Grilled cheese. Need I say more?

And so my love affair has begun with all things cheesy and bready. I've long been a lover of fondue, but there is something to be said about the simplistic rustication of The Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Lately I've been craving one, so I bought myself a crusty loaf of artisan Tuscan bread. Picked up a package of marbled Swiss & Colby cheese and prepared to soften up some butter. Assemble as normal, brush with softened butter and let the heat do it's magic. It was just as delicious as I had hoped. Gooey, crusty, crunchy, chewy, buttery and warm. The perfect lunch for a cold day!


Agreed, this is not a healthy sandwich, but it is soooo good no matter which way you make it. However, better bread, better cheese, and using real butter will give you the BEST that grilled cheese has to offer. Also, a nice clean griddle is always a plus.



Now, the magic of grilling things in bread is that the options and combination never cease to vary. I showed you a traditional grilled cheese, now let me share with you a sweet variation:


Same Tuscan artisan bread, this time smeared with Berry whipped-cream cheese, topped with a few slices of banana and a dozen or so chocolate chips. Brush with butter and grilled to warm ooey-goodness! The only change I would make to this delicious dessert edition would be to halve the chocolate chips next time. 6 or 7 strategically placed chips would have been perfect.

Give it a try! Experiment with grilled cheese: sweet and savory! The possibilities are endless!

Pretzel Turtles

These are delicious and unbelievably easy to make! You know I'm all about the easy! This is one of my favorite holiday treats. It's my "go to" snack for cookie swaps and office potlucks, etc. One set of supplies will make a ton of these, so let me walk you through the simplicity:

1 bag of Rolos
(or if you can find them on sale, rolls of Rolos... save yourself all that unwrapping time)
1 bag of square waffle style pretzels
1 bag of Pecans

Heat oven to 250. On a baking sheet, lay out pretzels and top each one with an un-foiled Rolo. Place them in the oven for no more than 3 minutes! Take them out and top each one with a pecan, smoosh down.

Let them cool and set, place them in the fridge to get them to cool faster if you like, but they are best served at room temp. The pecan can also be replaced by a cashew or walnut.
For those that don't care for nuts, a few M & M's or another pretzel makes a great topper too!