Tomato Cream Soup and Homemade Croutons

It officially feels like fall this week. In fact several days have been chilly, rainy, and downright gloomy. So, it was a perfect time to try a new recipe. We used to have a B & B in town that served the BEST creamy tomato soup with homemade croutons. They recently closed and I was able to snag the recipe for the soup.

First I made the croutons. I started with a loaf of French bread that I sliced. And then used this recipe:

HOMEMADE CROUTONS FOR SOUP OR SALAD

1/2 c. olive oil 2 lg. garlic cloves, minced 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1-2 tbsp. dry parsley Mix the last 4 ingredients together. Using pastry brush, brush both sides of slices with oil mix. Cut into small squares. Place single layers on cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cool; keep in sealed container. Keeps 4-6 weeks. I kept these in the oven quite a bit longer than this recipe calls for. Creamy Tomato Soup Sautee about 1/2 c. onions and garlic (about 1 tsp.) Add: a large can of tomato sauce. (32 oz.) a can of water diced tomatoes Stir in 1/4-1/3 c. sugar to taste Add 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil Heat and simmer then add 2 cups cream or 1/2 & 1/2 Heat and Eat! It was Yummy!