Hey y’all, I am really excited to introduce to you CAROL!!! She is going to a “regular” guest blogger around here, with some awesomely fantastic recipes from her own kitchen. I will soon have a bio page up for her, but here is a little blurb from it:

Like most fellow foodies, I love, love, love to eat food, talk about food, make food, follow other peoples’ recipes, tweak recipes & now & then, create my own recipes. Imelda Marcos had her shoes, I’ve got my recipes (well, my hubby might argue that point)! My favorite resources are in print like Southern Living magazine, Bon Appetite, Gourmet, & ofcourse, I would be remiss if I didn’t credit the domestic goddess to most of us, Martha Stewart Living & Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine, just to mention a few. If I’m at my desk working (yes, I have a real job;I do not live in the kitchen, but more about that later…) either the Food Network or the Cooking Channel is on in the background. It’s a multitasking thing, do cash flow, pay bills, & file while absorbing dinner ideas at the same time! What a great job!!! Not only do I cut out magazine recipes, I ask friends for recipes, I print recipes off the internet & did I mention that I love cookbooks too??? I’ve collected so many recipes over the years, that I no longer have a recipe box, I’ve got recipe binders…a lot of them!

And for her debut recipe, Carol has prepared for us a mouth-watering (get it, I’m a genius) Gazpacho Recipe that you are sure to love. Here’s some more from Carol:

The end of summer is calling to us…yes, even in Florida. The heat may still be here, but school is starting now, Labor Day is long gone and our summer fruits and veggies are hitting their heights. Keep the heat out of the kitchen and try this Summer Gazpacho Soup. This soup is crisp and refreshing during the dog days of summer and tomatoes are at their best right now!

This recipe will please the spicy heat seekers or can just as easily be adjusted for those who don’t care for spice. Who wants to be stuck in a hot kitchen… in Florida …at this time of year? So go fire up the outside grill and the only heat in your kitchen will be in the soup! Bon appetite!

Summer Gazpacho Recipe
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ c. tomato juice (plus extra)
8 plum tomatoes seeded, diced (approx. 18 oz.)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 English (seedless) cucumber, diced (approx. 7 oz.)
1 medium white onion, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced (careful, don’t rub your eyes!!!)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ c. cilantro, chopped fine
¼ c. italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 T hot sauce (optional)
2 T good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ t. kosher salt, plus more to adjust taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a blender combine 1 c. tomato juice with ½ of the diced tomatoes, ½ of diced cucumbers and 1/2 of the diced bell peppers. Puree until smooth. Pour into a non-reactive bowl.
2. Stir in the remaining diced tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers.
3. Add the diced white onion, sliced green onion, diced jalapeno pepper, chopped cilantro, parsley and garlic and lemon juice. Stir well.
4. Transfer 1 c. of the mixture to the blender. Add remaining 2 ½ c. tomato juice and puree.
5. Pour back into bowl with remaining ingredients. Add salt, hot sauce and extra virgin olive oil. Stir well.
6. Adjust to taste with more salt, hot sauce and/or fresh cracked pepper.

1. Regarding the level of spice or heat in the gazpacho: some like it hot/spicy, so adjust by adding more jalapeno or even leave the seeds in the jalapeno (be careful, hot peppers carry a lot more heat in the seeds). You can add as much hot sauce as you please. Don’t like spice…it’s perfectly alright to leave out the hot sauce or the jalapeno, just be sure to use fresh cracked black pepper to add a slight bite to your end product.
2. Used too much salt? Add more tomato juice to final product.
3. Dress it up… try toppings like a dollup of sour cream or greek yogurt and no one ever argues with crumbled, crispy bacon. Thin slice a few more green onions and you’ve got perfection!

QUESTION!! How do you like your Gazpacho??