Plain old ham 'n' cheese? NEVER!
I split two sections of baguette, buttered the split sides, smeared on a bit of Dijon, laid down a few slices of Trader Joe's Cheddar/Gruyère mash-up, covered the cheese with slices of ham that I'd dry-fried a bit to warm and crisp them... then topped it all with the other slices of baguette...
I placed them in a hot grill pan (after brushing the bottoms with EVOO)... Covered them with a very heavy cast-iron skillet... And cooked them until well marked/colored on the bottom...
Next I brushed the tops, turned them over, weighted them again with the skillet, and cooked them another few minutes before slicing them and serving them on warm plates with...
A lovely garlick-y EVOO-y pile of sautéed Broccoli di Rape. First, trim the ends off a bunch of broccoli rabe, then chop the stalks small, and the leafy ends a bit larger. Put it all in a pot with a bit of EVOO and a bit of water. Add chopped garlic, some salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. To balance the broccoli rabe's spectacular, natural bitterness, this time I added a handful of chopped dried cranberries! Steam/sauté until just barely tender. Serve immediately.
This year's Hamapalooza is even more fun than last year's!
And just wait...