Entertainment
My Best Tomato Soup, Scaled Up
I often feel like a tiny speck of nothingness on this planet, but I never feel physically smaller than when I’m at Costco, heaving a cart that’s twice the width of a coffin through the warehouse. On the last trip, I decided that what I needed to buy — other than a bag of six avocados, 50 pounds of sidewalk salt, and two pounds of garlic — was a 106-ounce can of Nina whole tomatoes for $6.
“I’ll make so much tomato soup,” I told myself. The can was cute — I liked the look of Nina, basking in the Italian sun, while her (multiple) lovers wondered where the hell she was — and figured that after I made a vat of tomato soup, I could turn the can into a planter, or a bathroom trash can, or something. There is no confidence like that of the casual DIYer.
As for the tomato soup, I wanted something classic. The ideal is soup that’s reminiscent of Campbell’s, but better. Smooth, creamy, rich in tomato flavor.
My favorite recipe is from Abra Beren’s phenomenal vegetable-loving cookbook Ruffage, where it’s a riff on a recipe for garlic confit (page 218). You’d almost flip the page and miss it if you weren’t paying attention. But the simple recipe makes an unforgettable soup. Part of that is the presence of red pepper flakes, whose heat brings the tomato to life, while also being tempered by a good dose of cream. (I think cream is necessary with tomato soup to cut through the acidity. If you’re dairy-free, add a big potato or two! Seriously, it makes puréed soups so creamy.) But the garlic confit is the real secret. It brings a deep, roasted flavor and a sweet garlickyness you can’t deny.
After making the tomato soup, I spent a week enjoying it in different ways — paired with grilled cheese for dinner, with a side of Cheez-Its for lunch. I added avocado one day, chile crisp the next. When I discovered wilted spinach in the fridge, I chopped that up and added it to the soup. If you’d like to up the protein, you could add a plop of cottage cheese or a spoonful of white beans. If you’re a dreamer, you could consider buttered popcorn as a crouton?
I tweaked Abra’s recipe, adding tomato paste to oomph the tomato flavor and scaling up for 106 absurd ounces of tomatoes. (That’s more than seven of the usual 14.5-ounce cans.) There are only two of us at home — my husband and me — but after a Sunday of soup-making, I now have a freezer stash of soup, waiting for a wintry Michigan evening. Of which I’ll have plenty.
In case that’s way too much soup for you, I included a mini ingredient list below the big one. Same method.
Large Format Tomato Soup
4 oz butter (1 stick)
2 ½ tsp red chile flakes
10 sprigs thyme
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 106-oz. can whole tomatoes
5 cups water
5 heads (130 grams-ish) confit garlic
2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste
2 cups heavy cream, plus more as needed for happiness
Make the garlic confit. Preheat the oven to 250°. Keep the peels on but cut a smidge off the top of the 5 heads of garlic (so they’ll be easier to pop out later) and arrange them in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and submerge in neutral oil (I use avocado—you know where I bought it). Cover the dish with a lid or foil and roast for 1-2 hours. They should be golden brown and soft when ready. When it’s cooled down enough to be handled, squeeze the garlic goo out of its slippery jackets into a bowl for soup prep. Save the oil—two weeks is the safe zone—for garlic bread or salad dressing.
Soup time. In a large stock pot—and I mean large—melt the butter. When it’s foaming, add the chile flakes and thyme, stirring around for 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste and stir occasionally, until it’s brick red and beginning to caramelize, 5-8 minutes. Add the tomatoes (I ladled them in to avoid crime scene splatter), water, garlic, and salt. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer, stirring here and there, for 20 minutes or so. Remove the soup pot from the heat and go do something while it cools—I suggest a nice long bath and a nap. Then blend the soup in batches (yes, take out the sprigs of thyme), returning the smooth, blended soup to the pot to meld it all together happily. Taste and add salt if needed. Either add the cream now and serve, or store the soup in the fridge/freezer and add the cream per individual bowl.
Normal Format Tomato Soup
2 oz. (55g) butter
1 tsp red chile flakes
5 sprigs thyme
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
3 14.5-oz. cans whole tomatoes
2 cups water
10 confit garlic cloves (55g)
1 cup heavy cream
Adapted from Garlicky Tomato Soup in Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables, by Abra Berens.
P.S. The veggie-forward lasagna we can’t stop making and the OG tomato sandwich.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
