Spring semester is coming to an end, and for many, that means two things: One, finals week is coming at you like a freight train, and two, you have already spent your entire food budget for the semester on beer. How can one find the time and the money to study on a full stomach during these stressful times?

Fret not, hungry student, because April happens to be the official U.S. Grilled Cheese Month. While not as widely publicized as breast cancer awareness or Black History, the staple sandwich of the broke and lazy has its own month, and it is about time that it got the recognition it deserves.

This month, restaurants from New York to Los Angeles are adding original grilled cheeses to their menus, pushing the boundaries of the simple dish. Food magazines, websites and blogs across the country are featuring creative recipes, and cheese makers are hopping on the band wagon to garner publicity for this American classic.

Tillamook Cheeses of California, for example, recently hosted the eighth-annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. At this one-of-a-kind competition, professional and amateur chefs compete in several different categories of “sammich” creation.

First of all, it is important to define what a grilled cheese is. While most people are familiar with the basic combination of Kraft American Singles, white bread and frying pan, many other varieties fall into the category. Different breads, fillers, herbs, oils and add-ons have become popular in the United States in recent years. But at what point does grilled cheese simply become a hot sandwich that happens to have some queso in it? While some purists may maintain that anything with meats or veggies is no longer grilled cheese, for our purposes, we will define the sandwich as anything with two slices of bread, featuring cheese as the main ingredient, which is then carefully toasted to gooey perfection.

The beauty of the sandwich is its modular simplicity. Only four things are needed for a truly good grilled cheese: bread, cheese, butter and a skillet. Those who opt for the toaster oven to expedite the process miss out on the wonderful quality of buttered bread in a frying pan, a singular experience that cannot be recreated with dry heat.

While American singles are the standby filler, virtually any cheese can be used to stuff a sandwich. To cut down on cooking time and simplify the melting of sharper cheeses, try putting cheese on both pieces of bread individually and frying them bread-side down before assembling the finished product.

Other ingredients can, as previously stated, be added to beef up the basic formula. The good news is that a souped-up sammich can be made with ingredients found in even the barest of pantries. Bacon and turkey are popular ingredients. Add some ham, for example, and you’ll have yourself the classic French croque-monsieur. Think outside the box – any leftover lunchmeat that happens to inhabit the fridge can also be used. For those who bother to stock their apartments with veggies, tomatoes are an all-time favorite, and onions and mushrooms can be easily sautéed and added in.

The key is to be creative. The grilled cheese sandwich is a template, a basic model to be played around with, and an easy receptacle for getting rid of everything in your refrigerator. Embrace it.

Andrew Sheridan can be reached at [email protected].