Roasted Herbed Vegetables with Red Wine Sauce and Toasted Garlic Bread

Last night I really wanted to have a date night at home. I love getting dressed up and going out to eat, but sometimes it’s nice to put the extra money into a nice home cooked meal, turn on some music, and relax instead. Needless to say, I wanted to make something a little more special than the average weeknight.

I immediately thought about our first trip together to New Orleans and recalled this amazing French bistro we tried on our first night in the vibrant city. I ordered coq au vin (obviously pre-vegetarian days), which I had never had before, and I simply cannot remember what Dustin ordered…probably because I was too busy focusing on my yummy meal! I wanted to make something reminiscent of that dish, only without the meat. It seemed a difficult challenge!

In the end I decided to brown some potatoes in a little oil and butter (you can’t have a French dish without butter!) and then threw them into a pot with loads of mushrooms, a couple of carrots, pearl onions, garlic, lots of herbs, and a beautiful wine sauce. I served it over toasted sourdough French bread, and it turned out perfect! I think I will definitely make this again, only next time I will use a full cup of wine, and will remember to put candles on the table – ooh la la! (Cheesy, I know!)

Creamy Potato Soup with Zucchini, Rosemary, and White Wine

I have been on a major soup kick lately. I believe this is partly due to the fact that I adore my little crockpot (even though it’s slowly falling apart), but also because of the wonderful, heartwarming quality a hot bowl of broth and vegetables somehow possesses. Perhaps also because autumn is just around the corner (don’t let this heat wave fool you!); and it’s my way of ushering in the warm sweaters, rosy cheeks, and full bellies I so greatly look forward to!

Recently I made a really great creamy mushroom soup that was a big hit (my brother in-law gave it 3 out of 4 spoons on his rating scale, ha ha), and since I had some leftover cream from the Spaghetti Alfredo I made the other night, I decided to venture into the cream soup world again. This time I decided to leave out the mushrooms and add a little white wine, which gave a hint of acidity that paired really well with the cream.