How to Make an Open-Faced, Grilled-Cheese Sandwich.

Updated August 2020

My wife calls this simply cheese on toast. She has eaten it for breakfast, more days than not, all of her adult life. And since I was the weekend breakfast cook when the children were young, I learned how to make it right.

An open-face, grilled cheese sandwich is oven-grilled and better than a pan-grilled chesse sandwich, in my view, because it is not pan-fried greasy, and better than bruschetta, in the winter anyway, because the hot bread and cheese are cooked and blended.

Here are the ingredients.

Slice of Bread
Preferably fresh bread that can be sliced thicker the normal store-bought sliced bread, but a quality pre-sliced is okay, too. I like the bread about 3/4" thick. I like a whole wheat bread because the density of the bread suits and carries the melted cheese well.

Cheese
We use sharp cheddar. I am sure other kinds of cheese will work as well, but some of them don't oven-grill well. I have tried other cheeses when we were out of cheddar, and they tended to brown too quickly on the exterior.

Slicer:

Invest in a simple one part block cheese slicer. Under $10 and it'll last a lifetime. Like this:

 

We like the sharp or medium Tallamook or Cabot

1. Lightly toast the bread in a normal toaster. Lightly, not toasted-through crispy.

2. Slice the cheese. On a 3 inch block of cheese, the slices are about 1/8" thick and you need about 4 - 6 slices. The edge of the cheese should extend about 1/4" past the edge of the bread. 

3. Place the cheese and toast on a cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil and layer the cheese on the toast. Important: Make sure that the cheese overlaps the edge of the toast by a 1/4" or so.

4. In a conventional oven turn the knob to "Broil" and place the cookie sheet with toast under the open flame or heating element about 8" - 10" from the heat. Close the door.

5. Here's the tricky part. And important. It takes a couple minutes to get the cheese melted, but the desired amount of "cooked" is past the stage of a grilled cheese sandwich. "Cooked" for us is an almost toasted-cheese level of cooking. See picture above. The cheese will bubble on top. That's what you want to see. I let it get a good bubble working to where the oil is melting away from the cheese. BUT, if you let it go too far, all the oil and moisture will boil off and the cheese on toast will be tough, which my wife actually likes. I like it before it gets to that stage.

Make it better: In the summer, when tomatoes are fresh, I like to place a slice of tomato on top of the cheese after it has cooked a while and almost ready. When the tomato is warmed, in about a minute, it is ready.

Kentucky Fried Chicken. Grilled. Great.

I have not been to a Kentucky Fried Chicken in many years. I haven't spent $25 there in 25 years. Until yesterday.

Someone had told me that their new product, the grilled chicken, was good. So yesterday my wife and I decided to give it a try.

It wasn't good -- it was great. And I will go one compliment further, it was the best breast of chicken I have had in many years. Delicious. Hot, juicy, cooked perfectly, slightly crispy outside. It looked great, it smelled great, and it tasted great. I do not think you could make it taste any better. I am dead serious.

Now, that was only one visit, maybe I got lucky. Maybe I will go back and something will be different, but if they keep it up, KFC will be getting a lot of new business, at least from me.

Cost for one good size chicken breast? About $2.40, I think. Meals are even a better value. My wife had the chicken pot pie and said it was very good.
----------------------------------------------------------------
For more information on Fort Worth food and entertainment see http://www.fwdowntownreview.com

Top Ten Water Activities During a Heat Wave

From least expensive to more expensive.

1. Lawn Sprinklers. They seemed to work well when I was a kid. Although jumping through a sprinkler gets a little monontonous after the third trip. I spiced it up a little for my kids by playing base tag with the sprinkler in the middle.

2. Your neighbor's swimming pool. This is why God gave us neighbors -- to use their swimming pool. When they are away on vacation and you can use it without them knowing it is even better.

3. Your own KMart swimming pool. I advise against this one. You've had one so you know why.

4. A real swimming pool. It's a little late to have one installed, but at some point any amount of money is worth it.

5. Country Clubs have pretty good deals these days for swim-only memberships.

6. Burgers Lake. Hey whats an occasional water born microbe gonna hurt. Actually, my kids used to enjoy Burgers Lake. Is it still open?

7. Airport Marriott. Still my sentimental favorite. Weekend rates, rooms on the pool level, bar, restaurant. Putt - putt golf in the hallways. Or closer, the Omni for the weekend. They have a rooftop pool.

8. Area lakes. I'm not a big lake person so I can't help much here.

9. The long drive to Corpus Christi. Nah.

10. Comal River around New Braunfels. I love this one. The water is as clear as can be. Cool. Spring fed. The best water spot in Texas. Likewise, tubing along the Guadalupe and drop off at Gruene. Then stay for beer and country music at Gruene Hall. Good choice there.

10b. Still too damn hot? Go north and east to a very big body of water called the Atlantic.

The Best Places to Visit in Fort Worth and Dallas.

Best places to visit? My favorite places to take guests? It is a question I am often asked. This post addresses that question. The selections are, of course, reflective of my interests and the interests of my guests, and I am sure I have missed more than a few. But these are the ones that came to mind quickly.

1. Central Market. Fort Worth, I30 and Hulen. Most of my friends like good food so Central Market is a must see. Great place for lunch or weekend Beer and Burger.
2. Bass Hall / Downtown Fort Worth. If there isn’t a show you want to see, walk by, walk in, and get a tour. It is one of the world’s best halls for voice performance. It is host to everything from opera to country music.
3. Stockyards / Far north side of Downtown. It has more than a little bit of the touristy old West feel but the remnants of old Fort Worth are there. The place cattle drives stopped and the industries that developed around them. In the evening you can find an small but authentic Texas beer joint or you go to Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honky-tonk. You ought to go at least once.
4. Mi Cocina’s / Downtown Fort Worth. My favorite place for good Mexican food under American influence. Large portions, good food, excellent service and reasonably priced (the mixed drinks are expensive, like any restaurant). On a pleasant evening, eat outside.
5. Kinkaid’s / Camp Bowie / Fort Worth. Once a small grocery store that sold hamburgers. Now my favorite hamburger place in Fort Worth.
6. Dallas Cowboy Stadium / Arlington. Even if you don’t like football it is worth visiting. If you do like football, and had hoped to see the old Texas Stadium in Irving -- sorry the Cowboys have moved.
7. Ballpark in Arlington / Arlington. A great place to watch a game of baseball. Outfield seats are cheap. If you want to enjoy a good game in real Texas heat you’ll like it.
8. Bull and Bush / Montgomery Street / Fort Worth. There are plenty of places to get a cold beer in the area. Bull and Bush is one of the few without televisions and with darts.
9. Deep Ellum / Dallas. An evening visit to Deep Ellum is a walk into a world not usually associated with Texas. Very hip, youth oriented.
10. Modern Art Museum / Fort Worth. A beautiful building and home to many pieces of art worth seeing.
11. Kimble Art Museum / Fort Worth. One of the nations best art museums.
12. Farmer’s Market / Dallas. late spring -- mid summer are the best times to visit if you like garden fresh tomatoes.
13. Peaches / Weatherford. In peach season you will find no better peaches.
14. Botanic Gardens / Fort Worth. A great city park for walking. Rose gardens, walking paths, picturesque vistas.
15. Trinity River Walk / Fort Worth. 30 miles along the Trinity. Great place to walk or ride a bike.
16. Fort Worth Zoo / Fort Worth. One of the best in the nation. The oldest in the DFW area.
    
17. Dallas Arboretum / Dallas. Spring blooming season. Worth a visit.
18. Omni Hotel / Fort Worth. If you like looking at buildings -- this is a good one.
19. T&P Train Station / Fort Worth. Fort Worth's great contribution to trains and Art Deco.
20. Montgomery Ward Plaza. Again, another great building that has been renovated. I like the drive-through area, although other, more preservation minded folks didn't.
    

I know I missed some things. Any big oversights?