The California Grilled Cheese with Avocados

Cheese. I?ve been in love with cheese all my life. When I was a wee tot, living in Iran, every morning I ate my lavash (flat bread), feta and jam. This was all the cheese I knew. Things changed when we came to the U.S. and moved to Texas. I became one of many elementary school kids who took my lunch to school everyday. It was always a sandwich. And the cheese was always Kraft Singles.

My mom would pack my lunch every morning, until I fired her. I took over the sandwich-making in my family early on, even making some for my brother. It was simple in the beginning, Two layers of meat with some Kraft American cheese in between. When I was allowed to wield a knife, I learned to cut little green olives in half and I would line the entire side of my mayo-laden white bread with them. Yes, I said white bread. <Gasp!>?Whole wheat? Never heard of ?fiber? when I was growing up.

Grilled cheese sandwiches were even simpler back then: bread, mayo, cheese. Done.

As I got older, the sandwiches got more complicated. I discovered hoagie rolls. I would fold my meat to add height to my sandwiches, like at the deli. Then lettuce, tomatoes and some Italian salad dressing would be added to the mix. But one thing would never change: I always had my Kraft American cheese.

Quite frankly, I didn?t know other cheeses existed! It wasn?t until college that the world of cheese truly opened up to me, and I dove in ? head first. But, in my apartment, despite all the choices, there was always a pack of Kraft singles in the fridge. Honest truth. I attended the University of Arizona, in Tucson. And it got hot there, real hot. After biking home from class, I?d cool off with a large glass of ice water, and my favorite comfort food: two slices of bread with mayo and my cheese. I suppose it was the anti-grilled cheese, to combat the triple-digit weather I was living in. But it always hit the spot.

Now that I have kids, I tend to over-compensate with their lunches. I have made many different varieties of gourmet sandwiches, but my kids weren?t big on them. They prefer meat rolls with cheese slices and fruit. Definitely a healthier alternative than what I had growing up!

A favorite after-school snack in our house is cheese with whole-grain crackers or apples.

And the grilled cheese has evolved with the times, too. Whole grain wheat bread (high in fiber, course) has replaced the white bread. I also like to add a some sweet summer tomatoes or creamy avocados. I?ve even been known to throw some pepperoni slices in there, too. To make them healthier, I toast the bread with the cheese in the toaster oven. No greasy fingers, less fat, but still gooey.

I call it the California Toasted Cheese Sandwich. You find the full recipe here.

What is your favorite cheesy memory?

Disclosure: As part of the DailyBuzz Moms Featured Publisher Community, I received a coupon for free Kraft Singles and a stipend. The memories I have described are all true, and the opinions are truly mine. How can you not like cheese?!

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