Follow Me Foodie to National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month!
Wait! Come back! Oh no. Did I lose you already?! I know. The grilled cheese photo collage is quite the distraction and I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve left to go find one already. If you weren’t craving a grilled cheese sandwich before, you probably are now.
It’s a whole MONTH baby! Last Friday was National Grilled Cheese Sandwich DAY, but the whole month of April is dedicated to the grilled cheese sandwich. I know many of us have had enough with the marketing of National food “holidays”, but who’s it hurting? Our figures? Maybe… but you saw the new Dove Campaign. Discover real beauty (it’s on the inside). And you know what else is truly beautiful? Melted cheese. Melted cheese in a sandwich. Melted full fat premium dairy cheese in a gluten white bread sandwich. Okay, I’ll stop… or should I?!
It’s comfort food, which I have a love hate relationship with. It’s nostalgic food, so of course I love it and I am always tempted to order it when I go out; but to be honest, I enjoy comfort food most at home. It’s homestyle food mom makes and it tastes even better in pyjamas. We all grew up with different childhood favourites depending on culture, but grilled cheese sandwiches is something familiar to most.
So this is not my mom, but he makes a killer grilled cheese. During Follow Me Foodie to Toronto I had the pleasure of reuniting with a friend, Kevin aka Closet Cooking! Yes! THE Closet Cooking! Don’t I sound like a creeper? Well he was actually one of the bloggers invited on the Van Houtte Getaway trip with me during Follow Me Foodie to Montreal.
When I heard Kevin’s story and saw his work I became an instant fan. His pictures are amazing (all photos in this post are courtesy of him) and his food is more or less gourmet comfort food with a twist. Yes, I mentioned that in my 10 Food Trends I Want to See Die in 2013, but Kevin’s approach is different. He saves you from overpriced “gourmet comfort food” and teaches you how to make it yourself at home. I had the honour of trying a few of his recipes as he hosted me for lunch and of course grilled cheese was on the menu – his Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich to be specific.
Kevin is probably the biggest grilled cheese fan I know. He’s obsessed. He likes them more than that 6 year old kid you know. He is the grilled cheese sandwich guru. He is capable of making much more than grilled cheese sandwiches, but the hook is he makes everything in his kitchen which is the size of a closet – hence Closet Cooking. And I saw it too (behind him in the photo)! It’s real and small… it’s really small. Sooo those of you living in studios in Yaletown in Vancouver, BC… you might want to bookmark his blog.
Yes, I know it’s just a grilled cheese sandwich, but just check out what he does with this classic 3 ingredient recipe.
Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Recipe from Kevin of Closet Cooking.
A buttery and toasty grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with cool and creamy guacamole, crispy bacon and melted jack and cheddar cheese. The crunchy crumbled tortilla chips in this grilled cheese pay tribute to the classic combination of tortilla chips and guacamole dip.
Servings: makes 1 sandwich
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 slices sour dough bread
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons guacamole, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (optional)
Directions
- Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread followed by the guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up.
- Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Craving more sinfully delicious grilled cheese sandwiches?
Bacon Jam & Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Kimchi and Bacon Grilled Cheese
Bacon Double Cheeseburger Grilled Cheese
Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich – The Mushroom Melt
Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese with Bacon
Also check out Kevin’s Melty Grilled Cheese eCookbook! He features many recipes that are approachable and practical for the everyday home cook and I was lucky enough to try these too…
Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Dip (I could have eaten a tub of this)
Great article and I am glad that you enjoyed the grilled cheese sandwich!