Please welcome my guest blogger today, Kristen Gough from MyKidsEatSquid.

Whenever I’m starved for dinner ideas, I pull up Marthaandme for a little inspiration. My kids (three girls!) are creative eaters by habit—we love to try new flavors and recipes. I’m thrilled that while Marthaandme takes a much-deserved vacation, I can offer a recipe of my own to get you by until she returns.

Grilled cheese usually induces yawns from my kids. But it’s so quick to put together that sometimes when I have a busy night or we’ve spent the better part of the day at the pool I make them by the stack.

See grilled cheese doesn’t have to be boring—and it doesn’t have to be the soggy, limp tasteless variety I sometimes pass off as dinner. We’ve reinvented grilled cheese around our house, with more than a little help from an arsenal of cheeses. These aren’t hard-to-find cheeses, but a combination of a few favorites and a couple special finds. My mouth-watering combo is sharp cheddar, deli American, Havarti dill and fontina. You can mix and match four (or three) of your favorites but the there is a method to my mix—cheddar for flavor, but it doesn’t melt well so then comes the American followed by Fontina, which melts beautifully and has more of a kick than its milder mozzarella cousin, and Havarti dill for a hint of herby flavor and creaminess. I used several thin slices of each cheese for the sandwiches. I add a kick of flavor to the sandwiches with a few chopped green chiles, but you don’t have to (there are few sandwiches where I don’t toss in at least a few mild green chiles). I also add a thick slice of tomato right after the sandwiches get off the griddle and before the cheese sets.

Don’t put all those cheeses on just any bread! I look for a hearty, rustic loaf then use a thin slather of real butter to coat the outside. If that’s not enough flavor to boost grilled cheese from a dinner disappointment to something special, I usually serve it with a bit of chipotle-spiked mayo to the side.

For the complete recipe keep reading.

Recipe for Four Cheese, Grilled Cheese with Chipotle-Spiked Mayo

Serves: 4-5

Sandwich ingredients

1 loaf hearty, rustic bread

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

5-10 slices deli American cheese

2 ounces Havarti dill

4 ounces Fontina cheese

Butter

Sauce ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce (you can find 12-ounce cans in your grocers ethnic foods aisle)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large griddle to medium-high heat. Cut the bread into thin slices (depending on your family’s preferences). Lightly butter the outside of each piece. Separate the bread pieces equally into tops and bottoms of your sandwiches.

Cut thin slices of all of your cheeses (again, depending on your family’s preferences, my husband likes thick slices, I prefer thin).

Place the bottom bread pieces onto your griddle. Quickly add pieces of cheddar, American, Fontina and Havarti dill to each one. Add green chiles between the American and Fontina, if you’re using them. Once the cheese begins to melt (about one minute) add the sandwich tops. Let the sandwiches cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on both sides or until golden.

Let the sandwiches cool off the griddle for a few minutes while you mix up the mayo. At this point you can also add a slice of tomato to the sandwich.

For the sauce, simply whisk the chipotle sauce into the mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the sandwiches and serve with a little mayo for dipping.

As a mom, freelance writer & foodie blogger, Kristen J. Gough spends her days crafting stories when she’s not dreaming up new food combos to try out with her kids.