creamy tomato soup

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You will need...
3 Tb butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tb flour
3 cups milk
1 tsp fresh dill chopped (you may substitute basil if you like)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda (adding the baking soda keeps the milk from curdling)
one 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano)

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven, I used a 3 quart . Add the onions & cook until soft over medium heat, stirring, about 12 minutes. You do not want the onions to brown. Sprinkle the flour over the onions/butter & cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt & dill. Slowly add the milk while stirring the entire time. Continue to cook & stir until the mixture thickens slightly & barely starts to come to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add the baking soda to the tomatoes & gently add them to the milk mixture. At this point the mixture will puff up like a cloud & smell heavenly! Using a hand held blender process until smooth. Gently reheat the soup taking care not to scorch or break it.

Enjoy!

lily's cookies

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 for the dough you will need...

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter & sifted powdered sugar together until light & fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour & salt then gradually add it to the butter mixture. Beat just until flour is incorporated, you do not want to over mix the dough.

 

Divide the dough into two fat disks & wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or over night.

When you are ready to roll out the dough, preheat the oven to 325* & line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter of your choice, dipped in flour. Gently place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 13 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cool completely before frosting. I just leave them on the cookie sheets set on a wire rack.

for the frosting you will need...

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (Philadelphia Brand recommended)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
food coloring of your choice

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gently add the powdered sugar then beat at medium speed until smooth and silky, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is achieved.
Frost the cookies with a thick layer of frosting and place them back on the parchment lined baking sheets until the frosting hardens. This usually takes several hours.

Enjoy!