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Hello, foodies...

We had our In the Kitchen with David Weekend over the last three days and it was a whirlwind of an event but SO much fun. Our foodies arrived on Friday, then Saturday they toured Philly's famous Reading Terminal Market as well as the city of Brotherly Love. That night, we had dinner together and Sunday they got the whole QVC experience, from attending our live show to shopping at the QVC Studio Store.

A BIG thank you to everyone who attended and organized the event...I always think there's no way this event can top the last, and yet I'm surprised every single time. Here's just a snapshot of the event in photos...

This is Michelle--the winner of our ITKWD Road Trip! 

Look who stopped by for dinner on Saturday night!

Now for that recipe I promised...Classic Tomato Soup with Homemade Croutons:

Classic Tomato Soup with Homemade Croutons

Serves 4

This recipe is prepared with the Temp-tations® 20-Piece Dinnerware Set (H205822).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic, divided
• 2-1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 4 slices thick white bread or Texas toast
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1-1/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 8 slices cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. To prepare the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and 1 Tbsp of the garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, paste, basil, sugar, and 1 tsp of the oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the croutons. Cut a 2-1/2" circle from each slice of bread and place the slices on a baking sheet. In a small skillet, melt the butter with the remaining garlic, oregano, and 1/4 tsp of salt over medium heat. Sauté the butter for 1 minute and remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the butter over each bread round and top with the Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes. Set the bread aside. Don't turn off the oven; preheat the broiler.
4. After 30 minutes, remove the soup from the heat. Carefully add half of the soup to a blender and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and then blend the remaining half. Stir in the remaining soup and add the salt, black pepper, and hot sauce.
5. To serve, place 4 mugs on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the mugs and top each with a crouton and 2 slices of Cheddar cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 8–10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Foodies, we don't often think about baking anything in a mug--let alone broiling in it. But every piece in the Temp-tations(R) dinnerware set that's the Today's Special Value(R) on Wednesday is oven safe to 500°F. We want you to think of those "serving" pieces as more than just pretty dishes...because they are.

So that's one "cooking lesson" for the day...the second is how to turn your KitchenAid Stand Mixer into a meat grinder. Then you can make recipes like my Baked Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Turkey Sausage Meatballs entirely from scratch.

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Foodies, I'm taking a few days off so Jane Treacy will be with you this Wednesday night on In the Kitchen with David.

Keep it flavorful! 

—David