I'm a Chef!

Not really, but I did figure out how to make tomato soup from scratch! 

I hate buying canned soups - too many preservatives and chemicals and they taste awful. But it has been pouring cats and dogs here lately (thanks, Southern summers!) and I wanted some comfort food for dinner. More specifically: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. 

I figured it takes tomatoes, seasonings, and a cream base, all of which I had on hand, so the kids and I got to it and made the kitchen look like a murder scene. 

Not that anyone cares, but here's what I did: 

Chop up tomatoes. I used about a pound worth. 

In a hot skillet, reduce some sweet onions in some butter. Add the tomatoes to get some flavor and soften up. 

Place the whole mess in a blender or food processor and add some seasonings. I added Tony's (a gift from God Almighty that goes on everything here and is way too high in sodium), garlic powder, and chopped basil leaves. 

I then pulverized them to a liquid-y pulp. 

Next I added some milk. I used cooking milk, but it could be subbed with heavy cream or unsweetened nut milk. I just kinda eyeballed it. Mix again. 

Then we tasted it. It was such a sweet moment to watch my kids taste something they helped make. Even Drum taste tested, before he tried to steal my spoon. 

We added some more seasonings to taste and then mixed again and

poured it into a quart jar to save for dinner. 

It took all of fifteen minutes, and tastes much better than store canned soup.  

Now, I'm sure there are fancier methods and recipes and I could figure out how to make them and how to can so I can make big batches to save. And maybe one day I will. I'm just thrilled I figured out how to make a quick and easy soup! Usually my recipes require a lot of simmer time, so this will be awesome for quick lunches and dinners. :)