Panzanella – 🍅+🍞=🥗

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Italian Tomato & Bread Salad

INGREDIENTS:

½ baguette (about 12 inches long)

1 large garlic clove, mashed

Olive oil for brushing

6 medium to large tomatoes, cut into large chunks

½ medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Split the baguette in half lengthwise. Rub the cut side of one half very well with the mashed garlic. Brush liberally with olive oil. Cut the garlicked half in half again lengthwise, and then cut those strips into 3/4 “ pieces. Place the croutons on a baking sheet, crust side down. Bake 30 minutes, until dark golden.

If croutons are made in advance, put the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl a bit before you intend to mix the salad, then drain off and discard any juice that may accumulate.

To serve, add the croutons, onion, and basil to the tomatoes. Whisk together the vinegar and oil for the vinaigrette. Pour over all and toss.

Fresh 🍅Tomato 🍜

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I wasn’t expecting much but I absolutely ❤️ this recipe. Doesn’t need the cream at ALL, so I left it out. Perfect consistency using the #Instapot and an immersion blender.

Homemade Tomato 🍅Soup via Instapot pressure cooker

Prep: 15 min • Pressure: 15 min • Total: 45 min

Pressure Level: High • Release: Natural

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin Olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled & chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 pounds high-quality ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream (optional – I left it out)

fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat the Insta pot by selecting Saute

Once hot, add the oil followed by the onion and carrot. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste and broth. Season with salt & pepper. Secure the lid.

Select MANUAL and cook at HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes.

Once cooking is complete, let naturally release for 10 minutes. Release any remaining steam.

Add the cream (optional – I left it out). Use an immersion blender to puree the soup or carefully puree in batches in a blender. Strain soup if needed (I didn’t bother, it was perfect after using the immersion blender). Add more broth if a thinner soup is desired.

Taste for seasoning. Serve with fresh basil and Parmesan (optional).

I prefer tiny saltines.

To make dish Paleo, leave out the sugar, Parmesan and replace cream with more broth.

NUTRITIONAL INFO Calories: 239. Total carbs: 22g Saturated fat (with heavy cream): 6g, Trans Fat: 0g; Fiber: 6g; Protein: 5 g; Sodium: 225g

🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

3 lbs. tomatoes yield 3 pints soup. Although I thought I would can these, any reference to Fresh Tomato Soup mentioned “fridge for 5 days or freezer for 6 months”

Bo Derek’s Playboy™cover chamois 👙

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Closet tales🚪 – Chapter 2 (or “did I ever tell you about the time Bo Derek scooped me on a swimsuit?”👙😎)

It was late February or March of 1980, and I had purchased an OUTRAGEOUS beaded and feathered chamois swimsuit from Michigan Avenue’s North Beach Leather Boutique, located in Chicago’s Water Tower Place. (Which also happened to be the “scene of the crime” for that fringe jacket purchase😎)

I KNEW I shouldn’t have spent that much on a 👙swimsuit, but I was dating a musician🎸 that had actually played at Woodstock, so it was either *that or the fringe made me do it😇. My heart was still racing from the “crime” of the purchase, as I headed back to work, stopping at a 📰news stand along the way, to pick up the just-released issue of Vogue magazine. It’s a busy stand (corner of Michigan & Chicago) so while I waited, I see the bundled stack – not even cut free yet – and it’s BO DEREK wearing the EXACT SAME suit on the freakin’ COVER of PLAYBOY??!?!😱In that instant, I knew that

1) that suit didn’t fit my then (stick <–haha!) figure, and

2) it would never see the light of day

Painful then💸 (because of what I spent and it was not returnable) but funny as HELL, these 35 years later😂😂😂. ESPECIALLY if you knew me in the day… Twiggy had more meat on her bones ::::::chortling::::::

(this one’s for sale on the app known asPoshMark)