Fancy Grilled Sandwich Has Good Taste Of Home

This is the magazine that’s “edited by a thousand country cooks.”

It’s called Taste of Home, and the recipes come from readers across the United States. You’ll find lots of glossy pictures in this appealing bimonthly publication (the annual subscription rate is $16.95; write to P.O. Box 990, Greendale, WI 53129).

“I like the variety of the magazine,” says Marian Zoesch of Spokane. “It has casseroles and vegetables. I like the simple recipes.”

Zoesch recently perused a copy of the cooking magazine looking for inspiration for asparagus dishes. One of the benefits, she says, is that it gives her lots of ideas for cooking vegetables.

An occupational therapist with Spokane Mental Health, Zoesch is a polio survivor who has used a wheelchair since 1988. Her cooking habits changed with the transition to the chair.

“I use the microwave more than the stove top,” says Zoesch, who also likes her toaster oven for foods such as potatoes. She has developed a fondness for the Corning Ware “Vision Ware” pots and pans, through which she can watch her food cooking from eye level.

You’ll enjoy watching, and eating, these fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. And who knows, maybe Marian Zoesch - or you! - will be featured in an upcoming Taste of Home.

Double-Decker Cheese Melt

Adapted from “Taste Of Home, Annual Recipes 1997” (Reiman Publications, 1996).

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded nonfat Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup reduced-fat margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion salt

12 slices whole-grain bread

Paprika, optional

In a food processor, blend cheese and butter. Add eggs, garlic salt and onion salt; process for 1 minute until creamy.

Spread 2 tablespoons of the mixture on each slice of bread. Stack 2 slices of bread, cheese side up, for each sandwich (you end up with a cheese layer on top); sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Cut sandwiches in half diagonally. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (1 whole sandwich): 349 calories, 12.4 grams fat (32 percent fat calories), 21 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrate, 67 milligrams cholesterol, 1,213 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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