Is there anything better than a simple, warm, toasty brown, ooey gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich? Yes, there is. In fact there are two mouth-watering grilled cheese sandwiches that come to mind. Both definitely go beyond the plain old, garden variety Grilled Cheese. No question about it, the classic grilled cheese is a truly satisfying sandwich but the two recipes below are even better.

The first is a specialty sandwich we enjoyed at a favorite California restaurant, The Nut Tree, when we lived near Napa, California. The restaurant grew from a fruit stand to a destination restaurant and closed75 years later in 1996.

THE NUT TREE’S GRILLED TOMATO–CHEESE AND BACON SANDWICH

(4 servings)

• 4 slices favorite Cheddar cheese, in medium thick slices
• 4 slices Monterey Jack cheese, in medium thick slices
• 4 slices Beefsteak tomato
• 8 slices bacon, fried crisp and drained
• 8 slices bread of your choice
• Soft butter for grilling

To assemble place cheddar cheese on a bread slice then one tomato slice and 2 bacon slices. Top the bacon slices with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese and put on top slice of bread. Gently press together. Lightly butter out side of sandwich on both sides for grilling. Grill in a large skillet until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, turning once. Cut on the diagonal and serve with crunchy dill pickles on the side.

Note: In as much as we try to be as casual as possible in this column you might try Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits sprinkled on the tomato instead of frying the bacon. It won’t be quite as good, I suspect but it will be faster and easier.

GRILLED CHEESE WITH SWEET ONIONS AND TOMATOES

(4 servings)

This second sandwich is also from a California restaurant and was given to me by a friend who found the recipe on the Internet. Try it. Its definitely a keeper.

• 1 cup diced tomato, place in a sieve, drain well
• 1 can (2 1/4 oz.) chopped olives, drained
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 medium sweet onion such as Walla Walla or Vidalia, sliced thin
• 8 slices Cheddar or Jack cheese
• 8 slices bread of your choice
• Soft butter

In a small bowl, combine the well drained tomatoes, olives and parsley. Stir in enough mayonnaise to bind the mixture but don’t overdo it.

Put a slice of cheese on each of 4 bread slices. Then spread on 1/4 of the filling. Add some sliced onion and another slice of cheese. Top each of these four sandwiches with the remaining bread slices.

Lightly butter sandwiches on the out side and grill in a large skillet until they’re toasty brown and the cheese has melted. Turn once. Cut sandwiches on the diagonal and serve with green salad or a favorite soup.

What a great lunch or even an easy and relaxing quick supper.

Enjoy!

Martha

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THE CASUAL COOK
by Martha Strom