I just love tomato basil soup. And when it is as easy to prepare as this one, I am truly a happy camper. Because I don’t always feel like cooking. Or spending a lot of time preparing delightful dishes to thrill and delight our palates. (I know that might shock some of you who probably think I spend all of my waking hours in my kitchen and that I must undoubtedly wear an apron to bed.)

But I am no different than any other person. Most of the time, yes, I am blissfully happy spending time in my kitchen. Other days, however, my kitchen is the enemy. (Luckily that feeling never lasts very long. But it is happening more regularly as I continue to pack on the years.)

So, when I can make a soup as easy to prepare and as delicious as this one, on the rare days when cooking is tantamount to swimming in shark infested waters, I feel like I’ve won the lottery!

Just a bit of hacking and slashing of onion and garlic (term coined by my dear friend and neighbor Vicki), combining a few ingredients in a pot, and a bit of time for the ingredients to all become friends as they burble away on the stove. Then, a bit of tasty garnish, and Bob’s your uncle! What could possibly be better than that?!

So, if you too love tomato basil soup, give this recipe a try. It is just plain YUM. (And stinkin’ easy to build.)

Well, that’s it for now. I plan to live the life of a slug this afternoon. I’m going to move slowly, leave a trail of mess behind me, munch on whatever is available, and seek shelter from the sun at every opportunity. In human terms, I’m going to lay low, read my book in my favorite chair, and eat leftovers for dinner. By myself. Because Mr. C. has a gig this evening.

So, where normally I would go with him, tonight I am going to stay home and entertain our cats. (Probably study the inside of my eyelids at some point also.)  And hopefully still have the strength to work on my menu plan for our upcoming trailer trip with good friends Craig and Marsha.

So, I expect your afternoon and evening will, to all appearances, be much more productive than mine. But you know, more and more I am appreciating time to just relax and let the world revolve without me. To others, this supposed down time might seem ineffective. But it allows me time to think of ways to help keep us both happy and healthy. In other words, time spent in preparing a plan for success.

Hopefully you too take the time to plan for positive and wonderful things to enrich your own life and the lives of those around you. Because positive thinking (and action), has always had the power to turn a bad day into a better one and to make a good day even better. Not only for yourself, but for those around you.

Peace and love to all. And happy cream of tomato basil soup!

2 T. unsalted butter

1 c. finely chopped yellow onion 

2 sm. garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes (I use Cento brand crushed tomatoes)

1 c. water

2 tsp. chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)

1½ tsp. dried basil  

1 tsp. granulated sugar

tiniest pinch crushed red pepper flakes

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper 

6 T. heavy cream (half & half or whole milk will work in a pinch)

⅓ c. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish

croutons, for garnish (see recipe below) (or from your grocery store)

Heat the butter in a nonreactive pot or enameled Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion. Sauté gently for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and just starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the crushed tomatoes, water, chicken base, dried basil, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add the heavy cream and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; return to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you like a thinner soup, add a couple more tablespoons of cream.)

Serve topped with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano and Oven Baked Garlic Croutons. (See recipe below.) (Or, of course, your favorite store-bought croutons.)

OVEN BAKED GARLIC CROUTONS

1 T. unsalted butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dried parsley

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. bread cubes

Heat the butter, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium sized frying pan. When starting to burble, remove from heat and stir in the bread cubes. Transfer to a small low sided baking pan and bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the bread cubes are crisp and starting to brown. Turn the cubes once during the baking time.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using or storing in an airtight container.

OK, I woke up yesterday morning hungry for Navy bean soup. But when I discovered there wasn’t a ham hock in the freezer, I quickly changed my mind, and adjusted my thinking towards chicken soup. (I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to soup.) But I didn’t want to make one of my standard recipes for chicken soup. If I couldn’t have Navy bean soup, which tends to be inherently creamy as the beans break down, then I wanted to try building a creamy chicken soup for the lovely mouth feel that creamy soups provide. Thus, this recipe.

Now of course this soup includes all the usual suspects. Carrot, celery, onion, etc. But the addition of beurre manié at the end gives the soup a lovely creamy texture. And this soup is very versatile. Want mushrooms, spinach, rice instead of pasta, peas, etc. in your soup? Go for it! Want to use heavy cream instead of whole milk? Knock yourself out! This is just an easy soup to prepare and adapt to whatever your family will enjoy. Nothing special. Nothing new and exciting. Just a good soup that can be made either with freshly cooked chicken or leftover chicken or turkey.

So, that’s it for today. It’s warm and sunny here in northwest Washington. Mt. Baker is showing its beautiful countenance to its many admirers. Port Susan Bay is almost glass-like and a stunning blue/grey. And everywhere I look new leaves are decorating our vista while our lilac bushes insist upon perfuming the air. In other words, it’s a perfect day to work or read outside. And yes, I am very, very lucky.

So, with my book in hand, and my favorite chair in our courtyard just sitting there waiting for me, I leave you to spend the rest of your day also enjoying your surroundings.

The best advice my father ever gave me was to be happy with what I had. Not that I shouldn’t strive for what I wanted or needed. But I should always look around me and be grateful. I wish he were still alive so that I could thank him for his wisdom. Because I know far too many people who are always living in a world of “when I get this or that, I will be happy”. It simply doesn’t work that way. Be happy with what you have and try to help those around you to be happy also. All the rest will eventually fall into place.

Peace and love to all.  

¼ c. unsalted butter, divided

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ lg. onion, finely diced

2 carrots, cut in quarters, then diced

2 ribs celery, cut in half lengthwise and then thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. poultry seasoning  

¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

6 c. chicken stock

1 T. chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken)

2 tsp. dry sherry

⅓ c. flour

1 c. whole milk

2 c. thick egg noodles, cooked al dente

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the chicken cubes. Sprinkle with the seasoned salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to get good and browned and almost crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and refrigerate until needed.  

Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and parsley. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then stir in the poultry seasoning, thyme, and bay leaves.

Add the chicken stock, chicken base, and dry sherry and simmer covered for about an hour or until the carrots are soft. Meanwhile, mush the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the flour in a small mixing bowl.

When the veggies are soft and just before you are ready to serve the soup, add the cooked chicken and milk. When hot, gently stir in the beurre manié (the French name for butter and flour mushed together as a thickening agent). Stir until the soup is hot and thickened. Add the al dente noodles. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

I made this chili the other evening using only the experience of making chili for roughly 58 years. So, did I need a recipe to follow? No, I did not. So, why am I giving you this recipe? You probably already have the perfect chili recipe. But in case you don’t or haven’t been cooking all that long, you might just need a great recipe for chili. Because a great chili recipe is something every cook should have at their disposal. Chili is simply one of those dishes that is loved by people of all ages. And really, is there anything better to eat when it’s cold, dark, and dreary outside? Of course not! Add a chunk of cornbread spread with lots of soft butter and honey to accompany the chili, and you have a meal fit for a king.

So, what’s so special about this chili you might ask? Actually, there is nothing exceptional or unique about this dish, except it’s darned delicious. And easy to prepare. And warms up beautifully. And is the perfect comfort food.

So, if you live in a temperate environment where the sun shines every day, the temperature never goes under 70-degrees, and you don’t even own a heavy jacket, you absolutely do not need this recipe in your life. But for the rest of us who can and usually do complain about cold and rainy weather especially in winter, if not this recipe, you should have at least one good chili recipe at hand.

Well, that’s it for today. I am having trouble with my site. I keep getting an error message that says I’m using an outdated version of PHP. (Whatever the heck that means.) Anyway, I’m trying to get it fixed, but for someone like myself who can barely remember to plug in my cellphone daily, having technical problems on my site is tantamount to asking me to replace the engine in our Prius! But keep trying I must. (Any good thoughts sent my way very much appreciated.)

If you have favorite recipes on this site, I advise you to print them out ASAP. Who knows when I might just blow up the whole site!

Peace and love to all.  

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 c. chopped celery

3 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

1 (15-oz.) can/box tomato sauce (preferably Italian)

1 (15 to 20-oz.) can black beans (rinsed and drained) (I use Cento brand)

1 can black olives, drained and sliced

1 (4-oz.) can diced green chilies (I prefer Hatch diced chilies)

3 T. chili powder

1 T. oregano (I like Mexican oregano)

1 tsp. paprika

dash ground cloves

½ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy covered pan or Dutch oven. Add the ground beef, onion, and celery. Cook until the ground beef is nicely browned. Add the garlic and fresh parsley and cook for 1 minute.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, black olives, diced green chilies, chili powder, oregano, paprika, ground cloves, seasoned salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an hour. Taste and adjust seasoning just before serving.

Great topped with grated sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream. (Corn bread on the side is nice too.)

OK, this cheesy soup isn’t all that much different from my Bacon, Corn, and Cheese Soup recipe. But it’s unlike enough to warrant its own blog post. Both recipes make for good eating and are very easy to prepare. And best of all, absolutely perfect for this time of year.

I don’t know where you live, but here in Northwest Washington, it’s getting cold. And wet. And frankly, I’m just not feeling quite ready for cold wet weather. But it truly is a relief not to be breathing wildfire smoke like we were plagued with in September and most of October. So, as the old saying goes – “pick your poison” Toxic air or cold and rain! Neither option is perfect. But since we have zero control over the weather anyway, the best thing I know of to relieve the doldrums when cold, wet, dark, and dreary days become a reality, is to build comfort food. And in my humble opinion, soup is the quintessential comfort food.

There is just something about soup. First of all, in the colder months it’s usually served hot. And usually, soup is very simple to prepare. And often, even better warmed up the next day! How can that not be a totally cool thing!

So, my advice to you, if you too suffer from prolonged exposure to dark, cold, and wet days, is to make soup. The warmth alone feels like a big old hug for your insides. And the happiness experienced by your taste buds is bound to result in the release of endorphins. And as we all know, our bodies produce endorphins to help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve mood. So, I say – go for it. Put on a pot of soup and let everyone at table reap the benefits.

I know I have been worrying too much lately about the future of our country. And I’m sure some of you share my concern. But I had a stern talk with myself as I was drifting off to sleep last night. There isn’t a bloody thing I can do about most of what is happening. But I can remain (or try to remain) positive. And work towards being a good example for others. Goodness and kindness are still a huge part of our culture. We need to remember how many wonderful people are out there just trying to live a good life and not hurt anyone in the process. I need to concentrate on these people and not the few who are demonstrating hate. This is my plan for myself in the immediate future. That and making soup more often!

Peace and love to all.

8 slices lean bacon, diced

1 med. onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 c. diced celery

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

4 c. chicken stock

1 c. milk

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 squirt hot sauce

¼ c. flour

1 T. dried parsley

freshly ground black pepper

3 c. fresh or frozen corn

1 c. finely chopped red bell pepper

3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a medium sized saucepan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.

Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the pan. Sauté until the onion is golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

In a bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, milk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, flour, parsley, and black pepper. Add to onion mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat whisking the entire time.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the corn, red bell pepper, and reserved bacon. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

Just before serving, remove soup from heat, stir in cheese, taste, and adjust seasonings.