Tomato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 14-ounce cans tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 sweet red peppers, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large cooking onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 8 cups beef stock
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• parsley -- for garnish

Instructions:

Place the tomatoes, with juice, in a buttered oven-proof baking dish.

Add the celery, garlic and red pepper and cover and bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Saute the mushrooms and onion in the second batch of butter in a large stock pot for about 8 minutes.

While stirring, slowly add the flour and sugar, blending until mixture is very smooth.

Add the stock, basil, rosemary and thyme, stirring until soup comes to a boil.

Add the contents of the baked tomato pan from the oven and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the cream cheese, salt and pepper until smooth.

Slowly stir the cream cheese into the soup. Garnish with chopped parsley.