Grilled Cheese & Chunky Tomato Soup by Maggie Warner

Grilled Cheese-

Favorite artisan bread
A sharp cheese (i.e. Sharp cheddar or gruyere)
A soft buttery or good melting cheese (i.e. Farmers cheese, Swiss or Havarti)
Fresh basil leaves
Honey
Pinch of Garlic salt
(thin fresh tomato slice optional along with deli meat like ham, turkey or chicken)

Slice bread and use a pastry brush and olive oil to lightly coat the outside pieces of the bread. Add your cheeses, one or two leaves of basil, a dab of honey and a pinch of garlic salt. I prefer a thinner sandwich so I like using a panini press or you can grill as you would a regular grilled cheese or grilled pb&j in a stove top skillet.  Serve with hearty vegetable soup or chunky tomato soup.

Chunky Tomato Soup-

Diced tomatoes
Tomato paste or sauce (depends on how thick you want it)
Two cans of Campbell's tomato soup
Red wine
Water or chicken broth
Two garlic cloves
Black pepper
Basil (fresh is best)
Onion powder optional

Begin with about fifty ounces of diced tomatoes in a medium stock pot, add two small cans of tomato paste and add two cans of Campbell's tomato soup. You may use water or chicken broth to create the liquid base depending on what kind of flavor you want. Add half a cup of red wine. Add herbs and garlic. Let simmer while you make the rest of the meal or for an hour.