Posted in 30 minute meal, dinner, easy, Lunch, Soups

Creamy Tomato Soup

Sometimes I crave the classic combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I really don’t like condensed tomato soup unless I doctor it up with basil.  So when I craved it, I decided to try making a homemade version of the soup.  It ended up being yummy!

This recipe came from Rachael Ray.  As a novice cook, I watched her 30-minute meals A LOT.  Hubby credits her with teaching me to cook.  We had some really interesting meals during our first few years of marriage.  Dry hamburger patties were the norm.  Hubby got us cable, so I would watch the Food Network.  Slowly the meals I was cooking became better.

When the Imaginative One was younger, he loved watching Rachael Ray with me.  She was his first celebrity crush.  In 2008, right before my grandma died, he and I met her when she came to a local bookstore.  (I can’t find the picture.)  She also signed a cookbook for him.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Adapted from Rachael Ray

(2 to 4 servings depending on how much soup you eat.)

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 – 15 oz. can think of chicken broth
  • 1 – 14 oz. can of CRUSHED tomatoes
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. dried basil
  • 1 bay leaf

Steps:

  1. Combine chicken broth and crushed tomatoes in a heavy bottom soup pot.
  2. Heat to boiling.
  3. Turn it down to low.
  4. Add cream, basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
  5. Simmer for 15 minutes on low.
  6. Remove the bay leaf with a spoon.
  7. Take off the heat and ladle into bowls.
  8. Enjoy!

This post has been linked to the following:
Treasure Box Tuesday

Posted in 30 minute meal, dinner, easy, Meat, Sandwiches

Hamburger Patties

Since Hubby needs to be out the door soon after I get home, quick meals are important.

Hamburgers are one meal that can be put on the table quickly. Cook up some fries with it or serve some potato chips with the hamburgers. Add some raw veggies, and you have a complete meal.

Hint about the hamburgers – Shape the patty and then put an indentation in the middle. This will allow the patty to retain its shape as it cooks.

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Hamburger Patties

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Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1 to 2 lbs of ground beef (80% or 85%) – The more fat the juicer will be
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  •  2 Tbsp. dried minced onion or grated fresh onion
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite seasoning

Steps:

  1. Heat up a skillet to med. High heat or preheat your indoor grill.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add the meat, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and seasoning.
  3. Mix together but don’t over-mix.
  4. Form into patties, and make sure to make an indentation in the middle. (My patties are the size of my hand cupped. )
  5. Cooked until cooked through. If on the griddle, turn it after about 3 to 5 minutes. Allow cooking for 3 to 5 more minutes.
    Hamburger is cooked thoroughly when its internal temperature is 160 degrees.
  6. Enjoy either on a bun or without a bun. Top with your favorite toppings. We had thousand island sandwich spread and cheddar cheese on our burgers.
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