Wintery Night

We haven't seen much of a winter here in Houston. We've had a lot of rain the past few weeks, but it doesn't get too cold. This morning we awoke to temps in the 40's. Hoot had a basketball game at 11:00 and he actually wore Under Armer under his uniform. When we got home he just wanted to soak in a hot bath. We decided tonight would be a family night. Family nights consists of cooking together, possibly a family game and then a movie. I asked Hoot what he thought we should make for dinner and he said, "grilled cheese and tomato soup!" YUMMY. Perfect for a cold evening. He doesn't eat tomato soup, but he will eat my creamy tomato basil (sorta,just a few bites). So we did just that. We headed to the grocery store for fresh tomatoes, basil and a loaf of french bread. After a short nap, we all gathered in the kitchen to prepare supper. Even the Doll took part in the prep work. She loves to stir and stir and stir and stir... anything... so I gave her a large bowl and a whisk and she went to town stirring the cream for the soup. Hoot and I cooked the tomatoes in olive oil and garlic and he helped prepare the butter/oil mixture for the grilled cheese. In December I wanted to make a quick soup a couple days before Christmas for my sister and I to snack on while we wrapped, cooked and prepared for Christmas day. I have made tomato basil soup a million times, but I thought I would try something new. So, I started pulling ingredients from the pantry and this is what I came up with... it is toooooo die for (not a low fat soup, but so yummy) 6 Roma tomatoes 2 garlic cloves good olive oil 3 sprigs fresh basil (chopped fine) 2 tbls Worcestershire 1 box beef broth 1 package light cream cheese (softened) 1 cup whipping cream or half & half 1/2 stick butter saute the tomatoes in the garlic and olive oil add the worcestershire and beef broth then use a bullet to puree the tomatoes mix in the cream cheese and simmer for 30 minutes add in the basil, cream and butter and simmer on low for 30 more minutes. serve hot and top with shave parmesan cheese. ENJOY!! It's great with a salad or severed with gushy grilled cheese sandwiches!