Pair tomato soup with pimento cheese sandwich

Good morning, readers. Today's requests came from guests around our dinner table last week, out-of-town guests. They wanted to know how to make desserts from a "blue" pumpkin, not only pumpkin pie but anything that does not contain crust or flour in any other form. And they hoped you could help them with the following too: anything with kale and sweet-potato biscuits.

Barbara Hay's tomato soup couldn't be easier and is one of her favorites.

Tomato Basil Soup

2 cans tomato soup

1 can diced tomatoes with basil

Small toasted rounds of deli bread (two good options are the deli breads from Publix or Fresh Market)

Sour cream for topping

Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Heat soup and diced tomatoes to desired temperature. Do not add any additional liquid. Place in soup bowls. Top with toasted bread and spoonfuls of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Makes 3 good-sized bowls.

And here's the perfect accompaniment; another reader sent a page from Southern Living with a recipe for grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches.

Our friend Lizzy is a fan of gourmet pimiento cheese sandwiches, and she's got such good and creative ideas that I can see her becoming a grilled-cheese magnate someday. For now, the recipe that follows sounds mighty good.

Recipes for homemade pimiento cheese always call forth this question: Does it make a difference to purchase grated cheese or to grate it yourself? Please let us know your preferences.

Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon finely grated onion

2 (8-ounce) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Stir together mayonnaise, pimiento, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Stir in cheese. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make sandwiches, spread 1/4 cup pimiento cheese mixture on 1 side of a white bread slice; top with another bread slice. Lightly spread both sides of sandwich with mayonnaise. Repeat with remaining pimiento cheese mixture for desired number of sandwiches. Cook in batches on a hot griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese melts. Makes 11 sandwiches.

Jere Young found the sought-for Betty Cummings roast in the original Chattanooga Junior League Cookbook.

Betty Cummings Roast

8 to 10 pound sirloin tip roast

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon Knorr Swiss Aromat seasoning or seasoned salt

1/2 lemon

1/8 cup soy sauce

1 or more cups water

Remove roast from refrigerator about 1/2 hour before cooking. Sprinkle pepper, garlic salt and seasoning over roast. Squeeze lemon juice over roast and pour on soy sauce. Place roast in a shallow pan, fat side up. Bake, uncovered, at 450 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 F and add 1 cup water. Continue baking for 20 minutes per pound for rare. Check roast every hour to see if more water should be added. Remove roast from pan and cut in thick slices. There will be a delicious gravy in the pan.

Mary Ann McInturff, whose good cooking we have sampled on paper through Fare Exchange for many years, has a favorite cornbread recipe that contains only cornmeal, no flour and several other ingredients that make it delicious.

Sour Cream Cornbread

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup oil

1 small can (8.25 ounce) cream-style corn

3 eggs

1 cup cornmeal

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375 F.

Combine sour cream, oil, corn and eggs. Then add cornmeal, baking powder and salt, and mix well.

Heat skillet in oven; spray skillet with Pam before pouring batter into skillet. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

These recipes are colorful and wonderful for the season, for any season. Thanks to you all for reading and writing so faithfully.

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