Recipes | The Best Tomato Basil Soup & The Best Grilled Cheese | Dinner Ideas

Back to School season always makes me nostalgic.  Can you imagine anything better on a crisp Fall day than heading over to a friends house to be served this warm and flavorful soup?  It almost gives me warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it. 

It is one of those times that I would serve fresh baked cookies... baked while we're having lunch, of course - to make us all feel like kids again.  And, I'll make sure I have plenty, so I can put some in bags (with a cute label) to send home with them.


In fact, one of my favorite things to do when I'm entertaining is to send my guests home with baked goodies... it is like take-home treat for adults.

Bags like these filled with homemade treats are my favorite hostess gifts - I'll bring these along with me if I'm a guest at a friends home... the best way to ensure I'll be invited back!

Resources :

Clear Bags, $7 (medium)
Custom Circle Labels, $12
Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins, $22

Tomato Basil Soup

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned

parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well.  Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.  

To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich.  Get the recipe for The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich here.