Bacon Granny Smith Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Everyone loves a good grilled cheese sandwich. It doesn't matter if you're young or old, sometimes a grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect lunch. Yes, even lactose intolerant people love grilled cheeses, though their colons don't. So get out your holy cheese and pray to Cheezus Crust, and make this divine grilled cheese sandwich or are you a naan believer?

In the words of Buster Bluth, "I was told there would be grilled cheese." This isn't any old grilled cheese though, it's a grilled cheese that puts all others to shame. Sure, you could go with something simple and safe, but what's the fun in that? I personally don't understand people who take the safe route; life is for living, so add some apple and bacon to that sandwich! Some people will say apples don't belong on a sandwich, but let them talk and have their wrong opinion. They don't know the joy of something weird and different, so they can enjoy their meal of quiet judgement while you eat one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches of your life.

Bacon Granny Smith Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Yields one sandwich

• 2 slices of Sourdough Bread
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 3 oz. Tillamook Cheddar Cheese grated 
• 2 oz. Gruyere cheese grated
• 1.5 Bacon Slices cooked
• 1 Granny Smith Apples thinly sliced 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper freshly ground

1. Heat up two CLEAN skillets over medium heat. That's right two. 
2. Butter one side of each slice of yo' bread. 
3. Add the mustard and pepper to one slice of bread (on the non-butter side, but you're clever so you probably figured that out on your own). 
4. Pile on the cheeses. Stack 2 apple slices and the bacon strips to the pre-sandwich. Top it off with the other slice of bread, butter side up.
5. Place in one of the hot skillets. Let cook for 30 seconds. Take the other hot skillet and place on top of the sandwich and press down. This will help melt the cheese and make it easier to flip. After a minute or so, flip the sandwich over and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown. 
6. Serve with a little salad or some tomato or  butternut squash soup. 

It's that easy to mix up the everyday routine and make something different and delicious. Don't be afraid of people judging your fruity sandwich. Go ahead and make this great sandwich, because if you don't I'll be judging you.

Say cheese, all photos by Katy Weaver 

Palak White Cheddar Pastries

Planning on throwing a party sometime soon? If you are then I suggest making these appetizers. If you're not then you can make them alone and contemplate why you're not invited to more dinner parties.

Tillamook dairy was kind enough to send me some of their delicious cheese. If you've never had Tillamook cheese before it makes store brand cheese seem like some sort of cheap rubber substitute they used in WWII. The sharpness of the white cheddar cuts right through the spinach and Indian spices, but doesn't overpower them. The pastry, spinach, cheese and spices seem to form a team that works extremely well together, much like the "A Team," but for copyright reasons let's say "An a Team."

Palak White Cheddar Pastries

Yields 18 pastries

• 2 bags of packaged Spinach chopped
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/2 Lemon juiced
• 2 Tomatoes diced
• 1 Large Onion diced
• 4 cloves Garlic diced
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger ground
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 Tablespoon Greek Yogurt
• 8 oz. Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar cubed
• 1 Egg whisked
• 1 package (9 x 9.5 in) Puff Pastry* thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Add the spinach, water, and lemon juice to a medium-sized sauce pan, cover and heat over medium heat until all the leaves have wilted down.
2. While the spinach is cooking, add the onions, garlic, and olive oil to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the onions have slightly caramelized. Add the spices to the onions. After cooking for 3-5 minutes stir in the tomatoes and yogurt. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the onion and tomato mixture to the spinach. Let simmer for yet another 5 minutes.
3. Use a food processor to blend until you get the consistency of chunky peanut butter.
4. Cut the pastries into 1 x 1 inch squares. place evenly on a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place two cheese cubes at the center of each pastry square. Scoop 1 Teaspoon of the spinach on top of each square.
5. Pinch two opposite edges of the square together, as pictured below. Brush each folded pastry with the whisked egg. Bake at 400° until golden brown, which should be about 15 minutes.
6. Serve with rice and enjoy!

*Yes, I use store-bought puff pastry. In the words of the greatest poet of our generation, "ain't no one got time for that."

Coconut Lime Basmati Rice

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 1 Lime zested

1. Rinse the rice 3 times. Add everything to a rice cooker. Wait about 20 minutes. Boom you're done.

Katy Weaver once again out doing herself with some outstanding photography.