Fresh Herbed Cold Tomato Soup

I have never made a cold soup before. Some of my kids liked this and some of them did not. I found it delicious and refreshing!
Fresh Herbed Cold Tomato soup

1 bottle of tomatoes (liquid and all) or you could use 3-5 fresh tomatoes
3 large celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1 Avocado
1 handful of fresh Basil
1 handful of fresh Parsley
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs of fresh lemon juice.

Blend all together and thin with hot water (I did not use any hot water). I also used leftovers of this soup as the sauce in a quick burrito. It made the burrito vary tasty with cheese, meat, lettuce and this soup.

Hawaiian Haystacks

When I end up with left over cooked brown rice, we like to throw together this simple meal.

Hawaiian Haystacks;
1-Make a chicken gravy or sauce with cooked chicken chunks and either chicken bouillon and a little corn starch and water; or I just use MSG free chicken gravy packets and throw in the cooked chicken.
2-Top your rice with the chicken gravy and any of the following or whatever you choose;
Diced tomatoes, grated cheese, chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped green onions, crushed pineapple, green peas, chow mien noodles, hamburger, etc.. My kids all wanted their own masterpieces photographed!

Syrups and sauces!

It has been a long while since I posted so I thought I would post some random helpful recipes that you might or might not find interesting ;)!

Homemade Danish Dessert (Junket)

1 cup sugar 2 Tblsp of cornstarch
2 cups cold water 3 oz pkg Jello (whatever flavor you want it to be)

Stir in sugar, water, cornstarch together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add Jello and stir until dissolved. Then add the desired kind of fruit or use in recipes as it calls for. Great for toppings on cakes or in pie shells. (You can mix it with cream cheese-pkg, 1/2 cup sugar, tsp vanilla, blend and put in pie shell, top with fresh fruit.)


Buttermilk Syrup (A family recipe favorite!)

Great on waffles, pancakes, french toast or I have heard it is a great ice cream topper.

1 cup of butter 2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup 2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp vanilla

You will need a large pan, as it boils it 4x's at least! Mix all ingredients and boil about 7 mins stirring very minimially. Store in the fridge, reheats great. Once you have this you wont want any other kind of syrup!


Mock Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 pt Mayonnaise (not salad dressing) 1 pt buttermilk
1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dry crushed parsley 1/2 tsp Accent (flavoring enhancer, opt)
3/4 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp sea salt

Mix together and let stand in refrigerator overnight, uncovered, to thicken.

Basic Pizza Sauce

1 8 oz Tomato sauce 2 Tblsp Ketchup
1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Oregano
1/4 tsp Garlic salt 1/4 tsp Onion salt
1 tsp sugar (opt) 1/8 tsp thyme

Mix together and top pizza. This is fast and tastes great if you don't have a can of spaghetti sauce available!