What makes me happy? A bottle of red wine and a big ol' piece of cheese? Perhaps. But when the wind is whipping at the windowsill and the snow is coming down, nothing makes me happier than the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

I am a purist; I like to keep things in my kitchen simple. The same holds true with my grilled cheese creations. Great bread, Canadian cheese, butter and maybe even a slice of locally cured ham. During the recent holidays, when my belly was about to burst from over-alcholization and roasted goose, I decided to take make a quick lunch for the troops.

The grilled cheese components included extra Old Cheddar from Mapledale Cheese in Ontario, apple-walnut bread from Boulangerie La Vendeenne, Westphalia ham from Roselane Farm and... mayo. Yep, mayonaise. I recently came across a cool trick in a CHOW recipe about how mayo won't burn the bread like butter. I was skeptical about this tip, but I had to give it a try.

With meat and cheese neatly tucked between the bread, I spread some mayo on both sides of the bread and placed the sandwich onto a medium heat non-stick pan to slowly brown, crisp and melt.

The result was pure bliss - salty, creamy and crunchy with not a burnt bit in sight! My holiday snack was as I would say, outta sight!