Tomato Soup Paradise

I was born and raised in Montana - the land of 4B's Restaurants.  4B's was a family friendly diner chain across the state, where you could get flattop burgers, the richest hot chocolate, and even desserts called dirt n'worms.

When I was sick, having a bad day, had late sports practice, etc., my mom would always pick up a to-go container of 4B's Cream of Tomato Soup for me.  It was creamy, tomato-y, with bits of onions and plenty of butter loveliness floating on the top.  Crumble a few crackers in to add a little more texture, and I was in childhood heaven.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and 4B's closed several years ago statewide in Montana.  It was the end of an era, and I personally believe all Montanans were sad to see it go.

When I was in college, my mom mailed me a care package that had a box of recipe cards in it, all written by her.  And my favorite was, and still is, the 4B's Tomato Soup recipe that she managed to acquire.

So here is the recipe and a photo of my serving last night, full of crackers - enjoy!

1-32 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
9 oz chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp diced onion
Pinch of baking soda
2 cups cream, half and half or whole milk
Mix all ing except cream. Simmer one hour. SLOWLY heat cream over VERY low heat, and add to other pot in 1/2 cup increments to avoid curdling. Do not let cream boil.
*Note - I let my tomato mixture simmer in the crockpot all day - I mean, ALL day, and it was just as good as this method!
Enjoy!