Winter Tomato Soup

This recipe is a take on my Terribly Easy Tomato Soup. I go to it in the winter months, when it's cheaper to buy canned tomatoes than fresh ones.

If you shop at Costco, the large 2.84 l tins are the exact right amount for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

4 carrots, roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 tsp or 4 cloves minced garlic

10 c canned tomatoes (or 3 x 32 oz cans)

3 c chicken stock

1/2 c fresh basil leaves (or 1/4 c dry)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 c water (optional)

cream (to taste)

Sweat onions in oil on low heat for 8-10 min until soft. Add garlic for last minute of cooking. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 hours on low to let flavours combine. Add 2 c water at end of cooking if lots of water has evaporated. Puree with immersion blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Soup can be frozen at this stage.

When serving, add cream to taste. (I usually add about 1 tbsp per bowl. 2% milk works as well).

Terribly Easy Tomato Soup

I was a little skeptical about trying to make a tomato soup because I have to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the stuff in the can. Well, let me tell you... make this soup and you'll never buy the canned stuff again! This soup compares to those ones that you buy fresh in the supermarket deli section. When Daddy asked what was for supper and I told him, his reaction was "well I guess I"ll try it"... well, Daddy asked for a second bowl and said it was yummy although M would only try the required 1 spoonful and said it was yucky. Good thing the 2 year old votes don't really count!

This reciply is inspired by Ina Garten's Fresh Tomato Soup

Terribly Easy Tomato Soup


1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 large onion (yellow or white)
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic, smashed or chopped finely
10 cups of fresh tomatoes) this was probably about 10 tennis ball sized tomatoes)
1/2 c loosely packed basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (or more if you like)
3 c chicken broth
an itty bitty bit(about 1 tbsp per bowl) of cream

Start by heating oil in a large deep edged pan or stock pot. You don't need much because you are going to cover the onions and carrots and let them sweat. Roughly chop the onion and carrots and add them to the pot. Saute with lid on for about 5-8 minutes or until the carrots are easily pierced with a knife. In the last minute or two of sauteing, add the garlic and turn the heat down a bit so that it doesn't burn.

Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and basil to pot. Stir thoroughly.

Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil. When boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered until tomatoes begin to break down and lose their skins (about 20-30 minutes).

Using an immersion blender (or put batches into a food processor or blender), puree untl smooth. The odd chunk left won't hurt anybody!

Ladel into bowls and add about 1 tbsp (or more if you like) of cream to each bowl.

Soup mixture will freeze well as long as cream isn't added in

Matthew and Mommy's Made Up Cookies

Saturday Mornings are typically baking day in our house.  Matthew and I always get up early and let Daddy sleep.  Truthfully, I don't mind; I enjoy the time Matthew and I have together.  Today he wanted to make cookies.. so here's what we came up with!

The next time I make these, I would increase the chocolate chips or increase the sugar to 1/2c.  I am always trying to cut back on sugar, but these are definitely"not sweet"... otherwise, with the addition of healthy nuts, and their small size, I would consider them a healthy treat!

Matthew and Mommy's Made Up Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 c butter

1/3 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c almond milk (or regular milk or water)

1 3/4 c white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c chopped almonds

1/3 c sweetened coconut

1/2 c mini m&m's

Instructions:

These cookies can be mixed by hand.. no need to haul out the mixer.  Soften butter in microwave if needed (but not to melting point).  Add sugar and cream together with a wooden spoon.  Add egg, vanilla and milk.  Mix well.  Add four, baking soda and salt.  Mix with a spoon and then with your hands if necessary.  Add in nuts, coconut and m&m's.

Drop by mini scoopfull onto greased baking sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom and spongy to the touch.

Makes approx. 36 cookies.

Slow cooked Navy Bean Soup

Recipe entirely made up by me!   Makes a great and filling lunch.....(as shown by the picture above)
This is a 2-part recipe, made in the crockpot. You will need 1-2 days to cook the beans and a second day to make the soup. (or just use canned beans and skip a few days!)

Ingredients

2 c dried navy beans
1 c diced onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
8 c boiling water
left over ham hock and bits of meat
1 c diced celery
1 c diced carrots
2 tbsp minced dried onion
1 can tomato soup


1. Cook the dried beans. Soak beans overnight with enough water to cover by 2". The next morning, drain, rinse and add to slow cooker. Add enough water to cover beans by 1-2" (Depending on how big your cooker is), and add chopped onion, salt and cumin. Let cook until beans are tender (I let it cook for 8 hours on low). Drain the beans.

2. Make the soup!
Add 8 cups boiling water to slow cooker along with ham bones/meat. Add diced celery and carrots. Add minced onion. Add cooked beans, reserving 2 cups to add at the end. Add tomato soup. Put cooker on low and leave until supper time.

3. At suppertime... remove the ham from the soup. Chop meat into small pieces; discard bones. Puree soup with handheld blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as required (salt and pepper). Add reserved beans back to soup along with chopped ham.

4. Serve as is (somewhat healthy) or add chopped bacon and cheddar cheese as garnishes (not healthy) and eat with crusty bread(again not healthy), but very yummy!

Serves 4-6 easily with leftovers. Freezes well.