A Perfect Soup

Saturday, Lee and I did something awesome. My mom and dad shared a set of tickets to the Ohio State game. Last year was Lee's first trip to a big college football game and she was immediately addicted. So when my parents asked if I wanted tickets I leaped at the chance. We chose the Illinois game. We watched the weather reports to prepare and dutifully packed rain gear and something warm in case we needed an extra layer. We drove to Columbus arriving 90 minutes early. We love to see the teams practicing and we have to be sure not to miss anything. We parked at the Expo center and took the shuttle to the stadium. Once there I bought a pretzel to munch while we watched the pregame festivities. The teams practiced and went back to their locker rooms. The exciting thing is when OSU takes the field the team joins arms and closely pivots to face the opposition as a human block then they rush to center field. Of course the Illini rushed the Bucs and it looked like some mischief was afoot. It didn't look good for sportsmanship.

Once the field cleared it was time for my favorite tradition when we heard the announcer bring in the OSU band. The drums, the crisp march and the band poised on the field and playing OSU songs is awesome. Then my absolute favorite part - Script Ohio. It doesn't get any better than this. Aren't I gushing like a teenager! Oh my it is sublime to experience this in a stadium that holds thousands of people. It also feels pretty special to think of my mom and dad watching the game when dad was an intern. The story is when he had to go back to the hospital the staff would hang a sheet out of a window as the signal for him to return. He would hurry back to take care of patients. Dad has always loved football and he and Mom are avid fans. They have been season ticket holders for decades.

As you may have heard the game was wet. We experienced some drizzle and suited up in our rain gear. This lasted through the first two quarters. We didn't leave and watched the first quarter interception by OSU and the awesome defense shutting out opportunities for the Illini to score. Just before the second half the sky opened up and buckets of water came down. Literally buckets. It was so wet we repaired to the under stadium area to dry off and change to our warms. We discovered Lee had a big hole in the back of her rain hood and her jeans were soaked. My rain jacket turned out to not protect against torrents so we were a little wet. I told Mom and Dad the last time I was that wet was when I was born. We were joined by others escaping from the rains. I walked around the crowds and thought of the people trapped in the Saints stadium during Katrina. No one was ill or starving at the 'shoe but it gave me a brief glimpse of masses of humanity in close quarters. We enjoyed a hot dog and waited for the end of half-time. When we thought it wasn't raining we found our seats and cheered through the middle of the fourth quarter. At this point it began raining and we decided it was time to get the shuttle.

Sitting in the shuttle wet and happy, reliving the game and the pageantry Lee asked her daily question - "What about dinner?" . I thought and said I had an idea. We would not stop for dinner but drive home and I would make tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Her look of delight told me this idea resonated with her. So we drove home and once there I got busy. I assembled a quick homemade tomato soup and assembled grilled cheese and bacon to grill. Sitting in front of the fire and sipping on soup and eating toasty sandwiches was really wonderful. The perfect ending to a perfect game and a drippy day!

Homemade Tomato Soup

2 T. olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion cut in small dice
1 28 oz can Muir Glen Fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 fat free can of chicken broth
1 minced clove garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 C whipping cream

In a deep pot heat oil and saute onions until transparent. Add garlic and stir to cook for one minute. Add the broth and tomatoes and heat. Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender or food processor process the soup until it is mostly blended but not totally. I love about a third of the diced tomato to remain in diced form. Remove from heat and slowly add cream while stirring. Heat to a simmer on medium heat. Turn off the heat and serve.