Make this: Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese

Sweet Jesus. This sandwich will change the way you look at a grilled cheese. My grandma used to make grilled cheese sandwiches in the waffle iron for my sister and me and I had this brilliant idea to make one like she did when I went home for lunch today.

Except I didn't have a waffle iron. Well I did, but whoever used it last didn't clean it and there was cheese glued to every nook and cranny on the waffle iron. You probably guessed by now that we don't use the waffle iron for waffles in our house.

After spending 30 seconds or so trying to scrape cheese out of the waffle iron, I gave up and resorted to the griddle. It's only a lunch hour...I was running out of time.



I started with my most favorite bread in the whole wide world. This family from Mimbres makes it and brings it to our local farmer's market on Saturdays. It's sprouted grain and, in one word, DELICIOUS.



Slice a tomato. This one is also from the farmer's market...a rare vine-ripened tomato that I didn't think you could find anymore in the dead of November.



Smear two slices of bread with butter. I used Brummel & Brown spread, which is made with yogurt and has half the fat and calories. Bonus!



Next, you need basil pesto. I had some in the fridge from my last trip to Trader Joe's. If you're like me and you live in a land far, far away from the nearest TJ's, I'm pretty sure you can find pesto in any grocery store by the pasta. Presto! Pesto!



Spread the pesto on the side of the bread slices that do not have butter on them.



Don't forget the cheese! What's a grilled cheese without cheese? A crappy sandwich, that's what it is. This is a pile of mozzarella and Swiss that I had in the fridge from a rigatoni dish I made last weekend. You can use whatever you have, but make sure it's mozzarella. Translation: only use mozzarella.



Next, heat a griddle over medium high heat and place the bread, butter side down, on the griddle after it's had a chance to get hot. Arrange the tomato slices on the bread so that you're sure to get a piece of tomato in each bite.



Then pile on the cheese. Again, you can use whatever kind of cheese you have, but if it's not mozzarella, life as you know it will cease to exist. At least life in the sandwich world.



Now you're ready for the other slice of bread. Make sure you place it on top of the cheese with the pesto side down.



And flip!



Hello...I love you, won't you tell me your name? (Quick! Who sang that song?)

Happy Monday, everyone. You too, Jim Morrison...wherever you are.

Make this: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yes, I know. Here we are, mid-November, and the last time I posted was in January! I promise...life has been happening all around me, and once again I can't take two seconds to document it. I'll let you in on a little secret: if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, go to my Flickr account and you'll be instantly caught up on everything in my world! Except for that bus. Chances are, if it hit me - I wasn't paying attention or taking a photo.

I made this soup over the weekend because 1) it's football season in my house, and 2) my husband makes requests for whatever he wants to eat on Sunday because 3) see #1. I debated between Chicken Tortilla or Albondigas. In the end, Chicken Tortilla won because 1) it's football season in my house, and 2) I make the decisions in the kitchen because 3) see #1.

This is a simple recipe if you have about 20 minutes to spare for prep time and then another hour or so to let it simmer and do it's "thing" on the stove. Soups all need time to do their thing...if you've made them before, you knew this already.

Confession: I wasn't planning on posting this, so I didn't take photos through the process. (Lucky you!) I'll just cut to the chase and give you the recipe. Like most things I make, it's all in my head so feel free to make it your own and adjust.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
4 chicken breasts (preferably on the bone)
1 cube chicken bouillon
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeños (more if you like it hot!)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (Not a fan? you can substitute kale or fresh parsley.)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Avocado, diced
corn tortillas, cut into strips and fried golden
Monterey Jack cheese

1. Boil chicken breasts with bouillon until they are fully cooked. Remove chicken and cut into cubes once it's cooled; reserve broth. You'll need it!
2. Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes until the garlic is fragrant and onion is translucent.
3. Add in chicken stock from the meat you boiled (about half of it) and then add about 4 cups of water. Bring to a rapid boil.
4. Add chicken, tomatoes and cilantro (or whatever green stuff you decided to substitute). You can add a dash of turmeric at this phase if you want a slightly yellow soup. If not, it will be clear as the sky. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes.
5. Ladel soup into a bowl and top with diced avocado, cheese and corn tortilla strips.