Cookbooks: Soup Recipes

If you’re a tomato lover, there’s nothing quite like a recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes, instead of all that canned junk. Here’s a recipe for fresh tomato soup that you’re sure to love.

The Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of sun ripened tomatoes
• 1 2/3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• fresh chopped basil leaves (about a handful)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• A little crème fraiche or shredded cheese and croutons to serve (optional – but YUMMY!)

The Process:

Prepare the Tomatoes: This process is well-worth effort and the difference in taste fresh can make. Wash the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over them and leave for 30 seconds to help make them easier to peel. After 30 seconds drain the boiling water and add a little cold water to cool.

Peel the skin off all tomatoes and cut each tomato into quarters.

Starting the Soup: Place the tomatoes in a large pan and pour the chicken or vegetable stock over tomatoes. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, vinegar, sugar and chopped basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer gently while stirring for a further 2 minutes.

Final Prep: Let soup cool slightly and then transfer to a food processor or blender and process or blend until smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pan and reheat gently taking care not to boil.

Finishing Touches: Serve in warm bowls and top with a little crème fraiche or shredded and croutons if desired.

More Soup Recipes: Soup Recipes

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Rental homes don’t always come equipped with the greatest of decor and many landlords aren’t willing to update just because you want a new look.
You could certainly pay to do it yourself, but it’s disheartening to think a lot of the work that you’d do only increases the property value for the property owner and won’t have lasting value for yourself.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t create your own unique style in a place that you’ll love to live in, even if you’re on a budget.

If you haven’t chosen the rental yet, here’s a few things to keep in mind before you make your choice:

* Ensure paint colors are neutral of match your furniture. If you plan on purchasing new furniture, ensure you can make the paint and furniture work together.

* If the paint looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while, colors are too bright or don’t suit your style, ask the landlord if he is willing to paint. If you want to make it easier for him to say yes, simply tell him that you’d be willing to do the painting if he provided the supplies and equipment.

* Make sure the flooring is clean, without damage and colors are suitable for your decorating style and colors. If there are any flooring issues, be sure to ask if they will be resolved before you move in or use area rugs that you can take with you when you leave.

* Make sure all windows have appropriate covering, so that you have privacy in your home. They should also be in a neutral color or at least match your décor. Work out any issues with window coverings before-hand or be prepared to invest in your own.

Even though many landlords will agree to fresh paint, you might be hard-pressed for them to do major remodeling throughout the home, but there are still plenty of things you can do to have your home suit your unique style.

Here are some ideas to make an average rental living space more spectacular:

* Add some life with brightly colored towels in the bathroom and kitchen.
* Add some throw pillows on your coach and bed for added color.
* Include some candles in your décor to add warmth and scents.
* Add some style to the walls with picture frames, mirrors.
* Find stylish and simple centerpieces or fresh flowers for your kitchen and living room tables.

Things to keep in mind:

* Many rentals tend to be small spaces, so keep it simple. Minimize the knick-knacks and clutter. Less is usually more, when it comes to decorating.
* Check with your local rental law to see what you can attach to the walls, floors, etc. It’s possible if you add permanent fixtures to the wall, that you won’t be able to take them with you.

Your living space need not be drab or boring. Just follow the steps above for a great-looking place you’ll love living in.

A full on renovation and redesign of your home might not be possible. It takes a lot of time and who has the money? Here are 12 tips to help you add style without all the time and money investment.

1. Wallpaper borders: You don’t have to paint or fully cover walls to add a bit more interest. Try wallpaper borders. They come in a wide variety of colors, patterns and shapes. The nice thing about many wallpaper borders is that they don’t use glue, but are self-adhesive plastic that can be removed when you want to try something new.

2. Try a Throw Rug: Rugs work well on laminate and other flooring. Even if you already have a carpeted room, you can add a brightly colored or uniquely patterned rug for a different look. You can place them at floor level, mid-level or up at the ceiling. Get creative!

3. Put Valances on the Window: A window valance is simply a small decorative curtain. It’s much shorter and it’s only function is to look pretty on a bare window or a window with blinds.

4. Keep Your Home Organized: Okay, that doesn’t really sound like a decorating tip, but the more organized and uncluttered your home is, the better it will look and the more comfortable it will feel.

5. Try New Ceiling Lighting or a New Lamp: It’s amazing what a difference lighting can make in a home. Update your look with some new lighting.

6. Add Color: There are so many ways to add color to your home. You can do it with towels, throw pillows, table skirts, folding screens, new bedsheets and more.

7. Paint Your Cabinets: Not ready for new cabinets? If you have wooden cabinets, you can easily paint them with acrylic paint made for wood.

8. Decorate Your Walls: Add paintings, framed photographs, art-work, candle sconces or whatever suits your fancy.

9. Add New Decorative Light Switch Covers: Forget about plain and boring white or beige light covers. Add some excitement to the room.

10. Add Cushions to Your Chair: Not only will it create a new look for your chairs, but it might cover up some of those scratches that build over time.

11. Change Your Door Handles: Door handles aren’t too complicated to change and come in a variety of styles and color choices.

12. Add Candles, Vases or other Centerpieces to Your Tables: You can try pillar candles in various sizes placed on a decorative plate, a brightly colored vase with fresh flowers or another unique centerpiece to add beauty to any room.

Not all home makeovers require a contractor and a dump truck load of money. If you have a bit of time this weekend, now is the perfect time to get started with these great ideas.

Using Flowers to Bring Calm and Prosperity into Your Life

Carole Pagan © 2007

One of the nice things about spring and summer is the richness of the colors of flowers that explode everywhere – Daffodils, tulips, lilacs, Daisies, lilies, roses, petunias, and so much more. Even the most cynical among us is touched by the burst of colors.

Many people mistakenly think that plants and flowers are just something nice to look at. A female thing. If you’re thinking that way, you’re missing some of the most important benefits of plants and flowers.

Studies have shown that lots of green leafy plants help calm you and help relieve depression. This in turn helps you focus better and think more clearly. May be it has to do with the oxygen they give off?

Similar studies show that just looking at flowers reduces stress. The scent of flowers is also calming. Lavender is especially known for it’s calming qualities.

In Feng Shui, flowers are said to strengthen family harmony and keep the flow of affection in all directions. When you get deeper into feng shui, there are different energies produced by placing certain colors in certain areas of your home.

Green leafy plants in the entryway draw good energy into the house.

If you have a lot of arguments in your house, you may have too much chi energy in your home. Feng Shui suggests putting plants in rich black soil in the south portion of your home to calm things down.

Bathrooms in the south part of the house are believed to increase your chances of getting sued. Feng Shui prescription is to decorate with tall plants and wood.

Yellow flowers are said to have healing qualities in general. When you place them in the center of your home they keep you centered and balanced.

For financial harmony, surround yourself with red flowers.

Fruit bearing branches represent abundance and good fortune. To keep the berries from falling off longer, scrape the bark off the bottom of the stems before putting them in water so that more water flows up to them.

One of the hottest decorating trends this year is to put single buds in small juice glasses. Place them across a mantle or shelf, or at everyone’s place at the dinner table to keep things calm. Think that will look good in my Pokemon Welch’s jelly glasses? J

Or how about a prosperity centerpiece?

• Place a presoaked floral foam cylinder on a plate.
• For a small centerpiece, use a 4 inch cylinder.
• Spread a little of that moss stuff around the bottomedge, or cover the bottom edge with a piece of yellowor red ribbon.
• Cut your red or yellow (or combination of both) roses to 3 inches long. For the small arrangement, you will need 4 nice sized roses. Push them, evenly spaced,into the top floral cylinder.
• Now fill in with flowers, leaves, and berry branches.
• Stick a candle in the center.

For best energy results, use fresh flowers. (But Michaels has a 50% off sale on silk flowers pretty often too.)

If you’re looking for some fresh ideas for your gardens outside- here are more feng shui tips -

• Purple flowers planted in the south part of yourgarden increase passion. Petunias are a good low maintenance choice.
• Deep red flowers planted in the west part of your garden bring success in business. I have red lilies, of course.
• Creamy white flowers planted in the north part of your garden (not the north side of your house) quiet anxieties. I like either lilies or fragrant roses.
• Ferns and grasses planted in the east part of the garden keep you feeling fresh and vitalized. I have Yucca. Not exactly a fern, actually it’s an evergreen, but I like it.

Next year I want a cutting garden so I can enjoy the benefits of flowers even more!

And for you men reading this thinking, I don’t want to mess with flowers…. I’ve known many manly men who have put together great gardens. My grandfather and my next door neighbor are two of them. And what about that funny guy who does the gardening show on HGTV? I love that show!

Whether indoors or out, and whether you believe in such things as feng shui, working with plants and flowers really is therapeutic. It can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. It can be a large project, or a very small one. It can be in any colors. Get creative!

Gardening is not only a good mental exercise, it’s great physical activity too.

And then kick back in your easy chair with the beverage of your choice and relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

How Will You Spend Next Weekend? Having fun? Or Cleaning House?
Find the Secrets to having a cleaner home with a lot less effort by clicking here.