Comfortably Rushed

So I still haven't had a shower yet this morning, but I've gotta get this entry posted to make it in under the Blog Party deadline. The theme of this month's Blog Party, hosted by Dispensing Happiness is Comfort Food. So, I thought about the foods & beverages that are comforting to me and I decided to go with grilled cheese, tomato soup, and peppermint tea. To fit in the appetizer guidelines I served my comforting sandwiches in the form of strips, and went with Tomato Soup Shooters as an accompaniment.

For the Grilled Cheese Strips I used Monterrey Jack and Extra Sharp Cheddar, with a layer of crumbled feta filling, sandwiched between two
slices of well buttered Sourdough Bread. I grilled them slowly over medium-low heat in my new-to-me cast iron skillet I got from the in-laws. They were cheesey, gooey, and very toasty. Mmmmmm.....


For the Tomato Soup I followed a recipe that I had jotted down while watching Everyday Food a week or two earlier. What follows is the halved recipe I wrote down, to avoid a ginormous amount of leftover soup.


Classic Tomato Soup
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves ???- lots I guess, ha.

1/4 stick butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt & pepper
1/8 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes in juice

• Melt butter over medium heat. Add oil & onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute.
• Add thyme, broth, and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with your fingers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Puree 2.5 cups in blender and return to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

My notes: I actually pureed all but about a cup of the soup. I like my tomato soup very creamy, so this is an act of personal preference.

For my comforting beverage, as I mentioned above, I chose peppermint tea. I love peppermint tea! It's so soothing when I'm not feeling well, or I've been out on a cold blustery day. It is definitely my go-to mug filler, especially since my stomach can only handle one cup of coffee a day. I can fill my belly with cup after cup of peppermint tea.


So, that's my contribution to the February Blog Party. I hope I did everything right, ha. These blog events are new to me so I usually go over any rules I can find a million times, to hopefully avoid making a fool out of myself and my fledgling blog. As I mentioned in th post below I'll be out of town for a few days, so when I get back I should have a post about the yummy dinner I prepared last night. Incidentally I'm hoping it will be my Waiter, There's Something In My...Pie entry.