Every year I hope and wish that the warm weather will hold into November so I can serve homegrown tomatoes on Thanksgiving.  As the hours of sunlight diminish and night-time  temperatures dip into the chilly range, the quality of tomatoes still on the plants becomes questionable.   Rather than leaving the last Ananas Noire on the plant to possibly succumb to the cold I decided to harvest it. That was a few days ago when it was still green. Even if I wouldn't be able to pick the tomato on the holiday I thought that maybe, just maybe, it would ripen and be as perfect as a homegrown tomato can be on Thanksgiving.  As luck would have it, it ripened quickly and it was delicious in tonight's green salad.  I don't think it would have lasted another 5 days.

Tonight's tomato was a little on the small side but still beautiful and pretty darn tasty...pink in the center with emerald green borders and mild and sweet in flavor. I can't say the same about most of the other tomatoes I pick this time of year.  Eating them uncooked can be less than satisfying, so I find myself roasting them in the oven and using them in sauces and soups.  One of my favorite soups to make is a simple roasted tomato soup.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I have made four batches of it in the past week and that's because my family keeps asking for more! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

½ cup  plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large onions, one finely chopped and the other sliced thin

3 pounds garden fresh tomatoes,  peeled and cored

1 quart chicken stock

¼ cup red wine vinegar

sea salt

additional olive oil and chopped dill for garnish

salt

pepper

Preheat  oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a roasting pan, cut sides up. 

Lay the sliced onions on top of the tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Place the pan in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 20 – 30 minutes until they begin to carmelize.  Remove tomatoes from oven, set aside.

Place garlic and breadcrumbs in the bowl of a food processor.  Add ½ cup olive oil and process until it becomes a thick paste.

In a heavy saucepan, heat remaining olive oil.  Add chopped onions and cook over low-medium heat for       6 - 8 minutes until translucent.  Add breadcrumb mixture and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Add roasted tomatoes to pan, stir to combine, add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Allow soup to cool slightly and then process until smooth with an immersion blender or in the food processor.  Stir in red wine vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat soup if necessary, then ladle into individual serving bowls.  If desired, garnish with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped dill.

Important note:  The color of your soup totally depends on the tomatoes that you use...it's equally delicious when it's deep red as it is when it's a pale melon color!

With Thanksgiving just two weeks away I find myself focusing on food...inviting guests, preparing menus, stocking the pantry and perfecting recipes. Holiday entertaining can be daunting especially when there's also a home to decorate, gifts to buy, cards to send and daily meals to be made. I've created a schedule of classes and events for the season that will help you glide through the season with pleasure and joy. Cooking classes can help with the constant flow of hungry guests; stationery makes a wonderfully personal gift for the person who seems to have everything; a fresh holiday centerpiece is sure to delight you even at your weariest moments; gardening classes provide garden support in an outdoor setting that will clear your mind of the holiday hustle and bustle and, when you still have one more gift to buy, a Gift Certificate for an upcoming class will always do!
The list of classes and events has been updated through Spring 2012...
Let me be a part of your holiday plans!

When I was growing up Halloween was a time that allowed my very creative Mother to really show her stuff. She always made our costumes which we proudly wore to trick or treat and to the school carnival every year.  As I recall, the costumes were always fun and lively. Scary really didn't enter into our Halloween activities - except when we knocked on one particular family's door to trick or treat.  The lady of the house, who was a good friend of my Mom's, was always a little scary. She had a strong personality and a very full head of wild white hair to go with it.  On Halloween, she dressed as a witch, dimmed the lights and turned on scary music. To the children in the neighborhood, Mrs. R. truly was a witch.  In actuality, she was very nice and her white hair was striking!

When my children were little one of the things I enjoyed most was making their costumes for Halloween.  Like my Mom and her sister, my sisters would pitch in to help me get the sometimes very elaborate costumes made.  Each year, the costumes reflected something special about my boys...a special interest or hobby.  Even now that the boys are grown, I've saved all of the costumes.  They're much more than just costumes, they're memories.

Each year, when the last neighbor's door had been knocked on and before counting candy and trading began,  we would get into the car and drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. My Mom would always act surprised to hear her doorbell ring. Even more of a surprise, though, was whatever costume she and my sister would have conjured up while waiting for us to arrive!

As my boys got older the very notion of  Halloween changed. Swords and weapons, frightening masks and fake blood replaced my works of art and labors of love. But, the tradition of ending the evening by ringing Grandma's doorbell lived on.  That's probably the part I miss the most.

Not exactly a nature lover, one year Mom created a tree costume. She got a good laugh and it's one of my favorite memories of her fun loving spirit.  I suspect if she were still here she would find a way to dress up as a tomato!

I remember crowded streets lined with kids when I went trick or treating.  My neighborhood now is very dark and a bit off the beaten track so we don't get many trick-or-treaters.  Halloween is usually a very quiet evening up here.  My kids are old enough that they enjoy handing out candy to the few trick-or-treaters that make their way up here.

The kids are grown and trick-or-treaters may be few, but we still enjoy the season.  Lighted bones and skeletons adorn the walkway.  Our sound activated ghost, Phantasma, hangs at the door to give a bit of a scare every time the door opens or closes.  Various Halloween themed needlepoints are placed throughout the house and the ceramic Halloween village is assembled, lighted and the screams and scary sounds are at the highest volume.  With a pot of chili on the stove, we carve pumpkins and anxiously run to the door every time the bell rings.  Even if you don't come by for a handful of candy here's a Halloween treat for you to enjoy.

Happy Halloween!

Chicken Chili

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cut into strips or small chunks

4 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground oregano

3 cups chicken stock

1 ½ cups canned chopped tomatoes – with juice

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 15 ounce can red beans (drain and rinse)

1 15 ounce can black beans (drain and rinse)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

slices of lime (for serving)

In a large saucepan heat oil.  Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until just tender (not brown). Add chicken and cook until no longer pink (turning as it cooks). That should be about 3 minutes.  Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Add stock, tomatoes and juice and chopped pepper. Season with salt and pepper.  Cover, bring to boil and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Stir in beans, simmer uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes more, until chili is thickened.

Squeeze lime juice on top of the chili and garnish with a little chopped cilantro. Serve with warm corn bread and enjoy!