Mini-Tree in a Minute!

Even though I took down our Christmas decorations yesterday,

I still wanted to show you a "new" one I created this year -

 I had this cute planter full of flowers on the front step all summer,

but brought it in for the winter and thought I could put it to use.

 So I grabbed a tomato cage from the garage,

 and an old garland that I wasn't using anywhere,

 and started wrapping it from the base,

to the tip, covering the entire tomato cage.

I just bent some of the branches around the cage in various places
to hold the garland in place.
Then I popped on some white lights,

and low and behold, it looked like a little tree!

So cute and easy!

I finished it off with some ribbon and a star -

It was an adorable addition to my entryway.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

It's cold, so I'm in the soup mood!

Doesn't this one look great?

 

It's a crock-pot recipe too, so it's pretty easy to make!

Here are the ingredients:

 

 We busted out the food processor -

and diced up all of the veggies,

before dumping them in the crock pot,

along with the diced tomatoes, broth, and spices.

After everything's simmered on low for 5 to 7 hours,

melt butter in a skillet -

and whisk in flour to thicken and then some of the soup.

 

Pour the mixture back into the crock-pot and stir in 

the Parmesan cheese and warmed half and half.

Let it all cook together for another 30 minutes,

before serving it up with some grilled cheese!

It was really tasty, full of veggies, 

without being chunky since we used the food processor,

and delightfully creamy and cheesy - a hit!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup


2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil   
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour  
1 cup Parmesan cheese  
½ cup butter  
2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)  
1 tsp salt  
¼ tsp black pepper

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
About 30 minutes before serving, melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, and salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano, if needed.Cover and cook on low for another 30 minutes before serving.

Batman Late Than Never

Anybody still out there?

Life's gotten in the way of blogging a bit,

but I'm still making things and trying new recipes,

so posts will keep coming as I find time to put them up.

I managed to get some fall fun on here,

but missed a Halloween post.

I couldn't go without showing my sweet babies in their costumes,

so here's Walter as Batman -

and Ruby as an ice cream cone -

 along with her cousin Jett,

who sported Walt's Elmo costume from last year.

We met up with our neighbors  -

to hit up a nearby trunk-or-treat,

 before gathering with even more neighborhood friends -

 

for some good old fashioned trick-or-treating.

 The kids had a great time -

and were very happy enjoying their treats
after a busy night on the town.