Smooth & Creamy Tomato Soup

I got this one from a friend who has written a book that includes a lot of recipes. She asked me to test out several dishes and give her feedback. She's in luck, because this one got a favorable rating from the entire family! My 4-year-old made a yummy noise that the girls have adopted (it sounds more-or-less like slurping) and said, "Delicious!" My toddler was practically licking the bowl by the end of the meal. (He also had a large amount of soup in his hair, so maybe licking it isn't saying much.) I served it with some crusty bread and fresh fruit, and we will definitely repeat this dinner.

Of this soup, my friend says, "It turns a beautiful dark orange color, so it doesn’t look like its store-bought counterpart, but it’s absolutely delicious." We agree. Smooth & Creamy Tomato Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 cups fresh or canned (drained) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. garlic
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups milk

Heat oil and melt butter in a soup pot on medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and sauté until soft. Add soda, stir until the mixture turns yellow and lets off a distinctive smell. Immediately add tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. At this point, you want the mixture to be thick with little liquid. If it’s still thin, turn up the heat and boil off some of the liquid. Pour into a blender and puree, or use that handy immersion blender.* Pour soup back into pot and add milk. Heat, stirring until thickened.

*At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze, and then just take it out, (thaw, if necessary), add the milk, and re-heat. You can also add more or less milk to your own taste.