I'm currently in the process of organizing my photos, which is totally frustrating. This is a task I've been putting off, like cleaning my closest. I have an extraordinary amount of photos, because shamelessly I'm one of those people that takes 5 pictures of the same thing, you know, in case I loose one or a bat flies in front of the camera and ruins my shot. This way I always have spares. I keep telling my self that it's a terrible habit that must be stopped, but my brain just isn't listening. When I travel I also like to take pictures of everything, bugs, monkeys, dirt, signs, old men in thongs. The list goes on.

When there's a super annoying task to complete (like transferring photos off of our computers), and this task is probably going to take a few days, there's no point in spending hours slaving away in the kitchen. We need a recipe that doesn't require a lot of thought or guesswork. Something that can be thrown together and then magically simmer in all its glory, while we painstakingly wait for our super slow hard drive to process.

My friend, with a similar palate to my own, suggested that I try to make a tomato and apple soup. Easy, quick, simple, done. She'd been raving about how amazing it is, and clearly, with a side of grilled cheese, this meal jumps from a 9 to 12.5.  I didn't take much convincing, because if you serve me an apple, tomato, bread and cheese combo, in any form, chances are we'll be friends.

This soup is remarkably delicious with a small touch of sweetness. The sweet apple balances out the acidity, and pairs beautifully with bread and cheese. This meal is extra easy to make.

TOMATO APPLE SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE RECIPE

makes 7 - 8 cups

Adapted from

Stephanie Izard's Tomato-Apple Soup - Serious Eats

Prep time:

20 minutes

Cook time:

1 hour 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp butter

2 small-medium yellow onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

1 small can tomato paste

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup dry white wine

28 ounce can tomatoes with juice

3 cups apple cider

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup water

GRILLED CHEESE INGREDIENTS

good rustic italian loaf, sliced

sharp cheddar cheese, sliced

butter for frying

In a large pot, fry the butter on medium heat until it foams and then subsides.

Add the onions and garlic and fry until golden, 10 minutes.

Add the apples, tomato paste, mustard, and white wine. Simmer until 1/2 the liquid has evaporated.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, cider, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 60 minutes.

With an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender, puree the soup until thin.

Add the heavy cream and water and stir. Heat on low until served.

In a frying pan, on low heat, add 1/2 tbsp butter. Place a piece of bread followed by cheese topped with one more piece of bread.  Fry on each side until golden brown. Serve warm.