Theme and Variation on Grilled Cheese

We love a good grilled cheese... they make easy lunches and go great with sides of veggies or soups. To change things up a bit, here are our theme and variations of the ordinary grilled cheese:

1) Whole wheat bread and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2) Whole wheat bread and Monterey Jack Cheese
3) Whole wheat bread and mixed cheeses
4) Whole wheat bread, cheese and ham

4) Tomato Basil Bread and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
5) Tomato Basil Bread and Monterey Jack Cheese

6) French Bread Sandwiches: Slice a loaf of French Bread, spread bread lightly with butter and sprinkle garlic powder over the bread. Top with fixings (see below). Close the sandwich, wrap in tinfoil and bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, until sandwich is warm and cheese is melty.

• Turkey and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  
• Ham and Swiss Cheese
• Roast Beef and Swiss Cheese
• Tomatoes and Mozzarella

7) Flavored Grilled Cheese: Melt butter and add seasonings to the butter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the butter over the bread of your choosing (we often use wheat or french for this) and top with cheese.

• Italian seasoning
• Garlic seasoning
• Garlic and Basil seasoning

Our "perfect" grilled cheese tip... layer the cheese over one slice of bread and microwave the bread to melt the cheese just a little bit (ours averages about 10-15 seconds). Then, top with the other piece of bread. The cheese is melty enough so that the other slice of bread sticks to it (no sandwiches falling apart in the pan), and then the cheese melts perfectly as the bread gets toasty :)

happy sandwiching!