We are f....f....f...freezing!

It has been seriously cold in Houston. Abnormally cold. And apparently, not all Houstonians know about running fountains and freezing weather.
Kate and Sawyer do not have any idea what is going on. Kate has seen cold weather like this before, but she was really little. Sawyer never has. We were outside cleaning out the car and I let them ride their bikes (their favorite thing to do while outside.) Kate rode her bike for a minute and then looked down and said, "My...hand....hurts!" It would probably help if we owned gloves, but we don't!
I, on the other hand, know just what to do! I have been savoring marshmallow filled hot chocolate every night...snuggled in a blanket on the couch....with slippers on! It has been a lot of fun, but I'm glad its not going to last until March!

I have also taken advantage of the cold weather by trying out some new soup recipes that have all been really yummy. Here are the recipes in case you want a dinner that warms you up on the inside!

Tomato Basil Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
1/4 cup grated onion
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes ( or 3 pounds fresh)*
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh basil-remove stems
saltfreshly ground pepper.

In a 2 quart saucepan heat olive oil and saute onion until soft. Add tomatoes, thyme,basil and chicken broth. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immerson blender blend soup until smooth. Add baking soda, sugar and cream. Simmer slowly at very low heat without letting soup boil for 30-40 minutes to allow basil flavor to mellow. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

*If using fresh tomatoes peel, seed and chop, reserving any juice.

I made it with grilled cheese sandwiches on the rosemary potato bread from costco. I also topped it with a yummy grated parmesean.

Baked Potato soup
from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

I used sour cream instead of heavy cream because it was what I had on hand and it still turned out great. I also didn't use the hot pepper sauce.

If you have any other yummy soup recipes, send them to me asap! I want to try them out, but I have a feeling summer is going to come faster than I would like!