Creamy Tomato Soup

I picked my last basket of tomatoes from the garden last week and decided with cold weather on the way, I would make homemade creamy tomato soup. I don't usually measure my ingredients for this recipe but I thought you might appreciate an ingredient list and measurements if you are a lover of tomato soup! My secret for this wonderful soup is to cook it slowly. This soup is also gluten-free.
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 c. peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes (including any juice from the tomatoes).  I used a combination of beefsteak and roma tomatoes, about 12-14 total. (You could use canned, diced tomatoes instead of fresh).
2 c. chicken stock or chicken broth (you want to use flavorful stock or broth)
1/2 c. heavy cream (you can use milk or half-n-half). I start with 1/2 c. but add more if needed.
* If you like your soup slightly thick, add 2 T cornstarch to 1/3 c cold milk. Mix together and add slowly to the soup. As the soup heats, it will become thicker without changing the flavor.

• Heat olive oil in a large pan. I use my cast iron dutch oven. Add garlic, shallots and sugar. Stir to mix in with the oil. Cook over medium heat until they are translucent or about 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Continue to cook over medium heat until it starts to boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes. I simmer mine until most of the tomatoes have broken down.
• I take my soup off the heat for about 20-30 minutes to let it cool in the pan.
• Optional: If you do not like the remaining pieces of tomato in your soup, you can use a potato masher, an immersion blender or food processor until you have a smoother texture soup. Then add your soup back to the pan.
• Make sure your soup is lukewarm or it will curdle when you add the cream. (You can also use milk or half-n-half). I judge the amount of cream by the color of the soup. I like mine creamy!
• Place your soup pan back on the heat and heat slowly, stirring occasionally until your soup is hot.
• As an optional garnish I sprinkle chopped basil over my soup and add a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. 
• A helpful hint if your soup was too hot and curdled, you can mix 1 tsp baking soda with about 1/3 cup of milk and add it to your soup to remove the curdles. It will get a little foamy but keep stirring and it will mix in to your soup after a couple of minutes.

I served grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread with my creamy tomato soup and it was the perfect meal! Makes about 6 servings.

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

No Sew Pillow Cover

I found this idea on Pinterest and unlike some of the other ideas I find there-this one worked the first time I did it! Its a great inexpensive way to give a new look to pillows without sewing new covers...and took me all off 2 minutes to do! I used a yard of fabric for a 12 inch square pillow.

lay pillow in middle

fold ends like a present

tie together and tuck in the ends

-Simply Angie

How to Freeze Pie Pumpkin

I do not buy pumpkin in a can, because I'm pretty sure I can taste the can, but I do enjoy the occasional pumpkin treats! So finally this year I decided I would make my own pumpkin puree - no cans! It is simple and so healthy for you. These are sweeter than the larger carving pumpkins.
I started with 2 pie pumpkins. They are smaller pumpkins and they usually say specifically "pie pumpkins".  Mine cost $1.99 each. So throw away your cans and make your own pumpkin puree! It's worth the time and the cost! These are the best for everyone's favorite bars Simply Homemade Pumpkin Bars!

Pumpkin Puree:

• I washed my pumpkins in warm water first, then cut them in half. I started at the top next to the stem and used a serrated knife to cut it in half.
• Scoop out the seeds and the stringy stuff part.
• Place the pumpkin halves upside down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

• Remove from oven and let cool.
• Using a spoon, remove the pumpkin from the skins.
• Use a blender or food processor until smooth.
• I froze mine to use later. It will be great for pumpkin pies, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, or your favorite pumpkin food.
• It yielded 4 cups of pumpkin puree from each pumpkin. 

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Liquid Laundry Detergent

I think I have finally found a recipe for laundry detergent that I really like! I liked the powder detergent but I am really loving the liquid version. I gave some to my family members to try and they really like it too.  I have seen a lot of these recipes and they are all pretty similar. I used a combination of The Duggar's Family,www.duggarfamily.com and one from my March 2012, Country Sampler Magazine.  The basic recipe is the same, it's how you get to the finished product that I really wanted to simplify. So hopefully this works for you and you love it too!

Here's what you need:

• a 5 gallon bucket (you can pick them up at lots of places either free or cheap)
• 1 bar of Fels Naptha 
• 1 c Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1 c Borax
• Very Hot Water

I made this batch in my 5 gallon bucket from start to finish. I grated the bar of soap and then heated up about 2 quarts of boiling water and carefully poured into my bucket with the grated soap and stirred until it dissolved. Then fill the bucket about half full of water (doesn't have to be boiling, just warm). Stir in 1 cup Washing Soda and 1 c Borax. Stir well until all the powder is dissolved. Then add enough water to fill up the bucket. You will need to stir with a long handled spoon or..if you have a drill with a mixer attachment, that works too.  Stir, cover and let sit overnight.  It will gel overnight, then you can either leave it in the bucket or pour it into smaller containers. I used 1/2 gallon and quart jars to store it and then pour into another container and add water and shake well.  You can also add essential oils when it has cooled if you want.  The Duggar recipe says this makes 10 gallons, when you fill an old laundry dispenser half full with soap then fill the rest with water, shake before each use. I don't dilute mine that much, but you might have to try a couple different mixtures and see what works for you.  They recommend using 5/8 c per load for top loader(180 loads) and 1/4 c. for front loader. (640 loads) I just fill mine to the line for a normal load, in my front loader. This is safe for HE machines I have actually had to clean it less since I started making my own laundry detergent, and I always use vinegar in the rinse cycle. See Cleaning your Front Loader.   As always, please leave your questions and/or comments, we love reading them!

~Simply Angie