Tomato Basil Soup - A recipe I can't wait to try...

A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.

Abraham Maslow

I love tomato basil and tomato bisque soups, but just like my coffee I'm kind of a snob about them.  My favorite is Crispers Tomato Bisque soup, I think if I didn't know how many calories one serving packs (not to mention the fat content) I could live off of their tomato soup.  I've tried finding a good recipe I can make at home that is healthier but I'm so picky that I haven't found any that I like.  Recently I turned to Pinterest to look up some ideas for the best Tomato soup.  While this one isn't the healthiest I've seen I think I'm going to try it out in the near future.  I thought I would pass it on in case you need a good soup to warm up your winter season.  Since I'm in Florida I won't be making it to warm me up but rather just because my waistline doesn't need anymore Crispers :-) enjoy!

Tomato Basil Soup (from Jenny Steffens blog)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned
parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.
To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.