La Madeleine Tomato-Basil Soup

This is so amazing I can't even describe it! It tastes just like the real thing! If you have ever been to La Madeleine, you know what I'm talking about. I got the recipe off of the blog Skip To My Lou, and she got it from the Dallas Morning News several years ago. Love it! She posted the fat grams and calories...but why ruin it for you? Don't even look, just enjoy and savor every bite!

La Madeleine Tomato-Basil Soup

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, or 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
4 cups tomato juice
12 - 14 washed fresh basil leaves, plus additional for garnish, chopped or 1 TBS dried (fresh is better though)
1 cup whipping cream or half and half (again, whipping cream is better)
1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, softened
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Crusty bread (optional)

Directions

Combine tomatoes and juice in saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes over
medium-low heat. Cool slightly, then place in a blender or food
processor. Add basil and process to puree; this will have to be done in
batches.

Return mixture to saucepan. Add cream and butter. Stir over low heat
until butter and cream are incorporated. Stir in salt and pepper before
serving. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve with fresh, crusty
bread. Makes 8 servings.

Ham and Potato Soup

This is such a yummy potato soup! I love it! My kids devoured it...so it has to be good...right? It is great with some cheese sprinkled on top. This came from Allrecipes.com

Ham and Potato Soup

3 1/2 c. peeled and diced potatoes

1/3 c. diced celery or carrots

1/3 c. finely chopped onion

3/4 c. diced cooked ham

3 1/4 c. water

2 TBS chicken bouillon granules or 3 cubes

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 - 1 tsp. pepper, or to taste

5 TBS butter

5 TBS flour

2 c. milk

Combine the potatoes, celery or carrots, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Top with cheese and serve immediately.

A Breakfast Brunch

As many of you know, I love a good recipe. I love to try new things all the time. These two recipes are ones that have been around since before my time....Fruit Soup and Banana Bread.
Doesn't that sound disgusting? Fruit Soup?? I need to rename it, I get weird looks every time I mention it. Anyway, my mom got this recipe from her college roommate and it is now a tradition for the Gillis' (my dad's side) to serve this with Breakfast Quiche every Christmas morning. It is a cold fruit soup...lots of fruit in fruit juices. Easy as that. So...let us think of a new name for this amazing soup!

Fruit Soup:
This can be halved!

Bring to boil - cook until clear:
2 c. water
1/2-3/4 c. sugar
7 TBS tapioca (instant)

Add:
12 oz. can frozen orange juice
5 c. water (use juice of fruit and add water to make 5 c.)
1 qt. peaches (drained) ( you can use a variety of fruit: fruit cocktail, pears, etc..)
2 cans mandarin oranges
4 sliced bananas (put in before serving in the bowl, otherwise they get brown and nasty!)
2 c. strawberries
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix the Tapioca mixture and juices together. Add the fruit and combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

Now on to my Banana Bread. This is another recipe that has been in the family for forever. I believe it came from my Nana (my mom's mom) and it has just been passed down! I know that everyone has their favorite recipe of banana bread. There are a million different recipes for it. So...why mine? Because 1. you will always have the ingredients for this (as long as you have browned bananas) 2. I have converted countless friends to this recipe because it is quite amazing! So, try it for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Banana Bread

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the margarine and sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs. Add the mashed bananas. Then mix together the flour, soda and salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. If it starts to get too brown on the top, put foil on to cover. These are great for muffins as well! Big muffins are for about 20 minutes and the small muffins are about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I just wanted to share a recipe...It is perfect for us sick people. It is a nice creamy, chunky chicken noodle soup. My mom always made this for us when me and my siblings were sick. Thanks Mom! I hope you enjoy!
Chicken Noodle Soup
(I think it may be from the Lion House Cookbook)

3 c. chicken broth
2 c. chopped carrots
2 c. chopped celery
4 c. chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. cooked chicken, diced or shredded
4 c. cooked noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in water. (You can add chicken bouillon to make the chicken broth). Cook vegetables in chicken broth, after chicken is done. Cook noodles after vegetables are soft for as long as directed on package. Add cream of chicken soup then add chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don't boil/simmer for too long.

Serves a family of 4 sick people for several days! Enjoy!