07 May 2012


It's a busy day for this blogger!  Two of my monthly blog challenges, The Secret Recipe Club and The Crazy Cooking Challenge, are posting on the same day at the same time.  This post is for the Crazy Cooking Challenge, click here for my Secret Recipe Club post: Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon, Potatoes, and Mushrooms.

It's time once again for the Crazy Cooking Challenge!  In this challenge, all the participants make and blog about the same dish each month.  Each blogger is to scour other blogs for a unique version of whatever that month's dish is.  The goal is to highlight and promote personal food blogs. This month's assigned dish was grilled cheese sandwiches.  So we were to find a unique grilled cheese sandwich recipe, make it, and blog about it.

Photobucket



The timing was awesome for this challenge.  April was National Grilled Cheese Month, so grilled cheese recipes were EVERYWHERE.  This was a good thing, but it made it really hard to decide which to choose!   My head was spinning with all the possibilities.  I saw tons of grilled cheese recipes that looked amazing, and I probably bookmarked 5 that I JUST HAD TO MAKE.  While I saw recipes on several different blogs that caught my eye, one blog in particular had me drooling every day.  Suzanna at Galley Kitchen posted a unique grilled cheese recipe EVERY SINGLE DAY in April.  Yep, she now has 30 awesome grilled cheese recipes on her blog that you must go check out!  While I still have several of them bookmarked to try in the future, one of hers really grabbed me and I knew that it was THE ONE.  Her Roast Beef and Blue Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich sounded amazing to me.  It contains all the flavors of a steakhouse dinner: hearty beef, tangy blue cheese, and even the creamed spinach side dish!  It sounded incredible and I couldn't wait to make it.  I changed her recipe only very slightly; here's my adaptation.


Smoky Steakhouse Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
2 tbsp smoked bleu cheese crumbles
2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
4 slices Texas toast
8 slices very thinly sliced deli roast beef
Butter

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Add spinach and sauté until wilted.  Remove spinach to a paper towel to remove excess moisture.  Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and blue cheese.  Mix well.  Spread the mixture on all 4 slices of bread.  Top two slices of bread with the roast beef and the other two with the spinach.
Close it up and butter the outsides of the bread.

Griddle on high heat until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.

Makes 2 servings.

I used Texas toast instead of regular bread because I love how hearty it is.  It can really stand up to the bold flavors in this sandwich.  I also sauteed my spinach instead of putting it in the sandwich raw.   The only other thing I changed was that I used a smoked bleu cheese.  I didn't even realize smoked bleu cheese existed, but when I went shopping for bleu cheese, I saw it and couldn't NOT try it.  I love smoked gouda and other smoked cheeses, so I thought it sounded fabulous.  It was AMAZING in this sandwich.  The smoked flavor goes so well with the beef and the spinach; it's just incredible.

This is a very messy sandwich, but after one bite, you are not going to care one bit!  

Thank you, Suzanna, for all of your awesome grilled cheese sandwich recipes, but especially this one!






Tagged: , ,

20 comments:

  1. this is making me very hungry - looks delicious

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds amazing, especially the bleu cheese crumbles with everything.  Seems like a classic (and perfect) combination!  Can't wait to bring the steakhouse to our home one night. 

    Please drop by my breakfast grilled cheese (#43) if you have a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this with the spinach and blue cheese!  Sounds so good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carrie RischmillerMay 7, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    My husband would flip out for this! Looks and sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lesa, I love blue cheese! I didn't know they made a smoked one either but I'll be looking for it on my next shopping trip! This sandwich sounds wonderful, great choice!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You make this sound so delicious. I would love to try it and I'm not usually a fan of bleu cheese. Great pic too. Thanks for stoppin' by my place today! CCC#22

    ReplyDelete
  7. Holy cow, LOVE the combo of roast beef and blue cheese--we'll be trying this for sure!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. oooh this sounds so good.  I love bleu cheese so definitely going to check this out!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Texas toast?  Roast beef?? Smoked blue cheese crumbles???  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This sounds A-MAZING!!  Great choice for the Challenge, Lesa.  Love it.
    Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground    CCC #48

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, man...roast beef, spinach and blue cheese???? Sign me up...and I'll take two!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This sounds delicious.  I just happen to have leftover steak.  I'm going to make this tomorrow night for hubby.  I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

    Visit me at CC#59.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a unique grilled cheese! Looks delicious! CCC #71

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would love to eat this right now! I love the mix of the steak and the bleu cheese. How delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Bake Up, Little SuzyMay 7, 2012 at 9:53 PM

    Thank you so much for linking to my grilled cheese! I LOVE your idea -- smoked blue cheese. Brilliant!

    Bake Up, Little Suzy
    www.galleykitchen.net

    ReplyDelete
  15. Smoked blue cheese! Got to get me some of that! Beautiful sandwich -- roast beef, spinach, and blue cheese is such a great combination.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I too was LOVING Suzanna's grilled cheese collection! Your photo is beautiful! Can't wait to try this sometime :)

    Desi
    #17

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just love this recipe, it looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Umm... this sandwich looks good.  My husband loves blue cheese, so I am sure he would love this sandwich.  Stopping by from CCC #9.  

    ReplyDelete
  19. I really like the addition of spinach!

    Jen #40

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello Lesa,


    Thanks for the Smoky Steakhouse Grilled Cheese Sandwiches recipe.


    I'll create one
    for sure, my kids are gonna like it :)


    If you don't
    mind, can I submit your Smoky Steakhouse Grilled Cheese Sandwiche photo in
    http://www.foodporn.net ?


    It's a food photography
    site full of all DIY food pictures from members around the world. Or perhaps
    you'd like to submit by yourself? Let me know when you did, so I can share it.
     

    ReplyDelete