Soup recipe helps weather the weather

Hattie Kemp

It’s Feb. 12, our snow day—woohoo!
I don’t believe I’ve seen this much snow since the winter of 1982 when I was pregnant with my first baby.
I’m wearing sweats, a hoodie and bundled in a throw trying to keep warm as I write this column.
The temperature is 31 degrees outside and a chilly 57 inside.
Why so cold inside you ask?
Well, the power went off about 7:20 a.m. just as I was preparing to send an e-mail and before I had a chance to make coffee—no steaming hot coffee to start the day. Ugh!
No power means no TV, and what’s a snow day without TV?
My digital video recorder is chocked full of movies and shows I haven’t had time to watch since this semester began.
I was really hoping to have some down time to simply veg out and enjoy a few hours of relaxing, mindless TV viewing.
Oh well, the power has to come back on eventually, but what to do until then is the burning question.
Homework would ordinarily be the answer, but everything I need to work on requires my computer.
So I send a few text messages and make a few calls to find out if anyone had more snowfall than Edom’s six inches.
My brother-in-law Richard said Eustace—my hometown—had about five inches.
I told him our power was off and I was getting bored listening to the radio.
He advised me to open the blinds and look out the window at the snow-covered scenery, a rare sight for our area.
I said I had done that already, and the thrill was gone.
He said he was sorry, but had no other suggestions for me.
Then he said he had to go watch TV just to rub it in.
Now I’m sitting here thinking about food, something many people do when bored.
I would really like to have a hot bowl of the creamy tomato-basil soup I prepared for supper last night and an ooey-gooey, grilled cheese sandwich.
I eat a cold bowl of Cheerios instead.
Ah hah, I’m having a light-bulb moment here: I’ll share my recipe with you.
This soup recipe is simple and fast to make. It’s perfect when you’re short on time as I was last night after driving home in the falling snow.
Visit www.patriottalon.com and look for Hattie’s Recipe Box to find another delicious easy-to-fix soup recipe.

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

Supplies:
Medium-sized saucepan, preferably non-stick
Can opener
Large spoon
Measuring spoons
1-cup liquid measure

Ingredient:
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) Campbell’s tomato soup
1 can (14.5-16 oz.) petite-diced tomatoes
1/3 cup water
½ cup fat-free half ‘n’ half
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon minced dehydrated onion

Directions:
Put all ingredients into saucepan except half ‘n’ half, stirring to combine.
Heat on medium-high heat, but don’t boil.
Add in half ‘n’ half and stir, heating almost to a boil.