For a Cold Night

I’m not much into gourmet cooking.  Fancy recipes that require fancy ingredients intimidate me, and I tend to shy away from them.  So, needless to say, around this house, we eat our share of Rice-a-Roni, Hamburger Helper, and frozen lasagna.  No shame.

Last week, though, as I was flipping through Pioneer Woman’s cookbook, I came across a recipe for tomato soup that I knew Scott would love.  He’s a grilled-cheese-sandwich-and-tomato-soup enthusiast, and with the weather dropping down to the 40s last Tuesday night, I thought I’d surprise him with something different than Campbell’s. :)

Did I mention that I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry, too?  I’m a magnet to those kinds of recipes.  They’re not near as intimidating…and they’re cheap. 

So, let me share with you a new favorite at our house: Sherried Tomato Soup with Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

• 6 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1 whole medium onion, Diced
• 1 bottle/can (46 Oz.) tomato juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon (up to 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base*
• 3 Tablespoons (up to 6 Tablespoons) sugar**
• 1 pinch salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-½ cup heavy cream
• chopped fresh parsley
• chopped fresh basil

Modifications:

*I used three chicken bouillon cubes (Knox brand)

**Six tablespoons of sugar in tomato soup scared me.  I used three, and it was just right---but if you like your soup sweet, go ahead.

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

To go along, I grilled up a couple of sandwiches using Velveeta sliced cheese and sourdough bread. 

My only regret is that we didn't have friends over to partake with us. Perfection.