If at first you don't succeed

Call it a night and eat an entire loaf of challah? Hmmm that's probably not what the old adage was implying, but whatever - this is my blog dammit.

Let's back pedal to my pre-stomach full of challah hours. I left work with the best of intentions to complete my 18 mile long run since the next few days will be filled with rainy weather, Emily's epic birthday celebrations, and trapeze class.  I fastidiously carbed up at lunch, had a mid afternoon oatmeal snack, hydrated, and popped some preemptive ibuprofen. However, not sure if it was Monday's 10 mile tempo run or a little too aggressive cross training on Tuesday but last night's run was not in the cards. Around mile 5 my right calf started cramping up in the most irritating of ways. Usually I can ride out the rotating aches and pains that come with a long run but the combination of exhaustion, tired muscles, and lack of focus did me in so I called it quits and circled back to finish at 10 miles.

Round two of MM vs. 18 miles will take place Saturday afternoon. Bring it.

So how did I respond to a disappointing workout? By stuffing my face with comfort food obviously. Roomie and I decided to have a grilled cheese party last night. But these are not the grilled cheese of your childhood - Kraft singles and Bunny bread are not welcome in our apartment. Instead, we threw together our own gourmet sandwiches when the GRILLED CHEESE MAN wasn't available. Grilled cheese are delightfully simple and fast to assemble; only a few quick prep steps and you'll be on your way to yumminess.


Grown up grilled cheese
Makes 3-4 sandwiches (or more if you're not greedy like us...)

challah loaf
1-2 avocados
2 gala apples
2 red onions 
manchego
gruyere 
pancetta
honey dijon mustard 
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp olive oil
salt
butter

First, peel and slice the onions lengthwise in 1/4 in slices. Heat the 2 tsp of olive oil on high in a saute pan and add the onions once the oil is hot. Stir for 10 minutes, then reduce heat and add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Watch the onions as they soften - you want them to brown and slightly stick to the pan, but be careful not to let them burn. Add a little more oil and a dash of water if you think they're on the verge of burning. Stir every few minutes for around 30 minutes until the onions are nice and caramelized.

While you're waiting on the onions, slice the challah, apples, avocado, and cheeses to desired thickness. Be sure to slice the cheese thinly so that it will melt faster. Swipe a separate saute or frying pan with butter and place over low heat. Add the sliced apples and let them soften for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Once your onions are done, you're ready to begin assembly! You can use the apple frying pan for your sandwiches, so coat the pan with a little more butter (I never said these were healthy sandwiches) and then toss in a few slices of the challah on medium heat. Toast them on both sides quickly before lowering the heat and adding your toppings. The choice of toppings is up to you, just cook until the cheese is nice and gooey. Some of our favorite combinations were: open face sandwich with dijon mustard, apples, and gruyere and a massive avocado, onions, pancetta, apple and manchego sandwich. Obviously they were so good we'd finished them before I could even take photos...