roasted red pepper and tomato soup with apple-bacon grilled cheese... 1 hour

the goods:

soup:

2 red bell peppers

3 heaping tablespoons frozen corn

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 medium yellow onion

3 cups chicken broth

2 roasted green peppers, jarred

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

sour cream, and minced chives, for serving

sandwiches:

sliced sourdough bread

butter

thinly sliced apple

cooked bacon

sliced sharp cheddar cheese

Roast bell peppers on a grill or over a gas cooktop until blistered and blackened in spots. Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Peel peppers, remove stems and seeds and give them a rough chop. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes, broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, thyme, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Cover, and boil over medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or doing it in small batches in your blender, puree soup just slightly (you still want it to have some texture). (If you are using your blender, puree only about half the soup.) Add corn and turn heat up to high for a couple minutes to heat through. Serve with sour cream and chives.

Make sandwiches: (I prepped all the sandwiches while the soup was bubbling, then grilled them up at the end while the soup cooled.) Butter the outside of 2 slices sourdough, On the unbuttered side, layer cheese, bacon, apple, and cheese. Top with other slice of bread, butter-side-up. Make as many as needed. Heat a skillet to medium. Cook sandwiches until cheese is melted and bread is golden and toasted. Serve with soup.