Beyond Cheddar and American

My family LOVES a good grilled sandwich, and by good I don't mean Kraft Singles on dry grilled bread. By good we mean a mixture of cheeses melted between freshly baked bread and grilled to perfection in 100% butter and olive oil.  Children, even babies, deserve better than a boring mono queso grilled grilled cheese sandwich. The 19 month old eats what we eat, and it is never to young  to instill a love for all types of cheese, so I am here to share one of our favorite recipes with you!  


Photos courtesy of my son.  I think that he was going for a blurred effect.

Ingredients
1) Shredded Cheddar, Muenster, Goat and Gouda (or Gruyere) Cheese 
        Normally I purchase cheese from the deli and slabs and hand grate them. I mistakenly purchased slices, therefore I had to chop the cheese by hand.
2) Hand Sliced Challah Bread
         (Purchased at a local Jewish Bakery.  If you don't have access to Challah use any freshly baked soft white bread.  Only use whole wheat as a last resort, it does not           properly soak up butter.  I cut thick slices of bread.  Thin slices are okay too, I guess.)
3) Butter.  We use Kerrygold, but I guess that any butter will suffice.

4) Olive Oil

Optional: I added sauteed orange, red, green and yellow bell peppers.  Feel free to add meat, tomato, avocado, grilled veggies, whatever you like!

Directions

Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 table spoons of butter into a pan.  The olive oil raises the smoke point, and prevents the butter from burning quickly.  While the oil is warming over medium heat, liberally apply cheese to half a slice of bread, then top it with a second slice.  Place the sandwich into the pan and allow it to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes before turning over.  Cook for three to five more minutes.  If you like your sandwich a little crispy raise the temperature to medium high and cook on each side for an additional minute or two.  Remove from the pan, allow the sandwich to cool slightly, cut and enjoy!