grilled cheese social

7 Mar

Grilled Blue Cheese with Fig Jam and Rosemary Butter
7 Mar

Wisconsin Brie Grilled Cheese with Strawberries and Honey
7 Mar

Wisconsin Muenster Grilled Cheese with Heirloom Tomatoes and Garlic Butter
7 Mar

As I’m writing this in seat 11H of flight 201 to Casablanca, I’ve compacted my arms as tightly as they can be to my body so much so that I’m typing like I’m a Velociraptor or something. I have absolutely no space to spread my wings and there’s a flight attendent that keeps wheeling by me with a ciggarette cart (why are they selling cigs on this flight??) and she keeps sneaking up on me and hitting my funny bone - just like that scene from The Wedding Singer. The turbulance has been pretty gnarly for the last 30 minutes, and the bumpiness has me seeing double. The balding man in front of me keeps slamming his seat back so hard that the bottom of my keyboard keeps jabbing me in my stomach, which is way too uncomfortably full from pizza flavored Combos, peanut butter m&ms, and warm Coca Cola.

Yeah, I know, I’m sorry that I’m whining about how unpleasant my current situation is, but there are some fun things going on too. I’m really excited about this strange wall-mounted crib that’s holding a cute little chubby baby next to me. It makes me wish they made one for people my size. I’d totally pay extra for that. The airline is also playing episodes of Friends which was really relatively cool until I plugged in my headphones and realized it was dubbed over in Arabic. I’ve also got a shit ton of new music on my iphone that’s almost dead and I’m jamming out to some bassed out electronic music that makes me feel like I should be rolling in da club or something. I’m trying not to dance but I just can’t help it, maybe that means it’s time to switch over to something more chill, like that new Unknown Mortal Orchestra album or something.

In reality though, I think I might be going crazy. Why am I so antsy? Why am I so insanely itchy? Gah, it’s so hot and I have a headache from squinting because I decided to buy the version of “Consider the Lobster” that has the smallest font visible to the human eye. I’ve got 4 more hours before we land and I am ready to get the F off of this plane. It’s hot as hell up in here and everyone has warmed me not to show my shoulders and what did I wear on the plane? A stupid sleeveless shirt. I know, i know, it’s a noobie mistake but I’ve never been this uncomfortably hot on a plane before. I’m always freezing cold and the sleeveless shirt was meant to hide under my over-sized cardigan that I never thought I’d have to take off. I am anxious in ALL THE WAYS. Especially about traveling to Morocco….alone.

But enough griping, I’m truly so excited about this trip and if you want to follow me and see my adventures you can find me on Instagram @grilledcheesesocial. I’m also excited to share this recipe with you - that is not exotic in any way, shape, or form but it is super good and a solid sandwich. Smoked Wisconsin Swiss cheese, honey baked ham, cranberry jam, and a sweet and buttery Hawaiian roll make up this delightful GC.

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11 Feb

Green Corn Tamale Mac and Cheese

Today is absolutely disgusting in New York. Cold rain, sloshy grey snow, and a layer of smog that just instantly makes you depressed is looming over us. Every time I close my eyes, I’m basically dreaming about summer and all of its day drinking and eating by the Williamsburg waterfront. But instead of being all depressed, I’ve got a cure for today’s gloom and doom and of course, it’s in the form of a recipe.

Every year, I help make a bomb ass dish for Wisconsin Cheese’s 30 Ways 30 Days (which basically gives you 30 different mac’n’cheese recipes for 30 days). This years inspired comfort food might just be my favorite because it has everything to do with summer. And let’s face it, when it’s 40 degrees outside and there’s grimy weather ruining your state of mind, warm days spent in the sun while chowing down on delicous food is really the only thing that matters.

You can find my article [here] or just check it out below!

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6 Feb

The Comeback

If you follow GCS, you’re probably well aware that I’ve been slacking. Like majorly slacking. This isn’t because I’ve given up on my blog or website or whatever you wanna call it, it’s because I’ve grown up. And by grown up, I mean that I got a real person job. I go to work Monday through Friday, 9-5 and I write/internet about food for this awesome website Depanneur. It’s everything I wanted! Everything except the giant windows of free time that I once had. It’s so weird being a “real girl” and not being able to ~~get drunk~~ sleep until 2 pm on a Tuesday. My life that was once so simple, is now a regimented schedule that makes me feel like I should be settling down or something, but that’s not going to happen. My goal is to live everyday like it’s summer vacay, so let me fill you in on what’s been going on in the world of MacKenzie Smith and GCS.

Since the last post - remember when I freaked out and flew back home to Florida to recuperate from a messy and completely depressing relationship? - well since then I’ve been on awesome (food) dates with awesome dudes, got drunk a little too often, cooked/ate mass amounts of food, became a fucking pro at nail art, watched about a million episodes of The Twilight Zone, made 60 pompoms (because hey, what better way to get happy than by making pompoms), got a supercute dog named Scottie Pippen, went to HBO’s premier of GIRLS at ACME studio, ate some mushrooms, played in the woods, contemplated life and of course, got a real job.

There was also the that Superbowl Sunday thing that happened last week, which I couldn’t give a shit about but do love because of the major emphasis on food. I ate a bunch of jalapeno poppers that were way too hot. They burned my mouth so bad that I basically drank ranch dressing to get rid of the sting. I know that the tears in my eyes and the ranch dripping out of the side of my mouth must have grossed out the people I was with but it did inspire me to make a new GC. A GC that doesn’t burn your taste buds off, a GC that doesn’t embarrass you, a GC that tastes amazing and makes you rethink the last few months of your life… in a positive way. Oh, and btw, did I mention that it’s 7:30 on a Wednesday and that I’m sitting at work desk drinking my second Sixpoint Resin beer and that I love Sixpoint but i know they totally lie about their alcohol content because I kind of feel drunk. Oh and that I’m really good at rambling, and that I think they’re totally liars, but I ain’t mad. I’ve got my puppy in my lap, a brew in my hand, a food writing trip to Morocco in a week, a blog post that’s about to be done, and fun plans for tonight. It’s a good night and I’m happy to catch up with all you lovely readers, even if I’m a bit tipsy. But enough about me, let’s talk about the GC, the reason that you came here, and the food that keeps us connected.

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14 Nov

The Doff

As I’m sitting on my parents couch, watching the history of Hostess cakes, I realized that up until a few days ago, I’ve never really felt like I just needed to escape from something. Usually I’m fine with staying in a stagnant place until I feel better, but after feeling physically and mentally stuck for two long weeks from a surprisingly devastating hurricane, a isolating nor’easter, and a redundantly crappy relationship with a certain dumdum, I decided that I needed to dip out of New York. I acted on this sudden freak out and impulsively bought a last minute ticket to Florida to recoup at my parents house on the beach.

I don’t know if my bummed-out state of mind stemmed from an unfortunately lame string of events or if it had something to do with seasonal depression, which sometimes happens to me when the sun starts to set at 4:00pm and my southern brain starts to get the blues. But I do know that a quick dip in the Atlantic ocean can make you feel refreshed, a solo bike ride on the beach can make you appreciate things again, and family feasts with your ma and pa, your brother, and his insatiable friends can leave a permanent smile on your face. There’s also the wiggly little body of my family’s dachshund, Ollie, that has made me feel all warm and gooey on the inside. And then there’s the mission of finding the perfect food-related name for the new doggy that I’m in the process of adopting at the Humane Society here in New Smyrna that has gotten me out of my funk. I’m thinking Butters might just be it for this sweet little doxie mix.

And as you can imagine, whenever I come home all my family and friends demand that I make them grilled cheese and although at first I was sort of reluctant for some reason or another, I was reminded that this type of sandwich really does have comforting qualities. I cooked up this sweet and spicy little grilled cheese with inspiration from both the North and the South; crispy sweet cornbread, super spicy buffalo flavored cheddar, sweet Spanish chorizo, and a bright celery salt mayo pack this sandwich full of bright, vibrant, and flaming hot goodness.

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6 Nov

BARACKli Raben Hood

I have a huge crush on Obama. I like that he drinks orange juice in the morning, shoots hoops in the afternoon, and indulges in the occasional cigarette. He’s a real dude, a great dad, and his wife and kids are cute and awesome. I also like him even more now that his four years in the white house have made his hair all salt and peppery and sexy. And of course, I like him for his political stance as well. Not only did I vote for him because it’s super important that all of my friends are able to have equal rights and marry whomever they want, but I also think that as a young woman, his views on women’s rights match those of my own. Here’s where I shout “keep your rosaries off my ovaries!”. Additionally, because of his health care reform, I’ve also been able to keep my affordable health insurance for a few more years and god knows that with all these sharp knives I play with, I truly need it.

Not that y’all need any motivation to vote or that you even care to know who I voted for, but I wanted to share the back-story behind my Obama themed grilled cheese. My good buddies over at ACME studio have been throwing parties for the debate and of course, it wouldn’t be a party unless I brought food ~~and puns~~ and that’s how this little grilled cheese got started. During the first debate I made Barackli rabe flat bread and MacaRomney and cheese. I turned the flat bread into a grilled cheese because it was such a hit and this semi-healthy, but extremely delicious sammich has roasted garlic, fresh goat cheese, roasted broccoli rabe, and balsamic glaze. It’s definitely a winner, just like Barack Obama! (fingers crossed)

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31 Oct

Gouda Times

Even though every single person is talking about Hurricane Sandy right now, I’m not going to do that! Ok, ok, maybe I’ll just tell you a little bit about it. To sum things up, I was trapped inside for three days and did nothing but cook, watch movies, and drink wine. Besides my jeans fitting a little too tight and being stuck in Bushwick for an unknown amount of time, the aftermath of Sandy hasn’t been that bad to me and my homies - much love to everyone that its hurt.

But enough about the hurricane that made lower Manhattan look like a clip from The Day After Tomorrow (gahhh remember when Jake Gyllenhaal used to be hot and before he f’d over T Swift? he was such a qt bby), here’s the real story that goes along with this little grilled cheesy sandwich of goodness. A few weeks ago, The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board send me on the most baller foodie trip of all time. We toured Wisconsin so hard and visited local cheese makers, breweries, distilleries and some amazing restaurants. Needless to say, I drank and ate way too much but I learned so much, met some amazing people (wazzup Underground Food Collective?!), and ate so much fresh cheese that I feel sick thinking about it. ~~#noregrets!~~

During my first night there, I met Sid Cook, who’s known as the most award winning cheese maker in the world! Omg, can you say cream dream? I, of course, developed a huge crush on him and I also learned that I’ve been saying Gouda wrong for my entire life. It’s pronounced GOW-DUH! So in honor of my time in Madison, and because I want to be back there right now, I decided to make a special little GC that reminds me of how amazing the cheese state is. With pretzel bread, a bratwurst, sweet hot mustard, and some real Wisconsin GOW-DUH, my ode to Wisconsin is grilled.

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24 Sep

The Bushwick Painkiller

I’ve only been 26 for a few months now but I’m already starting to feel old. Not aged in the sense of realizing that I’m older than most people at the bars in Williamsburg or as a result from some looming social pressure that’s telling me I should have my life together by now. But rather, old in the sense that my stupid body takes forever to get over a night of cheap tequila shots, PBRs, and ~~awkward~~ creative dance moves. I’m not sure if it’s because 26-year-olds probably shouldn’t still be partying like they’re a freshman in college or that my body is actually not able to detox from the copious amounts of poison that I’ve been putting into it, but something has definitely changed and it’s making me rethink those cheap beer shot combos.

A few years ago, my mornings were a lot different. I’d wake up, still drunk from the night before and be eagerly ready to take on the day, even with smeared mascara streaking my face. Brunches at the Metropolitan White Castle, while still in my clothes from the previous night didn’t phase me. In fact, while my friends and I were busy downing mini cheeseburgers, chugging cherry coke, and categorizing our friends as either cats or dogs (think about it) I realized something very important - I come up with my best material when I’m minus a few vital brain cells. But I’m quickly realizing that I’m not so hilarious when I’m hungover these days. It’s actually kind of depressing.

As I once thrived in my fuzzed out state, I now am a pathetic mess that pitifully texts my roommates “death” which translates as “puhhhlleeasseeeee may I have a bottle of Mexican coke, saltines, advil, and a hug”. I’m super lucky that they usually deliver because with their help, I can usually make it out of bed by 1pm without booting. But sometimes I’m the one that receives the suffer-texts and when I get those, I go to great lengths to repay their generosity. That’s how this ridiculously insane sandwich was born. That and after staying up really late and watching the Food Network’s segment on the Grilled Cheese Truck’s fried chicken and waffle sandwich. I think I even dreamt about it that night to be honest.

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Green Corn Tamale Mac and Cheese

The Comeback

The Doff

BARACKli Raben Hood

Gouda Times

The Bushwick Painkiller