how i've been spending my days

today was the first day in a very long time when i didn't feel stressed or guilty for not being busy looking for a job all day. and what a lovely day it was. i got up this morning and met a dear friend katie for a walk around sugarhouse park {really a beautiful place to hang out if you live nearby}. it started raining and it was very refreshing as we walked and talked about life and love and learning. then later my new friend sami helped me turn some of my raspberries i had purchased in brigham city last weekend into this:

raspberry freezer jam! yum.

then i heard about my cousin jen's garden {she planted 20 tomato plants!} and that she has tomatoes coming out her eyeballs, so i drove up to kaysville and stole a ton of produce from her lush garden. tomatoes, squash and peaches the size of softballs! i was able to see my grandma for a bit which was nice to catch up with her as well. when i got home my mom gave me this fantastic tomato soup recipe which turned out to be amazing {jen you need to try this one out and maybe do a double batch times twenty! just kidding}

roasted tomato soup:

4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise

6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan on a rack.

{here's what my tomatoes and garlic looked like after an hour in the oven, p.s. those black spots are pepper not burn marks}

Peel garlic. Cook onion, oregano, and sugar in butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.

{the finished product...so delicious, especially topped with chopped fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese}

and to finish the night off i watched the latest episode of "america's next top model". what a life i lead. how it is all going to change in a week...yikes i hope i'm ready.