.
From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
I’m going to repeat some favorite soup recipes tonight. I’m working on a few new pumpkin recipes, but they are not ready for prime time this week. So you’ll have to make do with repeats.
When I’m busy, soup is the thing. I make big batches and they are quick and easy to reheat and add a sandwich or a piece of grilled chicken for a fast dinner or lunch. I could eat soup everyday during cold weather. JeffreyW is no slouch in the soup department either, so there are over 200 recipes on the blog of the soup variety.
For tonight, here are some soups worth repeating:
Cream of Chicken Soup, recipe here.
Two Broccoli Cheese Soup variations are here.
Tomato-Spinach is one of my favorite hearty winter soups, recipe here.
And combining two recent recipe exchanges, JeffreyW does Bean Soup in a Frybread Bowl, recipe and yummy photos here.
For the pet lovers, there is a Bixby diary this week. He’s four months old now and takes up most of my spare time. Which explains why I’m more often outside and not in the kitchen cooking. Also, I’m having great success with both dog and cat food dispenser/toys, that make them work for their food, story here, in case you are looking for a good way to entertain your pets.
What’s on your menu for this beautiful fall weekend? Do you have a favorite way to make grilled cheese? Do you grill any other types of sandwiches – either the grown-up panini style or something of the more guilty pleasure type, like grilled peanut butter and jelly?
Tonight’s feature recipe was one of the first menus I ever published…and also the first time I made my own tomato soup.
Hearty Tomato Soup
28 oz canned tomatoes*
1 tsp crushed garlic
8 oz carrots
2 stalks celery
3 green onions, including greens
1 tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups milk
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 quart saucepanIn a blender, mix tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery & onions. Blend until liquid. In saucepan, combine tomato mixture with spices, heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let bubble (don’t let boil or use high heat, it will scorch) for 5 minutes. Add flour to cold milk, blend until smooth, add to soup. Let bubble again, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
* This is the time to use up any left over garden tomatoes, instead of canned. Blend until you have 4 cups of crushed tomatoes.
Totally Awesome Grilled Cheese
For each sandwich:
2 slices whole wheat bread (or favorite firm bread)
Enough favorite cheese (Velveeta, cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, etc. to cover bread (about 3 slices)
Sliced Jalapeños (if you want some heat)
1 large slice of tomato w/dash of salt
1-2 tsp Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Butter
Spray OilSpread salad dressing on both slices of bread and add ½ of the cheese to one slice of bread, place tomato & jalapenos on the cheese and top with remaining cheese and the other slice of bread, this keeps bread from getting soggy from the tomato. Lightly butter outside of both sides of the sandwich and grill in skillet sprayed with cooking spray or lightly oiled on medium heat until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. While it is grilling, press down hard with a spatula, “squishing” the sandwich. We don’t know why, but this makes them taste better. :-)
Hungry Joe
The most important thing to remember about grilled cheese sandwiches: Always cut them diagonally — from corner to corner. Makes a HUGE difference. My mother taught me this, and it has held up over the years.
NotMax
Basic grilled cheese does not need to be tarted up. Mayo? Yuckies.
Velveeta ≠ cheese.
currants
Roasted tomato soup! Put a pound of halved roma tomatoes in a bowl, toss with 2 onions (quartered), 3 or 4 cloves of garlic smashed, olive oil, salt and pepper, then put on a shallow baking sheet (jelly roll pan) in 400 oven until there are dark (black) spots on the tomatoes (in my oven, that’s about 15-20 min, but can be as long as 45).
Slide them into a pot, add 4-6 cups stock (chicken or veg), simmer, then whiz up with an immersion blender, and soup’s ready. Delicious, fast, and the whole house smells good.
I have another more complicated crock pot version, but this time of year, this is my go-to.
raven
White Tiger has really good grilled pimento with mater soup and that’s what I had tonight. The BBQ I go to has they call a VegNeck sammy, grilled pimento with sautéed collards. Had that last night!
schrodinger's cat
I am going to a try out a new Asian grocery store tomorrow for my annual Diwali shopping. The store I used to go to until last year burned down.
ETA: I am going to attempt to make chakli, I have no idea whether I will even find all the ingredients. Wish me luck!
currants
@currants: Oh, also: chopped basil on top.
Violet
When I was in college I worked at a place that made sandwiches. A popular one was havarti, apple (we used Granny Smith) with a bit of mustard on a pita. We’d bake it until the pita was crispy and the cheese melty. It’s delicious.
NotMax
Paging through the instruction pamphlet for the brand new stove, discovered it includes a “Sabbath setting.”
Presume most newer stoves include such, but was previously unaware of the tech factoid.
schrodinger's cat
@Violet: You know what else, havarti is good with? grapes and white wine.
NotMax
@schrodinger’s cat
Also too, chilled fresh pears and a snifter of brandy.
the Conster
The scene in Chef where Jon Favreau makes the grilled cheese sandwich for his son is sublime. The sound when he cuts it for him is pr0n. There’s an outtake at the end where Roy Choi schools Favreau on how to make one for the movie. Yes plz!
the Conster
@currants:
I’ll make this tomorrow!!
Gin & Tonic
Having had surgery in my mouth today, soup is pretty much it for the next couple of days. Oh, and v!cod!n.
JDM
I say leave off the mayo. Use a nice, relatively porous bread. Sourdough usually makes for a very good grilling bread. Ideally, have the butter quite soft so it can be spread thin but cover every bit of the bread. Cook on a low enough heat that it cooks slowly.
Jalapeños are good; so is raw garlic. In both cases you can use a lot and the cheese soaks it up (the opposite of what happens to hot peppers when you’re cooking them in oil, as in a stir fry). Put thin slices of cheese on both sides of the peppers and/or garlic. The garlic will likely look blue-green when the sandwich is done but I’ve never found this to be a problem.
If the butter isn’t soft, throw it in the pan and put the bread on it and smoosh it around to get coverage. I disagree with pressing grilled cheese, but I won’t stop you from preferring it (even though you are empirically wrong to do so :).
JPL
Years ago I heard Dan Rather talk about his wife and about the love he felt for her. One of the things he mentioned was her grilled cheese sandwiches. It was sweet.
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Dang Dawg, hang in there.
scuffletuffle
@schrodinger’s cat: Have you tried the Spices store in West Springfield on Elm Street? A friend of mine swears by it.
Gin & Tonic
@raven: The drugs help.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@NotMax: Ours does too. It overrides the auto oven shutoff that stops the heat after X period.
SiubhanDuinne
@Violet:
That sounds wonderful. One of my favorite sandwiches is a French Toast Monte Cristo on the menu of a local (regional) breakfast-brunch chain called First Watch. The Monte Cristo is thinly sliced ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, mustard, the French Toast dusted lightly with powdered sugar, and the whole thing served with a raspberry preserve. Something about the raspberry and cheese and mustard all in one bite that is beyond delicious.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Gin & Tonic: Of course you know nothing hot until the day after. I still have vikes from my last one, so apparently I’m not a junkie. Feel better.
Don K
When I was a kid I would spread mustard on the outside of my mom’s grilled cheese sandwiches (a Sunday night fave while watching “The Twentieth Century”). Now I just put it on the inside before I grill it. Also, bacon and tomato (amazingly, we’re still getting local tomatoes here in Michigan). Other grilled sandwiches? Well, there’s ham and cheese with tomato, turkey and cheese (or a turkey reuben with cole slaw), and the one, the only, the awesomeist sandwich ever, the original reuben using Sy Ginsburg’s corned beef and a good German kraut. Really, any sandwich can be improved by grilling.
schrodinger's cat
@scuffletuffle: No, this store is in Hadley, just before you cross
the bridge to go to Northampton.
raven
@Gin & Tonic: I have a good friend that has neck cancer and he started treatment 2 weeks ago. He could eat last week but it’s getting worse and worse for him. His prognosis is good but it’s gonna be a bitch.
schrodinger's cat
I love the Indian take on cucumber sandwiches, they are just like cucumber sandwiches, but with green mint and cilantro chutney. Some people even add tomatoes if they are in season.
scuffletuffle
@schrodinger’s cat: Good luck finding what you need.
Gin & Tonic
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I know. Just had a banana-yogurt-honey smoothie. Found some sunflower seed butter in the pantry, which I thought was better than peanut butter.
Yeah, I also found some pills from 5 years ago, so abuse isn’t a problem here. But when you need them they do help. Hopefully this is the beginning of an improvement, because I’ve had nothing but problems for a few months now.
TaMara (BHF)
I totally forgot to post the Inside Out Grilled Cheese.
JeffreyW posted them one day and I had to try them right away. Yummy if you love cheese.
Gin & Tonic
@raven: Ugh. My issues are minor then.
Gin & Tonic
@Don K: The Reuben is my real go-to. That and the banh mi might be the perfect sandwiches.
Arclite
So the crew from The Wire got back together. There’s a post over on Raw Story. I thought these comments on MD Gov Martin O’Malley were pretty funny.
Also pretty funny and ballsy that the actor who played Bunk would dress up as him and go to bars frequented by real drug dealers. It’s interesting that they all knew who Bunk was. They all must have been watching the show.
Mike in NC
@Gin & Tonic: No gin and tonic?
Gin & Tonic
@Mike in NC: Doesn’t mix well with hydroc0d0ne.
MomSense
Pretty sure the Bed and Breakfast I’m staying at is haunted. Keep expecting Jack Nicholson to barge through the door. Tomato soup with a veggie melt would definitely chase away the haunted house blues.
Anne Laurie
@NotMax: Technology replaces the Shabbos goy.
Or the blech (which I am told is not onnomatapoeic for a casserole that’s been sitting on a covered burner for 12 hours…)
Mike in NC
@Arclite: The Screen Gems studio in Wilmington, NC has brought many TV and movie productions to the state in the past couple of decades. Biggest outfit on the East Coast, but the current crop of Tea Party scum in Raleigh have decided it’s a bad idea to attract these jobs (unless Republicans can get kickbacks) and have all but killed the program. So the work goes to other states and the NC film program will be all but dead in a couple of years.
Violet
@raven: Gosh, that’s awful. Best of luck to your friend.
Bobby B.
“Tomato soup and grilled cheese are comfort foods because they’re easy. Don’t chick it up with ‘veggies’ and mayonnaise.”
-Lao Tzu
mazareth
@Gin & Tonic:
Good Luck with the surgery.
I had my I-131 ablation dose today. No major side effects yet, but my mouth tastes like I’ve been sucking on a bolt.
Looking forward to restarting my thyroid hormone therapy on Sunday. It’ll be nice to be back on the road to normal!
debbie
@Anne Laurie:
Raised as a Reform Jew, but as a kid, I acted as an informal goy for the Orthodox rabbi who lived next door. Mostly minor chores and things seemingly silly, like flipping light switches for them. I also babysat for their kid. The kosher dish set-up had me so confused, I ate ice cream on a paper napkin.
My dad, on the other hand, enjoyed putting up the Christmas tree alongside the menorah, both in the window facing the rabbi’s house.
mazareth
@raven:
Recurrence of thyroid cancer for me. Best of luck to your friend. Had my radiation treatment today.
Hope he beats the cancer!
I’ve been assured by my doctors that in spite of the recurrence, it’s still considered a stage one disease.
My plans for the upcoming week include watching the original Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan.
I also have 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s NY Super Fudge Chunk that won’t make it to the end of my week of isolation.
MattR
@NotMax: @Anne Laurie: There are a couple hospitals in NYC where one of the elevators is programmed to stop at every floor during the Sabbath.
@debbie: Surprised they let you do those things. I have been rejected as a “Shabbos goy” because my mother is Jewish (and therefore the Orthodox rabbi considered me Jewish) even though I consider myself agnostic.
mazareth
@debbie:
I did the goy helper thing for an Orthodox Jewish street musician once. (He was American.). He misjudged the start of Shabbat.
This was in Salzburg when I was going to school there. Once I had his instrument disassembled and loaded into his van, I helped him find the local Rabbi’s house.
Rabbi Nussbaum and his wife (from NJ) invited me in for the Sabbath dinner. It was my one personal experience with Jewish culture. He and his wife were there as part of a project to help the local Jewish community rebuild and reconnect with their heritage.
It’s one of the highlights from that year. It was a great learning experience for a Catholic kid from Central Wisconsin.
MattR
@efgoldman:
I am kinda laughing thinking about that guy’s business card. “Dog walking. Babysitting. Tutoring. Shabbos goy”.
I got asked while walking down the street. Not sure if they had a regular guy who didn’t show that week or if they figured they could always pull a random stranger off of Second Ave.
My sister and I are both in this category. Our mom was raised in a kosher household and her first language was Yiddish. My father spent time studying to be a priest. They had both pretty much given up on religion before they met but educated us on the traditions as children and let us take part in the fun ones (basically XMas, Hanukkah and Easter – my father took sadistic pleasure in his Easter egg hiding skills) and we have continued to carry them out as adults.
merrinc
@Mike in NC:
I’ve been to three local candidate forums in the last week and listened to GOP politicians try to rationalize the decision to take away the film studios tax credit. Our state senator, Jeff Tarte, insisted there was no evidence that giving them the credit brought any money to the state. Seriously.
I’m working on the campaign for Natasha Marcus for NC House District 98 – the seat currently held by Thom Tillis. Her opponent (handpicked by Tillis, natch) is a small businessman who has quite loudly and angrily assured us that he will fight to keep both the film industry tax credit and the $50K small business tax credit from being restored. Oh, and the earned income tax credit, of course. Tax credits aren’t for everyone, citizens. Only those who deserve them.
We’re going to take Tillis’s seat, BTW. And that bastard won’t be going to the US Senate either.
Tommy
I am so happy that I am not alone in thinking a grill cheese needs a slice of tomato.
Tommy
@MattR: I was raised as a Methodist. But honestly raised as an atheist. My parents took me to church. I think they thought it was just something they should do. Then I got to be like 15. Confirmation. Never went to church again.
Arclite
@mazareth: Thyroid cancer survivor here. Whatcha got? Papillary? By recurrence does it mean they missed some lymph nodes the first time, or did they not cut out the whole thyroid the first time?
My Dr. has stopped treating me with radiation, says newest studies show that ultrasound monitoring combined with surgery is just as effective.
Lrhafe
Cotswold is a fantastic cheese to use in grilled-cheese sandwiches.
shelley
The best way to ‘squish’ the grilled cheese is placing a cast iron skillet on top.