Melted cheese and toasty bread. What more do you need in life?

I've only had one bad experience with grilled cheese in my 28 years of life. It happened when my older sister was babysitting us three younger kids, and she was making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. By the time she got to preparing my sandwich, she had run out of American cheese slices - so she made mine with large chunks of cheddar cheese. The result was a too-thick sandwich with cold, congealed cheese inside. Just writing about it makes me quiver. 

Years later, I have come to finally appreciate some appropriately-sliced cheddar cheese in my grilled cheese sandwiches. And when it's apple season, there's no better savory combination - in my opinion - than a good cheddar cheese paired with slices of locally-grown apples. I tend to crave this flavor combination as soon as the weather turns colder, and that craving ended up being the inspiration for this simple, yet delicious, grilled cheese sandwich.

Apple and Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Yields: 2 sandwiches 

1 apple (Fuji is recommended), cored and cut into slices

3 oz. good cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. fresh rosemary sprigs

4 slices of bread (potato bread is recommended)

Cooking spray

Divide ingredients evenly between both sandwiches. Lightly spray a Panini Press (or frying pan) with cooking spray; cook sandwiches until lightly golden brown on both sides, and until cheese is melted.