National Grilled Cheese Month

I was reading the Serious Eats Blog yesterday when I learned that April is National Grilled Cheese Month (Mmmm... Connor and Fiona love grilled cheese). **As a side note, who comes up with these months? The website I link to appears to have a relationship to Kraft, owned by Altria, AKA Philip Morris. Sounds suspiciously commercialized to me.** Apparently the Food Network had a grilled cheese Throwdown with Bobby Flay (whose show I have never seen). Two recipes are listed on FoodTV's website, and both look interesting:

The Calvert (Stink's Favorite) Recipe courtesy Connie and Bill "Stink" Fisher See this recipe on air Tuesday Apr. 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay Episode: Grilled Cheese

2 tablespoons balsamic mayonnaise 1 (5-inch) round rosemary focaccia 5 slices Monterey Jack cheese 4 ounces oven-roasted turkey, sliced 2 pieces applewood smoked bacon, cooked until crisp 1/2 avocado, sliced into thin stripsSpread the balsamic mayonnaise on the inside of top and bottom of focaccia. Place with mayonnaise sides facing up on a flat top grill at 350 degrees F. Drape 2 slices of cheese over top and 2 slices over bottom of roll so as to cover the entire surface area. Place dome over focaccia to facilitate melting and even heat. While cheese is melting, place turkey on grill to warm. Place bacon in an "x" over the turkey. Cover with avocado and remaining cheese. Once cheese is melted all around (focaccia and turkey) assemble the grilled cheese and close. Place finished sandwich in a panini grill until roll is crisp and has added squishiness! EAT!!!

Grilled Brie and Goat Cheese with Bacon and Green Tomato Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008 See this recipe on air Tuesday Apr. 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay Episode: Grilled Cheese

16 slices center-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 8 slices Pullman bread, sliced 1-inch thick 8 to 12 ounces really good quality brie 2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick Watercress 8 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into 8 slices (recommended: Boucheron goat cheese) Salt and freshly ground black pepperPlace the bacon in a large skillet or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Break each piece into fourths and set aside. Heat a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat. Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Layer 4 of the slices of the bread with 3 to 4 slices of brie, 2 tomato slices, watercress, 2 slices goat cheese, and 4 slices of broken up bacon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the remaining bread slices on top, butter side up and cook on the griddle until golden brown on both sides and the brie has melted.

Reading these recipes prompted me to search FoodBlogSearch for other grilled cheese recipes. Simply Recipes (you know this is one of my favorite sites) has a recipe that sounds de-lish:

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Pear Recipe Filed under Sandwich A few months ago I had the pleasure of accompanying Amy of Cooking with Amy and Brett of In Praise of Sardines for a light bite to eat at the Arlequin deli in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Amy highly recommended the grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and pear, and it was, true to Amy's suggestion, fabulous. The sweet pear worked beautifully with the bacon and sharp cheddar. A great combination. Bartlett pears are just now finally making a show at the markets and I made these sandwiches for the family this week. We also tried them with ham, in place of the bacon. The bacon won. There is a debate here as to whether gruyere would do well in place of the cheddar. "No, no, no, it would overwhelm the pear." We haven't tried that combo yet, but if you do, please let us know how it goes. French or Italian loaf bread, sliced Bacon, cooked Bartlett pear Sharp white cheddar cheese (high quality) Butter, softened and spreadable 1. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Layer your sandwich - bread slice, cheese, pear slices, bacon, bread slice. Spread butter over the top of the sandwich. Place the sandwich top side down (butter side down) on the hot pan. Butter the exposed side of the sandwich. Let cook for a minute and then use a metal spatula to turn the sandwich over to its other side. 2 While you are toasting the sandwich on the remaining side, press down on the sandwich with a spatula. Alternatively, you can mimic a panini press (albeit without the ridges) by heating a smaller cast iron pan on a separate burner. Use the weight of this pan to press down on the sandwich from above. The sandwich is done when the sides are toasted and the cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve.

This one was just interesting to me... It sounds so different. From YumSugar:

Honey-Basil Grilled Cheese Original Recipe INGREDIENTS 4 slices multigrain bread (I used Vital Vittles 12-Grain) 6 strawberry tomatoes, thinly sliced 3 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced with a sharp knife 10 slices fontina cheese, cut with a cheese slicer 12 to 16 large basil leaves Honey to taste Butter (to coat bread for grilling) DIRECTIONS Makes two sandwiches. To make each sandwich, spread one side of each slice of bread with desired amount of butter. On the opposite side of two of the slices, spread a generous amount of honey, just enough to cover the surface. Divide the tomatoes between the two sandwiches and arrange the slices on top of the honey. Then, lay four slices of fontina cheese on top of each tomato-topped slice. Divide the basil leaves between the two sandwiches and lay atop the fontina. Then top each basil-covered slice with the sliced mozzarella. Top with remaining bread slices, butter side up. Over very low heat, preheat a skillet then grill the sandwiches one at a time. To ensure the cheese melts evenly, cover the skillet with a lid while cooking. Grill each side for about 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

I'm sure you have your own favorites -- I'd love to hear them! One last thing, just to be clear I am not pulling a Cindy McCain -- these are not my recipes, I collected them online. Smiles!