a dollop

This past Christmas, Luke and Kendra gifted me the cookbook, Giada's Kitchen, by Giada De Laurentiis. Now that it's spring and I'm growing fresh vegetables I was inspired to pick out a few recipes to cook this week. First, I have to show off my fresh lettuce that I picked and washed today for a cantaloupe and proscuitto salad tomorrow evening...

In tonight's dinner I used fresh rosemary from the garden. I fixed the Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary. I cooked the garlic, carrot and onion in butter and then added cannellini beans, broth, and tomatoes. The soup was seasoned with red pepper flakes and rosemary. After I let it simmer for 30 minutes I pureed the soup and topped the bowls with a dollop of homemade whip cream with lemon zest.

Malia came home and helped with the Broiled Zucchini and Potatoes with Parmesan Crust. We sauteed the zucchini and (semi-boiled) potatoes in butter with garlic, thyme and rosemary. After about 12 minutes the vegetables were sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese and broiled for a few minutes.

The dinner was delicious...my favorite was the way the whip cream melted into the soup and the lemon aftertaste. The flavors were perfect...nothing was too overwhelming, a perfect combination for the taste buds!