GAZPACHO

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a long time now. I actually made it a few months ago for TGB's birthday dinner. Since I started making this at about midnight, I didn't take any pictures while I was cooking. My Tia and I were exhausted prepping everything and no one was in the mood to take pictures.

GAZPACHO

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, diced
• 5 lbs tomatoes, cored and diced
• 1 English cucumber (or 1 1/2 cucumbers) peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 5 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• Fresh ground paper, to taste
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 cups cubed French bread
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the onion, 1 cup of the tomatoes, 3/4 cup of the cucumbers, 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. In a blender or food processor combine the remaining onion, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, garlic, and vinegar. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the remaining tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell pepper and blend.
4. Add the french bread and puree. I like the gazpacho a little chunky.
5. Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the remaining olive oil and blend.
7. Transfer the soup to a soup bowl or container and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.
8. To serve, ladle the gazpacho into bowls and garnish with a heaping spoonful of the diced vegetables.

THE YOGURT MAKER

My mother gave me a yogurt maker recently. I am not sure how she came to be in possession of a yogurt maker, since she does not actually cook. If you open her kitchen cabinets, you are likely to find paint, paint brushes, and paint remover instead of food or pots and pans. I think I have only seen her cooking in the kitchen about 3 times in the last ten years.

So now that I have a yogurt maker, I had to give it a try. All that you need is milk and yogurt (or yogurt starter) and lots of time....Once you have filled the glass containers you need to leave them in the machine for 7 to 10 hours.

The containers are so cute and the yogurt smells delicious.

I made plain flavored yogurt, but I will try adding some fruit next time. I think my mother would be proud to know I used the yogurt maker.