Recipe of the Week: Tomato Basil Soup and Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Fall is here and that means that this Mummy is constantly craving comfort food. Comfort food like Tomato Basil Soup and Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Since going out to dinner is the exception and not the norm (especially when your "date nigh"t sitter goes away for her own date weekend) I figured that I was going to have to make this comfort dinner myself. Well, I'm glad I did because not only was it delicious but I also was able to have a date with my husband sans makeup and in my pajamas. Throw in a glass of red wine and we had the perfect night complete with a 9:30 bedtime. You can't beat that!

Tomato Soup Recipe (Serves 2)

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
•  2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  
•  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
•  24 ounces canned whole plum tomatoes or same amount peeled fresh tomatoes
  
•  3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  
•  2 teaspoons salt
  
•  pinch freshly ground black pepper
  
•  1/2 cup basil

Heat oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened and turned translucent, about 15 minutes. Pour in tomatoes, stock, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until tomatoes are soft and begin to cook down, about 10 to 20 minutes. Add the basil. With immersion blender, puree until smooth (alternately, you can work in batches and pour soup into a blender to puree -- only fill blender halfway for each batch). If soup seems too thick, stir in some extra stock to thin. Serve immediately.

Cave-aged Goat and Gruyère-and-Apple Grilled Cheese (serves 2)

• 4 slices Real Sourdough bread
  
• Softened unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 pound shredded Swiss cave-aged Gruyere or any Swiss cheese
  
• 1 medium tart apple (such as Granny Smith), cored and thinly sliced
  
• 3 Tablespoons goat cheese

Butter 2 slices of bread and place face down in a large skillet. Melt the gruyere open sliced and spread the goat cheese on the remaining bread. Place apples on melted gruyere and layer with the goat cheese covered bread. Flip sandwiches until bottom bread is browned. Serve immediately.