The Theme Is … Grilled Cheese!

 
April is National Grilled Cheese Month. I think you’re all with me in thinking there aren’t enough excuses to celebrate any concoction that involves gooey, melted cheese and something buttered and slightly crunchy. So today, we’re all about grilled cheese sandwiches in various forms. And since they’re traditionally served with a nice bowl of tomato soup, as seen in the photo above of TK member manda2177’s recipe for Amazing Tomato Soup (she of the amazing blog I Am Baker), we’ll talk a bit about tomato soup, too.

 
Allegedly, early precursors of what we know today as grilled cheese sandwiches date back to similar recipes found in ancient Roman cookbooks. Seriously. I did the research, and that’s what they said. It took me a while to get over the shock of finding that there were cookbooks that old, but if there’s something that can adequately distract me from whatever is going on in my head, it’s melted cheese.

 
The grilled cheese has universal appeal, as can be expected. It’s called a toastie in New Zealand, a cheese jaffle in some parts of Australia, and a cheese toastie or toasted cheese sandwich in the UK. The modern grilled cheese is more readily traced to the 1920s, when sliced bread and American cheese became easily accessible. And boy oh boy, whether broiled (as they originally were), grilled, toasted, fried or pressed, look at how far we’ve come since then.

Clockwise from top left: PW’s Favorite Sandwich, Three Cheese and Tomato Sandwich from TheRecipeCards, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Mozzarella Sandwich from hailskitchen, Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Rox, and a Toasted Whole Grain Apple Cheddar Panini from pickypalate.

 
As you can see, you amazing Tasty Kitchen members are quite adept at kicking things up and glorifying innocent recipes. And just in case you want more meat in the sandwich, some blue cheese, or maybe just another uniquely delicious and new twist, I found a few more that might fit the bill.

Clockwise from top left: Smoky BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese from whatsgabycooking, Turkey, Brie and Apple Grilled Sandwich from missamy, and a manly-looking hearty Buffalo Wing Panini from montanaeats that’s got blue cheese in it. Yum.

 
In the 1940s and 1950s, as grilled cheese sandwiches became more popular (it was inexpensive, too, which was a bonus), cafeterias and other service kitchens typically served them with tomato soup, which was seen as a good source of vitamin C. It’s a food pairing that’s endured to this day. It makes a wonderful and easy meal, and a great thing about it is that you can easily make it a vegetarian meal, too! Here are some wonderful tomato soup recipes to get you started.

From left to right, top to bottom: Simple and Delicious Tomato Soup with Salsa Verde from misspfui, an easy 5-Minute Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup from Rebecca, Tomato Soup from tallgrasskitchen, and a deep-flavored Roasted Tomato Soup from hailskitchen.

 
Wanna guess what’s coming next? You guessed it. Here are a few more tomato soup recipes if you’re looking for something that might be a little different. Some even already have the cheese and/or the bread (in the form of croutons) in them, which might make the sandwich a bit insecure.

On the left, from top to bottom: Creamy Tomato Soup Florentine from lshanahan, Tomato Garlic Soup with Roquefort Creme from rainydaygal, and the ever-reliable Cathy’s Sherried Tomato Soup from Ree. On the right is a Roasted Tomato Soup with Chipotle Cream from sallypv.

 
Grilled cheese sandwiches are a common entry in many a comfort food list, and most of us have memories tied to them. Do you have any you’d like to share? I’ll start: I remember watching a movie once where the guy was making grilled cheese sandwiches using his flat iron. (I can’t name the movie because, well, I’m not Ree.) I would have tried it too, but I think my mom caught the “I’m planning something that could potentially go very wrong” look in my eye, and told me not to even think about it.

 
Or maybe you don’t have a favorite memory tied to this simple yet irresistible sandwich. Maybe you just have a special way of enjoying them that’s a bit different from everyone else. Do you pair it with a different kind of soup? Just a glass of milk? Do you like it traditional and plain, or do you always look to kick it up in your own special way? Do tell! We could all use more ways to enjoy melted cheese, right?

 
So enjoy this National Grilled Cheese Month! But please celebrate responsibly, and stay away from the iron. Even if you get away with it and create a wonderful sandwich, the sudden occurrence of “inexplicable” cheese stains on your mom’s new skirt or favorite shirt might put a damper on your celebration. Not that I’d know anything about it.