Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – Yum!

By Chef Diane

My grandfather went to Mississippi State University, as did my father, my brother, and my son.  I was the black sheep of the family I suppose, but they didn’t have a nursing program.  What they do have is studies in Agriculture, and that includes raising cows for dairy, and making cheese.  In fact it was originally known as The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.  The sell the cheese they make only once a year by mail order, and being the strong supportive alumni my father is, he orders several boxes each year for Christmas gifts.  I am usually given a round ball of Edam Cheese, a nice mild flavored cheese, my son gets a hot, spicy cheese, and my parents get some Cheddar cheese.  They are all made in molds, and dipped in wax.  They are all delicious, but a little difficult to slice.   This year I decided to take my cheese to the local grocery store and asked them to slice it for me.  I had no longer brought it home from the store, when my father asked me to bring some over to my mother.  Apparently my father had given away all the Edam cheese, and she didn’t even get a taste.  I took her half the ball of sliced cheese, and in return, my father gave me a block of cheddar.  I took it to get sliced, and brought it home and made a grilled cheese sandwich.  Words cannot describe the deliciousness.  How I make them is to melt the butter on a frying pan, then put a piece of white bread to coat with the butter, pull it out and lay another piece in, making sure it is coated too.  Then I laid a slice of the cheddar on top of the piece of bread in the pan, and covered it with the previously coated bread.  I cook it on medium heat, just to melt the cheese and keep the bread from burning.  After a few minutes I flip it to brown the other side until both sides are golden brown.

I was in heaven!  It was so good, that when anyone came over, I offered to fix one for them!  Since the block is really large, I took half of it back to my daddy so he could share in the wonderfulness too.  Normally, a block of cheddar would last him a while, however since this was sliced for him, he went through it rather quickly, and luckily had another last block of cheddar, which he offered to split with me if I took it to get sliced.  The second time the slices were thicker, which worried me, but it actually made them even better!

According to punchbowl.com, the classic American grilled cheese sandwich emerged in the 1920s when inexpensive cheese and affordable sliced bread became available. It is now a staple in cafés, diners, and school cafeterias across the country.  Chefs today try to improve on the grilled cheese sandwich.  Click here for some different takes on their recopies:  http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/10-greatest-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-71411

For me it’s just a simple white bread and cheddar or American slice of cheese, and maybe a side of tomato soup.

This month is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich month, so you have plenty of time to enjoy this great sandwich any time of the day for a whole month!

(All images from Google)