Maybe my favorite this far...

Marina here...again :)  Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup is quite possibly my favorite recipe so far.  Form the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, this recipe was a huge success...twice!  It was so good I made it two weeks in a row.  The process started with roasting the tomatoes: 

I read some of the reviews online and roasted the garlic together with the tomatoes.  I don't know if it apparent from this picture, but my OCD-isms come through in my cooking for sure.

Next came the simmering part.  The first time I made this recipe, I didn't give myself quite enough time.  It takes 45 minutes to roast the tomatoes, then 40 minutes to simmer the soup. 

The next part was the best:  I got to use my birthday gift - a Kitched Aid immersion blender - to puree the soup to just the perfect texture.  This is my new favorite kitchen applicance!!  At this point - voila - the soup was ready.  I served it with a dollop of sour cream and some parmesan cheese. 

This soup is fabulous - fabulous!!!