When I was a child, we did not eat butter. Rather, my cholesterol-conscious parents bought then-trendy I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter, which my father creatively coined “ICBINB,” as in, “Gab, please pass the ICBINB. How was school?” I hated ICBINB, both because it was disgusting and because, unbeknownst to my well-intentioned parents, I had tasted richer, creamier pastures—and I knew that ICBINB was, frankly, a Country Crock of shit.

You see, our down-the-street neighbor Therese kept real, room-temperature butter in a ceramic dish on her kitchen counter at all times. When her son and I would play after school, she would spread thick layers of sweet, real butter on toasted white bread and serve it to us for a snack, along with glasses of icy Kool-Aid. Therese, it seemed, put butter on everything—and for good reason: it was delicious. And, unlike the white bread and Kool-Aid (which I could have done without), it tasted real.

Today, my parents know better—their days of spreading artificially-flavored whipped vegetable oil on bread are long gone. And this morning, as I slathered these sandwiches with butter (truly the key to making good grilled sandwiches), I thought fondly of Therese and her ceramic butter dish.

• ingredients
• unsalted butter at room temperature 1 for a stick
• 8 thick slices of sourdough bread $1.50 for a loaf
• 4 slices jack or cheddar cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
• 4 eggs $1.50 for 12
• 1 avocado, sliced $1.50
• few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley or cilantro $1 for a bunch
• 1 jalapeño, sliced into rings $0.25
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced thinly $0.50
• few thin slices of red onion $0.50 for a whole onion
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $11.25

Directions

Butter all 8 slices of bread. Place a slice of cheese between two slices of bread with the buttered sides facing out. Repeat with remaining bread and cheese.

Heat a grill pan, frying pan (preferably cast iron) or panini maker over medium-high heat. Grill the sandwiches (if using a grill pan or frying pan, press them with another heavy pan, weighted down with a few cans). While the bread grills, cook the eggs in a little butter in a separate frying pan, to your desired done-ness (scrambled, fried, over-easy, etc).

Cook the sandwiches until bread is golden-brown and crispy on both sides and cheese is melted.

To assemble the panini, open up a sandwich and slide an egg in with the cheese. Top the egg with a few slices of avocado, jalapeño, tomato, onion and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining half of bread. Repeat with remaining sandwiches and serve immediately.

Makes 4 paninis.