Mini Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Dip

Ingredients

Tomato Soup Dip

• 1 lb plum tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream
• fresh basil for garnish

Sandwich Bites

• 10 slices of bread
• 5 slices cheese (American, Cheddar, whatever you like)
• butter, at room temperature

Directions

1. Rinse and give the tomatoes a rough chop.
2. Melt the butter in a pan and add the onions and tomatoes. Saute for a minute or two, and then pour in the stock and add the bay leaves. Bring up to a simmer and let cook, loosely covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or good blender. When it is completely smooth, blend in the cream.
4. Reheat the soup on the stove and taste to adjust the salt and pepper.
5. Serve hot with a garnish of fresh basil leaves.
6. Make the grilled cheese sandwich bites by first cutting off the crusts from your bread. You are going to make larger sandwiches to grill, and then cut them down to mini size after they are cooked.
7. *Note: You can leave the crusts on as well.
8. Exactly how you cut the bread is going to depend on the size of your bread and how small you want your mini sandwiches. Using regular sandwich bread, cut a little bit off one side so are left with a rectangle.You can make these rectangles into sandwiches, grilling them, and then cut them in half, and in half again to form the bites.
9. Put a piece of cheese between the bread slices and butter the top side of each. Place that side down on a hot pan and then butter the other side. Cook until golden on both sides. Remove the sandwiches and set them aside to cool a bit so they will be easier to slice.
10. Slice with a sharp serrated knife into smaller squares, and then in half into little 'bites'.