creamy tomato and vegetable soup and other holiday entertaining ideas.

The other night I made a new soup. I'm calling it Creamy Tomato and Vegetable Soup...

Recipe:

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2-3 tbs of olive oil

4 carrots, peeled and diced.

half of a yellow onion sliced thin

1/2C-1C of diced white mushrooms

2 small cans of whole peeled tomatoes {or you can use 1 large}

4C of chicken broth

1/2C to 3/4C heavy cream {I didn't measure but it was somewhere in between this}

In a large sauce pan heat oil and brown garlic. Add carrots, onions, and mushrooms with a little bit of chicken broth {enough so the vegetables don't burn and get stuck to the pan}. Cook about 10 minutes or until onions begin feeling soft and have a caramelized look to them. Add the canned tomatoes crushing them with your hand, then add the juice. Break up the tomatoes more with a spoon and add the rest of the broth and cream. Simmer until carrots can be broken with a fork. Once the vegetables are all soft, remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled enough, {about 15-20 min} add portions to a blender and puree. Serve with five grain bread {or any other of your choice}, or with a grilled cheese sandwich. I made mozzarella and tomato grilled sandwiches for hubby and I, and traditional ones for the boys. Hubby loved it, the boys liked it but it wasn't their favorite, they are a hard crowd to please!

I was inspired by this recipe I found, and made it vegetarian style since I don't eat meat, hubby isn't big on sausage either so this way was perfect for us. Her photos are better than mine. If you've never visited her before, Jenny's blog is fantastic! I discovered her a few weeks ago and find myself re-reading all of her posts... she used to live in New England so she has me hooked with her Cape Cod style and all of her New England travel posts, most of which are pretty familiar from my travels there so it's fun reminiscing through her photos. She has some great entertaining ideas for Christmas {and all year long}, that I will be copying for my sister's baby shower. Take a look, and don't blame me if you find yourself still there 4 hours from now and wanting to try every recipe!

I'll start sharing my holiday decorating with you all next week, until then I'll be partying hard at my hubby's work party this weekend, trying to rock some new heels with a swollen and bruised foot, I'm pretty sure I'll be getting some weird looks as I hobble along! Wish me luck!

~Meg