Tomato Basil Soup

Today is my big brother's birthday (happy 40th) and with that comes the official start of fall.  I can feel it in the air; the shorter days, crisp breeze, football games and volleyball.  The leaves in our neighborhood are just beginning to change from their vibrant greens to lovely shades of red, orange, yellow and brown.  Fall is one of my favorite seasons! But, so are spring and summer.  Today I have begun the official decor change.  I am switching out shells for pinecones and drift wood for leaves and twigs.  The blues, greens and corals I have throughout my home will be toned down with rusts, deep greens and browns.

However, the change of seasons at my house are not only in the decor, but in the food I prepare as well.  I find myself in the kitchen creating soups, casseroles and warmer, heartier meals.  And this weekend, soup found its way to our table.  Even better, 4 of the 5 of us enjoyed it.  I call that success.

I made Tomato Basil Soup (recipe below).

I first sautéd some onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a little bit of butter until soft.

Added in some different layers of tomato and chicken stock.

 Some basil and a bay leaf along with a little pepper to give the soup a punch of homestyle flavor.

I simmered it on the stove for about 5 hours,  I'm sure you could throw it all into a crockpot and let the flavors meld together in there as well.

Right before you are going to serve it, stir in a 1/2 a cup of cream cheese and a pint of half and half.  Once it is melted and combined, serve it up.  I love pairing this soup with cheesy, garlic bread.  I am a dipper and this is a perfect compliment to the soup.

And like I said before, all but one of us (that would be Smiley) liked the soup.  Action even decided to express his feelings in the soup itself:

Tomato Basil Soup

2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons butter

28 oz diced tomatoes
3 cups (24 oz) vegetable juice (like V-8)
6 oz tomato paste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can chicken broth
Pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
2-3 tablespoons of snipped basil (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pint 1/2 and 1/2
4 oz cream cheese

1.  Saute the veggies in 2 tablespoons of butter until softened.
2.  Add all ingredients except the 1/2 and 1/2 and cream cheese.
3.  Simmer for 3-6 hours.
4.  About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the 1/2 and 1/2 and cream cheese.
5.  Serve

Notes:
* I think crushed red peppers would be good in this soup if you like a little kick.  My kids are not always so keen on spice, so I did not add any.

* If you like your soup a bit thinner, add more chicken broth or vegetable juice

*  Have fresh tomatoes on hand?  Chop them up and toss them in!

Enjoy!

a Bowl full of Lemons

O{pin}ions

The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are falling and the air is crisp.  At least this is the way it is where I live.  And as the season changes from summer to fall, I find myself craving warm comfort foods.  So you'll see this weeks O{pin}ions will represent this.

First up:

Italian Fusilli Zuppa

(via 4th Sense Cooking)

The picture is so pretty, the recipe sounded easy and what is better on a cool day then a warm bowl of homemade soup.  The two words that pop into my head when I think of the first bite I took of this yummy looking soup ~ sick and disgusting.  Needless to say, I promptly dumped the entire pot down the garbage disposal.  Obviously I will be deleting this recipe from my "Cooking" board and nope, I would not recommend it.



Since that soup was a total disaster and I was still craving soup, a few days later I attempted this one:

Chunky Vegetable Soup

(via Butterfly Food)

So much better than the first one!  I thought the flavors were good and I love the chunky vegetables in it.  I ate leftovers for lunch for about 5 days!  Definitely will remake this soup!



Up next Breakfast:

Weekend Brunch Casserole

(via Culinary.net)

When I saw this one on Pinterest the description said something about crescent rolls and sausage.... fore me, that was basically hook, line and sinker :)  Anyway, I made this one Saturday morning when my in-laws were visiting.  We all agreed it was tasty.  I will definitely make this again!  Quick tip ~ instead of using separate crescent rolls and pinching the seams together, purchase the sheet of crescent roll ~ same thing but already in a 9x13" sheet (same location in the grocery store too)!


That same weekend, I also made this:

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

(via Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Another delightful recipe that I will absolutely make again.  It was a perfect sweet compliment to our savory and salty sausage dish.

Well, there you have it ~ 3 out of 4 isn't too bad :)  Have you pinned anything lately and made it (food or otherwise!)  Oh, and you can find me on pinterest here, where can I find you?