Baked grilled cheese and Chili Bar

I hosted a dinner party for friends the other night.  Eight of them to be exact. I made a huge batch of chili and all the fixings.  Where I grew up, you accompany your chili with a cinnamon roll or grilled cheese.  I know, some of you say, what? Where's the cornbread? I'm from the North, that's just how we roll. I didn't want to waste precious wine drinking time at the stove cooking one or two grilled cheese at a time.  I found a few recipes online that said you can make them in the oven. I've heard this rumor before but never had a reason to try it.  This was the night. There are different variations of how to do it but I chose the simplest one.

Grilled Cheese in the oven
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Butter one side of 6 pieces of bread and place butter side down on a baking sheet.  Top with a slice of cheese of your choice.  Butter 6 more slices of bread and lay on top of the cheese, butter side up.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.  Flip and bake 6-8 more minutes.  Keep in mind the tops won't be brown, it cooks from the bottom!

The sandwiches turned out great! I cut in diagonals and we dipped away!

For the chili I used my usual recipe found here but doubled it to feed the crowd.  I threw it in the crockpot before I went to work in the morning so it was really easy prep pre-party.

For the Build Your Own Chili Bar I had the following for people to enjoy:
shredded cheese
green onion
jalapenos
sour cream
cinnamon rolls
french bread
grilled cheese
saltine crackers
ritz crackers
tortilla chips
butter
hot sauce

Success!!! 

Lyndee’s Spicy Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

½ c. salsa or picante sauce (If you don’t like the chunks, substitute some spicy V8 juice)

1 can chili beans

1 large can diced tomatoes (I use a quart size jar of my Grandma’s tomatoes)

2 tbsp. Jalapeño cream cheese

1 tbsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Minced garlic

Shredded pepper jack

Brown Italian sausage with minced garlic.  I like to add some chopped onion if I have any on hand.  In a large pot mix all other ingredients except shredded pepper jack.  Add meat once cooked.  Bring to a quick boil and then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until warmed through and cream cheese has melted.  Serve and top with shredded pepper jack, crackers, sour cream or whatever you desire.

This can also be done in a crockpot on low heat for 4 hours.  Just dump and go! 

To “unspice” and make my normal chili, make as directed but leave out the cream cheese, hot sauce, red pepper flakes and pepper jack.