On my cooking column this week, I wrote about chicken potpie and how I consider it to be a comfort food.  This got me thinking of other foods that remind me of my childhood and foods that I consider comforting.  I remember my grandmother to be a fantastic cook and she would always cook for holiday dinners and when I would visit her home while my parents were working or doing other things.  Though both of my grandparents cooked, the one dish that vividly sticks out in my mind is cheese toast.  I know, out of all of the things they cooked in their kitchen, cheese toast is something that I really loved; there was something about how simple and quick it was.  As a child, I had a pretty healthy appetite and the cheese toast would definitely hold me over until someone decided to cook me a much more larger meal, ha! 

I remember eating cheese toast at the kitchen table sometimes with my grandfather present as he sipped his coffee.  I also remember wanting to be an adult so I can also enjoy a cup of coffee with him.  At any rate, the process for cheese toast was pretty simple: bread and slices of sharp cheddar cheese.  My grandmother would pop it in the oven, on an aluminum pan, and just like magic, the cheese would be melted and bubbly with the toast nice and crispy.

Fast forward to today, I still enjoy the easiness of making cheese toast every now and then.  Recently, I had a hankering for it but I thought that I should update it a bit.  Still the same base of toast and cheese but this time with a few added elements.

My version of an updated cheese toast included:
sundried tomato & basil bread
caramelized onions
sharp cheddar cheese
dried thyme

The process is still quite simple: layer the bread with the onions, top with cheese. Bake on 400 until cheese is melted.  Top toast with thyme.

What foods remind you of your childhood?