My Favorite Fall Meal

I have had a lingering cold for almost two weeks now.  This short season of sickness has begged for comforting meals.  I've been sick from "the change of weather crud" and blue from missing my daddy.  (Yes, I will always refer to him as "daddy".  Doesn't every Southern girl?)  A dose of my favorite fall meal was in order one night and probably will be again tonight.  Lucky me that when fall rolls around, I keep the things I need for this particular meal constantly stocked in the kitchen.

I keep everything I need to make...

grilled cheddar and apricot sandwiches with butternut squash soup paired with a sparkling apple cider!

This is truly one of my favorite fall meals.  It's easy to make even when you aren't feeling well; not to mention delicious.

Butternut Squash Soup

I use a ready-made kind that simply needs to be heated up and "doctored up" with a little cinnamon.  Yes, I cheat.  Hey, I told you this meal was simple.

Grilled Cheddar and Apricot Sandiwiches

 Ingredients:

*bread

*cheddar cheese

*apricot preserves

*butter

For a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich, I like to have a grill pan heating up with a little butter while I spread one side of each slice of bread with butter.  (I'm guilty of turning the simplest of things into an art.)  Then I add a slice of cheddar cheese and a generous heap of apricot preserves to the non buttered sides of two slices.  Putting the sandwich together, I put it in the pan with the buttered sides out and grill it until it reaches the desired color.  Tim loves his grilled dark, I like mine lightly grilled.  I know that using apricot preserves may sound a bit odd, but trust me when I say that it is amazing.

Variations: You can change things up a bit by using cheeses other than cheddar or even using mango chutney or peach and mango preserves rather than the apricot preserves.

Serve both with a glass of sparkling apple cider and you'll have a simple and delightful meal in minutes.
It's a true winner on a chilly fall evening when you need a little "pick me up".