The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It has been almost twenty-five years, since my brother, Robby, asked me make him a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter, cheese, skillet, how hard is that right? While buttering the bread, I had an uh oh moment. I forgot how to make grilled cheese. You can laugh all you like, but please keep in mind; I was still in high school and just starting to venture into the kitchen.

 I could not remember if you butter one side or two, so I buttered all four sides of bread. Robby loved it and wanted to know how I made it. Three years ago, my dad and stepmom were able to visit. I do not know how but we got on the topic of grilled cheese sandwiches. My dad  raved about how great Robby’s grilled cheese were, telling me how he buttered both sides of the bread. I could not help but laugh, at the thought of how my silly mistake was still being used by my older brother. 

I still make grilled cheese, but I only butter one side of the bread. Grilled cheese is like chicken, you can fix with many different ingredients, but it always come out warm, gooey, goodness.

The standard grilled cheese has American cheese, but have you tried substituting the cheese for another type like Colby/Jack or Monterey Pepper Jack?

How about additives like bacon, chicken, roast beef, ham, Spam, tomatoes, onions? I like putting crushed red pepper flakes in my husband’s sandwich.

The bread you choose is just as important and is often an afterthought, white, whole wheat, rye, sourdough, Texas toast.

As I was making grilled cheese today, I thought of the old Sizzler steak house toast and was disappointed that I was out of parmesan cheese. How yummy would it be to make grilled cheese sandwich on Texas toast, buttered and sprinkled with parmesan cheese on the outside, and mozzarella cheese for the filling… something to try.

Yes, if you are watching your weight, you can have grilled cheese sandwiches too! Growing up my husband was not allowed to use the stove, so he started making grilled cheese this way.Toast two slices of bread to your liking. Place one slice of bread on a plate, add one slice of fat free cheese and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove from microwave add remaining slice of bread. If you are like me, I cannot get past grilled cheese without buttered bread. Try giving each side a squirt of a butter type spray like “I can’t believe it’s not butter.”

What is your favorite grilled cheese sandwich?