Food Brings Back Childhood Memories

When I was growing up, during the summer my mother would make us lunch on her days off from work. Normally lunch always consisted of some form of leftovers from the day before. The thing I remember the most is Grilled Cheese and Potato Salad. My taste have changed since I was a child but I still crave my mothers Potato Salad with a Grilled Cheese. Below is the recipe for my childhood and the grown-up version I make for myself now.

Old Fashioned Grilled Cheese

2 slices white bread
2 slices American Cheese
Butter

Assemble the sandwich with the cheese in the middle, slather butter on the top and bottom of the bread. Place in pan on the stove and brown the bread...that's it! Yum.

New Version Grilled Cheese

2 slices of Wheat Bread
1 slice of American Cheese
1 slice of Muenster Cheese
Butter
Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
S&P

Prepare the sandwich just as before...but in the pan pour 1 tsp of olive oil, heat.....sprinkle top of buttered sandwich with just a touch of cayenne, garlic powder and S&P. Grill till golden!

Somehow now that I am older, a half of Avacado and a few olives make it on the plate with the grilled Sandwich and PotatoSalad. I also put the slightest hint of drizzle of honey on the potato salad now. My mouth is watering just thinking of this......Thank God for Mothers!

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Zest up your Mayo

Having people come over and you want to impress them....try dressing up your mayonnaise. Below are a few tips to dress up your mayo....choose one that fits with other parts of your meal. If you are having Mexican food, try the avacado, having italian, try the roasted red pepper...etc.....

Avacado Mayo

1 c. Mayo
1 large avacado
1/8 t cumin
S&P to taste

Put everything into a food processor and blend until smooth


Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

1 c. Mayo
1/4 c. roasted red peppers
1 t fresh parsley
S&P to taste

Southwest Mayo

1 c. Mayo
2 t grill seasoning
2 t Worcester (spelling?) Sauce
S&P to taste

Cumin

Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world after black pepperCumin seeds are used as a spice for their distinctive aroma, popular in Indian, Pakistani, North African, Middle Eastern, Sri Lankan, Cuban, Northern Mexican cuisines, and the Western Chinese cuisines of Sichuan and Xinjiang. Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses such as Leyden cheese, and in some traditional breads from France. It is commonly used in traditional Brazilian cuisine. Cumin can be an ingredient in (often Texan or Mexican-style) Chili powder, and is found in achiote blends, adobos, sofrito, garam masala, curry powder, and bahaarat.

Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds, as it draws out their natural sweetnesses. It is traditionally added to chili, curries, and other Middle-Eastern, Indian, Cuban and Tex-Mex foods. Cumin has also been used on meat in addition to other common seasonings. Though used infrequently in Mexican dishes, the spice is common in Tex-Mex cuisine. It is extensively used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Cumin was also used heavily in ancient Roman cuisine. Cumin is typically used in Mediterranean cooking from Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It helps to add an earthy and warming feeling to cooking making it a staple in certain stews and soups.

I took the above directly from wikipedia.org....please visit wikipedia if you want to learn more about cumin and other spices.