sourdough

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Today is a big day in the world of cheese lovers. It’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Two snaps and let’s celebrate.

I know. They make food holidays out of the oddest of food themes: Bologna Day (October 24). Fruit cocktail day (May 13). Bicarbonate of soda day (December 30). What?

But for pretty much every food lover everywhere, Grilled Cheese Day is officially one to break bread for. I mean, it’s cheese. And I’ve made it my goal to share a cheesy fave every GCDay since I started this bloggity blog back in 2011. So let’s dig into this melty onion, cheesy favorite between two slices of sourdough bread.

Who needs brothy soup anyway?continue to the recipe… about French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese

Uh-oh. Looks like I’ve entered an eating contest. It won’t be for hot dogs. It won’t be for pie and it’s not for chicken wings.

This eating contest won’t be with me as a contestant either. Instead, I’ll be on the other side of the table, as a judge. And I won’t be judging others eating. Nope, it’ll be me and a select few who will be doing all of the tasting.

This June I’ll be reprising my role as a judge at the Wisconsin Cheese Academy’s Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown. And loving every crumb of it.

Now, if you haven’t yet entered a recipe that will put me into a dead faint that has me dropped straight into a wheelbarrow and wheeled out the door, now is the time.

With the chance to win a $10,000 grand prize package, it’s probably worth a spin at this game of grilled cheese recipe roulette.

So let’s play!

continue to the recipe… about Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese

Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese Academy’s Recipe Showdown

If you hadn’t noticed, I sort of have a thing for cheese, especially grilled cheese. Yes, I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to the grilling of the cheese.

I think it stems from some of my first cooking experiences as a kid, when one of my standy-by lunchtime masterpieces was a melted cheese sandwich, forever inking the taste of melty cheddar cheese and white bread into my tastebud memory bank. And it’s now become a favorite of my Smudge too. How could it not?

Last year I celebrated Grilled Cheese month by creating a new grilled cheese recipe to share each week during the month of April. With so much melted goodness to be had they’re still some of my favorite posts.

[ 1 ] Turkey and White Cheddar with Caramelized Onion and Grape Grilled Cheese [ 2 ] Honey Smoked Ham with Fig Spread Grilled Cheese [ 3 ] Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled Cheese [ 4 ] Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

I hope you like them too because it’s time to break out the cheese grater and warm up the sandwich flipper because we’re doing it again this year. My mind just can’t quit thinking of some of my favorite ingredients to melt together.

And here’s a reason yours should get churning too.

My friends at Wisconsin Cheese and I are announcing Grilled Cheese Academy’s 2013 Recipe Showdown, where aspiring cheese heads can put their creative talents to the test to compete for the title to be crowned the queen—or king—of the grilled cheese sandwich for an entire year.

And lucky me, I will be one of the contest judges stuffing my face with amazing creations. Is there a crown? Possibly. A sash? I’ll make you one. But I do know there will definitely be prizes ($5,000 in value to the grand prize winner plus more!) bragging rights and some serious cheese cred.

All you have to do is create and enter your best grilled cheese sensation. Oh, TWIST MY ARM! Oh wait, I can’t enter since I’m a judge. Well then people, don’t let me down and please cook me a sandwich to make me and your mama proud.

Now about those prizes…

continue to the recipe… about Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese Academy’s Recipe Showdown

Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

It’s almost over. My weekly ode to the grilled cheese will soon be on hiatus until next April.

If you missed my Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled Cheese, Honey Smoked Ham with Fig Spread Grilled Cheese or Turkey and White Cheddar with Caramelized Onion & Grape Grilled Cheese you can still add them to your weekend honey-do list.

But until we make the move into margaritas and Mother’s Day brunches, I have two more sandwiches to squeeze in.

This week’s grilled cheese is all about the aroma. As in the stink. Tallegio is a creamy Italian cows milk cheese that at first waft might send a 411 alert to your tastebuds to brace themselves for an alarmingly strong bite. But contrary to its aroma, Tallegio’s flavor is more mild, even more so than the far more popular blues or gorgonzola. Its more like a brie, with a bit of a fruity nutty flavor to top it off.

And creamy? Oh baby. It’s creamy.

Speaking of baby, before we get into the cheese let’s get into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

Caprese Sandwich with Arugula and Olive Spread

Summer means beach. And beach means sandwiches. And the ultimate beach sandwich go-to-spot is an Italian deli in Santa Monica, where if you’re a local, you know to arrive by 10:30 a.m. or you’ll be waiting in a line that goes out the door, giving you plenty of time to check out the beautiful-people-that-know-they-are and peruse the imported Italian oils, pastas and anchovies.

A Santa Monica institution, Bay Cities, serves The Godmother, their signature sandwich loaded with genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto and provolone, and my husband’s favorite when it’s with “the works.” But I’m satisfied with a bite of my husbands sandwich—he’s quit complaining about my “bites” after all these years.

For me its all about the fresh mozzarella and so I go for the Caprese. Fresh and simple and hopefully I’ll still look okay in my swimsuit.

We’re not at the beach anymore but I’m still a sucker for fresh mozzarella—not the kind in the package, you need a great buffalo variety or one soaked in water— fresh sliced tomatoes and basil. But on my version I like to add a slathering of kalamata olive spread (Trader Joe’s is my go-to), fresh fruity olive oil, bold balsamic vinegar and spicy arugula.

I’ve become less of a ground pepper fan in the past few years, but this is one dish I don’t chintz on. And the bread. It’s really all about the bread. Grocery store varieties just don’t cut it, so a trip to the farmer’s market or a local bakery is always in order.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Caprese Sandwich with Arugula and Olive Spread

Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese make this sandwich Recipe a summer time favorite.

Ingredients

2 slices sourdough or other sturdy bread like a foccacia
2 thick cut slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella
2 thick slices of tomato
1/2 cup arugula leaves
1 -2 T olive spread
fruity olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Spread the olive spread on the bottom slice of bread. Drizzle olive oil on top slice of bread. Load on tomato slices, mozzarella and arugula. Drizzle balsamic on top of arugula and more olive oil if desired. Salt and pepper. Eat.

If you’re looking for a variation on the traditional tomato/basil combo, check out these inventive ideas from some of our favorite foodie bloggers, get slicing and start eating.

photo > Big Girls Small Kitchen

Based on a revered sandwich Phoebe discovered at the Martha Vineyard eatery Slice of Life, her and Cara’s Big Girl Small Kitchen‘s Fried Multicolored Tomato BLTs with Basil-Chive Mayo is an ingenious way to use up those not-quite-ripe-but-can’t-bear-to-let-them-go green tomatoes, and a sure way to keep summer in your sights.

photo > Love & Olive Oil

With the contrast in colors of green zebra tomatoes, red heirlooms and purple-ey kalamatas complementing the crusty sourdough and perfectly creamy and white goat cheese, you can see where the artist in Lindsay came to play in Love & Olive Oil ‘s Toasted Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. Oh my, it looks good enough to eat.

photo > Lucullian Delights

Living my dream as she cooks and photographs while living in idyllic Italy (my dream’s version of Under the Tuscan Sun is minus Diane Lane thank you) Ilva marries Italian with an asian-inspired wasabi spiked avocado in Lucullian Delights Summer Sandwich with White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes on Avocado and Wasabi Butter.

photo > The Lonely Bean

Now this is a simple spin on caprese I’ve never thought of. Sauteéd shitakes drizzled with aromatic and dee-vine truffle oil? Claire is a visionary with The Lonely Bean‘s Sherry Sauteed Shiitakes with Goat Cheese, Arugula, Tomato and Truffle Oil (cue spooky voice) I see the future, and this sandwich is miiiiiinnnnne.

And if you’re hanging around the house this weekend and thinking, “Hey! I want to bake!”, make it a holiday cookie and submit it to our 50 Best Holiday Cookie Recipes. Submit your holiday cookie by September 1 .

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sourdough

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese

Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese Academy’s Recipe Showdown

Friday Faves plus Truffled Mushroom with Prosciutto and Tallegio Grilled Cheese

Caprese Sandwich with Arugula and Olive Spread

Caprese Sandwich with Arugula and Olive Spread

Ingredients

Instructions

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