Two // What I'm Good At

Day Two: Educate us on something you're good at or know a lot about. Okay, so this was a lot harder to come up with than I thought it would be, but when it really came down to it, I realized that one of the things I am pretty decent at is cooking. There are very few things that I would call my "specialty" but one lunch food stands out as this. The grilled cheese sandwich. Now, I think my brother and I both went through phases where all we ate (or maybe it was just him) were grilled cheese and french fries. I have developed a sort of pickiness about the way they are cooked, what cheeses are used, etc. Call me a grilled cheese snob, I don't really mind. My whole family requests these babies when it's cold and icky outside (they're especially delicious after a morning of shoveling snow...) with soup on the side! The secret? Making sure that the cheese is melty on the inside, and the bread is buttery and crispy on the outside. This takes tons of patience (which I certainly don't always have). My favorite combination? Seedless rye bread with a mix of extra sharp cheddar and monterey jack cheese. My process; Soften butter (don't melt it, it makes the bread soggy). Layer thin slices of the cheese in between the two slices of bread. Spread the softened butter on the outside of the sandwich and place in a frying pan on LOW heat. Yes, low. This is where the patience comes in. Don't flip it for at least 5 minutes. Let the cheese heat and melt, and the bread get nice and crispy. After those 5 minutes, give it a nice flip and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Place a plate upside down over the sandwich. It will trap the steam and ensure that the cheese is nice and gooey on the inside. When it starts melting out of the crust, the sandwich is done. Try it, you'll thank me later. Oh, and make these to have on the side.