In the Kitchen: A great grilled cheese

Now that the weather is a bit cooler, I have been really craving traditional comfort foods. One of my favorite being grilled cheese. The grilled cheese pictured above is one I made a few weeks ago and it was one of the best yet. 

What you need:

2 pcs. Rye bread

4 slices of Manchego cheese

2 slices of butternut squash

4 slices of cooked bacon

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 TB butter

The plan:

In a small sauté pan begin caramelizing your onions. First add the butter, then the onions stirring on medium heat. Once they begin to brown, I always add a tablespoon of water to loosen up any brown bits in the pan and then let the onions reduce. In a separate pan, coat with butter and place your slices of butternut squash. Cook until brown on each side. While your squash is cooking (and in the same pan if there is room) begin toasting your bread. Assemble the first slice of bread, cheese, butternut squash, bacon, onions and then top slice. Cook on each side until golden brown and heated through. Serve warm. 

A few tips: To make the process quicker, all of these ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and then used whenever you need them. I always bake bacon I plan on using for sandwiches on a cooling rack in a baking sheet at 350 degrees. This method is my favorite because the bacon keeps its shape and the grease tends to drop into the bottom of the pan. When I have extra I just freeze it until I need it!