Say Cheese! - Grilled Cheese Three Ways!

So one of the super cool hipsters that I work with just returned from Chicago and told me about a restaurant there that specializes in grilled cheese.  That's what they do, its called Cheesie's Pub & Grub (https://cheesieschicago.com/) and apparently its amazing.  She showed me the menu and I was inspired! I mean, really, what cant you do with grilled cheese.  Everyone loves an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich.  One of the most popular food trucks in the United States is The Grilled Cheese Truck (https://www.facebook.com/grilledcheesetruck) and people flock from all over Los Angeles to try there melted cheese and bread mini miracles.  Well, once again I dove into my fridge to see what I could come up with for my own variations on grilled cheese and this is what I came up with.  I'm happy with the results and so were my taste testers (two legged and four legged alike!).

Mexican Style Chorizo Grilled Cheese
By: Vanessa Madigan

Ingredients:
1 sliced Roma tomato
1 chopped green onion
1 small avocados, sliced
5 oz. chorizo, cooked and drained
1 small jalapeno, sliced
cheddar cheese
lime juice
bread
butter

Dipping Sauce:
3 tbs. sour cream
3 tbs. of your favorite salsa or hot sauce

Directions:

• Lightly coat the sliced avocado with the lime juice
• Butter your bread on the outside
• Place all of your ingredients in between your two buttered slices and grill as usual.
• Mix your two items for the dipping sauce and enjoy!

The ingredients listed are for one sandwich.



Steakhouse Brie and Blue Grilled Cheese
By: Vanessa Madigan

Ingredients:
.25-.40 lb. steak this could be leftovers from the night before or fresh. 
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
mushrooms, sliced, about 8-10
butter
blue cheese, crumbled or sliced
brie cheese, sliced thinly
3 strips cooked, crisp bacon
bread

The ingredients listed are for one sandwich.

Directions:

• If using fresh steak, pan sear with salt, pepper and a dash of Worcestershire until you reach the desired doneness.
•  Sauté mushrooms in about 1 tbs. of the butter until caramelized and cooked.
• Prepare your sandwich bread buttering the outside of the bread and then layering your ingredients inside. It is best to start with the brie on the bottom.
• Grill and serve!

Pizzeria Grilled Cheese
By: Vanessa Madigan

Ingredients:
sourdough bread, sliced
your favorite pizza toppings (I used pepperoni, mushrooms and bell pepper)
marinara sauce
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

The ingredients listed are for one sandwich.

Directions:

• In a small fry pan  sauté your pizza toppings (example: pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms) until they are warm and starting to brown just a bit.  They should look like they do on top of your pizza.
• Butter your sourdough bread on the outside and assemble your sandwich. Marinara first then cheese, toppings and cheese again. Grill and serve!
• Serve with a side of warm marinara for dipping!

I use a Breville Panini press to make my grilled cheese, it is an awesome gadget and worth every penny.  You can buy them at Williams-Sonoma or Sur la table. 

 

Thor hoping that this one is for him! Silly boy :)

So, What's Wrong With Hogo Boss? Nothing!

 

 

I will be the first to admit that this is not exactly authentic Mexican.  This here recipe is most definitely gringo Mexican and not only is that okay, its delicious!  Its easy to get caught up in world of authentic food snobbery,but, seriously people, life is too short to think that way. When I shop its all about how it looks, not the brand.  Ayman has a HOGO BOSS tuxedo that we bought in Cairo that beats the pants off of any Hugo Boss anything that I have ever seen. This enchilada recipe is the Hogo Boss of Mexican food and if I say so myself it too beats the pants off of many much more authentic enchiladas. It may be a knock off, but, its damn good and I know you'll love it!

 



Creamy Cheesy Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Written, developed and tested by: Vanessa Madigan

 

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs shredded chicken, cooked
1 7oz can diced green chilies
1 8oz brick of cream cheese
2 serrano chilies, finely chopped
3 green onion, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
1 15oz can of corn
1 28oz can of green chili enchilada sauce
3 cups of shredded cheese
1 small can of sliced black olives
3 tomatoes, chopped (for garnish)
1 package medium sized flour tortillas


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium sized bowl, mix the shredded chicken, cream cheese, corn, seranno chilies, green onions, green chilies, and about 2 cups of the enchilada sauce.
• Pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.
• Spoon the chicken filling into the flour tortillas and roll together rather tightly, placing each one in the baking dish seam down.  Continue until the baking dish is full, it should be about 8 enchiladas total, but may vary due to the size of your pan and the amount of filling in each enchilada.
• Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and finish by sprinkling your cheese on the top.
• Bake at 350 for about 1/2 an hour.  Remove from oven when cheese is melted and the pan is bubbling, garnish with fresh tomato, black olive and green onion and serve!

Creamy Cheesy Chickeny Deliciousness!