Brie Apple Cranberry Grilled Cheese

 

      Always in the mood for a good grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup?   So are we.  This is a new one I found online.  I love the individual flavors of each of the ingredients, so this marriage seemed 'au natural'.  Gooey, messy, and savory this one has it all.  What is it about cranberries that add the perfect flavor of sweet/tart.  I've also seen recipes for this sandwich with pears.  The brand of apple and type of bread you use is an individual preference, but this time in the Texas Hill Country I use what I can find.  Use a good quality whole grain bread as ours ended up a bit soggy.  However, the sweeter the apple the better.  

4 slices of sourdough bread

2 Tbsp. butter

Extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces chilled Brie, sliced thin

1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into thin slices

1/2 cup whole berry

cranberry sauce

      Butter the 4 slices of bread and brush the other side with the olive oil.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place two slices of bread butter side down in the skillet and assemble as follows:  Brie, thin sliced apple, and cranberry last.  Top with slice of bread.  

      Reduce heat and cook until browned and then flip.  Some folks like to press the sandwich down with a spatula or a weight.  Keep an eye on the melting cheese.  When browned on both sides, remove and cut in half; serve with choice of hot soup.  We LOVE chicken noodle.  Your taste buds will not doze on this one.  

"How thick can you get?"

JK Rowling

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Gypsy Sally's Leakey, TX

 

      Settled into our winter retreat here now and once again we will visit many of the local eateries.  Leakey is a small town of 390 folks but has several very nice eateries.  I have written reviews of 4 other local establishments, but there are several more in the area either new or worth recognizing.  

      This time we visit Gypsy Sally's, newly opened since last winter on the corner of US83 and Ranch Road 337 in 'downtown Leakey'.  Remodeled from the shell of an old gas station into a much more eclectic indoor/outdoor stop they offer a fairly diverse array of meals.  In fact, we watched them build the enormous wood pit this past winter.       www.gypsysallysleakey.com/menu, It has become a favorite for folks passing thru, truckers, and of course locals as well, a mere 3 miles from our place.  A great stop for lunch or dinner.  They also offering a very successful catering operation as well as gift cards. 

      On our visit we chose dinner.  It was a COLD day, so we were glad they had the inside seating and heat.  After chatting with the staff for a few minutes Barb settled on the Hamburger Supercheese while I chose The Double Wide Paradise Sammy.  This was the 'Daily Special' which is a double meat smoked bologna on Texas Toast with Romesco Sauce, Cheese, and Onions.  

      Barb was not overly thrilled with her burger, a bit small and loaded with more sauce than meat & cheese.   I have to admit I felt the same way about my 'special'.  The smoked bologna was delicious but hidden under too many layers of sauce and onions.    Neither of us finished our meal.  Our meal with iced tea and a beer came to $31.  They do have a wonderful selection of Tex/Mex, a superb selection of burgers, French Dip, Salads, and even a 'Grab n Go' cooler with a selection of sandwiches.  They also offer a selection of mixed drinks, wine, and brews.  Admittedly, it was a busy night the meal we attended, but the service was slow.  We were never checked on once we got our food.  They may deserve a 2nd chance.  On a rating scale of 1-5 we awarded Gypsy Salley's.....

"Mexican food is so good, you'd think the real immigration problem would be fat guys like me sneaking across the border into Mexico"  

Jim Gaffigan

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A Tour of Leakey, TX

 

       Leakey, TX sits in the Frio River Canyon about 90 miles west of San Antonio.  It is also about 40 miles north of Uvalde, 60 miles south of Junction, and 90 miles east of Del Rio.  It is a relatively small village of 425 people.  There are several different services here including two gas stations, 2 grocery stores, a Family Dollar store, feed store, auto parts store, post office, 3 RV parks, and about 10 eateries, including 2 local biker meccas west and north of town.  Don't laugh, they have great food.  The Alto Frio Baptist Camp is located just southeast of town.   This SW part of the Texas Hill Country is growing fast.  

       Leakey is in the middle of the tourist rich Frio Canyon waterway.  The Frio River has 3 main spring fed tributaries; the East, West, and Dry Frio Rivers.  The Frio River is a spring fed, clear, cool stream that attracts paddlers, floaters, and swimmers from as far away as Austin and Houston.  There are many rental cabins, two nice inns, and a plethora of Air BnBs and VRBOs.  The local communities of Concan and Rio Frio provide even more locations.

  

     

      Leakey was founded in 1856 by John Leakey, a Baptist pioneer from Tennessee.  Originally the area was founded as a lumber camp due to the vast forests of cedar and cypress trees.  Today, a large cedar mill is located just west of town and there are several smaller timber operations, but this is mostly a tourist, service industry area.  

      Leakey is a small town without much modern architecture, simply a small Texas town.  There are, however, some very nice homes in the hills surrounding the canyon.  These homes also command a pretty nice price and were not within our price range.  Our land and cabins are 3 miles east of town near the Twin Forks area.  Even this area is starting to appreciate each year.  

 

      Leakey is a quiet, sleepy little town except during tourist season.  Additionally, the "Twisted Sisters Motorcycle Run" is one of the ten best biker tours in the nation and every weekend during warm weather brings hundreds to the area.  The Twisted Sisters - Ride Texas   Of course the Annual July Jubilee to celebrate the 4th is the biggest event in town with parades, rodeo, BBQ, etc.  

 

      Another popular event in the area is the Frio River Bat Caves located in nearby Concan.  These caves are home to literally millions of Mexican Free Tail Bats that launch from the caves each evening.  This is the second largest bat population in the world open to the public.  The seasonal tours to visit these caves is very popular.  

      But I digress.  The purpose of this blog chapter is to familiarize you with the town as well as the area.  

Nora's Nursery

Mill Creek Cafe

The Outpost Hardware/Lumber

Gran's Guns/Josh's Frio Outfitters

The Leakey Inn Outdoor Music Venue

Leakey Mercantile/Grocery

Vinny's Italian Restaurant

Leakey Public Library

The Beverage Barn Drive Thru (gotta love Texas)

The Springs on the Frio at Leakey Resort

       Leakey is a fine town with the friendliest people you will find anywhere.  Each year when we begin homestead projects, we always contact our realtor and friend who is always able to provide us with references for any work we might need done.  

      This is a wonderful place to visit during a trip to the Lone Star State.  You are always welcome to stop at the Rotodome Ranch and have a cold beer and some BBQ.  

Wi

"

"Texas is neither southern nor western, Texas is Texas"

Senator William Blakely

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