Grilled Cheese Heaven

Congratulations to our pal Julie Hyzy

on her starred review

for Grace Under Pressure. Kudos, Julie!

And major congrats to our pal, Riley Adams

(er...Elizabeth S. Craig) whose

Mystery Writing is Murder blog was just named

Writers Digest top 101 blogs for writers. Way to go!!!

And now to my weekend fun.

I went to a grilled cheese invitational this weekend in Los Angeles. Do you want to talk about incredible smells and tastes? As well as colorful people?

In addition to the competition, there was cheese poetry, music, a number of people wearing crowns, a beer and wine pavilion.

Doesn't this sound like the perfect setting for a murder mystery?Who's Killing the Great Grilled Cheese Chefs? [Okay, the title's been taken...]

Did anybody see that movie, Who's Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? Drop-dead funny.

I digress. In honor of the grilled cheese weekend, I decided to create one of my own. And what goes better with grilled cheese than bacon? But not just any bacon. Bacon that's really really flat.

Why flat? Because that way, the cheese melts evenly in the sandwich.

So here's what I did. I figured out that at diners, they use a flat iron to press down the bacon on the grill. I didn't have one of those, but I did have a pan that fit inside a pan. I put the bacon in the fry pan, covered it with foil, then set the smaller pan on top.

It presses the bacon flat and all the fat comes out of it, leaving good crispy meat to put in my sandwich. Yum!

And I used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese for the sandwich. That's right. Cheddar bought at your local store. It's got a snappy taste that marries well with bacon and it melts like a dream.

Oh, and did I mention that I used raisin bread? The salt with the sugar is to die for.

Do you get the idea that I like grilled cheese almost as much as writing murder mysteries?

Hope you enjoy.

GRILLED CHEESE

WITH BACON ON RAISIN BREAD

Ingredients:

2 slices raisin bread

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices crisp bacon

2 oz. Tillamook Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Grill bacon on medium. Note: As mentioned above: I slip the pieces into a sauté pan, cover with foil, and set a smaller sauté pan on top. Grill for 5 minutes. Remove sauté pan and foil. Flip the bacon. Replace the foil and smaller sauté pan and grill for 5 more minutes.

In the meantime, butter two slices of raisin bread on one side only.

Remove bacon from saute pan and drain on paper towels.

Place one slice of raisin bread, butter side down, on grilling surface. Layer cheese, bacon and cheese. Top with raisin bread, butter side up.

Grill on low to medium for 5 minutes. The raisins might look dark but they are not burnt. Flip the sandwich and grill for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

If you want to know more about A Cheese Shop Mystery series and even become a "fan", check out my website by clicking this link: Avery Aames.

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New April MLK Contest!!!!

The first book in the Memphis Barbeque series, Delicious and Suspicious, will be released July 6. To celebrate its upcoming release, I’m throwing a giveaway! :)Are you interested in winning Williams-Sonoma’s Ultimate Grilling Rub Collection? It’s easy to enter! Just send an email to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com with

“Contest” in the subject line.

Really, really want to up your chances?You’ll get one extra entry if you follow us on Twitter, one extra if you subscribe to our posts (in the right hand sidebar under “Subscribe”), and one extra for becoming a follower (by clicking the “follow” button in the right hand column under our book covers and blog roll.) Just send us an extra email at MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com and let us know what you’ve signed up for. If you’re already a follower or subscriber, let us know that, too!