Tomato Soup and Salad Dressings

Monday was another cleaning day...but in the back yard. The chickens were running around having a good time, and Kevin and I decided to start on a couple of backyard projects.

Last summer, we installed a sprinkler system in the back yard (we did the front yard the previous year) and when we used a trencher to cut the grass to put the pipe in, it really tore up the grass. It hasn't quite recovered, and between the chickens scratching through the loose dirt to find bugs, and the snow, the edges have deteriorated into one long mud run along the patio. So, we went off to Home Depot. 5 bags of garden soil later, Kevin had filled in the uneven patches and started new grass seed.
I decided to start pulling some weeds, and I also transplanted some overwinter herbs. We are rotating crops this year and I needed more room on the side garden for TOMATOES!!!!
As we sat in the sunshine later in the afternoon, I was thinking about tomatoes and decided to make some of that absolutely delicious Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup by Ina Garten that I blogged about back in September.
I ended up using the cherry tomatoes I froze last fall, removing the skins by using my food mill.

We also had a salad with the soup, using some fantastic salad dressings I made on Saturday. I read a wonderful blog called An Oregon Cottage, and I used her recipes for three fantastically delicious salad dressings. If you want to make your own homemade Ranch, French and Vinaigrette dressings, here's a link to her site An Oregon Cotttage: Homemade Salad Dressings

I also made Kevin a grilled cheese sandwich, using sourdough bread and a mix of Havarti and Medium Cheddar cheese. OK, I couldn't resist- I had one bite!

It was a wonderful meal after a wonderful day!