Open Faced Mushroom Melts (or grown up cheese toast)

Toaster oven days

Ok, so maybe I’m going to alienate some people today, but here goes nothing. I grew up with a toaster oven. My husband also grew up with a toaster oven. We were toaster oven people. Now I don’t know if that was just a symptom of our 80’s/90’s upbringing, or an insight into our socio-economic status – which I’ll say was comfortable but not without coupons. But either way both Eddie and I, somewhere in our early tweens, both knew the allure of the toaster oven and the glorious creations that emerged from within its radiant-heated walls.

But time, it changes you. Fast forward a couple of decades, and you’d find us older, taller, fatter, in some ways wiser, but ultimately without said toaster oven. Honestly for a while I had no toaster at all. I would just spear a piece of a bread with a knife and hold it over the open flame of the stove in whatever apartment I was calling home that year. I’m pretty sure Eddie never stooped to that level of sadness/genius and went without toast for a good long while – eventually throwing 20 bucks at the problem and getting a run-of-the-mill slot toaster. Once we got serious and merged our lives, stuff, and various emotional baggage though, it occurred to us that our toaster situation kind of sucked. And that we were longing for the nostalgic treats of our youth – pizza muffins, cinnamon toast, and melty, ooey, gooey, cheesy bread.

So this past Christmas we righted that wrong. Or rather Eddie did, by way of the cats (yes we’re those people that give each other presents that are technically from our pets – feel free to judge). And now we’re the proud owners of one monster of a toaster oven and our lives are COMPLETE.

Or at least made better by the addition of cheese toast

So again, if you didn’t grow up with a toaster oven, then maybe you’re not in the cheese toast is life club. But even if you didn’t have the equipment you are still human and so must understand the beautiful coalescence of toasty bread and melty cheese. If you are a vegan, lactose intolerant, or just a cheese hater – well I am truly sorry. But I must speak my truth. And that truth is cheese toast.

How to make the best cheese toast

Uh Jo, the recipe’s right there in the name. Let’s not over-complicate things shall we? And yes, I’d agree that the cheese toast of my youth was delicious – I mean I’m dedicating an entire blog post to it, so it must have struck a major chord somewhere, right? But the BEST cheese toast, and maybe even further to that, the BEST cheese toast that you as a grown-ass adult might hope to make, involves just a few tips to ensure maximum cheese toast enjoyability.

1. Toast your bread, sans cheese, first. You want to make sure you have a solid foundation for your mountain of melty deliciousness to sit upon.
2. While we’re discussing bread – make it a delicious, hearty slice. Sourdough is always nice, but anything sturdy is great. If it comes pre-sliced steer clear.
3. Because this is grown up cheese toast add a couple of grown up type things. It won’t ruin the experience, I promise. You’ll still get lots of cheesy goodness, but also enough nutrient dense stuff to call it a proper meal.
4. If you don’t have a toaster oven don’t fret. You have a regular oven, yes? It’s just a bigger version of the same thing.

And if you don’t want to say you’re having cheese toast for dinner?

Just call it an opened face mushroom melt – though I’m pretty sure if you told someone you were having them over for cheese toast they’d think you were the coolest. So just food for thought.

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Oh hey, one more thing!

If you make this recipe please snap a quick pic and tag me. I love seeing your creations! Also if you’re bored and feeling like clicking around the internet – feel free to leave a comment and tell me about your experience making this. And as always, thank you so much for reading. You’re the tops!