05 Tuesday Dec 2017
Posted in what's ringin' our belle
Tags
apartment therapy, Cupcakes and Cashmere, half baked harvest, Kate Spade, mushroom, pay it forward, serious eats, soup
Oh my Gawd!!! A nacho generator!!!
Via Serious Eats
This car coat
Via Kate Spade
Wild rice and butter roasted mushroom soup…
Comfort soup via Half Baked Harvest
A few things hosts forget to tell their guests
The recipes that Half baked harvest is posting ?!?! Drooling over all of it….
Some great ways to pay it forward
27 Thursday Jul 2017
Posted in belle-icious
While summer isn’t quite “soup season”, a chilled, belleicious summer soup is right up our alley! A dear belle-friend shared one of her creations over the weekend…a chilled cucumber soup with lots of dill and a cayenne kick (thanks, Marion!!). It got us thinking about this summer delight.
We’ve talked about cucumber soup before (here) as one of our favorite ways to keep the kitchen (and ourselves) cool…
This particular version is super simple…just a cup of buttermilk, a handful of herbs (cilantro, mint, basil…take your pick), two cucumbers, the juice of one lime, and salt & pepper. Toss it all in a VitaMix or blender and puree away. Garnish with herbs and maybe some extra minced cucumber, and you are all set!
Another version we want to try soon comes from Andrew Zimmern at Food & Wine…
via Food & Wine
24 Friday Feb 2017
Posted in belle-icious
Tags
We belles were recently on-the-go (as we do) in beautiful Pebble Beach. We, of course, had several belle-ringin’ meals…but one soup really stuck with us. We couldn’t wait to get home to attempt to recreate this divine concoction! Here’s what we came up with…
Cauliflower Mushroom Soup
Boil 1-2 heads of cauliflower (chopped), 6 cloves garlic, and one onion (sliced) in about 48 ounces chicken broth until tender
Once tender, place in blender (or food processor…or use stick blender) to purée. Add a teaspoon of Beautiful Briney Sea French Picnic salt and a couple teaspoons of good quality olive oil
Meanwhile, toss a gourmet mix of mushrooms with coconut oil and salt. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes…until dry and “meaty”
Add mushrooms to soup, heat through, and serve.
Applause!!
a&a
14 Tuesday Feb 2017
Posted in what's ringin' our belle
Tags
amazon, Ben & Jerry's, Carmel, cauliflower, Elizabeth and James, Girl Boy Girl, House of Cards, instant pot, intermixonline, kaylin's kitchen, netflix, refinery29, soup, sweater
Soup…especially when it’s fully loaded yet low carb…
Via Kaylin’s kitchen
We are thinking about investing in one of these. Any belle have one? What do y’all think???
Via Amazon
Ben and Jerry’s…and particularly this little goodie. No words!
Via Refinery 29
What Sugar really does to your body !
Via Pinterest
The House of Cards teasers…oh my!
Via Pinterest
An Intermix fix…
One belle bought this sweater on a recent shopping excursion in Carmel at Girl Boy Girl…we think it might ring your belle as much as it rang ours!!
Til next time…
a&a
09 Thursday Feb 2017
Posted in belle-icious, Uncategorized
Tags
We are both in the kitchen a good bit, tweakin’ this and that, so even our old stand-by recipes are not immune to an adjustment or two. Case in point…one belle’s desire to change up her go-to Moroccan Spiced Butternut Squash soup…we published here a couple of years ago. Here’s what she came up with…
Smokey Butternut Squash Soup
2-3 butternut squash, cubed (or 3-4 bags frozen, pre-chopped)
1 onion, sliced or chopped
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
4-6 c chicken broth
4-5 cloves garlic
1 t smoked paprika
1 t Beautiful Briny Sea French Picnic salt
(Hint…we’ve told you about the Beautiful Briny folks before)
1/2 t each cumin, coriander, and curry
1/2 t ground black pepper
Olive or coconut oil for roasting the pepper, onion and garlic
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss pepper and onion in oil and season with a bit of salt. Place on a baking sheet. Form a foil pouch for the garlic, drizzle with oil, and place on sheet with pepper and onion. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place squash and spices in a saucepan. Pour about 4 c chicken broth over all and stir. Bring to boil and then turn to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
When pepper and onions are nicely browned, remove from oven and pull the peel off of the pepper. Now, dump everything (pepper, onion, garlic, and cooked squash and liquid) into a blender, vitamix, food processor (choose your fave)…or grab your stick blender and go to town!
Place soup back in pot and allow to simmer until ready to serve.
Some garnish ideas: bacon, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, toasted pecans, a swirl of cream…get creative!
Smokin’!!
a&a
23 Friday Dec 2016
Posted in belle-icious
Tags
We might have just saved your day! Feedin’ a crowd on Christmas Eve calls for some slow-cooker magic. Well…here you have it! Healthy, check. Filling, check. Easy, check. Belleicious? You bet!!
Belleicious Lentil Soup
Place in crockpot:
2 cups butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
2 cups carrots (peeled and sliced)
1 cup potatoes (chopped), optional
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup lentils
1 cup yellow split peas (or just use more lentils)
1 onion (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
8-10 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons herbs de provence (or we like to sub in curry, cumin and coriander)
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Set crockpot on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours
Add at the end:
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cups kale (stems removed, chopped)
1 cup parsley (chopped)
a swish of sherry, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice to add a nice tangy bite
gather the goods…
do your peelin’, slicin’ and dicin’…
toss ’em in…
the end…
Belleicious!!
a&a
18 Friday Nov 2016
Posted in belle-icious
Tags
Now that we have a legit chill in the air, we are ready to keep the home fires burning…and tummies full and warm…with a slew of soups and stews. From the Boozy Stew we posted last week to many others from light to hearty, we plan to share ’em all. ‘Cause, again…that’s how a belle rolls.
This one in particular can swing from totally healthy and vegan to a super hearty version with chicken…your choice.
The ingredients:
2 T olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 leek, 1/2 lb carrots, 4 stalks celery, 1 lb dried navy beans, 1 bay leaf, 2 med stalks rosemary, 3-4 sprigs thyme, 1/2 t smoked paprika, 1/2 t black pepper, 1 1/2 t salt, *diced rotisserie chicken (optional)
Rinse beans, sorting to remove any debris.
Assemble a bouquet garni using rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
Trim and prepare to slice veggies.
Soak sliced leeks in water to clean (yucky stuff falls to the bottom of the bowl)
place all ingredients in slow cooker with 6 cups water. Place lid on cooker and set for 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
Once done, stir the soup, mashing the beans slightly to make a creamy base.
The finished product…
Easy…and belleicious!
Now for the whole recipe in a screen-shotable list…
The Belles’ White Bean Soup
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, sliced
½ lb carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 lb dried navy beans
1 bay leaf
2 med stalks rosemary
3-4 sprigs thyme
½ t smoked paprika
½ t black pepper
1 ½ t salt
diced rotisserie chicken (optional)
Rinse beans, sorting to remove any debris. Assemble a bouquet garni using rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Wash, trim, and slice veggies. Place all ingredients in slow cooker with 6 cups water. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. When done, stir soup and mash beans slights to add a creamy texture.
PS: Guests coming next week for the holiday? This would be an excellent “night-before” meal! Just sayin’
Enjoy!
a&a
*chicken is delish in this soup, but not necessary…totally convenient for our vegan friends
28 Saturday Nov 2015
Posted in belle-icious
Is that container of leftover turkey seeming to grow larger? Time to make a plan for that bird! We had a crowd for some football watchin’ this afternoon and this was a big hit!
From The Food Charlatan this Turkey Barley Soup will please the masses (and empty your fridge)!
Her winning recipe…
We did a combo of the stovetop and slow cooker versions. Worked like a charm!
Belle-icious!
a&a
24 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in belle-icious, healthy belle
We found this “yummy” from GP at Goop…our go-to source for über-cool ideas in the fashion and food worlds (as well as a good dose of inferiority…just sayin’). So, when we find a real winner, we like to share it with you…’cause that’s what we do!
This soup is healthy, easy, clean-eating certified, and tasty to boot!!
Broccoli and Arugula Soup
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
2 1/2 cups water (can use chicken broth…we did)
1/4 t coarse salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup arugula
1/2 lemon
Directions :
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté for just a minute or until fragrant.
2. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes, or until bright green
3. Add the water and/or broth to pot with salt and pepper; bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 8 minutes or until broccoli is just tender.
4. Pour the soup into a blender, add arugula, and purée until smooth. Note: If using a blender, let soup cool briefly prior to blending. Or…if you want to go the belle route, add the arugula to the pot and use your handy-dandy stick blender (an essential in every kitchen…just sayin’).
Serve the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Green never tasted so good!!
a&a
05 Thursday Mar 2015
Posted in belle-icious
Tags
Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention…desperate times create desperate measures…or, truth be told, we were cold, hungry and a winter storm warning prevented us from going to gather any groceries.
So with a red pepper, an onion, and some carrots, we trolled our favorite sites to find something that would warm our tummies and that the junior belles wouldn’t turn their noses to. Well, we hit the lottery with this lovely Red Pepper Carrot Soup from Taste of Home.
We’ve tweaked it only a bit, but this tasty, easy soup was gobbled up by every belle we were huddled with. We will be making this many more times as we all know how hard it is to please every palate in our abodes.
Red Pepper Carrot Soup
Serves about 4 very “hangry” belles
You’ll need:
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 medium red pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T uncooked long grain rice
2 T butter
1/3 cup of orange juice
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 t sriracha
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. each dried marjoram, thyme, rosemary, crushed
1/2 t. rubbed sage
1/4 t. black pepper
What you need to do:
Broil red pepper 4 in. from heat until skin is blistered. With tongs, rotate pepper a quarter turn. Broil and rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened. Immediately place pepper in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Peel and discard the charred skin. Remove stem and seeds and set aside.
In a large saucepan, cook the carrots, onion, and rice in butter until onion is tender. Add broth, water, orange juice, sriracha, salt and dried herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots and rice are tender. Cool for 10 minutes.
In a blender, purée carrot mixture and roasted pepper in small batches. Return to pan; heat through.
If you have a stick blender you can just add roasted pepper to pan and blend until smooth.
Easy, delicious, and good-for-you…a real belle-ringer!!
Bon appetit!!
a&a
Via 
the RARE belle 