#mackenzie smith

MacKenzie Smith judging the 2018 National Grilled Cheese Competition in Madison, Wis. (MacKenzie Smith)

You might have noticed that I’ve been on a comfort food theme these past few columns. Perhaps it’s because of the frigid weather that has been blanketing the Northeast as well as places that rarely experience unprecedented cold and snowy weather.

And what better way to embrace the cold than by enjoying a gooey grilled cheese sandwich with a steaming bowl of tomato or another of your favorite soups.

When it comes to sandwiches, grilled cheese reigns supreme. According to several sources, a grilled cheese sandwich is America’s favorite.  A grilled cheese sandwich is simple, however if you’ve noticed, many restaurants have taken the humble favorite to another level. As you’ll see below, cookbooks share an endless variety of recipes for America’s beloved, favorite sandwich.

Pepperidge Farm commissioned a study that revealed:

• The average American adult eats 36 grilled cheese sandwiches a year (Minnesota is above the average, and highest at 41 sandwiches; Washington is the lowest at 24; Pennsylvania is 34.)

• 43% believe the bread-to-cheese ratio to be the most important component of a grilled cheese.

• White bread is the bread of choice for most (57%), trailed by sourdough (24%) and wheat (23%.)

• Top cheeses used, American (58%), cheddar (49%), pepper jack (18%)

• 52% cut the sandwich diagonally.

We all know and have experienced the simple pleasure both of preparing and enjoying the melty-golden perfection of two slices of bread paired with our favorite go-to or artisanal types of cheeses that we call a grilled cheese.

What many of us don’t know is that there are multiple cookbooks dedicated to the humble yet heralded iconic sandwiches. And books like “Grilled Cheese Social: Super Fun Recipes for Super Fun Times” by MacKenzie Smith (2019, Story Farm, $24.95), author and social media influencer, who seek to elevate these mighty sandwiches to include innovative and thoughtful ingredients.

These variations add an entirely new way to approach preparation and consumption of them.

Before I delve into recipes and MacKenzie’s delightful and practical book, I’m excited to share that I’ll be sitting down to interview her at Joy By The Sea in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on March 9.

This cookbook author luncheon is open to the public and will be part of the Worth Tasting Weekend, which I’ll be co-hosting from March 7-10. Tickets for the luncheon are available at https://bit.ly/3Eg5G5M.

And if you’re looking to experience three days of everything food, check out Worth Tasting New Smyrna Beach at https://worthtasting.co/new-smyrna-beach.

Smith, a New Smyrna Beach local, is the creative force behind GrilledCheeseSocial.com. Food is her passion. Not only does she have nearly a million social media followers across multiple platforms, but she’s also a cookbook author, a two-time Food Network champion, former executive chef at Black Dolphin Inn and a globe hopping food and travel guide.

What started it all was celebrating the simple joy of a perfectly crafted grilled cheese sandwich. Fast forward 15 years… her infectious enthusiasm and keen eye for unexpected flavor combinations have garnered a dedicated following, eager to indulge in her inventive recipes and culinary adventures. Her book fits right into her mission… to share her love for comfort food and inspire others to explore the endless possibilities.

The first 20-plus pages bring the reader closer to knowing Mackenzie, and the “ABCheese of grilled cheesin.” Recipes are divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Who said grilled cheese couldn’t be served as a dessert? Think Cookies + Cream Cannoli Grilled Cheese (recipe below), pound cake grilled cheese with fig jam and rosemary butter or strawberry cheesecake grilled cheese with cornflake crust.

The whimsical and quite entertaining, detailed headnotes embellish each recipe. Now, it’s time to get grilling those sandwiches with these recipes from the book. For the recipe for Seared Salami and Egg Grilled Cheese with Smoked Paprika Aioli, visit https://stephenfries.com/recipes.

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese: Spinach, Avocado, Feta Omelet on Whole Wheat

The headnote says: “Fresh spinach, creamy avocado, tangy feta and nutty white cheddar come together to make this breakfast grilled cheese perfectly healthy-ish. Sure, it’s no green juice, but this green goddess GC is made between two slices of whole wheat so it’s basically like you went to the gym. Eating one will leave you feeling fresh, energized and perhaps, even emotionally and physically satisfied!”

Ingredients:

1 pat salted butter, plus more for spreading

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 slices whole wheat bread

½ avocado, sliced

Salt and pepper

1 handful fresh baby spinach

2 slices white cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium-size nonstick pan over medium heat. Add beaten eggs and swirl around for a minute or two to create an even surface. Cover, turn off the heat, and let cook for 2 minutes or until egg is cooked through. Remove from heat and fold the egg mixture in half, creating an omelet-like shape. Cut the omelet in half, widthwise, and set aside.

Add crumbled feta to one slice of bread and top with half the omelet, the sliced avocado with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, a handful of spinach, the other half of the omelet and the white cheddar. Place the other slice of bread on top and butter the exterior of the sandwich.

Place the sandwich in a medium-size pan or panini press and cook for a few minutes over medium heat or until both sides are golden brown, the white cheddar has melted and the feta has softened. Remove from heat, slice sandwich in half and serve immediately.

MacKenzie’s Classic Go-To Stretch-tastic Grilled Cheese with Muenster, Garlic Mayo and Salty Butter on Sourdough

The headnote says: “There’s something special about a classic no-frills grilled cheese that can zap you back to childhood. But you know me, I couldn’t just put any ol’ classic-style grilled cheese in the book. Instead, I’ve included this one that comes straight from flavor town. It’s creamy, garlicky and it’ll do that classic grilled cheese stretch like a freakin’ champ! Be sure to serve it with some tomato soup for dippin.”

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 slices sourdough bread

4 slices Muenster cheese

2 pats salted butter

Directions:

Mix together mayonnaise, garlic paste and lemon juice and let sit for at least 10 minutes.Smear 1 tablespoon of the garlic mayo on each slice of bread and store the remainder in an airtight container for later use. Add Muenster cheese and close the sandwich so that both of the garlic aioli sides are facing inward.

Butter the exterior of the sandwich and place in a medium-size pan or panini press over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes on each side until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted. Let sit for 1 minute before serving.

Bacon-Wrapped Date Grilled Cheese Sliders

The headnote says: “You know that feeling that happens when you eat something that instantly concretes itself into your memory? That’s how I felt the first time I popped a devil on horseback into my mouth! If you’ve never had this before, it’s basically like a sweet, salty, sticky finger food made of bacon and pitted dates. Strangely enough, I was on a first date at the time it happened, and even though the date (the human, not the food) itself was totally forgettable (real talk, I actually can’t remember who I was with), this appetizer will always and forever be close to my heart, and has since remained my all-time favorite finger food.”

Ingredients:

3 slices regular bacon (not thick cut), cut in half

6 pitted dates

6 toothpicks

6 thin slices French baguette bread

½ cup Gorgonzola dolce (or regular Gorgonzola if you can’t find that), divided

3 pats salted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap a half slice of bacon around a pitted date and secure with a toothpick. Continue with the other 5 dates (or more, if you’d like extra!). Arrange them evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway, or until bacon is cooked to the desired doneness — longer for crispy, less for soft. When done, remove toothpicks.

Make the grilled cheese sliders. Arrange baguette slices on a cutting board and evenly distribute Gorgonzola across all 6 slices. Top 3 of the slices with 2 bacon-wrapped dates each. Place the remaining 3 Gorgonzola-topped baguette slices on top (with cheese facing inward) and smear one pat of butter onto the exterior of each sandwich.

Transfer the buttered sliders to a heated, medium-size cast-iron skillet or panini press. Cook the sandwiches on each side, over medium heat, flipping if necessary, until the bread has crisped up and all the Gorgonzola has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let sit for 1 minute before serving. Do not eat them all in one bite, even though you will be tempted to.

Cookies + Cream Cannoli Grilled Cheese

The headnote says: “I don’t know if you’ve grocery shopped at a Publix before (or if it’s the same in every grocery store across the country?), but can we take a minute to talk about the Oreo aisle? I’m always totally amazed at how large their section is and to be quite honest, it’s absolutely glorious. Back when I used to live in Brooklyn, and would visit my family in Florida, I would always make my mom take a picture of me against the Oreo display to show off how many varieties they had compared to the markets in NYC. I’m not joking when I say that it’s larger than life. They have about 50 varieties at any given time, and I’ve pretty much taste-tested them all and loved them … except the fireball-tasting one. Ick, that one was (expletive) gross. But anyway, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about this little cookies-and-cream number. 1. It’s perfect. 2. Feel free to swap it out for any Oreo you’d like (try the coconut ones OMG). And 3. You’re welcome.”

Ingredients:

4 Oreos, crushed

1 teaspoon confectioner’s sugar

⅓ cup ricotta cheese

½ cup cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons cinnamon)

2 slices brioche bread

2 pats salted butter

Directions:

Combine crushed Oreos, confectioner’s sugar and ricotta in a small bowl and set aside. Place cinnamon sugar in a shallow dish and set aside.

Smear the Oreo-ricotta between the two slices of brioche and evenly smear the exterior with butter.

Heat a frying pan (or panini press) over medium-low heat; add the buttered sandwich. Cook for a few minutes, until the brioche is golden and the ricotta is heated throughout. Remove from heat and place the sandwich in the cinnamon sugar dish and carefully toss to coat on both sides. Serve immediately.

Recipes and images courtesy of

Book cover photo:  (Christian Torres)

The headnote says, "Even though this sandwich lives in the breakfast grilled cheese chapter, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get down on it at any time of day. The crispy salami has so much flavor and texture that honestly, you could just make a meal out of that . . . But let’s be real, it’s even more drool-worthy when you melt some Muenster cheese over it, pair it with a perfectly cooked over-medium egg, and sandwich the whole thing between two crispy buttery slices of Texas toast. I mean, I can’t be the only one who thinks that egg yolk looks sexy, right?"

INGREDIENTS

—For the Smoked Paprika Aioli—

½ cup Duke’s mayonnaise

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

—For the Sandwich—

2 slices Texas toast

3 slices Muenster cheese

6 slices Genoa salami

1 egg, cooked over medium

1 tablespoon smoked paprika aioli

Instructions

For the aioli, combine mayonnaise with smoked paprika and Sriracha. Reserve 1 tablespoon and refrigerate the rest for another day.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and sear salami on both sides until crispy. Set aside on a paper towel.

Smear each slice of bread with ½ tablespoon smoked paprika aioli. Place 1½ slices Muenster cheese onto 1 slice of bread, followed by the crispy salami, the over-medium egg, the remaining cheese, and the other slice of bread. Butter the exterior of the sandwich.

Heat a cast-iron skillet or panini press over medium-high heat and cook on both sides, flipping if necessary, until the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Let the sandwich rest for 1 minute before cutting it in half to show off the egg-yolk porn.

Recipe courtesy of

Photo: Francesca Myman

Acclaimed writer, reviewer, editor, and essayist Jaymee Goh, alongside Mackenzie Smith, appears as part of the Partnered Literary Readings at The Octopus Literary Salon in Oakland, CA on Thursday, June 20, 6:30pm.

This is a paired reading where emerging writers partner with published authors to produce and perform written work onstage. Was a huge hit at the AWP conference this spring so we're bringing it to the Bay Area!

How this works is that anyone who's somewhat at the beginning of their writing career takes something they've written that's about 5-10 minutes long when read aloud and sends it to a partner who's gotten something published, ideally by the end of May. Then, the published author has until the evening of June 20 to write something of their own, another creative piece inspired by the emerging author's piece. Both pieces should be around the same length, any topic or genre, and both partners read on stage at the Octopus Literary Salon.