Soup and Sammich in One Bite! Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Built-in

 There are tons of recipes for making delicious grilled cheese sammiches.  You can add tomatoes, caramelized onions, avocado and even BACON...but I like to keep my grilled cheese fairly simple, while adding a complicated satisfying flavor. Instead of lots of bulky veggies and/or meats, I am going to share with you how to make a grilled cheese that has the tomato soup already built in! It's crazy good and received rave reviews from my friendly test kitchen tasters (aka starving friends).

Warning-I am a fat kid stuck in the body of a skinny girl, nothing about this sammich is healthy food! Consuming said sammich may produce an overwhelming urge to sprawl out and nap somewhere (aka "the itis"). Please be responsible and only nap in designated napping areas.

     

ENOUGH TALK!!!

For the tomato soup spread (this is just a guideline, I added ingredients to taste, knock yourself out tinkering with different quantities and seasonings) :

• Plain cream cheese (you can use these spreadable kind or the "block" kind, I prefer the "block") I used a half a block of cream cheese, saved the rest of bagels.  Let it soften up a bit
• a small pile of sun dried tomatoes (the marinated kind in a jar, they are usually seasoned already, which is nice)
• 1/4-1/2 cup  Tomato Soup
• A little onion powder (to taste)
• A little garlic powder or minced garlic (to taste)

Throw the cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes into a food processor (I have one of the Ninja Master Prep choppers, works great for this, but I had to keep scraping the sides down) Let it chop up and blend the sun dried tomatoes into the cream cheese.  I wanted little-to-no chunky tomato bits, it had to be smooooooth! Add the tomato soup (it thins the mixture out and adds more tomato flavor).  Taste it, let your tongue tell you what it needs. If the tomato flavor doesn't pop out at ya, add more tomatoes etc. I felt that a little dash of onion and garlic powder enhanced the flavor. Like I said feel free to go crazy, if you want it to have a little heat, throw a dash of cayenne pepper in there, or some fresh peppers, do what feels right!

Once you get it seasoned to your liking, scoop it out of the food processor and put it in a container (the half block makes enough for several sandwiches, it keeps in the fridge 4-5 days) You can use it right away or you can put it in the fridge overnight and let the flavors twist and shout together.  If you do refrigerate it, you may need to let it soften up before you can easily spread it (or zap it in the microwave for 10 seconds and give it a stir).  It tastes pretty good on its own, you could spread it on any number of things, or add more sour cream and make it a dip for veggies and chips.

Now for the construction of the grilled cheese, in addition to the tomato spread you just made, you'll need:

• Bread - I've used a couple of different types of bread, but I'm still a fan of the Old School Wonderbread, it's so tender and it absorbs the flavors so effortlessly.
• Butter- for the grilled  outside of the sammich, let it soften to room temp so it spreads without destroying your bread, or if you must, use margarine. (I've also tried Mayo on the outside of the sammich, it's not my favorite, but it worked and tasted ok)
• Cheese - (duh)  I usually use White American and some shredded Vermont White Cheddar, both  melt smoothly together.  If you prefer other cheeses, give them a try, Gouda with Havarti or Provolone or mmm Gorgonzola. There are a bazillion choices and combinations, you could eat a different grilled cheese sammich everyday for months.

Makin the sammich!! 

First things first, make sure all your supplies are ready. Things start to come together very quickly, so have the tomato spread & butter softened, cheeses grated or sliced, bread and plates at hand! And don't forget a spatula! Oh yeah, you'll also need a largish pan lid (one that can cover two slices of bread).

Heat up a pan to about medium heat (I use an electric griddle, especially if I'm making a lot of sammiches, but any old pan on the stove top should work, it helps if it's big enough for two slices of bread)

I like to toast one side of my bread (the inside side, where the cheese will live). Using a toaster oven is the easiest or you can toast it under the broiler of a regular oven. It doesn't take long so DO NOT take your eyes off of it.  Toasting gives the bread more stability and texture. You could toast both sides if you wanted, heck that's probably easier, but I just toast the one side.

Looks a little like peanut butter

• After toasting, slather the butter on the outside side (un-toasted & grill bound) and slather the tomato spread on the inside side (freshly toasted and just waiting for it). 
• Put 2 slices of bread on the pan butter side down (tomato spread side up), put a slice of American on one slice and sprinkle the shredded cheddar on the other. Now this might sound crazy, but now put a lid on it!  Even on the electric griddle, I put a lid over  the two open faced sides of the sammich, it helps melt the cheeses faster. 
•  Keep the slices covered about a minute or until the cheese is melted (whichever comes first), then give it another minute or two uncovered (peek under an edge to see if the buttered side is browned. If you see small amounts of fast rising smoke close to the pan, it's probably time), then carefully flip one side over onto the other (the American slice side is usually easier, but do be careful, the cheese is in a molten lava like state and could get everywhere and/or melt your flesh off). 

CRAZY OPTION: On occasion, when I'm feeling particularly squirrely, I will toss a few potato chips on one of the slices before closing up the sandwich.  I wait until the very last moment so they stay kind of crunchy (otherwise they turn into something that tastes like potatoes au gratin inside the sammich, which is still tasty, but it's not what I aim for when adding the crunchy chips). Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar are excellent also BBQ chips go well. Let your freak flag fly!  

So now you know how to make a tasty grilled cheese sammich has built in tomato soup flavor! I decided to write up with this recipe after I searched the interwebs for a sammich recipe with built in tomato soup flavor, but only found tips for tasty grilled cheese or recipes that were full of real veggies or meats.  

I hope you kids give it a try! If you reinvent the wheel or make a proud discovery feel free to let me know, we can discuss it over a nice hot plate of awesome!

I was reminded of a song "written" about me back in 1995...
"Jenny Jenny Weasel Girl, Jenny Jenny eat the squirrel"


I wouldn't really do that...but the song makes me want to.
This is a blurry squirrel taken 1/19/10

Important "information" about swine flu! PLEASE READ

Swine flu: Symptoms, Prevention, Treatment, FAQ

Like humans, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It's caused by a new swine flu virus that has spread from person to person -- and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs!!!
Bah dah duh dun!


Swine flu can be spread through:

• Dirty toilet seats(like all great things in life)


• Gingers, they are 80% likely to be carriers without symptoms and should be avoided


• Everyday person to person contact, especially if you're just being polite


• Sexting (click in case you've been missing out on the fun)

Symptoms may include but are not limited to:

• typical flu symptoms


• a constant taste of skittles in the back of throat


• allergic reactions when exposed to pollen


• rapid toenail growth


• partial invisibility


• sudden appearance of superfluous umbilicus


• absolutely no symptoms whatsoever

Seek medical attention immediately if you:

• Hallucinate that there is a man trying to sell you bibles


• Have solid stool, in the shape of Flintstones Vitamins and/or Abe Lincoln


• Have a shooting pain in your left arm, tightness in your chest and shortness of breath (seriously I think you're having a heart attack)


• Experience a violent spasmodic ejection of matter from your stomach through your mouth or any other orifice.


• Feel perfectly fine, as you are now delusional and are in denial that death is immanent.

Prevention and Treatment

Some health care providers may recommend wearing a surgical face mask to prevent the spread of germs, but if masks are not available (highly likely) a pair of tighty whiteys over the face will be just as effective. Washing your hands compulsively is also recommended.

One of the easiest things you can do to protect yourself and others is totally isolate yourself from the outside, world both physically and socially. If you do choose to isolate yourself (recommended) make sure to stock up on essential supplies such as, food, water, limes, beer, spirits, Paulie Shore films and other forms of “adult” entertainment, guns w/ammo, bow and arrows (in case of zombie apocalypse), toilet paper, airplane glue, knot tying guide, and most importantly the ingredients for BLTs and Jackie Wilson's Greatest Hits.

There are several flu medications and vaccines that might help you survive the Swine Flu, but there is only one treatment that is 100% effective: BLT sandwiches (cut diagonally). It is very important to make sure the BLT is not already infected with swine flu. Eating an infected BLT could lead to immediate death or worse (zombie apocalypse).

FAQ:

Q: What happens if the swine flu does cause a zombie apocalypse?
A: Well if you are among the healthy living and the zombie apocalypse actually occurs, grab your bow and arrows and brace yourself for a sort of “hell on earth”. It is impossible to determine the outcome of such an event, but overall I can imagine it will be more painful than an endless movie marathon of Ishtar.

Q:Will swine flu make me a better lover?
A: Outlook not so good, especially for men. In some severe cases, the man's precious appendage has been known to coil up (like a pig's tail). It is reported to be very painful.

Q:Can unicorns get the swine flu?
A: Well if unicorns had not already all been killed off during the Cola Wars (unicorn horn was a popular secret ingredient), I suppose their delicate immune systems would not stand a chance against this rapidly changing flu virus.

Q:Partial invisibility doesn't sound so bad, what's the big deal?
A: Well you could die...plus the uncontrolled partial invisibility combined with any of the other symptoms would make you very socially awkward...

Q:How can I tell if my BLT is infected?
A: A very important question, the only definite way to make sure your BLT is safe to eat in order to treat your swine flu, you must play the song (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson. Beware if the sandwich dances, while it may be entertaining, you're looking at an infected BLT. It should be disposed of immediately!

I hope you find this information helpful. Thanks for joining the panic, let's all take a moment to laugh in the face of death and then go back to our daily lives...