Tomato Soup & Home Made Croutons
Is there anything more comforting on a cold day than a piping hot bowl of soup? The classic combination of Tomato soup and Grilled cheese is one of the most popular soup/sandwich combination. It is good for lunch or dinner and is satisfying and delicious. My son and husband absolutely love this meal, and after working on a few versions of the soup, this is what I came up with. I like to pair it with a grilled cheese made with a soft but hearty focaccia or ciabatta bread, lots of sharp cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, or any of your favorite cheeses and top it off with home made croutons. It is easy to prepare and takes the classic combination and elevates it to something very special.
Ingredients List
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3 28oz cans diced tomatoes
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1 Russet Potato
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2 Carrots
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2 Medium Onions
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1 Stalk of Celery
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2 Tbsp Flour
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2 Tbsp Olive Oil
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1 Pat butter
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32 oz Chicken Broth
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16oz Half & Half
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3 Tbsp Honey
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Salt & Pepper to taste
Victor Reano
Pictured is my Great Grandpa's brother, Victor Reano. Very proud of the huge Tomatoes he grew in his garden. The inscription on the back of the pictures states that each tomato weighs 1 3/4lb!
Crunchy Croutons
Home made crunchy croutons are so easy and delicious you may never buy a bag of store brand croutons again!
My husband has taught me a lot about cooking, especially 30 years ago when we first met! Wow! 30 years! I guess we are now considered Vintage! Before we met, he went to culinary school and was a chef. He didn’t make a career out of cooking, but we have all benefited from his years of practice & schooling. Sometimes the simplest recipes stand out the most, and these croutons are a little trick he showed me when I was young and impressionable! lol. I love Caesar salad, and the first time he made home made croutons for me, was the last time I bought a bag of croutons from the store. So Simple! You can season them with anything you like! Savory or sweet! Who doesn’t like toasted bread!
For these croutons I used what I had on hand, which was the end of a stale loaf of bread, butter, onion salt & parmesan cheese. You could literally use anything you have on hand, I use olive oil sometimes or garlic powder instead of onion. You could even make cinnamon sugar croutons to top a fruit bowl or oatmeal. Your imagination is the only limitations to these tasty little squares of toasty goodness. Enjoy!
Remember you can use any bread, I like using French bread that has gotten too hard to eat, you can use raisin bread or sliced bread if that is all you have. I’ve even made croutons from left over cornbread, and added cornbread croutons to a country style salad, with ranch dressing, Chicken nuggets, fresh tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers. Again, use your imagination, to elevate soups, salads or deserts with these, easy to make crunchy little nuggets. Thanks for visiting my blog!
