I don’t know about you, but lately, I’ve been feeling the dining hall blues. I’ve been sick of the same-old fare and have been searching for ways to turn the dining hall’s sub-par ingredients into a meal fit for a queen. After visiting The Big Cheezy, for the millionth time, an amazing idea dawned upon me– I would try to make a gourmet grilled cheese using only dining hall ingredients.
After coming to this magnificent realization, I took one more big bite of cheesy goodness and headed to the dining hall. I now present you four takes on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.
1. The Four-Cheese
To make this masterpiece, I gathered every cheese possible from the sandwich line (with the exception of pepper jack). I got a funny look from the women behind the counter, but nevertheless, I was excited. While constructing this mega-cheesy creation, I decided to treat myself. I went for the artisan sourdough bread instead of the bland, white wonder bread.
First, I ran this sandwich to the microwave in order to get all of the cheeses melting away. After, I added a crisp factor to it by taking it to the sandwich press. The next thing I knew, my friends and I were covered in ooey-gooey cheese, and were undoubtedly content with the way this four-cheese grilled cheese turned out.
2. The Mac and Cheesy
This pièce de résistance was inspired directly by The Big Cheezy’s Mac n’ Cheezy sandwich. Instead of the typical slices of cheese, I loaded this baby with a huge scoop of mac and cheese that was served at the hot food bar. Before adding the mac and cheese to the sandwich, I added some extra flavor with salt and pepper. After pressing it to a golden brown color, this beautiful sandwich was finally complete.
If you want to make this sandwich in true Big Cheezy fashion, you can add some bacon to the mix. However, since my dining hall’s bacon tastes and looks like plastic, I refrained.
3. The Health Nut
After a few days into my escapade, I started to feel the effects of eating one grilled cheese after another. Yet, I continued my mission and ended up making a grilled cheese that would satisfy any healthy eater. I started with whole grain bread instead of my usual white bread. Next, I reached for the veggies and piled my sandwich high with spinach. I then added some lean turkey and provolone cheese. To add an extra kick, I loaded this sandwich with salt and pepper and took it to the press.
4. The Waffle Grilled Cheese
For this last grilled cheese, I wanted to do a spin on breakfast. However, I didn’t want to take the typical BEC route. So, I turned to the widely popular waffle maker. I took plain waffle mix (I didn’t think a blueberry waffle would make a very good grilled cheese) and poured it into the machine. After it was all cooked, I topped this waffle with shredded cheddar cheese that I had gotten from the baked potato bar and let it melt and bubble. After a quick taste test, the waffle grilled cheese was determined as a success
After concocting these beautiful gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, my dining hall woes have been cured. With these easy recipes, I don't even have to leave campus to get a golden brown ooey-gooey cheesy treat.