Sweet Potato Bisque from Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is a favorite store of mine. I love their product assortment and how it keeps changing through the months. They have a decent array of vegetables and fruits, not-every-expensive Medjool dates (YUM!), excellent range of cheeses (some vegetarian and some not - you need to check the ingredient list, as always), lots of delicious stuff to nibble on... the most decadent one possibly being Lacey's chocolate cookies. Chocolate, honey, caramel...? Maybe. They are such a treat.

As always, I digress. What I wanted to share with you was TJ's brand of sweet potato bisque. After pouring the soup into a pan for warming, I threw the packet in the trash. And then went right back to take a picture. But P forbade me to post a picture of the trash can. So here's the soup.

It simply needs to be warmed before serving. Surprisingly, this one contains no onions or garlic. Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, salt. Maybe some other ingredients that I don't recall.

I threw in some basil leaves while the soup was on the stove. Added some freshly ground black pepper and shredded Parmesan cheese before serving.

Excellent soup. The texture is rich and creamy and it tastes mildly sweet. P loved it totally and said so. Again and again. Well, I had made a fresh batch of pesto that he ladled into his bowl. I think that's what he really loved, the combination of fresh basil pesto, root vegetables, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. I didn't taste that version but I can take his word for it!

Next time, I'll take a picture of the packet before I throw it in the trash!

Yet another summer sandwich

Nothing says summer like basil. Or peaches. Or figs. Or tomatoes. Well, you get the picture. Summer brings us such a bonanza of fruits, herbs, vegetables. Everything tastes juicier, fresher... oh so succulent! Whether you bite into a ripe tomato or a peach, it feels like such a complete indulgence.

So this last weekend, we went to the Sandy Springs Farmers Market and got home a big bunch of basil among other things. I made a batch of pesto. What you see below is lunch today. Sandwich flats and mozzarella came from Trader Joes, tomatoes from Harrys Farmers Market (I ensured that the variety I picked came from Tennessee - no more West Coast produce for me!), freshly ground black pepper.

Summer is fleeting; Fall is almost here. Let's celebrate the remaining days of this magical season!