"Fancy" Grilled Cheese

My son is an absolute doll. He's only 4, but the kid is such an old soul and already has the palate of a seasoned chef. He loves to cook (and eat) as much as I do ... we chat about the different kinds of cheeses we like, our favorite vegetables to grow in the garden and how acidic foods make our mouths pucker. So one day after preschool, I made this grilled cheese for him -- and he was so in love with it that he requested the "fancy" grilled cheese every day thereafter for over a week!

If you know my style of cooking by now, you know it's all about utilizing what's on-hand in the kitchen and creating new dishes with unexpected flavor combinations. I believe this approach to cooking keeps things fun and interesting -- like this sandwich.

I've made a million regular grilled cheese sandwiches in my lifetime, but I never thought to include sun-dried tomato pesto until I saw an almost-gone jar in the refrigerator. Turns out, it's absolutely delicious -- and I do feel rather fancy while eating it. Enjoy! -KM

INGREDIENTS - yields (1) sandwich

• 2 slices of favorite bread
• 2 tablespoons of store-bought sun-dried tomato pesto (I love Aldi's "Rosso Pesto")
• 3 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Handful of fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons salted butter

METHOD

• Assemble the sandwich by spreading the pesto on both pieces of bread.
• On one half of bread, layer the mozzarella, sprinkle with the garlic powder and then top with the spinach.
• On the other half of bread, mash the avocado. Place the pieces together and give it a nice press to hold everything in place.
• Instead of buttering the bread directly, I like melting the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat -- then add the sandwich to the pan. 
• Cook until both sides are crisp and golden and the mozzarella is *just* melted -- but not too stringy.

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