Annie’s Eats

When I was a kid, I hated tomato soup. I rarely ate it and certainly never requested it. Of course, that is probably because what I was used to being served as “tomato soup” was the kind from a Campbell’s can. I never understood the whole “tomato soup and grilled cheese” combination, because I couldn’t figure out why you would ruin one of the greatest sandwiches ever with nasty old tomato soup. Well, it turns out that my hubby actually grew up liking tomato soup (the same kind I hated) so last year I thought I would try to find a recipe to make for him - I had no intention of liking it. This is the recipe I ended up with and OH MY GOSH it is the BEST SOUP EVER!!! I am sure that I will never make another recipe for tomato soup because this is just the greatest. And, it pairs wonderfully with the amazing grilled cheese sandwich.

The only drawback to this soup during the winter is the use of fresh basil (I miss my herb garden!), but it is worth the price. I don’t think I use the full amount in the winter though - maybe closer to 1 cup. It doesn’t seem to make a big difference, just as long as you use some fresh basil. The original recipe also calls for fresh thyme but I wasn’t about to pay for any more fresh herbs, so I used dry instead. This soup is great to make ahead and eat throughout the week or to freeze for later.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cut in half, insides scooped out
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped onion
6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz. can) whole or chopped tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp. dried)
4 cups chicken stock

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Spread tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet covered in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 min.

Pass through food processor. (I recommend doing this in two batches. I have a full-size food processor, but putting all of the soup in at once creates an enormous mess. Trust me on this one.)

Source: passed on to me by Nestie bakingblonde

Wow, it has been a long time since my last blog update! What can I say? I’ve been a busy girl, and have been making pretty un-blogworthy food lately. This dinner, however, had to be added. This meal is one of the first things I learned to make on my own when I was teaching myself to cook. My dad got it out of our local newspaper and made it while I was growing up. Then when I moved out I started making it on my own, and made a few changes to make it even better.

This meal is Ben’s absolute favorite. No matter how good I get at cooking or whatever else I learn to make, we both know nothing will replace these enchiladas as his number one. Whenever I make a new menu for the coming weeks and I ask him what he would like, he always starts with, “Enchiladas!” Any special occasion coming up - I ask him what he wants, and it is, “Enchiladas!” He doesn’t care that these are probably the least authentic enchiladas ever, he LOVES them. I enjoy them too, although I don’t understand the obsession. When I made them this past weekend, he said I just had to add them to the blog, and not only that, I should call them “Benchiladas”. It gave me a pretty good laugh and I think now it may just stick

This recipe really makes a varying amount of enchiladas depending on how big the chicken breasts are that I use and how much meat I put in each one. I don’t have exact measurements for most of the ingredients because it is really just to taste. This makes a lot of food and is enough to feed several people or to feed two for multiple meals. I recommend reheating leftovers in the oven at 350° until heated through (about 10-12 minutes).

Cheesy Chicken “Benchiladas”
Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15) - we like Azteca, packs of 10
jar of salsa
shredded mexican cheese (I usually use close to 4 cups, I love cheese!)

Directions:
Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.