Fall colors and legos

This past weekend, I decided to get out and see some things here in Utah. The more I think about the fact that I am supposed to defend in 3 months, the more I realize that I am running out of time to do all of the things I said I would when I first moved here!

Since fall is my favorite season (and my soon to be home of San Diego has no seasons), I figured doing a scenic drive to enjoy the trees as they change color would be the perfect way to spend a Saturday. Apparently Utah is a great place to see fall colors, because when I searched for fall drives in Utah, I found a list of 27 Fall Color Tours! I opted for option 12: The Alpine Loop (billed as One of Utah's Most Spectacular Scenic Drives) which starts at the mouth of American Fork Canyon, winds up through the Uintas past Mount Timpanogos, passes the Sundance ski resort, and lets you out at the bottom of Provo Canyon. The road is only open from late May to early October (the rest of the time it is closed due to snow).


After all of the hype (really, one of the most spectacular?), I have to say the drive did not disappoint! Due to the early snow fall this year, Mount Timpanogos was covered in snow, which provided a dramatic contrast to the bright reds, oranges, and yellows of the fall trees. I am so glad that I was able to enjoy this drive before I leave.

When you get spit out of the bottom of Provo Canyon, you have two options - head west to Provo or east to Heber City/Park City. I had read about an exhibit up in Park City where the sculptures are made entirely of legos and I was very intrigued by the idea, so I decided to head east. When I arrived at the Kimball Art Center, I discovered that the exhibit, The Art of the Brick, was free, which made me even more happy! The artist, Nathan Sawaya, has made a number of sculptures, some of which took him over 3 months to create! I have featured a few of my favorites here., but there are plenty more that I am not showing, so if you are in the Park City area before November 15, I would definitely recommend checking it out!

Tomato Soup for the Soul

Today I saw that one of my favorite blogs, Hail's Kitchen, is back in action! The author, my friend Hailey, is always inspiring me to try new recipes - she is so fearless and adventurous in the kitchen. Her latest post, A Truffled Protest, had pictures of a delicious looking tomato soup and grilled cheese combo. Now for years I have been sitting on some amazing soup recipes given to me by friends but I have to be honest - for whatever reason, making soup has always frightened me. I pictured hours of simmering, waiting for the right consistency, only to end up with a watery, flavorless bowl of soup. (I guess all of those years of eating sodium filled canned soup which you just open, heat, and serve have spoiled me.)

Well, after reading Hailey's post, which made making soup from scratch sound so easy, and given the fact that it is about 37 degrees at night here lately (it went from 85 degrees one day to snowing the next - that's a Utah fall for you), I could not resist the allure of grilled cheese and a hot bowl of soup. (Plus, I have this slow cooker that has been collecting dust in my cabinet since last Christmas that I have been dying to find an excuse to use.)

I started with Hailey's suggestion of oven roasting the tomatoes. I followed her instructions pretty much to a tee: take 5 medium red tomatoes, quarter them, lay them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place them in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

From there, I ventured out on my own, taking different cues from the many different tomato soup recipes I have on file and combining them with Hailey's recipe. It was nothing short of revalation (only about 20 mins of active cook time - no more canned soup for me!) and earned rave reviews from all of my dinner guests! I hope it will inspire you to make homemade soup as well.

My recipe is as follows:

oven roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
4 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1 tsp saffron threads
boiling water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 1/2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

After roasting the tomatoes, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. In the mean time, add garlic and onion to 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil heated over medium-low to medium heat. Cover and saute for 10 mins. Add cooled tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture into a slow cooker (or large sauce pan). Crush saffron threads with the back of a spoon until a powder is formed. Steep saffron threads in 1 Tbsp boiling water for approximately one minute. Pour saffron/water mixture into slow cooker/sauce pan. Add chicken broth, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich (I made mine with brie and ciabatta bread in my panini press).