Hello friends! We meet again, and yeah, life is really giving us some hard times.

Most of us are (I hope!) probably doing some version of shelter-in-place as we attempt to ride out the waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most of us are probably feeling the hourly alternating emotions of “I can do this” and “I don’t think I can do this.”

We are working on some new things for the weeks ahead, and I am anxious to get those things into the world for you. But for now, I’m just going to share what’s REAL with you.

Today, here in the thick of social distancing and shelter in place orders and a scary news cycle, this is what’s real:

• I’m tired.
• I’m sad.
• I feel like I have LESS time, not more.
• I’m hopeful.
• I’m encouraged.
• I’m almost daily moved to tears by the amazingness of people.
• I’m hungry.
• I’m also not hungry.
• Cooking feels like a lot of work right now.
• I am missing a lot of “key” groceries (hello, milk).
• I am eating a lot of Fruity Pebbles (thank you, nut milk).
• I am missing my friends and family.
• I am grateful, and I am grieving.

The point of all this is just to do a weird little check in to say, hey, still here! Still feeling everything and then some right along with you, still juggling the balls of parenting and remote work and news management and self-care, still thinking about all of you, still eating.

I mean, it’s not fancy, but we’re eating. And the most noteworthy, wonderful, completely winning thing right now:

Tomato soup with grilled cheese.

Wait, you haven’t made tomato soup with grilled cheese yet during quarantine? HOW DARE YOU.

Welcome to my life right now – this is the recipe for minimal groceries, and even minimal-er energy.

Yes, I used baby carrots and don’t yell at me! No regular carrots to be found, so baby carrots have been summoned for their moment of greatness.

Cream? None. Bacon? None.

In place of the cream, cashews were a great stand in to make the soup creamy, and the bacon was just all-out skipped.

I’m not going to write out a new recipe card here because my favorite, the original HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP already exists and it’s exactly what I used this week (with my substitutions). Please make it. It’s so, so good.

My first bite of buttery, crispy, browned and melted grilled cheese dunked in this rich tomato soup felt like a nice, reassuring, calming hug.

Here’s how it came together:

And here’s how good my about-to-dunk-sandwich photo turned out:

#workfromhome

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Friends, how are you doing? What is your experience in this? What are you feeling these days?

What are you cooking? What recipes are making life just a little more bearable? ♡

Thinking of you, hanging in there with you. One day at a time! xo

The post Just a Check In, Plus… Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese appeared first on Pinch of Yum.