14 August Cheese does not arrive in cellophane-wrapped square sheets!

14 August Cheese does not arrive in cellophane-wrapped square sheets!


Childhood recall or adult construction? Which satisfies the craving more completely?

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/08/10/grilled-cheese-and-grape-jelly/

From Eatocracy.com CNN

Grilled cheese and...grape jelly? Not on my plate!

Like many boomers I recall a processed cheese food labeled “Velveeta. Today it comes foil-wrapped in cardboard boxes which are stocked un-refrigerated in the aisle shelving of grocery stores. Older boomers may recall when it came in thin wooden boxes and was stored in the refrigerator after being opened. Someone made a decent living selling refrigerator containers shaped to hold the opened Velveeta brick so that it stayed somewhat moist.

It was impossible to handle the glass container without eventually dropping it. Cleverly constructed, only the lid or the container would break when dropped, almost never both. But the piece that broke rendered the “cheese” within inedible due to the myriad glass fragments that instantly became attached to the “cheese.” I’ve broken at least a dozen of these things over the decades. Just ask Gloria.

To make a “grilled cheese” sandwich with Velveeta requires a cast iron skillet, white bread, butter, or margarine, and Velveeta. Place wire cut slices of the “cheese” between two pieces of white bread. Butter the outer sides liberally, and place them into a pre-heated skillet. When browned to taste on the bottom, flip and continue to brown the other side to taste. Part of the “cheese” will liquefy and, if you’re fortunate, char a bit. Be sure to scrape this up and plate it with the sandwich. It’s that simple. As the sandwich cools, the Velveeta will congeal into some semblance of cheese once more. On the other hand, some companies market a synthetic “Velveeta” that apparently has higher oil content and, once melted, will never fully resume solid state. If presented with this ersatz product, opt for peanut butter.

Velveeta makes a passable “memories of days gone by” grilled cheese. Adding pickles to the melted cheese before serving will increase the flavor levels. So will adding deli-sliced ham. When you’re hungry, it goes down easily and will prevent one’s belt buckle from abrading the anterior vertebral surfaces. Happy recall, boomers!

My choice for an adult grilled cheese requires something above the level of processed cheese food. I’m partial to a dual cheese presentation. I prefer emmentaler or gruyere slices and very sharp Vermont cheddar slices on thickly sliced sour dough bread. Spread the interior surfaces of the bread with fresh Dijon mustard. Layer on the cheese slices. Layer orange marmalade onto the cheese slices. Add several slices of crispy thick-sliced bacon. Butter one outer side of the bread and place it into a hot cast-iron skillet. While the buttered side is browning, butter the remaining outer slice of bread. When the sandwich is browned to taste, flip it and let the other side brown to taste. As with above, if any cheese melts and chars, save it and serve it. This sandwich goes well with pickles. It does not require tomato soup to complete it.

The glass refrigerator dishes are now vintage and collectable items. Technology has advanced to the point that we no longer run the risk of having to throw away glass-contaminated cheese every time we build a sandwich. Here’s a toast to freezer bags and to cold cuts that come in re-usable but ultimately disposable plastic boxes. The wooden “Velveeta” boxes are also rarities if you happen to find one. They wound up as pencil boxes, spare parts containers, and filling untold numbers of tasks limited only by the imagination of boomer kids who made them serve as pretend ships, tanks, trucks, and space ships. Like a lot of things, the packaging rewarded imagination.

Today marks the end of the Perseid meteor shower. Gloria and I have tried to view the shower every year since 1996. Tropical storms, poor positioning with regard to the debris field, overcast skies, and all manner of things have kept us from seeing much of the annual light show. We’ve had fun staying up late, floating in the pool, and listening to the night sounds while hoping to see meteors. The two previous nights, 12 & 13, have been overcast or mostly cloudy. Last night, after the regional thunderstorms drifted by, we were rewarded by clearing skies. We moved out onto the back deck at 0030 and watched the skies over head. We were lucky. Within five minutes we were seeing meteors burning up and out. Gloria saw 6-7, I saw 5-6. It all depended on who blinked when. It made a nice end to the day. After 15 years of trying, we enjoyed our bit of the Perseid display.



‘