Time for some Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!

“You know how long I ent see yuh?”

If you’re Trinidadian, you know that’s exactly how we greet someone after a long absence. 

(Don't laugh, but I actually said it out loud to my blog as I signed in! LOL!)

I admit, I haven’t been showcasing anything of late, and honestly, I was really feeling it... I have missed doing my comforting little food blog so much, and as I'm sitting here typing away it's like catching up with a buddy you haven't seen in a while and you can't wait to fill them in, hahahaa!

This morning, I plan to be in my little kitchen for a few hours well, because after singing the 'month-end-blues' yesterday and looking at my nearly empty food bins and fridge, my home-girl Hazel and I had a ball getting our stocks together as we went grocery shopping. What's also overdue is a belated birthday cake for the two other members of my family - missed celebrating Errol and Leja's birthdays because of work... *sigh* Still haven't decided what type of cake as yet, but I plan to give my Hamilton Beach stand mixer the workout of its life, cuz it will have some frosting... oh yes... there will be frosting...

But before I can do any of that later, I have to fuel up with a nice breakfast. Actually, I am feeling for one of my many versions of the classic grilled cheese sandwich.

Americans do theirs using American cheese, butter and a frying pan, but I have my own favourite.  Heading to the fridge I grabbed the cheese, whole wheat bread, mayo and tomatoes. 

Check the bacchanal that followed!

 

Okay, here are my (not so) usual suspects. My main ingredients are none other than sliced whole wheat bread, good, tangy cheddar cheese (aka "rat cheese"), some mayonnaise and a couple of sliced tomatoes.

So, first I coated a slice of bread with a little mayo. Now some people use butter, but to me the butter on the bread just tastes... like scorched butter. (I know, I have a very strange palate.) Just use a little mayo though. If you can't see the bread through it, you're putting too much on, lol!

Next step, I grabbed 'old faithful' and heat it on medium high and put my slice of bread in (mayo side down). Listened for the sizzle, then  then put in two slices of cheese. Now, you can see there's not much cheese overlapping the edges here; that's because any excess cheese would drip into the pan and make a mess. On the cheese I put a few slices of tomato, then covered it with another slice of lightly coated  bread, this time, mayo side up.

Next, I covered it for just a few seconds; I like to think that the heat makes the cheese melt better.

After a couple of minutes, I took my trusty spatula and gave it a quick, precise flip; it was the perfect colour!

Just had to go in closer! See how the cheese was beginning to melt? I just let it go for a minute more, and then removed it from the pan.

And there it is. I flipped it over on the other side, which was a bit darker, but no biggie. I easily cut him in half - always on the diagonal - and had some fun moments just watching that cheese ooze out onto the plate!

Confession time: As I was preparing the second one Errol walked in and grabbed the first! Made a couple more, though. I cut into them to see that cheese do its thing, and then... took my first bites. Deelish!

Yep! Dangerously CHEEEEEEEEEEZAAAAAAAY!

I gotta tell ya.... this sandwich totally rocks. Over the years I've tried many different combos, cheese and carrot, cheese and olives, etc, but the real important part is the cheese. Use cheese that melts really well and has a good tangy taste to it - I also like Anchor Vegetarian Cheddar. This one here is my personal favourite combination though, because I've loved eating tomatoes and cheese together since childhood! 

Sometimes for a little variety, I'd add in some dried oregano, a little chopped pepperoni and an olive or two for a pizza styled grilled cheese, but you can use your imagination and create to your heart's content. Credits go to my late 'Trinimerican" mom Frances Wilma for introducing this to me... loved it ever since! :-)

Thanks for letting me share this one, my friends, and I hope you have fun making your own grilled cheese combos! 

Take care of yourselves, and until my next post, don't forget to mind de pot!