Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Party

Is there anything better than the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo? In my opinion, nope! Especially as the weather gets colder, we all seem to crave comfort foods to warm our tummies and our hearts. So I thought to myself, what would be better than throwing a grilled cheese and soup party. Perfect for having friends over on a casual Sunday afternoon to watch football and savor the truly good things in life -- friends, football, fun, and cheese! xo

Here is what I would include in my lazy day grilled cheese get together--

First off, it would be fun to offer a variety of different cheeses and add-on so people can really customize their sandwich. Have everything set up on a buffet table and have people make their own on a sandwich press or panini maker. Here are some varieties (other than the classic shown above) that could be cool to try:

 Caprese grilled cheese sandwich -- mozzarella cheese, fresh slices tomatoes, and a little bit of pesto.

Grilled cheese and spinach -- any kind of cheese (maybe some swiss?) with fresh spinach leaves

Grilled cheese with avocado and pesto

And of course, have a big pot of creamy tomato bisque for dipping your sandwich in-- because in my opinion, that's the best part of the whole grilled cheese experience. Have small soup bowls out where guests can serve themselves and include soup toppings such a croutons, crackers or freshly shaved parmesan for the ultimate cheese overload. Also include all the accouterments (how fun is that word) for dipping in the soup and as a side to the grilled cheese. A few of my favorite include:

Kettle cooked potato chips. Has to be kettle cooked for that extra crunch. Lightly salted.

Pickles!! I also love pickles on the side of a grilled cheese sandwich. I suggest buying a few different jars from the store (dill, bread and butter, some speciality kinds) and peel and soak off the labels to they look all rustic in the jars (see above) and have guests help themselves. Remember: this party is casual, so the jars will add a nice laid bag touch! Bonus if you make your own pickles and serve those! 

And last but not least the drinks. Since it's fall and our focus is comfort foods -- I think the perfect drink to pair our yummy grilled cheese sandwiches would be a nice hard cider (keeping things seasonal and casual of course!) My favorite choices are Woodchuck hard cider and Magner's Irish cider (seen below).

And for those who love the sweet and savory combo a Caramel apple grilled cheese sandwich for a sweet treat at the end. Perfect way to use up all those extra apples who have left over from apple picking!!

Anyone else a huge fan of the grilled cheese sandwich like I am?

-Pretty Little things