Provençal Vegetable Soup

Per Nana~

The ingredients in this recipe are best used in summer when everything

 is so garden fresh. It was actually perfect today as the temperature 

was in the mid 70's. It is really "light" compared to a winter soup.

  I agree with Susan (www.CreateAmazingMeals.com) about when to

add the pasta. I always cook pasta separately, no matter what dish 

I add it to since it swells and absorbs all of the liquid. 

I am also sorry to admit but I purchased pesto in a jar as I do

 not need a  bag of pignoli nuts from Costco at $28 a bag. I finished
 the dish with basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.

It was perfect with a fresh tomato salad that I topped with basil leaves. 

I just love summer and all the fresh veggies available.  

Per Tricia~

I was momentarily skeptical when I read that this week we were doing 

a soup, but only momentarily. I loved the idea of using the summer's 

bounty in any way I could .....and this did not disappoint.

 A great recipe choice, selected by fellow Dorista Teresa (www.onewetfoot.ca). 

                     Prep was a bit time consuming but since the recipe called for items

                          going in every 10 minutes or so, I always seemed to have just 

                             the perfect amount of time to get the next item in the pot.

I also planned to skip the homemade pesto and just go with basil garnish, 

but changed my mind at the last minute. And I am ever glad I did.

 Dorie's pesto recipe was lovely and we enjoyed it in the soup, on the toasted

 bread (along with more cheese :) and tomorrow it will be in a pasta dish. 

This recipe was a great reminder that soup is the perfect way to 

use up what is on hand- even summer's fresh bounty. 

Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras

We're back !  And we are delighted to be here ~

Per Nana:

It is definitely good to be cooking with all of the Doristas again. 

These past months have been a bit of a challenge, but we have so much to

 be thankful for. Jim has come through this ordeal with flying colors and

 a little bit thinner. We are now planning to celebrate our 60th wedding

 anniversary with family and friends in October. Tricia, Jim and I would 

like to thank everyone for all of their prayers and good wishes. It's a 

wonderful feeling to have such good friends at a time like this.

 Thank you all. 

This week's recipe was an absolute delight and certainly one of the easiest.

 I love poached eggs and never have a problem preparing them, but

 I wasn't sure if I could eat these coddled eggs. 

I set the timer for 5 minutes, and then set it again, the result was

 perfect hard boiled eggs with pate. They were delicious and I will surely

 do this again, but next time I will trust Dorie's judgment on timing. 

Per Tricia:

It has been a long few months and I echo Nana's sentiments

 about missing our FFWD, the recipes, the advice from Dorie 

and of course, our Doristas.  We are FINALLY back because I got a 

stove installed last week. Not replaced, but installed for the first time-

 which you can imagine impacted our participating in FFWD. 

I have had an adventure in  moving but I am still nearby to Nana. 

Just not next door, so as Betsy suggested, I will indeed need to step 

up my game regarding ingredients and prep. (though we all know 

she will likely drive those little tupperware containers right on over too.......) 

Now for the recipe. 

 I used organic eggs and opted out of the truffles. 

I substituted a terrine that I treated my hubby to last 

year as a souvenir of my trip to France with Nana. 

I chose the pork with chives and it was lovely. 

Stand we visited at the Blois market 

It also brought back wonderful memories of the town-Blois- I 

purchased it in, the store itself (Comtesse Du Barry), and Blois' 

weekly market that we enjoyed visiting.  Hmmm, now that I think

 about it we could both use another vacation...:)

Blois, France- taken last year, the Loire is down to the right. Lovely. 

 Back to the recipe.

 I have no idea where my ramekins are since we still have 

4 large "PODS" and a moving truck of stuff to get through. 

My old painting in it's new house-

Luckily I did come across heart molds from our coeur a la creme

 adventure. A bit of tin foil saved the day for the holes in the 

molds but aside from that, the recipe could not be easier.

 I had all 3 taste testers on deck and they all raved. 

And that is not because they are tired of grilled food. 

Now, to get a kitchen sink installed..... 

It is good to be back indeed.  

Happiest of French Fridays to all ~