Home-made

One our snow day, I decided to make my own grilled cheese. I make mine probably the same way as my sister. I use white bread, Kraft American singles, and ICBINB. My favorite part of making grilled cheese is the second time you put the butter in the pan. For some reason it makes me feel like a "real" cook when I take the pan off the stove and swish the butter around the pan. Anyway, this grilled cheese was wonderful!

I did want to add to my sister's post about the grilled cheeses from our family. Grandmom used to use Velveeta cheese slices and real butter. She would actually make mine with American cheese because I didn't like the velveeta very much. Whenever I come across a grilled cheese that has been made with butter, I think of her. I'm not fond of grilled cheeses that have obviously been buttered before it went in the pan. Too soggy. I like to have a crunch when I bite into it. I do enjoy grilled cheese that is made on a sandwich machine. You know, where you put in your sandwich and the machine grills it. It comes out kind of flat but when you bite into it... oooo, the cheese just flows out! Doritos are the perfect grilled cheese mate, either in the grilled cheese or on the side. If I eat it with Doritos, I must cut my grilled cheese at an angle due to the triangle shape. They fit better :)

Jim & Pam love grilled cheese too...

Yes, I know I'm behind, but we're catching up on The Office via Netflix. In the second season, Jim and Pam have their "first date" on the Dunder Mifllin roof. Jim made Pam a romantic dinner of whatelse, grilled cheese.

Team Jim, all the way.

Panera Bread Grilled Cheese...

Went out to Panera Bread last night with my mom. I tried the grilled cheese because I know Kim likes it so much. Well, mine, it tasted like bacon. Not the most appetizing flavor for a vegetarian! I had cheddar on sourdough. Either the cheese was smoked or they had just grilled bacon on the grill.

I also ordered grilled cheese's #1 companion, tomato soup. They have a fantastically rich and creamy tomato soup with some asiago croutons. It was wonderful! Mmmmm!

Toastabag...

Ok, now, I call a grilled cheese made in the toaster a "toasted cheese" or even "cheese toast" but Real Simple's February 2009 issue sites them as a grilled cheese as well.

They offer up a solution to keeping the drips under wraps by using a product called the Toastabag, sold for $10 on firebox.com. You simply assemble your sandwich, slide it in the reusable bag and drop it into the toaster.

Sounds like a good idea for using the toaster oven in the office too. Blech.

I'll have the Grilled Cheese...

We say it all the time. We might be a the fanciest seafood restaurant downtown, yet we still order the grilled cheese from the kids menu. Is it an addiction? Maybe. It's more of an obsession. What could be better than two pieces of bread, bonded by melted cheese then gently fried in butter? Hello!?

Everyone has their #1. My friends used to challenge me to grilled cheese cook-offs. Whether it was so that I would feed them or that they actually thought my sandwiches were the best, I'll never know.

Our mother's sandwiches got us hooked initially. She uses white bread, deli American cheese and margarine in a heavy, small frying pan. She melts the margarine in the pan, then places the sandwich in.

Our father's mother used white bread, Land 'O Lakes cheddar and real butter. She buttered the bread before putting into the pan. She was usually smoking while cooking as well, which may or may not have changed the outcome?

Our mother's mother made hers similar to our mother does, but I believe she used Velveeta? Kim will have to confirm that.

I make several versions of my mother's grilled cheese and have added the Panini Grill into my routine. I also typically add Dorito's into the melted cheese on my sandwich.

We will be using this blog to review the grilled cheeses we have in our travels. Eat up!

Allison & Kim