Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese on Sliced Pugliese

The other day I was in the grocery store, wrestling to make my way through the hordes of holiday shoppers picking up their last minute Christmas dinner items (I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who waits until the last minute - high five, guys!), and I noticed these really wonderful looking, golden pineapples. 

This triggered a memory of a recipe I had seen recently for a baked, rice stuffed pineapple dish, and I immediately thought wouldn't that be the perfect side dish to bring for Christmas dinner?! I had visions of presenting this perfectly prepared dish, oohs and awws abounding as I placed it directly in the center of the table (ha!), so into the basket it went along with all my good intentions...then in a bag...then on the counter where it took up residence - long past the holiday festivities. My good ole friends Lazy and TV convinced me that it was too much trouble! (Perhaps it's time to make some new friends in the new year?)

Anyway! There was a point to this story, which was that I needed to do something with this miserable pineapple that I bought before it turned to mush on my kitchen counter. So it got demoted from Christmas side dish extraordinaire, to a sweet and spicy grilled cheese! Sorry pineapple!

Getting Started

There's really not much to this recipe - it's a grilled cheese. Unless you've been living in a grilled cheeseless world (the horror!), then you know what to do. Butter the outer sides of the bread; layer on the pineapple slices, jalapeno, and cheese; and grill it up! I used my George Foreman Grill and set the timer for 2 minutes - perfect!

Wrapping it Up

I liked the sweet/spicy combo on this one, which I've been kind of obsessed with lately, and it is so easy to make for a quick lunch or dinner. I also love anything with cheese and bread, so it was definitely a winner in my book! The pugliese makes small slices, so you may want to make more than one sandwich or add a side dish of some kind if you want to upgrade it from snack status. The only thing I would have done differently is maybe adding more pineapple to help the sweetness cut through the creaminess of the cheese - let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 slices pugliese (or other hearty bread that will stand up in the panini maker)

butter for grilling

Pineapple, thinly sliced, to taste

Sliced jalapenos to taste

1-2 slices muenster cheese

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