Tomato basil soup

Thanks to lovely miss Maddie Humphreys, I get to share this awesome soup recipe with you guys! I've been obsessed with tomato soup ever since I tried Avenue Bread's Tomato Dill Soup in Bellingham, and I haven't been able to find a satisfactory recipe since then, till now. The recipe has a few modifcations, so I'll give you guys the link to the original recipe right here, and post Maddie's revised version below (that's the one I used and it was delicious and cheaper).

What you'll need:

8-10 ripened medium-sized tomatoes (I used 8 on the vine tomatoes), seeded and quartered
1 large red pepper cut into large chunks
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes in juice
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups yellow onion (about 1 large onion), chopped
1 cup tightly packed, finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (one 3 oz. pack of julienne cut sun dried tomatoes were enough for me)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh garlic (I used 6 large cloves)
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (to taste, I used 1 tbsp)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I forgot these and used dried, it still tasted delicious)
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Mix together the chopped pepper, quartered tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Roast this mix for about an hour, tossing around occasionally throughout the cooking time.

Here is my pan of goodies pre-roast!

3. In a large pot, saute onions, garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, red pepper flakes, and 1 tbsp sea salt for about 10 minutes, until onions become soft and begin to brown.

4. Add canned tomatoes with juice, basil, thyme, and vegetable broth.

5. Add in your oven-roasted peppers and tomatoes with all the juice left in the pan, as well as the sun dried tomatoes.

6. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

7. Turn off heat and add the apple cider vinegar to taste.

At this point you won't be able to leave the kitchen because of the amazing smell!

8. Place wanted amount in the blender to dissolve chunks and have a more soup-like consistency, if you don't have a good amount of people over, you're likely to have lots of leftovers! If you serve with a nice loaf of bread warmed in the oven for a few minutes, it's great to dip!

Here is the consistency post-blend!

It does take awhile to make, so try to set it aside for a night you'll have the time and patience, but it is totally worth the flavor, the smells, and the leftovers. If you want to cut the time in half, Maddie suggests preparing all the chopped vegetables while the tomatoes and pepper are roasting! Great idea, I can't imagine how long it would've taken me if I hadn't taken that suggestion! Thanks girl!

Thanks so much to Maddie for the awesome recipe and the suggestions and revisions! I so enjoyed making this and it turned out delicious! Are you guys going to try this? Do you have any awesome recipes you'd be willing to share? xoxo

May the hair product be with you...

Most of us have three hair days: straight, curly, and just straight-up homeless. When I get out of the shower (yes, even with my hair chopped off), I look like a bird could happily nest in my hair, and I probably wouldn't even notice. I usually use ENJOY spray conditioner because it smells amazing and it makes it a little easier to brush through the dog-like mats that I get post-shower. Here is the link if you want to check it out! This is what I deal with post-shower...I promise you, my hair is not meant to have that much volume, it's just mats and mats of hair-frenzy!

When I went home last weekend, my mom decided to share her last Birchbox with me, and I was so excited that Beauty Protector had a sample in her box! I've been following them on Instagram and hearing people rave about them for months and have been very impatiently waiting to try. I am in love! Their 'Protect & Detangle' spray smells like the most beautiful flowerbed of sweetness and joy. A couple spritzes around my head and my mess of hair just brushed right out, it was amazing! Luckily the sample size will last me awhile, but I found the product info on Birchbox for you guys. It's not any more expensive than most luxury salon products. And, it does way more than just detangle!

Here is a link to check out Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle.

Hope you get a chance to try this incredible stuff and let me know if you and your hair love it too! Do you have any products you'd like to rave about? Comment below, I'd love to hear your faves! xoxo