Grilled cheese and leftovers

I was talking to a friend of mine over the weekend who mentioned that she didn’t see the Ask Jen column in last week’s ‘Around the Table.’ Well, dudes, that’s because there wasn’t one. We did nothing but recipes last week. There were a truckload of them. It. Was. Awesome.

This week, we’re doing grilled cheese the right way (as if there is a wrong way). My friend asks, “How many recipes can you possibly find for grilled cheese sandwiches? One?” Oh, sweetie. You’re such a grilled cheese rookie. Haha.

In my house, we do sandwiches, and we do leftovers. Hence, I make grilled cheese sandwiches out of leftovers. Sometimes it gets a little ridiculous, but if you know me at all, you know I live for ridiculous. After Easter, I took the leftover ham and some sliced swiss cheese on thick cut Italian bread and grilled it like my life depended on it. I paired it with the leftover corn casserole that we shared with you two weeks ago and viola! This is what happens the day after I cook all day and just don’t feel like making something amazing two days in a row. This is also called ‘winning at life.’

Here’s a good one: Leftover Breakfast Grilled Cheese. Fry an egg with the yolk popped so it spreads out. When it’s done, it goes on a sandwich layered like this: 1 slice of wheat bread, buttered side out; 1 slice American cheese; fried egg; leftover bacon (broken up so it fits better on the sandwich); 1 slice American cheese; 1 slice of wheat bread, buttered side out. Grill until bread is done and cheese is melted. Holy delicious, Batman.

Grilled Mac n’ Cheese. Hold on to your britches, this might just blow your mind: A grilled cheese sandwich with leftover Mac n’ Cheese, and additional American or Cheddar cheese to act as the glue to the bread. Oh. Em. Gee.

Or, what about the grilled cheese sandwich that doesn’t even have any cheese? Ok, all you Elvis fans (like me!) will appreciate this one: The Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. 2 slices of your favorite bread (I love wheat bread) with about a tablespoon of peanut butter on each, and 3 rows of 3 slices of banana, cut about ¼” thick. You can’t cut the banana too thick or they’ll fall out of the sandwich when you grill it. The peanut butter is the glue and gets all caramel-y and gooey and perfect once it’s hot. Talk about a Hunk-a Burning Love.

We all know that cheese was born and raised in Wisconsin, right? The amazing Wisconsinites have made us a list of about a million fine grilled cheese sandwiches – go have a look at the Grilled Cheese Academy.

Well, kids. It’s the beginning of a rough day for this gal. I’m about to go home, make me a Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich and pour myself a glass of Shrizberry wine from Diletto’s. I know it’s only noon…don’t judge.

Go make something awesome,
Jen

Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of bread, buttered on the outside
• 2 Tbsp. pizza sauce
• 2 Tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese
• Your favorite pizza toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, chopped onion, chopped green pepper, sliced black olives, etc.

Directions

1. Place a piece of bread (buttered side down) in a frying pan.
2. Spread the pizza sauce, top with cheese and any toppings you want.
3. Place the other slice of bread on top (buttered side up) and cook until bread is perfectly toasted and cheese is melted.
4. Be careful flipping this sandwich, as the shredded cheese has a tendency to fall out. You can also use mozzarella slices to avoid the mess.