The trick to a good Monday can be as simple as a delicious grilled cheese for breakfast. It can be fancy and gourmet while also being completely uncomplicated.

I’m a fan of using whatever is in the fridge – and this time that happened to be:

• a few slabs of leftover cheese from Trader Joe’s Party Tray Cheese
• 2 leftover slices of salami from a Christmas party cheeseboard
• a handful of kale
• and a fried egg to make it breakfast-y (I cooked this as I unfortunately don’t keep fried eggs handy in the fridge)
• The one thing you do need (at all times in my opinion) is really good sourdough. My favorite is almost any loaf from Bread Alone.

I used to use butter to make grilled cheese, but a good friend of mine awhile ago suggested mayonnaise – slightly healthier and super easy to spread. I haven’t looked back since and I don’t even like mayonnaise! But for this purpose, I do.

You practically can’t go wrong with grilled cheese. What could be bad with crunchy bread and melted cheese? This is a meal meant for anyone who thinks they can’t cook. Put in whatever you want, and it can even be different every time!

You don’t need oil because the Mayo is sufficient. You just need either a grill pan or skillet, turn up the flame to high, and on goes your sammie.

I don’t time this; I just look. When it looks sizzly, use a wide spatula to lift it and see if it is starting to look gold and beautifully toasty. If yes, then you can flip it. You decide!

And in no more than 20 minutes including prep time (30 minutes maybe if you’re slow like me), and as little as even 10, you can be enjoying one of the best simplest breakfasts that can be had – and just like that, you’ve made a Monday not so bad. Not bad at all. In fact, it just became fantastic.