Whether its a freezing cold day outside, I have had a bad week, or I just feel like crap, a good grilled cheese sandwich always makes me feel better. To be honest, any grilled cheese sandwich makes me feel better!

I’ve made grilled cheese in a frying pan, in a pizzelle maker, and in a fancy panini press. They have always turned out good, but what you really need is a good, non-stick pan, Land O'Lakes American Cheese, some good sourdough bread, and a lot of butter!

I’m traditional, thus the Land O'Lakes (yellow) American cheese. If you want to be all fancy, you can use a mix of cheeses like that great scene in the movie Chef when Favreau makes that mouth watering grilled cheese. Regardless of your cheese choice, just do this…

1. Heat up a non-stick pan, then add 1 1/12 tablespoons of butter.
2. Let the butter start to melt and get frothy, then add your constructed grilled cheese sandwich…two pieces of sourdough and about 5 slices of cheese.
3. Allow the sandwich to cook for about two minutes. When the butter starts to dissipate, take a quick peek to see if the sandwich is starting to brown. Once you see that nice golden color, flip the sandwich.
4. Add another ½ - 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan, right next to the sandwich, then lift the sandwich a bit and tilt the pan so the butter slides underneath. Cover the pan with a large bowl and let it sit another 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove the bowl, take another peek, and if you see that beautiful color, it is time to eat! If the color is a little light or the cheese isn’t “melty” enough, put the bowl back on for another 30-60 seconds, then check again!

I always serve my grilled cheese with chicken soup. During the winter, I make a great Lemon Chicken Orzo soup. I’ll post that next time I cook up a batch. But, when I’m not in the mood to exert that much effort, a box of good chicken broth, the juice of a lemon, a chopped serrano pepper and some ditalini pasta make a nice soup too. And, if I am being exceptionally lazy, I heat up a open a can of Chickarina from Progresso. It’s the only canned soup I eat, but it rocks!

Enjoy and feel better!