Creamy tomato and basil soup

1 28 oz or 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato puree (from can)
5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh basil, for garnish
salt and pepper according to taste


Heat olive oil in large heavy pot. Add onion and sautee on medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, sautee an additional minute. Add diced tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano and stock, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Puree soup with a handheld blender. Add cream, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Garnish with chopped fresh basil and add salt and freshly ground pepper according to taste.

Mustard Roasted Salmon with Lingonberry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 2 6-ounce salmon fillets

• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons lingonberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir 2 tablespoons mustard and 1 tablespoon melted butter in small dish. Oil small rimmed baking sheet and place salmon on sheet, skin side down. Sprinkle salmon with salt. Spread top of salmon with mustard mixture and season generously with pepper. Bake until salmon is cooked through and mustard browns, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Add preserves and vinegar; stir until preserves melt and mixture is smooth. Bring to simmer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce over fish and serve.


Recipe from Epicurious

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• For cake
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling)
  • 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  
  For icing
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  
  
  Make cake:
  Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
  Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
  Beat butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
  Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
  Make icing:
  While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.