Pimiento Cheese Soup with Toasted Tomato Sandwiches

This post contains affiliate links.

I know I’m not the only one who spends sleepless nights, staring into the dark, my thoughts racing. Here were last Thursday's 3:25 AM musings:
 
1. If I can’t sleep at night does that mean that I am officially elderly?
2. Can I turn pimento cheese into pimento cheese soup? If so, should I serve it with toasted tomato sandwiches?
3. Why is the cat still under the bed, and should I join him?
4. At this point, is it pointless to even consider going to sleep,
should I just get up and do something?
5.  Is it bad form to use “point” and “pointless” in the same sentence?

On Friday evening (dare I mention that I slept in?), I satisfied my curiosity about #2. This reverse grilled cheese and tomato soup served to be quite tasty. I added a cheese spread (recipe below) to act as, for lack of a better word, the “glue” to hold the thin slices of plump, firm, local tomatoes in place. I'll be making this again!

Pimiento Cheese Soup

¼ c. butter
½ c. finely diced Melissa's shallots
½ c. finely diced carrots
½ c. finely diced celery
¼ c. flour
1 ½ T. cornstarch
1 qt. chicken stock
1 qt. milk
1/8 t. baking soda
1 7-oz. jar Melissa’s Fire Roasted Red Peppers, drained and diced
1 16-oz. pkg. Velveeta, cubed, OR 2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ t. smoked paprika
¼ t. dry mustard
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T. finely chopped parsley

Melt butter in the pot in which you were going to make the soup. Add onions, carrots, celery, and sauté over low heat until soft. Add flour and cornstarch and cook until bubbly. Add stock and milk and make a smooth sauce. Add soda, peppers, cheese, and seasonings. Additional cheese may be added to enhance flavor. Season with salt and pepper.
Add parsley a few minutes before serving. 

Yield 8 servings.

Toasted Tomato Sandwiches

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ c. butter, softened
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ t. smoked paprika
¼ t. dried oregano
¼ t. garlic powder
4 slices rustic bread
2-3 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

Spread thinly-sliced tomatoes onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. This will allow excess moisture to drain to keep your sandwich from getting mushy.

In a medium metal mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in cheese, paprika, oregano, and garlic powder. Spread mixture on one side of all slices of bread. Top two slices of the bread with a double layer of the thinly sliced tomatoes, and place a slice of bread on top with the spread side toward the tomatoes. Finish as you would any toasted cheese sandwich.