Growing up as a latchkey kid, I taught myself some basics to cook so I could survive that long, grueling fast between when school let out at 3:10 pm and Mom got home at 5:30 pm. It was simple: two pieces of bread, a little butter on both sides of each piece of bread, and some American cheese (which, by the way, was the only cheese my parents ever bought). Easy peasy, and all I had to do was make sure I didn't burn it and to turn the burner off when I was done (or Mom would yell at me when she got home about burning the house down). Flash forward to today, and those occasions when I make a grilled cheese sandwich I don't much stray from that basic combo. Until now...
My next project after my failed attempt to make the perfect Chorizo queso was to make a more complex version of a standard grilled cheese sandwich. I decided to include some different types of cheese and maybe a few additional ingredients. With my first attempt, I threw some slices of ham lunch meat on there as well. Which means technically, I created a hot ham-n-cheese sandwich instead of a strict grilled cheese. Considering the ratio of cheese to the skimpy amount of lunch meat I added, many could successfully argue that it still remained a grilled cheese, but I'm not going to pick a side on that debate. In the end, the ham wasn't as hot as I would have liked, and I was so overly full (a sign of too much cheese) that I was miserable for the next hour.
My second attempt was a cross between a breakfast sandwich and grilled cheese. The plan was to use the concept of this video recipe (Inside-Out grilled cheese sandwich) which encompasses cheese on the outside of the sandwich as well as inside, but I had a little too much action going on and my timing was off. The first batch of fried eggs stuck to the pan and burned. The second batch went better, but the sandwich was still overly difficult to manage and The Boss had to use a fork and knife to eat portions of it. The taste was wonderful, but the sandwich was unmanageable.
The Boss has said that she'd like me to master the art of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, so I'm going to keep trying. She's my full-time guinea pig anyway, which means I will definitely get some honest feedback, but I don't want to burn either one of us out, and since I'm watching my weight, I can't afford to make too many of these calorie bombs.
I've picked up a few tip and tricks from various resources, and once I develop a workable recipe that passes both my standards and The Boss's I'll post it here first.
Until Next Time...
Be sure to watch this woman nail it (!!!) when it comes to making the perfect grilled cheese. And remember,
I'll always be Cheesely Yours,
Michael
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