Tomato Soup

The recent request from my son was tomato soup. He loves it. My youngest daughter prefers chicken noodle soup. So, I decided to try this soup since it contained tomatoes with additional vegetables. Since I was in a hurry that night to attend my daughter's concert, I skipped a couple of steps like puree it in the blender to get a smooth texture. I also forgot to add the heavy cream to make it creamy. I liked it just the way it came out. My son was happy. My anti-vegetable husband liked it. My youngest daughter still prefers her chicken noodle soup. Don't feel too bad for her since she has been eating clementines none stop it seems. All my children can't get enough of them. When they hug me, all I smell is clementines. I guess it is better than to smell like tomato soup or worst things. Since we have been eating a lot of cookies lately, I am trying to up the vegetables consumption and this soup is a great start.

Tomato Soup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 slices of bacon, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (28 oz.) can roasted tomatoes, crushed
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the butter over medium high heat.
2. Add the bacon and cook for 1 minute or until crispy.
3. Remove bacon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
5. Cook the vegetables covered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 3 minutes.
7. Add the broth and the tomatoes to the pan.
8. Bring to a boil while whisking for a minute or two.
9. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. 
10. Simmer for 20 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
12. Make sure to remove the bay leaf before ladling into bowls and top with the bacon pieces. 

Recipe adapted from Food Network.
*To save time during the week, chop all the vegetables the night before and store in a storage bag until needed the next day.*

One year ago............................I made Russian Tea Cakes.

Did you already know...............
-Tomatoes originated from South America.
-Early settlers and explorers believed tomatoes were poisonous.
-Tomatoes are in the Nightshade family and some Nightshade species are poisonous.