I feel like my fingers need a stretch. There is absolutely no holiday I love more than Christmas, and to do it justice, I completely break off from the blog for a couple of weeks. We go big on the 25th, but Bo’s background is part Serbian, so we always make sure to acknowledge that Christmas as well. I mean, if you can have two Christmas’, why in the hell wouldn’t you!
So, tonight is Christmas Eve, and tomorrow we’ll be celebrating with another great dinner. You may have noticed a few awesome little giveaways leading up to the 25th… Well, I saved one for tonight, because every Christmas needs a present (yes, I know it doesn’t NEED a present, but isn’t it better with one?).
One of you lucky readers are going to get a gorgeous bamboo cheese board, a set of six cheese markers (they’re white porcelain and you use a whiteboard marker to write on them – I’m obsessed!), and $25 is free cheese via vouchers, all from my friends at Alra Dofino cheese. Seriously, I don’t know what I did in my life to warrant friends in the cheese industry, but lord am I ever happy about it! To enter, just leave me a comment below telling me your favourite moment from the holidays this year. I’ll pick the winner Friday January 8, 2016 at noon (sorry, open to Canadian residents only). Congratulations go out to Mel for winning this awesome little package! Thanks to everyone for participating!
My favourite moment? It was probably watching Anna driving her new truck down the road while Oliver ran beside her in his new gladiator costume.
Back to the food though – I’m sharing with you what I’ll be having for lunch today, while Sophie naps, and I sprawl out on the couch and read a magazine. Yeah, I’m working hard today.
I’m the type who finds one item of food that I love, then that’s all I eat (in variations), until I’m sick of it. Lately, it’s been pesto. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, if I need a snack, it needs to have pesto on it. You know what goes great with pesto? Cheese. So, I’m slathering some good bread with pesto, adding a few slivers of pear, and then some nice and thick slices of Arla Dofino havarti. Toasted until crisp and golden on the outside, gooey cheese melting out the edges and down the sides… Just thinking about eating this again is making me drool.
Enough jabbering, I know, get to the recipe. Here you go – It’s the best five minutes you could spend this week, I promise! Don’t forget to tell me what your favourite moment was over the holidays in the comments to be entered in the giveaway! (sorry, Canadian residents only). Congrats again to Mel!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese with Pesto, Havarti, and Pears
Ingredients
- softened butter
- 2 slices good quality, hearty bread (I like to use a good multigrain rye bread)
- 3-4 tbsp pesto
- 6-8 thin slices of pear, about 1/8"
- havarti cheese, sliced ¼" thick
Instructions
- Butter the outside of two slices of bread generously. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, and place one of the slices into the pan, butter side down.
- Working quickly, and carefully, spread 1-2 tbsp of pesto on the bread in the pan. Top with the pear slices, and then the havarti. Spread some more pesto on the non butter side of the second piece of bread, then place on top of the sandwich, butter side out.
- Cook until the bottom of the sandwich is golden brown and crisp, about three minutes. Carefully flip the sandwich over and repeat on the second side.
Mel @ The Refreshanista
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