A few notes on Cooking/ Blog Hop

I love to cook...It's meditative and relaxing--I'm pretty sure I could just stand, stirring a pan or pot of whatever, watching the ingredients change and morph in texture and aroma for hours....but then the dish would just be bland, so I restrain myself.

I often turn to my trusty I-pad apps for recipes and inspiration, but I also have cookbooks and my trusty recipe box, which probably holds the most sentimental value for me.  Many of the recipes I have are from the family, so when I cook using them I think of where they came from and what the food tasted like when it was cooked by my Nana and my Mom.

For a creative challenge, on the Supporting Artists Team on etsy, participants were asked to create a recipe card to share.  This task was harder than I thought--I wanted to create a recipe card that was functional (of course), but also unique, attractive, and food-related--I wanted the card to be something that would bring a little extra joy to the kitchen and cooking experience.
Here is what I came up with:

If you're looking for a letter, my Blog Hop Letter is  O

To go along with this post, I have also decided to post a recipe I used right before I decided on the design I wanted to use for the recipe card.  The recipe is not mine, so here is credit, where credit is due. I found it on Allrecipes.com.  It was perfect, because the creator of the recipe is also from New Jersey, and she used FRESH Jersey Tomatoes to make it. Yummmm.  

Click this link for a tasty experience: 

JERSEY FRESH TOMATO SOUP

Oh, and did I mention, I made grilled cheese to go with it?  I forgot too, until it was completely devoured.  If you'd like to see my take on how to make the perfect grilled cheese, check out this blog post: The Art of Grilled Cheese 

Oh, and that reminds me: don't forget to dip the sandwich in the soup...it's amazing.