Creamy Tomato Soup

I can still smell my mom’s tomato soup and picture the exact 8 quart stainless steel pot she would make it in. Sometimes I got to help whisk as she poured the tomato juice into the crumbs, and I loved to watch the swirl of color as the flour integrated with the red juice.

My mom usually made a thin tomato soup, and would serve bread and some butter alongside that we would happily dunk in our bowls. We didn’t care much about Proper Etiquette when there was bread to dip in soup.

I’ve tweaked my mom’s recipe some. I enjoy a thicker, creamier tomato soup now, and if we have cheese on hand it will be grilled cheese served with it unless the clock and the toddler conspire against me. Then we fall back on good old homemade bread spread with butter, and the taste takes me back.

What dishes and flavors take you back to your mom’s kitchen table?

Creamy Tomato Soup
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3 T. Sugar
2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Garlic powder
1/2 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Basil
Melt the butter first, then whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients until you have crumbs. Turn the heat on high and add 1 1/2 quart, or six cups of tomato juice. After it boils, remove from the heat and stir in 2-3 cups milk. Serve hot, preferably paired with grilled cheese sandwiches.