Tarragon and Chives

Carrot and leek soup is a bowl of sunshine in winter, specifically for dinner on a rainy gray January evening.  A bight flavored easy to make carrot soup embellished with a spoonful of mellow miso, a dusting of Rangpur lime zest with freshly snipped marjoram minced over warm creamy tops with a sprinkle of fleur de sel, reminding me of warmer al fresco dinners in the south of France.  This is the first installment of my soup and wine blog series.  I'm starting with a light but tasty winter soup, a soup that goes well with wine.  We start our soup and wine night by greeting guests with a Kir Royale, made with French champagne Laurent-Perrier and a spoonful of Crème de Cassis served in a flute.  I like to serve cheesy  gougères  from my blog to nibble, followed by a glass of Williams Selyem "Estate Vineyard" Russian River Valley Chardonnay to accompany our carrot and leek soup with miso, lime and marjoram.  A fun evening was had by all.  I also made fudgy chocolate brownies

  The world's easiest deep dish cheesy pizza just became easier when I discovered SF Joe's Original house made pizza dough and sauce available for pick up anytime.  The first time I made a deep dish pizza in a skillet I used traditional homemade tomato pizza sauce, caprese mozzarella balls and homemade pesto sauce.  We loved this simple cheesy pizza with crispy edges and pesto flavors.  I've made it a few times for dinner, served with a green salad and a glass of red wine.  But after I discovered the pizza dough and sauce at Joe's, pizza became easier to make and it certainly is better homemade right out of the oven. I also like to use basil leaves in place of pesto for variety, even easier to prepare.  The 9" cast iron skillet is just the right size for the purchased pizza dough.  I had a little leftover pizza sauce after spooning it around the mozzarella balls over the risen pizza crust before baking in a hot oven.  I tucked sweet basil leaves around the mozzarel