Sandwich + Hot Press = So Much TASTINESS!!!

General tip for healthy living: Do not watch food programming late at night. You WILL get up and make yourself a snack.
At least, you will if you are anything like me... and one of the easiest things to make for a snack, is a sandwich.

There is a wide world of sandwiches out there, far, far beyond the sliced turkey, seasoning, greens + cheese sandwiches that I pack for my husband for school every day. And I'm not talking about PB&J or tuna. I'm talking about hot, melty sandwiches.

The variations that can happen between the simplest of grilled cheese sandwiches and the world of panini permutations is vast, and really there are so many ways of concocting these sandwiches, I do not think it is fair to judge one as superior to another. It's all just what you're hankering for. Some days, a simple grilled cheese is fine. Other days you want it with fresh tomato and bacon inside. Other days you want grilled vegetables, fresh mozzarella, & pesto pressed between two halves of ciabatta. All have their merits. (And all contain delicious melty cheese.) It's just what you're in the mood for.

I have made some killer panini in the past, and it's the kind of thing that Mike loves but forgets about until I make one again. However, tonight I watched a "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" even tho I really do not like him, because Olga Merediz was judging the throw-down which is two words, Bobby! And if you do not know who Olga Merediz is, that is too bad because that means you have not seen In The Heights which was written by and starred my friend Lin, and is a FANTASTIC show, and on which original (oh-so-less professional) production at Wesleyan University I served as Master Electrician and later Lighting Designer because the original LD was in a car accident before we could load-in, and we were sharing the space w/ a dance performance that I was ALSO working on at the time, and it was all an absurd hot mess.
But the show was a smash hit even then, so, all good. I just didn't leave the theater for more than 30 minutes at a time for about 3 days.

But I digress.
The Throw Down (2 words!!!) was about Cubano sandwiches, and while I am in no way well versed in Cubano sandwiches, that did not stop me from craving one on the spot. Well... minus the pickle, because I just do not understand pickle on sandwiches. On a cheeseburger, sometimes yes. On the side, sure. But otherwise I have yet to understand or appreciate a pickle actually embedded in my sandwich.

Digressing again.
This meant that I had to go to my kitchen and create something close, or at least somewhat related, to what I had just witnessed.
I did not have any fancy rolls or anything, but I did have whole wheat bread, deli turkey, sliced prosciutto, and provolone cheese. Slap a little dijon mustard (on my half, as Mike will not touch the stuff) and set it in the Griddler w/ a little butter on the bread and you have one really freakin' tasty sandwich.
And yes, we'd already eaten dinner, which is why I only made a half for each of us.
But really, when your tummy calls, you'd better answer, because that b*tch ain't lettin' you sleep easy until you have placated her to some degree.
And man was she pleased with what I served up :)
And I may have to recreate it for lunch today...

Update: I think tomorrow night will be the big night of making French Onion Soup. It's going to be rainy all weekend and my home is being invaded by some of Mike's former Groomsmen, so I think while they are out carousing I will take up my post over my cauldron, er, soup pot.
And just like the panini, the best part of French Onion Soup is all the melty cheese on top. I have been dreaming about the melty cheese on top of my soup. In fact, I may make even more melted cheese crostini to go serve with the soup than is strictly necessary.
But when is cheese NOT necessary?
I don't think there is such an occasion.