Skydreamer Eats: Homemade Tomato Soup

One of the things I love about blogging is reading other people's blogs and learning a lot of new things. One of the blogs that I used to read a lot, is Erica Paredes' blog, Gourmet Kitschen. She's Jim Paredes' (APO Hiking Society) daughter and she's mean and adventurous when it comes to food, and I'm just really sad that she has stopped blogging.

One of things that got my attention was her tomato soup recipe. It's so easy and affordable yet so hearty and filling!

So here's my take on her tomato soup recipe with a little tweak:

You will need the following:
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp Dried Thyme (I'm using McCormick)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 slice of bread
100 ML All Purpose Cream
a handful of basil
shredded parmesan
salt and pepper

First, you would want to saute your garlic cloves, thyme and Italian seasoning in 1tbsp of olive oil.

Once fragrant, add your can of stewed tomatoes and let it simmer. Then, add 1 slice of bread ripped in small pieces to thicken the soup. Add 100 ML all purpose cream and parmesan cheese. Let it simmer again, then add basil.

You may want to add salt and/or pepper to taste.

I guarantee you that it tastes really really amazing! Try it and let me know what you think! :)



Tomato soup with shredded parmesan cheese



Skydreamer Eats: Homemade Pesto Pizza

I've always loved pesto - ever since I tasted pesto pasta, pesto porkchop, pesto spread OR anything I ate that had pesto on it. I started to incorporate it into some of the meals I cooked at home, but I was using store-bought pesto - I was fine with it, until...

Last year, as I was reading Rosie's blog (the famous blogger of The Londoner), I read a post about making your own pesto, and that it punches in more flavor than any store-bought variety. I was intrigued, but couldn't find pine nuts anywhere here. 

Just this week, I tried looking for pine nuts again, and we had them in Ayala but they were expensive - one big pack costs P1340 which is about $35. There were no small packs so I didn't buy it.  I read somewhere that you could substitute almonds or walnuts so I bought almonds instead. One small pack only costs P40 or $1. Now that I had all the ingredients, I made my pesto.

Here's my basil pesto recipe (patterned from Rosie's blog) but I tweaked some of the measurements too:

You will need:

A handful of basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

30 grams salted almonds

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small clove of garlic

First, you would want to toast your almonds. Slice them unevenly, and place in a nonstick pan without oil. Slowly toast them in slow fire. Once the almonds are glistening with its own oil, you can stop.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients. Blend until you get the consistency that you want. 

You can add more olive oil or parmesan to suit your taste.





My homemade pesto - first attempt



Now, for my homemade pesto pizza:

You will need:
Tortilla wrap or Pita Bread
Pizza Sauce (I used Del Monte Sweet Blend)
Mozzarella cheese
Homemade pesto

Bake in the microwave for 1 minute. Enjoy!




Homemade Pesto Pizza


I would've really wanted to make my own pizza dough and tomato base but I don't have resources for that. Right now, this is what I made and I can definitely vouch that homemade pesto - added into my very own pizza is really really great! My 1 year old toddler loves this pizza and would even eat this over chocolate cookies. 

Skydreamer Eats: Fettuccine Pesto

Yesterday, I made a bowl of fettuccine pesto, and it tasted so amazingly good! What's best about it is that it only takes 15 minutes to make, and it's super affordable.

You will need:
a handful of fettuccine pasta
2-3 tbsp Sun-dried tomato pesto
1 pc fresh tomato (cut into small cubes)
8-10 small slices of pasteurized mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Instructions:
1. Cook your pasta according to package instructions.
2. Mix your pesto and tomato.
3. Once your pasta's cooked, drain then add to the pesto mixture.
4. Add your cheese.
5. Stir.
6. Enjoy. Yum!


Healthy and delicious!