Grilled Cheese 2 Ways: Salty Sour Spicy Sweet

In mid-winter there are some evenings when cooking up dinner does not sound like a good idea at all. I invite you to consider the Grilled Cheese Sandwich as a delicious dinner option on such occasions. Here are some ideas for spicing up your average Grilled Cheese!

On brown bread and a layer of cheddar cheese, add some slices of kosher dill pickles for a level of sourness, and some "tamed Jalapeños" (they are lightly pickled and not very spicy) for zest. I experimented with the top slice—on one sandwich I spread cream cheese on top, and on the other sandwich I scraped on a teeny bit of berry jam.

 

My sophisticated method of grilling sandwiches is to place them in my cast iron skillet and squish them under the pan out of the toaster oven weighted down by any given can from the cupboard. Give it 3 minutes on the first side, and slightly less on the second side because the skillet is hotter by then.

Do you eat your grilled cheese with cream of tomato soup? I only learned of this classic combination recently. It is wonderful!

The cream cheese version (foreground below) is quite nice, since it multiplies the warm, gooey cheesiness. But I preferred the jam version. The salty cheese and the sour spice of the pickles and peppers were calling out for a soothing layer of sweetness, singing high above everything else in its angelic little jammy voice.
 

What do you put in your grilled cheese besides cheese, if anything? Do you weight it down while cooking?

For the record, the pickles are Bubbies, the jalapenos are Jeff's Naturals, and the jam is Bonne Maman Four Fruits. Use any kind of bread and cream of tomato soup. The cheese must be cheddar!!