Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Shrimp

I'm on a bit of a soup kick right now.  Fall does that to me.  Here is my latest soupy creation.

Ingredients:
4 pounds of tomatoes
3 heads of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half n' half.
20 shrimp
1 lemon, juiced
1 pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350°

Quarter the tomatoes and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cut the tops off of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap up in a tin foil pouch securely and place on the baking sheet with the tomatoes. 

Put the pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Chop the onions and saute in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of fresh thyme.

Caramelize the onions for about 30-45 minutes, or until they look like this.

When the tomatoes and garlic are done, let the garlic rest on a plate for a few minutes and put the tomatoes in a big soup pot and add caramelized onions.

Add the roasted garlic to the soup and puree until smooth. 
Add the chicken stock to the puree until you have your desired consistency.

Dump in your half n' half and stir to combine.  Let the soup heat up in the pot for a few minutes.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, pinch of thyme, and salt and pepper.  Marinate shrimp in this mixture for a few minutes.

Bake shrimp for 6-8 minutes in the oven.

Put a few slices of cheese between some bread and grill up a side dish.

Dish up some soup and serve hot!!!

Indian Chicken Curry

Okay, first of all, I know what you're thinking. That sure is a lot of spices!  I, too, was initially turned off of this dish due to the amount of spices I would have to buy.  That stuff is expensive!  However, if you buy the spices in bulk, all the spices add up to like $1.  It's worth it!

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 whole lime, juiced
1 whole onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Basmati rice, to serve

Get yourself a big glass bowl with a lid and add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, cardamom and lime juice.  Mix all the spices together.

Add chicken and garlic to the bowl and coat evenly.  Cover bowl and marinate overnight.

Grab a pan and saute onions in butter until soft.

Get that delicious marinated chicken out of the fridge and add it to the onions.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring and stuff.

Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to the chicken and cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on.

Just before serving, add the whipping cream and stir until combined.

Top with cilantro and serve on a bed of rice (I also enjoy this dish served on top of spaghetti squash)