Foodie Share Love

   

     Something I love best about social networking is "sharing."  Pictures, articles, videos, recipes--it's the best avenue to include people you love in on the things you love.  Since graduating college, becoming a foodie was an instant path for me.  Facebook (and now this blog) became a major source of sharing for me.  Although I had facebook in college, it wasn't until post-grad that I had the budget to be cooking the splendors I find.  It also appears to be true for so many of my friends, that I didn't even realize how many fellow foodies I had right in my inner circles.

     Because I've been posting my stuff on a regular, it's been easy to discover my fellow foodies, follow their ventures, and swap recipes.  My friend Amy, whom I met in 2007 in our first year in the Vagina Monologues cast, is a perfect example.  About a year ago I posted a recipe for Falafel with Avocado Spread.  Amy happened upon this recipe and was so utterly delighted by it, she decided to pay me back with the gift of her "Best Grilled Cheese in the World" recipe.  I am about to show you how sharing a recipe (aside from preparing such a recipe) can be one of the best gifts in the world.

     Amy's recipe was simple, savory, and delicious.  You will need:

     -an apple (I used a Granny Smith to contrast the sweet flavors)
     -apricot preserves
     -cheddar cheese
     -bread
     -butter

     Begin by thinly slicing the apple.  Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes.  Layer the bread with apricot preserves, cheddar, apples, more cheddar, top piece of bread.  Then butter each outside slice as you would any grilled cheese, and grill on medium-heat until crisp.  Flip, repeat.

   
     I also paired the sandwiches with a salad inspired by the same ingredients.  You will need:

     -3-4 leaves from a head of lettuce (leaf, romaine, iceberg--doesn't matter), shredded
     -about 1/2 c. leftover chunks from your apple
     -2-3 slices of onion
     -handful of almonds or some crunchy nut for texture, roughly chopped
     -1-2 T. apricot preserves
     -1-2 T. dijon mustard
     -glug of red wine vinegar
     -couple glugs of olive oil
     -s&p

   

     Salads are as easy as shred and whisk.  Whisk all those ingredients together and toss the salad components in it.  Should look as delectable as this:

     And it doesn't get any better than the ooey-gooey-meltiness of a homemade grilled cheese sammy.