Homemade Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup Recipe

6 large tomatoes

4 cloves garlic

onion, medium, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 t. chicken bouillon

2 cups half and half

1 t salt

3/4 t pepper

pinch cayenne

1/4 c fresh basil, chopped - not exactly sure how much

Blanch tomatoes and put in sink of cool water to cool.  Put diced celery in hot water used to blanch tomatoes.  Saute garlic and onions in a little water.  Remove tomatoes from water, peel, chop and place in pan.  Strain celery and add to pan with tomatoes.  Add garlic and onions and chicken bouillon.  Simmer for half hour.

Add 2 cups half and half.  Use immersion blender to puree to slightly chunky texture.  Add some cayenne - a pinch.  Add salt and pepper and fresh basil.  Heat through.

I modified this from a recipe I found online.  I was planning to add Campbell's soup to it but actually made that in a whole other pan for the kids because this was so good!! 

I made this after reviewing several recipes and it was fabulous - others asked for the recipe even, including Ela Wunderli and Heather Castro.

Spanish Eggs and Rice

This was a recipe I made when I was near the end of a pay period.  It was very well received.  

3 cups uncooked rice

1 14.5 oz. can of diced toamtoes

1.5 tsp chicken boullion

2 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

Filled the rice cooker for the rice (4 scoops so to line 4) then added everything else plus a dollop of olive oil.  Stirred and set to cook.

I also made scrambled eggs.  

one onion, diced

1 T butter

7 ounce can green chiles

two tomatoes, diced and chopped

6 eggs

1 c. shredded Jack cheese

Cook onion till tender in 1 T butter.  Then add green chiles.  Add diced tomatoes. Cook a bit then add the eggs.  Add about a cup of jack cheese just before eggs are throughly cooked.

Put rice in a bowl and make a cavity in the middle.  Fill it with eggs which also may cover the top of the rice.