Root vegetables—the staple of winter farmer’s markets here in the Northeast. Well, good news is just when you thought you’d had enough of them, I’ve got a new recipe that will leave you loving them all over again. What if I told you a handful of carrots, celery, onions and a few other easy-to-find ingredients could save you over $100 in grocery shopping? Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about a pantry staple: homemade stock.

We’ve all resorted to store-bought stock, whether in a pinch, or simply for ease and convenience. With a little planning, you can make enough vegetable stock to feed an army, yet it’ll only take up a small bit of real estate in your fridge or freezer. Have you ever made split pea soup off the back of the bean bag? The one my husband first started making many moons ago called for a packet of bouillon—the powdered concentration equivalent to canned broth basically. Now you can skip the cans and packets and head straight to the kitchen to make your own all-natural, preservative-free version to use in soups, stews, risottos…really the possibilities are endless.

Homemade Vegetable Bouillon
makes one quart concentrated or 48 quarts diluted

Two things to remember with this recipe: 1) a little goes a long way and 2) you're essentially curing the vegetables in salt, so that’s why you need so much of it to start. Depending on the size of your Cuisinart food processor, you may need to make this in two batches, or just halve the recipe.

4 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed & cut into large pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 leek, white part only, sliced
1 small onion, peeled & quartered
10 sun-dried tomato halves
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms (caps & stems), cleaned & quartered
2 cloves garlic
generous handful of fresh parsley, including stems
7 ounces salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms a wet paste and is well combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or separate into smaller portions to store in the freezer. To use, combine one measured teaspoon with one cup boiling water, adding more water as necessary to adjust to your liking.

I miss tomatoes. Juicy, ripe tomatoes. Perhaps in a caprese salad, or simply tossed with sliced red onions and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. It’s still winter here in the Northeast, and while tomatoes are readily available in supermarkets, they cannot compare in flavor and taste to when they are in season and harvested locally. How could they after traveling thousands of miles?

I’m not giving up on my ruby, lycopene-filled friends. If you managed to can some last summer, then please don’t forget to invite me for dinner the next time you pop a jar open. If you’re like me, though, canned tomatoes are a helping hand in getting through these cold, grey days. What better way to beat the winter sniffles than with a warm bowl of tomato soup? My husband loves it served with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Start off with good-quality tomatoes. San Marzano are my favorite. After a slow roast in the oven, they intensify into a rich concentrated flavor. A quick spin in the blender with some stock and you’ll be ready to relax and start counting down the days until Spring.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Soup
serves four

One 28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
drizzle of olive oil, about 2 teaspoons worth
1 1/2 cups reserved tomato juice
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Croutons, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil; set aside.
2. Drain tomatoes, saving the juices for preparing the soup (you should keep about 1 1/2 cups reserved). Slice the tomatoes in half and place cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for one hour. Remove tray from oven and let cool 10 minutes.
3. Transfer cooled tomatoes to the blender bowl attachment on your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Add the vegetable stock and blend until smooth. Pour soup into a 2-quart pot and heat until warmed, but not boiling. Stir in the cream, if using, and cook for one more minute. Serve garnished with croutons.

Escaping sports seems impossible in my house. There’s always some guy hitting, swinging at, throwing or dunking some sort of ball when it comes to weekend TV viewing. I figure if I can’t beat ‘em, then I can at least eat something yummy and pretend to feign interest. I couldn’t think of anything that goes better than chips and dip, and boy have I got a surprise for you. We’re not opening any packets in my house. Instead, we’re slicing and sautéing some onions for a tasty treat. The prep is incredibly easy but the pay-off is priceless: homemade onion dip without the artificial aftertaste. The secret is caramelizing the onions. The rest is child’s play—literally, the kids will have a blast pulsing the ingredients into a creamy dip worthy of any chip…or carrot stick.

Caramelized Onion Dip
Makes about 1 cup

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute until they begin to soften and become golden, about 10 minutes. Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until onions are very tender, about 10 more minutes. Transfer onions, Stir, scraping up any browned bits at bottom of the pot, to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Add onions, sour cream and yogurt to the bowl of the food processor attachment on your Cuisinart Stand Mixer and pulse until well mixed and the onions are mostly, but not completely chopped. May be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.

Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve - all bets are off when it comes to treating myself from a food perspective. Between parties, baking for friends and creating new recipes to share with all of you, I feel ready to give Santa a run for his money in that big red suit. Then the light of reason comes in the form of January 1st. It’s a new year. A time to wipe the slate clean. 2010 has no idea the indulgences I allowed myself the year before, or at least that’s how I’m choosing to look at it.

While sweets, carbs and all that other good stuff will always be a part of my cravings, I’m tempering them with healthier choices like this granola and berry smoothie recipe below. It’s the perfect balance of fiber, calcium and fruit. It’s also a great on the go breakfast, so get ready to fill your travel mug with a caffeine-free natural pick me.

Granola & Berry Smoothie
serves one

Feel free to swap in your favorite frozen berries, and depending on the size of your blender you can easily double or triple this recipe. Oats are also an easy substitution for the granola if you’re all out but still want to get a healthy start to the day.

1/2 cup granola
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup milk

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a blender attachment on you Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Process until smooth.