisp, made the one bowl feel like I was dipping a premium grilled cheese with each spoonful.  One bowl comfort food!  If you do not have fresh Roma tomatoes, use canned.  It will be just as yummy.  

So, this years Harvest Dinner was epic, simple and just what we needed on a quiet Sunday night.  I hope you love this recipe and share it with your friends.  Sending love to you this week!  


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Wednesday

Ginger and Peach Cream Pie

A couple of years ago I was asked to create a recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt that would highlight the last hurrah of summer for their Made With Chobani Summer Series.  In Utah one of the last fruits of summer is the soft, fuzzy, golden juiciest of all fruits...the peach!  You can't say goodbye to summer without enjoying a bushel full of them!


I created recipe for a Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie using orchard fresh peaches and the creamy deliciousness of Chobani's Greek Yogurt.  This pie has a ginger crumb crust that my taste testers said was yummy enough to eat alone with a glass of cold milk.  It is the perfect cradle for the large slices of fresh peaches and the vanilla custard that make up this oh so fabulous summer pie!!!  Here are the step by step instructions for the Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie....


Ingredients to Gather

Ginger Snap Cookies 
1 Cup Softened Butter
9" Pie Plate

3-4 Large Fresh Peaches
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon 
1/4 Granulated Sugar
1/2 Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Soft Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Blended Greek Yogurt
1 Teaspoon of Real Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Large Egg

 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar


To begin the crust place about four cups of gingersnap cookies in a food processor and pulse them until you get a course consistency.  You want small pea sized crumbles mixed in with the crushed cookie.  If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or a good ole fashioned rolling pin.  Crush away!  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Pour your gingersnap crumbles into a medium sized bowl and using your hands gently mix in 1/2 cup of softened butter.  Mix until the butter is incorporated.  The crumble mixture should be able to hold together when pressed.



If the mixture is too dry, add a little more softened butter until it holds together.  
It should look like the consistency in the picture above.  Once the crumbles are ready, butter your pie plate.
  

Buttering the pie plate first gives the crumbs something to stick to.  
Press a slight rim edge, slide and then the bottom until firm. 


Once your crust is formed, place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to 
set it prior to baking.


Now that the crust is frozen and set, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
 Remove when finished and let cool on a baking rack.  


While your crust is baking, you can prep the peaches and get the custard ready. There are several kinds of peaches.   While Rosa's are the sweetest for eating, Alberta's are the best for baking.  They are sweet, tart and take the heat without turning to mush.  I used the Alberta's for this recipe for this reason. I wanted firm and sweet bites of peach in every bite of this pie.


To prep the peaches, place the peaches (whole) into a pot of boiling water for just a few minutes. Carefully scoop them out and shock them into a bowl of ice water.  
This process will loosen the skins so they come off super easy!  


Once the skins are off, slice in half and remove the pits and slice into 1" slices. 
Put into a bowl and add the granulated sugar and lemon juice.  
Lightly toss and set aside.


To make the custard, add the brown sugar, softened cream cheese,
Chobani Vanilla Blended Yogurt, real vanilla, Saigon Cinnamon 
and egg to your mixer.  Whisk together until smooth.  





To assemble the pie, pour a small amount of the custard into the bottom of the ginger pie crust.  Place the peaches one by one into the custard beginning in the center and circle outward until the pie crust bottom is covered with peaches.  It takes a couple of rows.


Pour the remaining custard over the peaches to just below the crust edge. 
 You will have the large pieces of peach peaking out and that is perfect!  
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 325 degrees until the custard is set.  
Test the center with a toothpick to make sure it is set.  


Let cool for 2 to 3 hours on a cooling rack.  
Serve slices with a dollop of fresh whipped cream at room temperature 
or my personal favorite...chilled!


To make the whipping cream, add cold heavy whipping cream to a cold mixer bowl. 
 Add the powdered sugar.  Using the whisk attachment, whip on high until stiff.  
Add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice!


I hope you enjoy this Ginger & Peach Cream Pie!  Our family has LOVED it!!! There is nothing better than getting the perfect bite of peach, cream, custard, and crunchy ginger. This is my last hurrah to summer!  for even more creative ways to use Greek yogurt in recipes, go ahead and check out Chobani's great healthy recipes!  



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Appalachain Leaves Barn Quilt

As the leaves begin to crisp and fall up here on the mountain, so does my painting inspiration fall into the rich colors and tones of the leaves.  We were commissioned to paint a falling leaf barn quilt for am old cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia this year, so remote that there is no internet there.  I know, both Mike and me were ready to mover there!  It was charming place with rich red wood trimmed window sills and lots of color in the woods surrounding it.  


We love painting special commissions and especially the colors in this fall design.  We know have this barn quilt in The Shop in four sizes available in limited numbers for this year 2021.  We have also released the Appalachian Leaves Barn Quilt Pattern and DIY Appalachian Leaves Barn Quilt Kit for our brave do it yourselfers!  


All of our barn quilts are hand painted using our richly pigmented and ultra-thick chalk paint from our Prairie Paint Collection.  Each color combination is selected to bring out the pops of interest in each design.  Of course, you can choose any of our Prairie Paint Colors for your quilts, but these are our favorites for this pattern.


Our line of paints has grown and continues to grow through each season.  This years colors have been a perfect blend on deep rich jewel tones and subtle colors of the desert west.  You will enjoy painting with them!  They are extra thick to reduce runs and bleeds when painting with painters tape.  They are equally wonderful to use on furniture or doors or any piece you want beautiful deep vintage colors on.  


We hope you are enjoying the last days of summer and are getting a little inspired with the colors around you to create something for the season.  Our Appalachian Leaves Barn Quilt is a perfect design to begin with.  Whether you want to have one painted and framed by us or want a kit to do it yourself, we have you covered.  Many blessings!




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Monday

New Prairie Paint Colors

This past week our shop busted in joy to have four new Prairie Paint colors!   If you are new here to our site, our Prairie Paints are a gel chalk paint that are super thick and heavily pigmented, which makes them perfect for painting barn quilts and furniture.  We have used them for pieces that are outside and they hold their color after years of sun and snow...which means they wear oh so well inside too.

Our new colors for August are Maidenhair, Asparagus Patch, Autumn Peach and Deseret Rose.  Two fabulous greens that are deep and fresh and two scrumptious pinks.  All are beautiful on their own, but together they are amazing! 



Maidenhair Prairie Paint


Maidenhair Prairie Paint Jar


Deseret Rose Prairie Paint


Deseret Rose Prairie Paint Jar


Asparagus Patch Prairie Paint



Asparagus Patch Prairie Paint Jar


Autumn Peach Prairie Paint


Autumn Peach Prairie Paint Jar

Our paints are available in Our Shop and are perfect for your boho inspired home and farmhouse barn quilts.  You will loved painting with these all new colors and we can't wait to see what you make!  




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