Home Base, the all purpose site to help keep you grounded in more ways than one!  If you  are returning to view my site Thank You! If this is your first visit - welcome and I hope Home Base  can give you some useful ways to  build your lifestyle into a stable and healthy outlook. I discovered a couple years ago that I truly love to cook, so I have been indulging in creating tasty  dishes from my cozy little kitchen.

I offer a base recipe with each edition of Home Base. Each base I provide you gives you some foundation to build your own base recipe for your own home style tastes. My recipes may sometimes seem complex but, if you incorporate them into your home life it will become second nature  and easy to establish.. My premise is to keep it as simple as possible. 

None of my dishes ever are exact replicas of  the original dish except I always begin with  the same base ingredients of the original and build on it with whatever  I have  available at the moment.  That is why when you use my base recipe you tailor it to your own tastes preferences and pantry  items. I provide the base and you provide your home made  creation. Even if you don't think you're creative, if you " add in"  your own selections  and you like it then you are discovering success!  Should you bomb it - don't feel bad ( except maybe for the loss of  the food product used). Believe me...some of my attempts are atrocious but it teaches me  what works and what doesn't  so it is not a total loss!
Please feel free to share your wins or fails with the bases you try - all input is appreciated!

This edition  of Home Base has landed just after this years Harvest Moon time. For those unsure of what  a harvest moon is - it is the first full moon  after the autumnal season begins.  Farmers used to bring in the season's crops extending the  workday by using the full moon's light. 

I make  a LOT of different soups and I finally have created this one using my garden veggies that I have been harvesting  lately. I have  tried several  times to  make a decent Tomato soup but every time I tried it felt like I missed something  and just wasn't satisfied in getting it right. This time it was a Base hit! (Yes, I DO love Baseball too).
This home base recipe is my Garden Harvest Soup. It proved to be a winner in my home because it went so fast I didn't even get a chance to freeze any for  another time!  So with that in mind - let's get started!

Home Base Garden Harvest Tomato-Potato Soup
12 servings minimum

4 TBSP              Olive Oil
6 - 8                   Whole Tomatoes  - cut in half
4                         Green Peppers  - cut in quarters
2                         Onions - cut in quarters
1                         Head of garlic -  stem ends trimmed 
6                         Potatoes - cut in bite-sized cubes
2 ears                 Corn on cob - corn  removed (or 1 cup of frozen corn)
2 TBSP              Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP  each    All Purpose Seasoning ( see edition 2)
                           Rosemary
                           Thyme
                           Oregano
8 -10 cups        Hot water

Preheat oven  to 400 degrees.  In Large soup pot  put your olive oil and tomatoes,peppers, onions and garlic; put this in your preheated oven and let this cook down. Do not put a lid on the pot. Roast until all the veggies have broken down and are soft. This takes about 1/2  an hour to 45 minutes. Turn your stove burner on and put the pot on the  stove. IT WILL BE VERY HOT SO BE CAUTIOUS WITH THIS ACTION!!!   I use an immersion blender for this next step - if you do not have one use a blender or food processor. Pulse the  roasted vegetables until they are in a puree consistency, you may need to add some hot water to get to this point because the vegetables will thicken. Once pureed ( return to soup pot if using blender or food processor) add the seasonings,worcestershire sauce, potatoes, corn and then the remaining hot water. AGAIN USE CAUTION AS ALL OF THIS  WILL BE VERY HOT!  Stir until all is combined well and cook over medium heat bringing to a boil. Once the potatoes begin to cook well , lower  heat to medium and simmer for about an hour  or until potatoes are cooked through. I usually simmer for  about 1 hour.

Top photo shows  the roasted veggies  prior to blending. Lower photo shows  finished product,although the potatoes are not visible.

This soup is richly flavored,and is very satisfying. Serve with a nice crusty bread.


 You can use  whatever  vegetables you have on hand, these were just what I had available. That is the beauty of my base recipes, you actually can choose what your prefer if you don't  like my ingredients. I provide the suggestion and the technique, and then you make it your signature  recipe. I haven't used  canned  ingredients for this but I imagine you could , just alter the cooking times. If you omit the  potatoes and corn, this is a splendid hearty tomato soup!

I know my recipes seem time consuming but let me tell you, I have discovered  that when I cook I find a peacefulness  that envelopes me and I enjoy becoming creative with  different foods. I believe each of my recipes turn into a labor of love  and feels less of a chore as I had once considered this task to be. The time spent doing these  recipes actually flies by and before I know it  - it's done, we're fed and happy! Another benefit is usually there is enough left over to serve at another time.

When you teach yourself patience and appreciate your end result it makes  you feel just plain GOOD! In today 's  world where we  constantly seem to hurry up and wait , it's so nice  to feel good  even if it is  over something like a satisfying mealtime.

So there you have it! Another really good Home Base recipe!  Hope you try it, enjoy it and share your thoughts on how  yours turned out! I'd love to  find out what you think!  Don't be afraid to try using your ingredients and be curious!

Today's tip:  Each day share  at least one  good experience with someone else. It doesn't have to be something epic, just something GOOD.


"It is better to eat soup with someone you love than steak with someone you hate"  - Proverbs 15:17

Thanks for sharing some time with me, see you next time!  Have a beautiful day!