Barb's Tomato Soup

Many of my friends ask me for diet friendly or low fat recipes. I know that lots of people choose losing weight as their new year's resolution, so whenever I hear of a diet friendly recipe, I like to pass it along.
  This recipe, however, is absolutely NOT one of those recipes. Your new year's resolution will simply just have to wait until after you've tried this recipe! I got it from my friend Kathleen who got it from her Mother in Law, Barb. It's rich and warm and delicious and comforting and worth the splurge! I'm certainly not saying that you should have this for dinner every night of the week. But everything is fine in moderation, right? Actually, I can sort of picture it as being the perfect first course of an elegant ladies' lunch. A little cup of this soup with a fresh crisp salad and maybe a delicious quiche..... sounds like heaven for brunch, don't you think? It's simple to make too!
Thanx again, Kath! And Thanx Barb!

1 can Campbell's tomato soup
2 soup cans worth of half-n-half
1 can Del Monte stewed tomatoes (original recipe)
1 soup can worth of whipping cream
1/2 stick of butter
2 large, very ripe tomatoes (preferably peeled), diced
S&P to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot. On moderately high heat, bring to a gentle boil, stirring often to avoid burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once gently boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for two hours on a low heat. Stirring often. You want the tomatoes to all be soft and the soup to reduce and thicken.


Tips from Kathleen:
Refrigerates and reheats well, so make PLENTY! (I often make a double batch and we eat it for several meals.) You will LOVE IT! It is incredibly rich and NOT a diet-friendly meal, but worth every slurp! LOL! I serve it with green salad, crusty French or sourdough bread and chardonnay. The crusty bread is important because it is FANTASTIC when dipped in the soup!!!!

From Joey:
I'm sure you could cut the fat a little by using regular milk instead of half and half.
To learn how to peel your tomatoes, just watch my video How To Peel a Tomato.