Fall Recipe

It’s been raining here in Los Angeles this weekend. It even hailed! This kind of weather makes me want to snuggle up with my cat and my boyfriend, watch a favorite movie like Back to the Future, and make something warm and yummy to eat. 
Soup is on!!!! My boyfriend and I LOVE tomato soup, all kinds of tomato soup, we love to try it from all different places. When we were in Europe this summer, we tried tomato soup at different places. This first one was in Amsterdam.

This next one was at a charming little restaurant in Berlin.

Mmmm, so... I scoured the internet in search of a tomato bisque recipe that just, well looked good to me. I used my gut. I found this tomato bisque recipe on the food network website. I followed the recipe pretty closely for the most part, but I think the next time I make it on a rainy day I will make these alterations to the recipe...

4 tablespoons butter 
5 cloves of garlic (instead of 4)
1 can San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes
3/4 cup half & half (instead of heavy cream)
3/4 yellow onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
4 cups chicken stock (instead of 5, I like my soup thick)
Crushed red pepper flakes (I like it spicy!)
Sprig of thyme
Sprig of italian parsley
Fresh basil as garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan on top
1 Bay leaf

I also did not strain the soup to get the pulp out. I liked how it looked and tasted with all the yummy vegetables. I paired this with fresh garlic bread. Give it a try on a rainy day. Enjoy!
I love me some tomato soup!