DIY Grilled Cheese Bar #SundaySupper #Sleepover

Today the Sunday Supper tastemakers are sharing Sleepover Foods. Think about the best eats for a group of friends who will be with you from dinner through late night snacks all the way till the morning. Marion of Life Tastes Good is our host this week.

All the Sleepover Eats...

Breakfast

Bacon Jam Recipe by Life Tastes Good
Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches by Food Lust People Love
Breakfast Strata with Bacon and Date by Caroline’s Cooking
Broccoli Breakfast Bake by Cricket’s Confections
Classic Buttermilk Pancakes by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burrito by Brunch-n-Bites
Julia’s Mushroom Quiche – Quiche aux Champignons by An Appealing Plan
Nutty Sweet Potato Waffles by Wholistic Woman
Overnight Green Chile Breakfast Burritos by Cooking On The Ranch
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Treat Bars by Crazed Mom
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes by Books n’ Cooks
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole by Moore or Less Cooking
Swedish Pancakes with Brown Sugar Bananas by Bottom Left of the Mitten
Waffle Fruit Kabobs by Home Sweet Homestead

Desserts

2-Minute Quick Fudge by Sunday Supper Movement
Classic Oatmeal Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Heavenly Oreo Dessert by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
Peach Slab Pie by Pies and Plots

Snacks

BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
Better Than Anything Chex Mix by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
Caramel Corn by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Cobb Salad Dip by Food Done Light
DIY Grilled Cheese Bar by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fluffernutter Puff Pastry Turnovers by The Weekend Gourmet
Make-It-Yourself Caramel Apple Bar by The Freshman Cook
Maple Fish Party Mix by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Midnight Chicken Nuggets by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
S’mores Snack Mix by Positively Stacey

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So...

Do I win the 'worst mommy' award if I admit that my boys have never been to a sleepover?!?! Never. Ever. Not one.

I mean, we have gone on overnight road trips with friends and countless camping trips with other families. So, does that count? The point of a sleepover is to have fun with friends for a hefty block of time, right?

So, on our trips with friends, we do crafts...

We cook...

We hike...

And we lounge on the couch and watch movies...

I think it counts. I'm just gonna say it counts. Anyway, I love hosting 'bars' for group meals. You know S'mores Bars, Taco Bars, Bloody Mary Bars.

It takes all the last minute assembly of a dish off the host or hostess and anything that is less work for me, lets me enjoy the party even more. Here's how I host an easy sleepover dinner...

DIY Grilled Cheese Bar

First, grilled cheese is not all about the cheese. You think that grilled cheese is about the cheese and that's certainly important, but there are a lot of elements needed to inspire grilled cheese creativity. And, yes, I did actually buy that cheese (pictured above) because it had my name on it!

As I wrote: I like to inspire creativity in my food bars. So I provide a variety of ingredients for guests! At this DIY Grilled Cheese Bar, I gave them everything from nasturium blossoms to prosciutto and radish flowers to dandelion pesto. I pickled onions, made blackberry jam, and crisped sage leaves.

I offered six different kinds of cheese and four different kinds of bread.

Here are some grilled cheese basics to get you started...

Choose a hardy bread. Breads with dense crumb stand up better on the grill.

Use thin slices of cheese in multiple layers. While thick slices of cheese are great to grab off the cutting board, thinner slices melt more easily.

It's all about the extras. Well, it’s a balance, I suppose. But lots of extras add personality and intrigue to the sandwiches. Just make sure that there is a balance of extras plus cheese so that it all melts together into gooey deliciousness.