Motherhood.  I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a mom to two beautiful girls, and after all, if not for that, no one may have ever learned that I could even make a grilled cheese sandwich!  Whaaaat?

I’m not sure there was ever a time when I thought, “When I’m a mom, I will (fill in the blank).”  But there I was at 17 years old with a sweet baby and no instruction manual.  I just knew I wanted to be the best parent I could possibly be.  I sifted through experiences of my own as well as the stories of others so I could mentally store them into “files” of what to do and what not to do.  (Of course, what works for one, doesn’t always work for another, as all parents know.)

Eventually, I became a single parent, which meant that I was the sole disciplinarian…dishing out rules and disciplining twice as much with the need to love twice as hard and hoping and praying to get it right.  I think it’s normal to second-guess our decisions as parents, and when you’re doing it alone, you second-guess a third, fourth, and fifth time…a lot.

Without question, though, I knew I wanted my kids to always have a healthy meal, you know, with a couple of veggies, a starch, and a meat, just like how you’re taught in school.  We had a hot, cooked meal every night and we sat at the dinner table together while we ate and shared our highs and lows for the day.  That was a wonderful bonding experience and one that I’ll never regret incorporating into our life!

I’ll won’t ever forget when the girls groaned one night about what I cooked them for dinner.  To hear them share the story, I had made spaghetti every night for a week, but that’s totally not how I remember it.  Anyway, I decided to not cook for however long it took them to come around.  We had sandwiches every single night.  Cold sandwiches.  Don’t get me wrong–we like cold sandwiches.  We just usually had them for lunch or picnics, not for dinner every night.  It took them exactly a week to decide they were tired of that plan and they wanted the hot, cooked meals again.  That’s the only time we ever really veered off course like that, but I was impressed that they endured a week of no cooking before they complained!

One night, they were misbehaving terribly and I decided they would eat dinner in their bedrooms with grilled cheese sandwiches.  To me, this was a severe punishment to banish them from the dinner table with a measly grilled cheese…but it backfired!  They loved it!!  They began asking when they could do it again, to which I replied sternly, trying not to smile, “Never. You’re never eating dinner with grilled cheese in your room again.”  Ahh, mean mama…

Honestly, I think that was the first time I had ever made grilled cheese, and it was a major success.  I’m not even certain how old they were… 9 and 5, maybe?  They had no idea their mom had something as great as that up her sleeve.  Isn’t that sweet?  Moms don’t even have to try super hard to win favor from their kids.  A simple grilled cheese.  No frills.  Nothing fancy.  And I was a hero.  I was a hero in the midst of their punishment!

I definitely had much to learn.

You can guess what followed.  After that, they told everyone that their mom makes the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world.  The whole wide world. Me! And it was my first try!

We look back on that grilled cheese punishment fail with fond memories.  It was really a win.  After all, that’s what it’s all about…being a family, growing our hearts, making fun memories, and making positive contributions to society.  Grilled cheese is a fun, special meal for us now.

We’ve gone on to have other dishes that they absolutely love, but I know I can never lose with that one.  I adore the fact that the world over, people say that their mom makes the best (anything).  And to two precious people out there, I’m the mom that makes the best, who makes foods their favorite way.  Biscuits. Fried chicken.  Potato salad.  Chocolate gravy.  So many things.  When they know they’re coming home, they start making a list of foods they want me to make.  It warms my heart!

So what’s so special about this grilled cheese?  Well…nothing really.  Bread, butter, and cheese in a skillet.  In later years, we’ve made gourmet-style grilled cheese sandwiches, adding peppers, spinach, onions, tomatoes, pizza seasoning, you name it.  They’re all delicious.  I don’t eat much dairy these days, but I had to pay tribute to the great grilled cheese in honor of Shelby and Monica for Mother’s Day.

What’s the trick?  Ok, here’s what you need for one sandwich:

Kathy’s Castle Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Bread, 2 slices

Cheddar cheese, shredded, approx 1/4-1/2 c.

1 Tbsp butter, divided

Put the cheese on one slice of bread and top with the other slice of bread.  In a skillet over medium to med-high heat, melt 1/2 Tbsp butter.  Add your sandwich to the skillet long enough to lightly toast the bottom until golden.  Lift it out of the skillet with a spatula and add the other 1/2 Tbsp of butter & when it melts, flip the sandwich to grill the other side & repeat the above step.  You don’t want to toast it or cook it too fast or it will burn your bread and the cheese won’t have time to melt & get gooey.  Once golden and the cheese is melted, remove from heat and enjoy, being careful to not burn your mouth.

Pretty simple.  Try it–it can make you a hero, too!

Notes: you can use mixed blends of cheese, block cheese that you’ve grated or sliced thinly, or use both slices and grated cheese.  That’s the fun of it–you can mix it up and find different ways to enjoy.  It pairs nicely with chili, tomato soup, potato soup, and even pizza sauce!

Let me hear your parenting stories, particularly as they pertain to food!   To all the moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!