Walking home from the in-laws and I got a massive craving for tomato soup, I have no idea why, so as I walked past the shop I picked up a few bits for around £3. I already had garlic and stock etc at home, but you could easily make this for £5 and it's enough for 4. This isn't a proper recipe per se, it's just what I remembered from looking it up before and what was available in the shop. I could be missing something, but it doesn't matter, tomatoes are the key ingredient.

I cut 800g of tomatoes up into half and put them in the oven to cook until hot and soft at 200 degrees C. It took about 30 mins or so.

Whilst they was doing I chopped up:
1 onion
2 sticks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
1 red pepper

I used about 60g of butter in a pan(I didn't weigh it I went on judgement and added a bit more when I realised it needed more) and sauted the veg until the onions were translucent, I added the garlic for the last 2-3 minutes so it didn't burn. You could use olive oil but I'm out, butter probably gives a better taste though to be fair, so I'd say go with butter if you have it in already, but olive oil is fine, A couple tablespoons(ish) will do it.

I mixed up about 900ml-1L of chicken stock, just from cheap prepackaged I had in the cupboard, fuck doing stock from scratch! That's for when I've had a chicken dinner and have a carcass on hand.

I put all 3 in together and blended with a stick blender until soupy( you could use a standard blender then go back in the pan). Then simmered it for 40-45 minutes. I added 2 teaspoons of black pepper(we like pepper), a teaspoon of salt and a heaped teaspoon of sugar about 10 minutes from the end just going off the taste. I don't like adding sugar in my cooking but sometimes tomatoes are a little bitter, and a single spoon between 4 people is nothing. And that is it, it's as easy as that! A Rukkshard could do it without difficulty.

It is NOT the best tomato soup I've ever had, that was in the army. But it's definitely an 8/10 minimum! It's so fucking tasty and so cheap. Super easy to do too, you can't go wrong! I'm super confident nobody is saying it's less than an 8, it's better than Heinz.

If I'd had any cream in the fridge that I use for my curries I'd have put some of that in, maybe 100ml? A bit at a time until I'm happy.
I would also add spring onions if I had any in for my curries. We got nothing in right now, it's Christmas and shops are closed, we go shopping Saturday mornings. I'd sautee them off with the veg and maybe even keep a handful to throw on top as garnish.

So yeah, I could make a better soup, that cream would REALLY add something. And a little more veg, aka spring onions, would thicken it up just a touch whilst bringing more flavours, but the cost goes up slightly. But also, for less money I could also make a 7/10 soup that costs £3 and feeds 4 people and everybody would still love it. For example you don't need a red pepper, I just had one in the fridge, and you could use tins of chopped tomato etc.

I love cooking. I would be happy to just cook for people all day every day. My mother in law cooked us a Greek stew for dinner and it was lovely, I'll have to get searching the internet for that recipe next.

I just looked up "gas mask for cooking" on amazon. They don't cover the entire head tho. Not what I had in mind. I wanted something like the top of a hazmat suit. Then I remembered about muslim women and their burqas. Maybe something like that would work?

Would anyone who has played around with an air fryer recommend getting one? I've been eating a lot healthier lately but I really miss French fries, and there are a number of smaller items it would be nice to cook up without using up all the extra electricity to heat the entire oven.

OH FFS! Burned myself on my hand, AGAIN! My previous blister hadn't even fully healed yet.

Have you ever thought about secret family recipes?
Because I have.
I think about it all the time.

Anyone who keeps a recipe, or some minor enhancement to their meals as a "family secret" can go fuck themselves.
Like, if you need to keep it a secret because you're selling food for profit, fine, alright, you've got an excuse. But if you've discovered a wonderful flavor and you've decided that the only ones worth knowing the secret are your own kin, well fuck you, cocksucker. Stop being such a selfish prick and share the goddamn recipe, contribute something to society you filthy piece of shit. What the fuck is this "family secret" shit-- "oh yes, you love my steak? Aha, I can't tell you how to make your steak taste good, silly! This wonderful flavor is a secret!" Here's a fucking recipe: drink bleach.
Fuck family secret recipes.

Life hacks for the kitchen.