
As if you needed a reason to indulge in a grilled cheese sandwich (or two), April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Whether you’re looking for a traditional savory grilled cheese, a sugary Nutella filled option or a mix of the two (think: raisin bread grilled cheese with Red Leicester), you’ll find them all here. Stock up on bread and call your cheese monger, because we’ve got you covered with 30 epic grilled cheese recipes that will have you eating something different every day of the month.
1. Apple Cheddar Bacon Grilled Cheese: This trio of flavors is a classic combo that will never go out of style. Make sure you use extra sharp cheddar and thick-cut bacon to get as much flavor as possible out of your sandwich. (via Jeanie and Lulu’s Kitchen)
2. Bacon Cheddar Grilled Cheese Egg in a Hole: Lucky for you, your favorite childhood breakfast just became a grilled cheese. No, we’re not talking about a cinnamon toast crunch grilled cheese (although that does sound delicious). If you start your day with this sandwich, you’ll be more than ready to take on whatever life throws at you. (via Whisk Kid)
3. Bacon Mac and Cheese Melt: Have leftover mac and cheese? Don’t throw it out — make a grilled cheese! Just add bacon and chopped jalapeño for spice, and you’re ready for carb-loaded goodness. (via Real Food by Dad)
4. Bacon, Spinach and Dill Grilled Cheese: Dill adds bright flavor to an otherwise heavy grilled cheese. The addition of bacon and spinach makes it a well-rounded lunch, especially when made on wheat bread. (via Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles)
5. Bacon and Fig Grilled Cheese: You can’t go wrong with a little pig and fig! The fig jam offers a subtle sweetness welcomed by the salty bacon and goat cheese. Use a hearty wheat bread to complement the earthiness of the filling. (via The Merry Thought)
6. Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich: This Philly cheesesteak wannabe is a whole meal between two slices of bread. You could use any cheese you like, but Provolone gives it that authentic cheesesteak vibe. (via Sandra’s Easy Cooking)
7. Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich With Bacon: You read that right — this sandwich uses moist cake-like beer bread as the vehicle for a creamy beer cheese filling. You must wash it down with a cold brewski, obvi. (via The Beeroness)
8. Candied Whiskey Bacon Grilled Cheese Dippers: It’s really hard not to keep a grilled cheese all to yourself, but sometimes it’s better to share. These dippers work great as a party appetizer when served with creamy tomato soup for dunking. (via The Cookie Rookie)
9. Caramelized Butternut, Roasted Garlic and Coconut Butter Grilled Cheese: Thick slices of butternut squash beef up the filling of this grilled cheese while adding a hint of sweetness. For a quicker and cheesier melt, use shredded cheese instead of slices. (via How Sweet It Is)
10. Cornbread Brisket Grilled Cheese: The quickest way to transform your grilled cheese is to switch up your usual bread. Using cornbread with barbecue brisket filling is an obvious and delicious pairing that should be your new summer grilled cheese go-to. (via Neurotic Baker)
11. A Very Gouda Grilled Cheese: This grilled cheese hits all flavor and texture notes to ensure that there’s nothing missing from your dinner. Prosciutto lends the perfect amount of saltiness, while berry jam adds a bit of sweetness. Apple slices bring a nice crunch to the table as an avalanche of creamy gouda oozes over top. (via My Dish Is Bomb)
12. Grilled Nutella, Brie, Pear and Fig Grilled Cheese: News flash: Grilled cheese doesn’t have to be savory! Brie is the perfect cheese to use if you’re planning on going the dessert route because of its mild flavor. Go big and slather it with a spoonful of Nutella for good measure. (via Cake N Knife)
13. Grilled Peach Mozzarella and Basil Sandwiches: You can still rock a grilled cheese if you’re wanting to grill out. Fresh peach slices make this sandwich a summertime treat you just have to experience. Grab some basil from your urban garden, and get to grilling. (via Ricotta and Radishes)
14. Jalapeño Bacon Turkey Melt: If you’ve ever roasted a whole turkey, you know that there are usually tons of leftovers. This grilled cheese is a great way to use up those hearty slices of turkey breast that you just can’t seem to get rid of. Thick slices of Italian bread work great for this sandwich that’s filled to the brim with flavor. (via So Munch Love)
15. Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese With Bacon: Sometimes that jalapeño craving strikes, and you just can’t stop thinking about it. This grilled cheese is your spicy solution. If you’re up for an extra kick, add some of the juice from the pickled jalapeños to your cream cheese mixture. (via Neurotic Baker)
16. Lasagna Grilled Cheese: This may take a *little* extra effort, but it’s way worth it. Plus, it’s hard to justify making an entire lasagna when you’re the only one who’s eating. This way, you can have lasagna whenever you want. (via Joanie Simon)
17. Hot Muffuletta Sandwich: Every day is Mardi Gras when you’re sitting down to devour this sandwich. Three different kinds of deli meat are layered with a bevy of chopped olives and luscious Provolone. Now all you need are beignets to finish off this New Orleans-inspired meal. (via Hapa Nom Nom)
18. Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich With Brie: It’s safe to say your mom has never made you a PB & J like this before. The method is simple, but totally customizable. Like more peanut butter? Pile it on! Prefer a thin layer of everything? You can do that too. (via Healthy Nibbles and Bits)
19. Peach, Pistachio and Cream Cheese Toasted Sandwiches: A grilled cheese is not a place you would normally find nuts, but the pistachios here add a surprising, salty crunch. This is more of a dessert grilled cheese since it’s filled with peaches and honey-sweetened cream cheese, but it would make a great snack as well. (via Close Encounters of the Cooking Kind)
20. Italian Pesto and Marinated Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich: This Italian take on grilled cheese is made with balsamic marinated tomatoes, roasted red pepper pesto and a blend of Italian cheeses. Beware — you’ll want to put that pesto on absolutely everything. (via Chili Pepper Madness)
21. Portobello Gouda Grilled Cheese: That’s not chicken you see there, folks. Those are meaty strips of portobello mushrooms smothered in Gouda and kale pesto. This is a perfect meat-free sandwich, hearty enough to be an entire meal. (via One Broads Journey)
22. Pueblo Chile Grilled Cheese With Strawberry Jam: Roasted green chiles offer a gentle heat that’s in no way overpowering to the rest of the sandwich. In fact, they play quite well with the strawberry jam and buttery cheddar. Welcome to comfort food central. (via Set the Table)
23. Raisin Bread Grilled Cheese: Sometimes simplicity is best. While this grilled cheese has no crazy ingredients in the filling (just cheese!), the raisin bread is a welcomed change from standard white bread. (via The Worktop)
24. Steak and Mushroom Grilled Cheese: The leftover steak lingering in your fridge needs to be repurposed in the form of this grilled cheese. If you don’t have any or don’t feel like grilling a batch just for this sandwich, roast beef would work too. (via The Cozy Apron)
25. Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich: This Thai popcorn chicken is SO worth every second it takes to prepare. When layered between toasted bread with a sweet chile sauce, it’ll pretty much make all of your worries disappear. (via Curious Nut)
26. Tomato and Provolone Grilled Cheese With Kalamata Olive Chutney: There’s something about an olive that just adds a little extra oomph to anything you pair it with, and this grilled cheese is no exception. Store-bought olive tapenade would work as a time-saving alternative to the homemade chutney. (via Cake N Knife)
27. Waffled Tater Tot Grilled Cheese: That freezer-burned bag of tater tots sitting at the back of your fridge is *finally* about to fulfill its epic destiny. The only other ingredient in this show-stopping grilled cheese is Fontina, which gives it just the right amount of class. (via Real Food by Dad)
28. Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich: French onion soup, meet grilled cheese. The mash-up of these two culinary creations makes for one delightful sandwich. Prep the caramelized onions earlier in the week, and you’ll never get hangry once dinnertime rolls around. (via Greens and Chocolate)
29. Mushroom Melt: Kick your boring weeknight meal plan to the curb, and whip up this rustic grilled cheese in no time. While you’re cracking open a can of soup to go with it, your grilled cheese is just finishing up and waiting to be inhaled. (via Frugal Nutrition)
30. Grilled Cheese and Egg Sandwiches: Grilled cheese is the ultimate breakfast of champions. Fluffy scrambled eggs and sharp cheddar mingle between two slices of wheat bread for a balanced breakfast that will keep you full and satisfied all morning. (via Breakfast for Dinner)
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Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures