Ooey and gooey: here’s how you need to be celebrating National Grilled Cheese Day

Often times, we come across things that transport us to our childhood: Mistolin, Danish cookie tins and grilled cheese sandwiches. Sunday, April 12, happens to be National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (it’s also Easter Sunday) — a day to commemorate the greatness that is the grilled cheese sandwich. Versions of the grilled cheese can be traced back to ancient Roman texts, with other versions like France’s croque monsieur tracing back to the early 1900s.

Today’s iteration of the sandwich first appeared in the 1920s when Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented sliced bread. From then on, “melted cheese” sandwiches started popping up everywhere (at this point the sandwich was open faced), but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the term “grilled cheese” was used (brought about by the invention of prepackaged cheese slices by the Kraft brothers and sliced bread). There is no wrong way to make your sandwich, the main goal is to enjoy every single bit of it. Below we’ve included two deliciously enticing takes on this childhood classic.

© Grosby Group

 Green Chile Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Cacique®

Ingredients:

• 2 slice of good artisan bread
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallions
• 1-2 tablespoons of Cacique® Crema Mexicana Agria
• ½ cup Cacique® Dos Quesos
• 1-2 freshly roasted green chilies with skin and seeds removed
• 1 oz Cacique® Chorizo (Beef, Pork or Soy)
• Pickled onions (optional)
• 2 tablespoon Cacique® Cotija

Preparations:

1. In a skillet large enough to hold a sandwich, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add chopped scallions and let cook on low while preparing sandwich.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon of Crema Agria on inside of both slices of bread. Place some shredded cheese on top of the bread. Top with several good slices of green chile. Top with chorizo, if using. Add a few pickled onions if using. Top with shredded cheese. Place on top slice of bread. Spread with Crema Agria or melted butter.
4. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of Cotija. Place that side in scallion butter and cook on medium low heat for about 6-8 minutes. Cover skillet with a piece of foil to help keep the heat in. Don’t cover it tightly because you don’t want your sandwich to steam.
5. Now spread the side facing you with more Crema Agria or butter and top with the other tablespoon of Cotija. Cook until this smells good. Then it should be about ready to flip. Flip and cook other side for about 6-8 minutes. I always press each side firmly while cooking and cover again with foil. This should be ready to eat and have a crispy cheesy crust and that awesome taste of green chilies.

© TABASCO

 Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches by TABASCO®

Ingredients:

• Tomato Soup
• 1 tablespoon TABASCO® Original Red Pepper Sauce
• 4 cups peeled tomato chunks
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• 4 slices white bread
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 slices cheddar cheese

Preparations:

Tomato Soup

1. In a food processor, combine tomatoes, scallions, jalapeño, lime juice, and red bell pepper. Process until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and TABASCO® Original Red Pepper Sauce.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

1. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Mix mayonnaise with TABASCO® Habanero Sauce.
2. Spread 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture onto one side of a slice of bread and place, mayonnaise-side down, in a skillet and add 1 slice of cheese.
3. Spread the other half on the second slice of bread on one side and place mayonnaise-side-up on top of sandwich.
4. Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted. Repeat process with remaining two slices of bread and slice of cheese.