My mother's favorite lunch was a grilled cheese sandwich (with tons of ketchup for dipping) and a bowl of tomato soup. I can vividly remember having it for lunch on both Saturday and Sunday when we were all home together. My mother honestly didn't do a lot of "from scratch" cooking, and even most of her beloved grilled cheese ingredients were store bought & processed.
Now, before you boycott and rant about that last sentence, I love my mother's "cooking" and we don't all have the time to cook from scratch. She went from being a single mother working full time at a law firm to being married, then pregnant, and working full time to then being laid off when her firm moved, which in itself was truly a blessing because she then became a stay at home mother to my brother (who would later be diagnosed with a form of autism) and a loving foster parent to several children over many years. At one time we had twelve mouths to feed after days of parental visitation, psych therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, all after being up each night with a screaming baby (who happened to be withdrawing from whichever cocktail of illegal drugs his mother was on while pregnant). Can you see where I'm going with this? Prepackaged, frozen, and even boxed meals are better than no meal. If you chose to neglect your children and they ended up at my house because you chose malnutrition over a boxed meal, we might have some problems.
All I'm saying is that for my family, I am fortunate enough to have the time and means (and energy) to prepare home cooked meals from scratch. Now when I say "from scratch" that is a loose term because I can't make certain things like cheese. I will attempt it one day though! You heard it here first. And until my household goods arrive, I'm buying my breads. I have yet to feel the need to make my own mayo or mustard. But trust, it is on my mind (and I'm putting a pin in it).
What you will need for a smothered grilled cheese:
Onion (sliced)
Some other favorite vegetable, sliced (I chose mushrooms; go crazy, pick two)
An herb, torn. chose basil. Thyme is also a favorite!
Olive oil, or butter (and we are smothering so don't be stingy)
Cheese (now I'm a fan of nearly EVERY cheese that has come my way but I chose Camembert).
Salt and pepper (you must season everything... That is a LAW to a good meal)
A fresh loaf of bread (I bought a loaf of freshly baked white bread but I'm thinking next time I'll try ciabatta).
Mayo (or garlic aioli, I had some leftover from my artichokes)
Sautée your onions in olive oil until they're translucent. Add vegetable(s) and sautée until soft. Smear mayo (or aioli) on both slices of bread. Top each slice with cheese, add sautéed vegetables and torn herb. Drizzle a bit more oil in the pan and cook on medium until golden on each side and cheese is melted. Serve with a bit more aioli for dipping. There you have it!
