Cooking for a Crowd: Make a Big and Toasty Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day! I do believe it is my favorite of all the food holidays.... there's National Cupcake Day, that could be the rival, I guess. I love a good grilled cheese; plain old American cheese grilled up on a cast iron skillet works for me... but if you have a big crowd coming over, standing over a hot stove flipping sandwiches is not exactly fun. So I came up with this idea and it works great for all kinds of sandwiches... but grilled cheese is my favorite because it gets so crusty and so melty... yummmm! Time for lunch!

This is not a recipe. It's more of an artistic expression... throw together what you like.

Great Big Grilled Cheese Sandwich

1 loaf Italian, Ciabatta or your favorite bread

Herb butter or regular butter

Salt and pepper

Cheese- use whatever you have or like. I use about a pound to 1 1/2 pounds of cheese on mine. Try Swiss, American, Gouda, Gruyere, Goat, Parmesan, or anything else you like. I like the Goat, Gouda, and Gruyere combo.

Optional add-ons: onion, tomato, spinach, arugula, chicken, pulled pork, sliced ham; whatever you like.

OK... slice the bread in half length-wise. Put the bottom on a big sheet of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap. Butter both sides lightly with the herbed butter. Salt and pepper. Next, layer on the cheese. Just make sure the slices are not too thick or the bread will burn before the cheese melts. I usually grate the cheese first to make it melt easier, in fact. Don't worry if some doesn't make it onto the bread. That makes for delicious crusty bits of cheese on the outside of your sandwich.

Put the top on and press it down a bit. Dot the top of the loaf with a bit more butter to get it crusty and brown. Wrap and put the loaf in the oven on about 400 for 14 minutes or so. You'll have to time it. When the cheese is getting melty, open up the top of the foil and let the top brown. I often put a little more grated cheese on the top so the whole thing is crusty brown and super cheesy. If you are grilling, you can even take the loaf from the foil and press it down onto the grill at the last minute to get some grill flavor and those ultra important grill marks, but I promise you, it is not necessary.

Use a serated knife to slice the loaf into wedges or large slices and serve!