TUESDAY

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches  |  Spinach & Green Apple Salad

 

I have been noticing quite a few recipes popping up online for this grilled sandwich.  They all sound wonderful!  But I am a creature of habit.  I have been making French Onion Soup for years {experimenting with different techniques} and I have determined that, in order to caramelize onions {properly}, the process is a slow one.  So, these grilled sandwiches started a long time ago…

I began with 3 huge yellow onions {would equal 6 regular onions} and I thinly sliced.  I placed all of the onion slices in my slow-cooker and cooked on HIGH for 8 hours {yes, that is right, NOTHING else…the onions have enough water & sugar to caramelize nicely on their own}.

After 8 hours, remove the lid from the slow-cooker and add:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons Marsala wine
• ½ cup beef broth {preferably Homemade}

Continue to cook on HIGH {uncovered} for 30 minutes {while you prepare the grated cheese & the salad}…

Grate 2 cups of Gruyere cheese and set aside.

Prepare the salad dressing {I have my own Dijon Vinaigrette that I love}…

Dijon Vinaigrette

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup Apple Cider vinegar
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard {smooth or whole grain, depending upon your taste}
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, cover & shake vigorously to blend.  Set aside.

At this point, if you are following the Spinach & Green Apple Salad recipe, toast the walnut pieces.  We prefer raw nuts so I just sprinkled the walnut pieces over the salad before tossing with the vinaigrette. Then comes the green apples…

 

Slice into thin strips and toss into 2-3 cups of fresh, washed, baby spinach leaves.  Add the walnuts…drizzle & toss with the Dijon Vinaigrette.

To finish the sandwiches…slice some fresh bread {amount depends on the number of sandwiches you are making} and heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Butter one side of a bread slice for each sandwich and then place in the hot skillet, buttered side down.  Top each bread slice with some Gruyere cheese and some of the onion mixture.  Cover with a buttered bread slice, facing up.  Heat each sandwich until golden brown on one side and then flip, cooking until the other side is also golden brown & the cheese is melted.  Remove sandwich to plate and let rest for a minute or two before slicing in half.

Serve sandwich with a side of spinach salad…

On a separate, very random note…

We have this one corner of our living room that is…gloomy.  I came across some Christmas tree twinkle lights today in our hardware cabinet as well as a funky, modern vase.  I put the two together and…

Now that corner GLOWS!