Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on a bed of Mesculun Greens with Humboldt Fog

This sounds complex, but it is quite simple. It is basically a grilled cheese sandwich on a bed of greens. But this is no ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of white bread, butter, and American cheese, we will be using an 8-grain loaf, chive butter, and gruyere. The salad can be made with Mesculun greens or spring mix, and will be tossed in a chive vinaigrette. And lastly, we will be placing a small wedge of Humbodt Fog Cheese on the salad. Humboldt Fog is a very expensive Californian, cave-grown cheese. It is amazing because it has a layer of brie, goat, and bleu cheese, all in one. These flavors mesh to create a beautiful spectrum, and intertwined with the chive vinaigrette, it is a flavor you will never forget.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total servings: 2

4 slices 8 grain or whole wheat bread $.50
6 oz. of gruyere sliced $2.00
Four tbls. butter $.30
3 oz. of chives $2.00
4 oz. of Humboldt Fog Cheese $6.00
8 ozs. of Mesculun greens or spring mix $1.50
2 oz. of EVOO $.25
1 oz. of Balsamic Vinegar $.30
1 garlic clove $.10

Total Cost: $12.95 Cost per serving: $6.50

The Sandwich:
First make the butter. Soften the butter by leaving it sit out for an hour, or give it ten seconds or so in the microwave. Run the all the chives through a food processor (or blender). You can leave the minced chives in the blender for the dressing, and take out just enough (maybe 1 tsp. ) and mix in with your softened butter. Add a pinch of salt. You now have chive butter.

Heat a clean, dry skillet until it is very hot. Butter one side of each piece of bread, and lay the butter side down of one piece in the hot pan. Quickly, add the gruyere to the middle of the sandwich. Then top the sandwich with the other piece of bread, butter side up. It is grilled cheese, but fancy. You may have to drop the heat on the sandwich, depending on your stove top. The fresh chive can scorch, but a little is okay. Carefully flip the sandwich when the underside is well-toasted. The sandwich is done when the cheese is melted. Gruyere is not as milky as our processed American, so it will not be melted like oozing, but it should be very, very soft. Remove from the pan and cut into two triangles.

The Salad:
With the chives in the processor (or blender), add the garlic, EVOO, and Balsamic vinegar and a small amount of salt and pepper. Blend until emulsified. Toss in with the greens.

Plate a pile of salad in the middle of the plate. Slice a small wedge of Humboldt Fog and place in the middle of the pile. Surround the Humbodlt Fog with your grilled cheese wedges for a great presentation. The BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich you have ever had.

Bleu Cheese Chicken Salad

This is one of the simplest and best chicken salad recipes I have ever made. Paulette's served this at lunch, and we couldn't make the stuff fast enough. Here we go.

Prep time: 40 minutes Servings 8

1 lb. of chicken $4.00
1 stalk of celery $2.00
1/2 bunch of red grapes $2.00
6oz. Bleu Cheese $4.00
Walnuts (pieces are cheaper and okay to use) $2.00
2-3 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise $.30
salt and pepper $.10
OPTIONAL:
A cap full of white vinegar $.10
A few dashes of Tabasco $.10

Total Cost $14.40 Cost per serving $1.80

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken at 350F for 30 minutes. Once finished, dice the chicken. Chop the celery. Slice the grapes in half. Crumble the bleu cheese. And combine all ingredients together. Start with just a tablespoon of mayo, and add more to get the consistency you prefer. I have found some folks (like me) LOVE mayonnaise, and some people don't. The vinegar and tabasco bring out the flavors a little bit. These are optional, but I think they make a big difference.

Greek Cucumber Salad

An easy salad that tastes great!

Makes two servings. Prep time 10 minutes

1 cucumber $.75
4 Roma Tomatoes $1.00
Can of Medium Pitted Black Olives $1.00
one small red onion $.20
4 ounces of Feta cheese $1.50
one ounce EVOO $.25
two ounces Balsamic Vinegar $.60
1 tbsp. Cavender's Greek Seasoning $.20
salt and pepper to flavor $.10

Total Cost $5.60 Cost per serving $2.80


Cut cucumber into wheels. Slice tomatoes into wheels (and in half from there if you would like). Drain the juice from the black olives. Dice the red onion. Chop up and crumble the Feta cheese. And mix all the ingredients above into a large bowl. Let marinate for fifteen minutes and serve.

I told you it was easy!