Sometimes We Go Along With Made Up Holidays - National Grilled Cheese Day!

Someone squirreled away in some office somewhere has had a great time inventing made up "holidays."  The social media world exploded with pictures of people when they were young and incredibly adorable (not that you all are not still adorable, but you were cuter at age seven and you know it!) for "National Sibling Day" on April 10th.  Later that weekend, on Sunday, April 12, a "holiday" I could really get behind happened.  (I love my brother and we just had a great time this past weekend when he brought his whole family along with my parents to the city for a visit, but I did not feel the need to share pictures of me looking adorable and him looking awkward - he is six years older than me, so he hit that stage right in my prime cuteness years.)  Sorry about that aside, I felt it was important to discuss.  Back to the "holiday."  Apparently someone decided to make the next social media "holiday" National Grilled Cheese Day and I was THRILLED!  Who wouldn't love a day in which one melts cheese between two delicious pieces of bread and decides to overshare with the world??

Alright, so I learned about this "holiday" after running my second race in two weeks - this time just a four miler.  I ran a nice #slowbutsteady pace and beat my goal time, so I was proud.  I was also proud I had not run myself into the ground by trying too hard and not being able to do anything else that day even though we had gone on a GORGEOUS hike the day before!  (Yes, I had to skip my soccer game because I was somewhat tired, but I also had to save my legs for the half marathon I was running the next weekend!)

The view from our hike up Bald Mountain (same area as Bear Mountain)
in New York.  #nofilternature

Taking a break and being goofy after completing a very steep climb!

The most adorable husband ever enjoying our hike!

Post-hike we were looking for something delicious to eat in the area and found Foodies in Fort Montgomery, NY and it was AMAZING!  Look at that pizza!  Racing strips of mozzarella, pesto, and their house tomato sauce!  Soooooooo good!

Hiking in the Bear Mountain area?  Go to Foodies.  Get a pizza.
Thank me later!:)

Back to Sunday/the best fake "holiday" ever (aside from National Talk Like a Pirate Day0.  After the race Jeffy (best husband/fan section a girl could ever have!) and I went to our gym and grabbed some smoothies while we wrote a grocery list.

Proud I finished the four miler, still felt good, and ready for smoothies!
#earnedthebagel

We made it to our beloved Trader Joe's (TJs) by 11am and it was the calmest shopping experience there EVER!  Also, they had everything we wanted for all of our recipes, so we did not have to make any substitutions!  Apparently Sunday morning shopping with the slightly older crowd is the best time to go because the shelves were FULL!  Let's keep the Sunday morning uncrowded/fully stocked shelves thing a secret between you and me, alright?  Thanks!

Post-shopping I needed some couching time and we hung out for a while before heading out on a walk to stretch our legs and say goodbye to Jeffy's amazing Spring Break relaxation week (during which he worked incredibly hard at his new hobby - computer programming - and earned a seat at an amazing programming school/"computer camp" for the summer!  So proud!).

Walking in Riverside Park.  You can see the
George Washington Bridge in the background.
Ask Jeffy to tell you a story about that bridge!

Enjoying the blue skies!

Oh, I guess here is where we actually get to the cooking part!  You never thought I would get there, did you?  Well, here we are!

My favorite grilled cheese ever is at a coffee shop in the West Village called Grounded Coffee.  I have dragged several friends here and done countless hours of lesson planning and grading here while enjoying a delicious chai latte and a grilled brie and apple on multigrain bread.  It is AMAZING.  So that is what I decided to do for my made up "holiday" sandwich.  I used a light brie from TJs, Granny Smith apples because that tartness is delicious, a drizzle of honey, and some arugula on a multigrain bread.  For anything we "grill" in our house - whether it is burgers (except for these ones, which we cooked in a pan) or grilled chicken or panini sandwiches to go on the side of delicious soup or simply toast like we did for this recipe - we use the George Foreman grill (lovingly called Jorgé).  So we grilled these panini-like grilled cheeses on the Foreman, but you should use any technique - baking, pan cooking, or even a fancy-schmancy panini press - that you prefer!

Here are the photo-instructions for how to create an amazing grilled cheese/panini!

Jeffy is the best sous chef ever and sliced those
Granny Smith apples nice and thin!

Action shot of the brie slicing!  Go Jeffy! 

I drizzled olive oil on the side of the bread touching the grill,
then I layered the slices of brie and apple on the pre-warmed "grill". 

Next I added a drizzle of honey to add a little sweetness to
counteract some of the delicious tartness of the apple.

Finally, I added some arugula.  I liked the arugula, but you
might like it best as a side salad rather than in your sandwich!
Of course I added another layer of bread at this point with some
more olive oil drizzled on top.

The final product!  

Here is the recipe - tweak it to whatever combo you like best.  Maybe add some berry jelly instead of the arugula and use the arugula for a side salad with a honey vinaigrette!

Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

- Two slices of our favorite type of bread - I used a multigrain

- A few slices of brie cheese, sliced about 1/8" to 1/4" thick

- A few slices of apple - I prefer Granny Smith for the tartness, but most types work well - also sliced flat and the same thickness as the cheese

- A drizzle of honey

- A drizzle of olive oil for each piece of bread

- Several leaves of arugula (you could also use this as a side salad instead of on the sandwich!)

Directions:

1.  Warm up your grill/grill pan/oven/however you make grilled cheese.  (We use a George Foreman grill.)

2.  While your source of heat (let's call it the grill to make things easier) is warming up, slice the brie and apples.

3.  Drizzle olive oil on one side of a piece of bread and place the oiled side down on the grill.  

4.  Layer the cheese, apples, a drizzle of honey, and the arugula (if you have it/want it) on top of the bread.

5.  Add the second piece of bread on top and drizzle a little more olive oil on that.  Grill for about three minutes or until the cheese is melted and remove it from the heat.  

6.  Slice your sandwich in half and enjoy!