8 slices White Cheddar Cheese
8 slices Gruyere Cheese
1/10 lb of proscuitto, sliced thin
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thin
8 slices country bread
butter, for griddle pan

This grilled cheese is so delicious and so different than just using plain white bread with American cheese. Yuck. You have the sharpness of the cheddar, the smokiness of the gruyere, salty from the proscuitto, and sweetness from the apple slice. Preheat your griddle pan or saute pan on medium low. The first thing you want to do to make this delicious sandwich is put a layer of the cheddar, then some proscuitto, a couple slices of green apple, and some gruyere cheese. Top with another piece of bread. Put a little butter on the griddle and put the sandwich on. Let cook on each side about 4-5 minutes or until the bread is starting to turn golden brown and the cheese is melted. Take off the griddle and serve! That easy! Take that Krafts cheese..

Tomato Soup:

2 1/2 pound ripe tomatoes on the vine
4 large ripe tomatoes ( I like to use ugly and/or yellow)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic
bunch of fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
creme fraiche, for serving

Chunky Croutons:

half loaf day old french bread, cut in cubes
olive oil
salt
pepper

One of my favorite things is the world is tomato soup. Unfortunately I’m a soup snob and Campbell’s “tomato soup” just doesn’t quite do it for me. I like a real tomato-y flavor that is fresh and actually tastes like tomatoes. One day I was at the farmers market and saw the most gorgeous tomatoes… ever since then I’ve been dying to make a good soup. It’s finally starting to cool down here in South Florida and I instantly was craving tomato soup so I came up with this recipe. Different tomatoes have different flavors so I like using as many different kinds as I can. This recipe is easy and perfect for a cold day. First thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 425*F. Chop the large tomatoes in quarters and the small tomatoes in half. Put the tomatoes in a large bowl along with the red pepper flakes, the basil (no need to chop it!), garlic that you smashed with your knife, salt, pepper, and give it a big drizzle of olive oil. Toss to mix everything together and place on a roasting pan or baking sheet. Set your timer for 15 minutes. While that is cooking make your croutons. Chunk your bread up by cutting or tearing and put into a bowl. Add salt and pepper and another big drizzle of olive oil. Toss to mix and put on a baking sheet. When you see you have about 8 minutes left on the time put the croutons in the oven. While those are cooking preheat a pot to medium high. Add some olive oil in the bottom and add the roughly chopped onion along with the balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions, stirring, until they begin to caramelize. Once the tomatoes and croutons are done cooking take them out of the oven. Add the tomatoes to your pot and stir to combine. Working in batches ladle the tomatoes to a blender and blend until your desired consistency. I don’t like mine completely smooth so I just pulse it a bit. Once everything is blended check once more for seasoning. When you’re ready to serve put a few croutons in your bowl and ladle the soup on top and finish with a little dollop of creme fraiche! How easy is that? Delicious, healthy, homemade, andway better than Campbell’s. Enjoy!

1 loaf Ciabatta bread
1 large red bell pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
2 oz goat cheese
3 oz salami, sliced thin
3 oz prosciutto, sliced thin
5 oz marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1 1/2 cups spinach

First things first for this amazing sandwich… roasting the red bell pepper. Its so much easier than people think and so much better than buying them from your grocery store out of the bottle. If you have a gas cooktop then use that but if not you can use your oven too. If using the oven preheat on broil and put the pepper in there, turning when you see it charring. If you are using a gas cooktop then set it on there and let the flame char it. Do this until all sides are black. Take off the flame and put in a bowl, covering it with foil. Take your ciabatta loaf and cut it in half horizontally and remove most of the inside. In a small bowl mix together balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. While whisking slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Brush or pour the vinaigrette on the bread. Now for the red pepper! Take out and cut the sides off, leaving only the seeds and stem. With your knife scrape off the charred black skin leaving only the delicious roasted pepper. Cut the pepper in strips and put on the bottom crust. On top of that crumble the goat cheese evenly over the red pepper. On top of that put the sliced salami in an even layer and on top of that the sliced prosciutto. To that add the marinated artichoke hearts and then sprinkle the delicious parmesan cheese on top of that. Add the minced fresh oregano (or any other fresh herb that tickles your fancy!) and top off with the spinach leaves. Put the top back on the sandwich and wrap up with foil. Put in a skillet ( no heat on!) and top with another heavy pan. Press it down and leave it for about 20 minutes. To serve just unwrap and slice into delicious strips! This sandwich is amazing and my friends went nuts over it… I know you’ll love it too!!

4 cups baby spinach

half red onion, sliced in thin rings

orange segments from 2 oranges

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup candied pecans, rough chop

dressing:

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

This salad is so easy and is deeeeelicious! A must try for sure. Salads are great to make ahead of time, assemble the salad and keep the dressing in a separate container and when you’re ready to eat, just toss together. In a salad bowl put in the baby spinach, red onion slices, orange segments, avocado slices, and candied pecans. In a small separate bowl, mix together the orange juice, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. When mixed together drizzle the olive oil and whisk until all incorporated! When ready to eat add the dressing to the salad and toss together. Thats it!! How easy is that?

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 2 teaspoons fresh

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

pepper

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1 hothouse cucumber, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeds out and chopped medium

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1/2 cup feta crumbled

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted

This is one of my favorite salads to make. Its so easy, fresh, and delicious. Plus, you can make everything ahead of time and mix it together when you’re ready to eat! First you need cut up the lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper and onion and put them in your salad bowl. On top of that add the feta and kalamata olives. To make the dressing put your minced garlic, oregano, Dijon mustard, and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk together till combined. While whisking slowly add the olive oil until everything emulsifies. It won’t take long! Add a little salt and pepper and when you’re ready… toss everything up! Enjoy!

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes

2 onions, cut in quarters

olive oil

salt

pepper

4-5 cups hot chicken stock

1/2 cup cream

chopped scallions for garnish

This is super easy, super delicious, and super… kinda healthy! Very filling so great for a lunch or even dinner. The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 425*F. Peel the butternut squash with a sharp vegetable peeler and cut the butternut squash up. I like to cut off the top, then the bottom, and also cut off the fat part of the squash where the seeds are. Cut the bottom in half and scrape out the seeds and continue cutting up the squash. Put the chopped squash and the chopped onion on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle heavily with salt and pepper. You want the roasted veggies to get a lot of flavor. Mix together so everything is covered and pop in the oven. Let cook for about 35-40 minutes or until the squash is very cooked. When the squash and onion is roasted to perfection, put all the goodness into your blender or food processor. Along with the vegetables, add a couple ladles of hot chicken stock and blend together until smooth. Put into a pan over medium high heat and keep adding ladles of hot chicken stock until you’ve reached the consistency that you like. When you’re done with the chicken stock finish it off with the cream. Mix it together and you’re ready to serve! Add some chopped scallion on top and you have the perfect soup. Enjoy!

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground beef

3 stalks celery, diced small

3 onions, diced small

1 bell pepper, cut small

7 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, half with seeds and ribs, the other half seeds and ribs removed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

salt

2- 15 ounce cans kidney beans, juices drained

2- 35 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

2 1/2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon sugar

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

cut scallions

Alright everyone… don’t get scared after seeing all those ingredients! All your doing is putting them all in the pot, nothing special! In a very large pot over high heat brown you meat. Once that is browned take the meat out with a slotted spoon and put on a plate and put aside. Turn the heat down to medium.You’re gonna have a bunch of grease in there and thats no good, so here’s my secret. Take a couple of sheets of paper towels and soak up all but about a tablespoon of that grease. Easy clean up too because all you have to do is throw them away! Add the celery, onions, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Let cook for about 5 minutes and add the tomato paste. Stir the vegetables in the tomato paste until everything is all mixed together. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t burn. To the veggies add the browned meat and stir everything to mix together. Now it’s time for the spices! Add all those suckers to the pot and stir to combine. To the pot add the beans, the whole tomatoes, and the beef broth. With your spoon crush up those tomatoes as good as you can. I like the tomato chunks in there! After that, let cook for about 25 minutes. To serve just add sour cream, cheese, and some scallions. Perfect for those cold days!