Tomato-oh-oh-oh so Good Soup and Grilled Cheese

Now, I know, there are a million, bajillion recipes for tomato soup and grilled cheese. And there isn't much to either of them. Both of those reasons are why it makes the perfect late night, cold weather dinner. In Los Angeles, people drive like assholes in the rain, and it took me an hour to drive 2.1 miles just to get onto the freeway after work today. The one thing that kept me from jamming my car into the car in front of me was the blissful knowledge that I was going to make a huge pot of warm and creamy tomato soup and a crispy, cheesy grilled cheese to go with it. I mean, really, is there anything more seductive than dipping a gooey cheese sandwich into a deep bowl of rich and creamy tomato soup? No, there's not. I came across this recipe when I was looking for a quick and easy tomato soup, and I've made it my own with a few additions and subtractions. I'm a mathematician.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large celery stalk, diced

2 tbls evoo

2 tbls butter (divided)

2 (28oz) cans crushed tomato with basil

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbls heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat 2 tbls evoo and one tbls butter over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute for about 7-9 minutes until nice and tender. Add in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and add the soup slowly into a blender or food processor. If it all doesn't fit in your food processor or blender, add in batches. I usually just take a large bowl and put the soup that won't fit into the blender in the bowl. It's another dish to wash- but it's just a rinse. Just do it. Nike says so. After the soup is all nice and pureed, add back into the large pot and turn the heat back on low. Add in the last tbls of butter and the two tbls of cream. You can always add more butter if it still tastes too acidic. Or more cream. Or more of both if you want to be really awesome. Let the soup simmer on very low heat while you make your grilled cheese.

In a pan, add a tbls butter and melt slowly. Take two pieces of whole wheat bread, butter one side of each piece, and in between put as much cheese as your fingers can cram onto the bread, and if you happen to have any leftover pesto, put it on there. I know that american cheese makes the cheesiest, but I prefer cheddar or my favorite new cheese called Parano. It's amazing. Kind of like a parmesanish flavor. Keep the heat on low, and put the sandwich in, flipping occasionally until it's nice and crisp and melted. If you have a George Foreman grill, you can also make it in that, or if you have a panini maker- that works great too, and pat yourself on the back for being fancy.

Take a bowl, fill it to the brim with tomato soup, put it on a plate, slice the sandwich like a triangle, prop each half up on the bowl and stare at your masterpiece. If you're feeling fancy, pour a tiny bit of cream on top of the soup and swirl it around. Then smile, because you're about to make sweet, sweet love.