Chunky Tomato Soup

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 29 oz. can diced tomatoes w/juice
1 tsp. hot sauce (Texas Pete?)
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chili powder (I didn't use this--didn't want it to taste like chili)
2 tsp. dried basil

Garnish (I only had stuff for the croutons on hand)

1/2 cup croutons (many more needed)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
6 slices bacon

Melt 4T butter - whisk in flour - cook over low heat til thick, 3 min. or so. In separate skillet, melt rest of butter, saute onion for 5 min. or so; add garlic at the end until it blooms. (I think that means until you can smell it. You have to watch it because garlic burns fast.) (Also, I doubled this recipe and had to add some olive oil to the onions after a few minutes. I think it added good flavor to the soup and I will always add the uncalled-for olive oil in the future.) Add onions to flour mixture. Whisk well. Add chicken broth and stir frequently until thickened. Add rest of ingredients and stir well. Gently heat for 30 min. or so to blend flavors. Garnish.

Now, the recipe SAYS it will serve 8 to 10, but I have my doubts about that. I doubled it. It looked like maybe a gallon in my pickle pot. (Which has a warped bottom and probably no one will fight over it when I am gone. I remember when I bought it we only had Shelley and it looked like the HUGEST pot in the world. So I'll probably keep using it because of the memories. I actually did buy it to make pickles. Yummm. I love mustard pickles but haven't made any for umpteen years.

I think this soup recipe tastes very much like the tomato soup they have at the Corner Bakery Cafe at Fashion Place. I had it there twice. The first time they put the croutons in a separate dish when they brought it to me. The second time they put the croutons in the soup and then brought it to me; by the time I finished, many of the croutons had gotten soft and I would serve it with croutons on the side. I guess sometimes you might want the croutons to soften, but not in this dish.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to add the hot sauce and that was probably a mistake. I didn't have any Texas Pete's and didn't know if the tabasco sauce in my fridge would be a poor substitution. Then I forgot about it. I wonder if some red pepper flakes would be good?