BIRTHDAY LUNCH

Two wonderful ladies celebrated their birthdays at Blitz Builders this last week. As a special birthday treat, I made lunch for everyone. I used Basil as my theme herb and made delicious goodies for us to eat! After we ate all we could, I packed up the food and sent it home with the birthday ladies!!

Double the pleasure! Here are the recipes.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Use the previous post recipe for roasting tomatoes.
Saute 1 cup chopped onions in 2 Tb ls Olive Oil in a large pot for about 7 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, 2 t sugar, 1/2 t kosher salt,1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and the roasted tomato mix. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes or so. Puree the soup,( I use an immersion blender) until smooth or to your liking! Finish soup by blending in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Sometimes I add sour cream or Greek Yogurt, just to add more texture and flavor, plus I add some basil while the soup is simmering for that last zing. Then top with some additional springs of basil, I use spicy globe basil,I love the small leaves as a garnish, no chopping required.

I also add some shredded fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese or I make Parmesan Crisps.

Parmesan Crisps
1 cup cheese shredded on the large holes of a box grater. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, make small piles of cheese and bake at 325 degrees for about 7 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool and then they easily peel off into wafers. Serve with soup.


Basil Chicken Salad
In a medium bowl combine 4 cups diced cooked chicken( I roast the chicken with skin on in the oven with some olive oil , salt and pepper. After cooked and cooled, I remove the skin and shred) Then mix it with 1 rib minced celery,1/4 cup chopped fresh basil,1/4 cup slivered almonds. In a small bowl combine1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayo,1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice,1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add all together and gently mix. Then chill .

**Recipe From Paula Dean

Caprice Salad
Fresh tomatoes sliced (I love to use different colors of tomatoes), then layer slices of the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil. I use Paul Newman's' s herb vinaigrette or make my own and marinate the dish for a couple hours. For added crunch top with pine nuts.

I also made the Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad that I posted earlier.

All topped off with fresh zucchini bread and blueberry scones(recipes to be posted later). Lastly, of course I gave both ladies freshly planted herbs.

Then back to the business of selling buildings! Look us up: www.blitzbuilders.com.