Creamy Tomato Soup

Fall is my favorite time of year. I don't necessarily associate food with fall, but I do enjoy one thing: soup. I could eat soup every day for every meal and be 100% okay with it, and fall is the perfect time for "soup season" to start.

This soup plays a special part in my cooking history. It was the first dish I had ever made from a recipe book. I was home with my dad one day when I was maybe 8, and I decided I was going to make lunch for us. My dad had told me previously that his favorite meal in school was grilled cheese and tomato soup, so that is what I wanted to make.

I found a recipe in a local church recipe book for tomato soup because, you know, warming up a can wasn't good enough. I had to improvise just a tad because my mother didn't have everything the recipe called for in the cupboard. After making a total mess in the kitchen, it came out okay. I had to call my Nana though to ask how to make grilled cheese...bless my dad's heart for consuming whatever was created that day. But hey, I make it all of the time now!

This soup is a bit more involved than just a can of soup, but it still very easy to make. I can throw it together in about 30 minutes. Also, for those of you who do not like tomato soup, I'd still give this a try. Trust me!

My favorite part of making this soup is sautéing the onions. It might be my favorite smell in the entire world, which is kind of sad. Just be careful to cook them slow so they caramelize, not burn. 

Mmmmmmm. 

Then add the cream cheese. I've found it is best to remove the pan from the burner and add the cheese in small chunks. It likes to stick to the pot, so again, slow is better with this too.

Pour in the soup and milk. The milk required is a 1:2 ratio since the cream cheese adds enough creaminess to the soup. You want to be able to taste a little tomato I suppose.

Looks gross, I know.

Whisk the mixture as much as you want. The more you whisk, the less cream cheese chunks you'll have. Personally, I like having a few chunks...it's like a surprise in your soup! But others like it smooth. It's up to you. 

See? that looks better :)

Then add the spices and voila! Leave it on warm for a bit, stirring occasionally.  Again, it likes to stick to the bottom so be aware.

While you are letting the soup sit on low, you have time for other important things, like making the grilled cheese!

Enjoy!! I hope you like it!

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Cincy's Best Tacos - Mazunte

Have I mentioned yet that I love food? And that trying new foods is one of my favorite things? Well it is. I haven't always been adventurous with food, so I'm trying to make up for lost time. Another not-so-secret secret of mine is that I am extremely unfamiliar with the city in which I was born. I've lived in Cincinnati 19 years of my 24, and I know NOTHING about it. It's sad, I know. That being said, I'm from the West Side, and Cincy west-siders are notorious for never crossing to the other side. Since we don't have kids yet and can still venture out on a whim, the hubs and I decided it's time we explore this crazy town a bit and it's been a whole lotta fun.

A friend of ours posted this article on the 9 Best Tacos in Cincinnati. We decided it would be fun to make this a double date challenge and go try them all! They are scattered around the city, so we are even going to new places while trying some delicious food. Half way through our first experience (hence half eaten tacos and almost empty drinks), I decided I'll do a blog review of all of them to share our collective thoughts on the places! So here is our first visit, and man did it live up to that "best" rating.

Mazunte Taqueria is located in Madisonville, about 15 minutes from downtown. It is in a little strip mall that will come out of nowhere while driving down Madison. In fact, we almost missed it. Everything inside is made in store, including the tortillas. The owner, who was fed up with sub par tacos, went to Mexico himself with the sole purpose of learning how to make the best. He definitely brought back something special.

The inside decor. Photo by Kaley on www.urbanspoon.com

The set up reminded me a lot of Chipotle with the industrial decor and layout. You walk in, stand in line to order, then sit down and wait for your food to be brought to you. The standard order is 3 tacos with your choice of meats depending on the dish you get. We got some queso and chips while we were waiting, and it was gone in maybe 5 minutes. The chips were homemade and were amazing. I could have eaten them without any sort of dip.

Seriously, that cilantro!

Our food was brought out and immediately the smell of cilantro was wonderfully overwhelming.  I got the sangria marinated skirt steak tacos. Oh my goodness, words cannot describe the burst of flavor these little puppies packed. The spicy salsa along with the fresh pico de gallo added a great color, and the goat cheese was simply genius. I've never thought to put goat cheese on tacos before, but I was a huge fan. The nutty cheese mixed well with the cilantro, and was pretty intense. My husband raved about the fish tacos, saying they may be the best he's ever had. Our friends both preferred the pork tacos.

Apart from tacos, you can get enchiladas, tostadas, tamales and other main dishes. Even with many options to choose from, the menu remains simple, which I love. When we go back, which we will, I will definitely try other things...and maybe get more steak tacos as well :) Their mango salsa and guacamole looked fantastic.

The hubs ate his too fast for me to get a pic....

Oh, and I must mention the Margaritas. We all agreed that it was by far the strongest marg we've ever had. You could really taste the fresh squeezed lime, and no awful tequila bite. Definitely worth trying at least once.

Danger...

So yes, I'd give this place a 9/10 (-1 because a staff member was incredibly rude to me, but oh well). The food was amazing and the spot is definitely a hidden treasure away from downtown. I've heard that Mazunte serves it's tacos at Neon's a few times during the week, which is another restaurant we'll have to try sometime!

An awesome map of Mexico made with Cincinnati eats!

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