Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup

There's just something that says "COMFORT" in grilled cheese with tomato soup... now our family can NOT stand the tomato soup from a can... bleck. but this... now THIS is something else... delicious and scrumptious! Try it and let me know what you think! okay?

Ok, first off, the Soup recipe:

• 2 t olive oil (or coconut oil :)
• 3-4 onions quartered or sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled (or since i had it in the fridge, i used it, minced)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 freshly ground pepper
• 2 (35 oz) cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, drained (or 4 lbs ripe tomatoes)
• 8 flat-leaf parsley sprigs (extra for garnish)
• 5 C vegetable broth
• 1 C half and half

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. transfer the onion mixture to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.  add the tomatoes and parsley sprigs.  pour the borth over the vegetables.  cover and cook until the flavors are blended, (4-5 hours on high or 8-10 on low) (OR in a sauce pan on your stove for about 30 minutes)
3. discard parsley sprigs and pour the soup in batches into a blender or food processor and puree.  return the soup to the slow cooker or pot; which in the half and half.  cover and cook on low until heated through (about 30 minutes, or 5-10 on the stove) Garnish each serving with extra parsley sprigs.

This makes double what we need for our family (2 adults and 3 kids 7 and under) when we add our sandwiches... if it's your main entrée, it's enough for 6 servings :)

Sandwiches

(because homemade bread makes THE BEST grilled cheese!)

• 1 1/8 C warm water
• 2 t active dry yeast
• 2 T sugar
• 3 C flour
• 1 T vital wheat gluten
• 1 t salt
• 2 T nonfat non-instant powdered milk
• 1 1/2 T butter/margerine/oil  (I always use applesauce)
• 1/4 C potato flakes (flakes... NOT pearls!)

1. Add all the ingredients in the order listed into a mixer bowl (i use my kitchen aid)  with a dough hook and mix on low for 10-12 minutes. OR on the dough cycle in your bread machine.
2. once dough is manageable with your hands, let rise 45 min-1 hour (My trick? i spray my bowl, add my dough back in, spray the top of my dough, cover with saran wrap, put in my oven... which while i was mixing i turned on to 350 for ONE minute... JUST ONE minute, then turned off... it makes it nice and warm in there! and shortens my rising time!) 
3. punch down and put in your bread pan and rise until a bit over the top of your bread pan
4. bake 375 for 20-25 (my oven goes more to the full 25 minutes)
5. once bread is cooled, slice.  Butter one side of each slice and place on griddle or pan with a slice of cheese of your choice and cover with another slice... you know how to make grilled cheese, right?

REVIEW

This one is a FAVORITE in our house... and always gets everyone eating! like i said, when we pair it up with our sandwiches, the soup makes a TON! 

Acknowledgements:

The cream of tomato soup comes from weight watchers slow good super slow cooker cookbook, and the bread recipe comes from www.everydayfoodstorage.net (if you haven't already you should really check out crystal's site... a LOT of helpful cook from scratch tips and tutorials!)