Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

Just when I thought I was finished making Christmas cookies for the year, I realized Violet and I never made any to leave out for Santa! While I know she won't remember making them for the next several years, I will, and I love creating traditions with her. 

While Skyping with my sister in Geneva, she told me I should make Apple Cider Snickerdoodles, she saw the recipe pop up in the Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies. It just so happened that I had 1/2 gallon of apple cider in the fridge to use up, these cookies were meant to be! 

I strapped Violet in the Bjorn and we got to work!

These cookies were delicious. The apple cider added such delicious, fresh flavor, which can be hard to get in a cookie. Thanks for the recommendation, Becky! Santa loved these cookies.

Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

adapted from Food Network

1 1/2 c. apple cider

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter at room temperature

1/2 c. granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. apple pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg)

Preheat oven to 400*

Bring apple cider to a boil in a small sauce pot, reduce to medium and simmer until reduced to about 2-3 tbsp. of syrupy liquid.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Scrape down sides, add apple cider and egg, beat until mixed well.

Add remaining ingredients except apple pie spice.

Beat on low until mixed dough comes together.

Mix 1/4 c. granulated sugar with apple pie spice in a shallow dish.

Break dough into walnut sized balls and roll in sugar, place on cookie sheet lined with parchment, and press gently.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies for 12 minutes, cool on pan for 2-3, then on a wire rack until they're at room temperature.

Store in a cookie jar, or on a plate for Santa!

Carrot-Apple Nut Muffins

Nothing says fall like apple and pumpkin picking, cider, corn roasts, and fall festivals. Sadly, there aren't many (if any) pumpkin patches and apple orchards here in Florida. Because my husband is travelling or has games every weekend during the fall, I know our chances of making it up to North Carolina for a Fall-activity packed weekend is out of the question. So you can imagine how excited I was when I walked into Whole Foods and found these little 1/2 peck bags of apples! Yes, they were shipped all the way from New York (carbon footprint - ouch!) but because they're in season, and massive quantities are shipped at least.

Two weeks ago, the apples in the bags were Macintosh, but last week they were Honeycrisp, the most delicious of all apples! I find that Macintosh is my favorite for caramel apples because they're not quite as sweet, but Honeycrisp are perfect for a sweet, bright, crunch snack. They also hold up really well to baking!

I don't bake muffins and breakfast snack type things as much as I used to because we don't really need the extra baked goods around the house. However, these are pretty healthy, and are a cross between carrot cake and apple muffins, two of JJ's favorites. I thought he'd really like them, and I was correct! And it's very fitting that the Apple muffins come from a wonderful blog, Apple a Day! 

Tips and Trades:

-I halved this recipe, but kept the apple and carrot at the whole amount. They were still quite tasty, but didn't puff as much as a regular muffin. I'd suggest adding another tsp. of baking powder if you use the full apple/carrot amount in the halved recipe. I got 12 smaller muffins.

-Can't find Honeycrisp? Try using other apples that are good for baking, here is a great guide!

-This recipe is the original, Kelsey got around 20 muffins, the recipe claims to yield 16.

Carrot-Apple Nut Muffins

from Kelsey at Apple A Day, originally by Williams-Sonoma

1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c. oat bran (or ground rolled oats)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. nonfat buttermilk

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 c. grated apple (I did not peel it first)

1 1/4 c. grated carrot, peeled (about 2 medium)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 c. mixed raisins and dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400*

Grease muffin tins or add paper liners, recipe should yield between 16-20.

In a large bowl, whisk flours, oat bran, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, buttermilk and yogurt.

Add the flour mixture until it is just about moistened, do not over mix!

Add the grated apple, carrots, nuts and raisins, stir until just distributed.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar and cinnamon.

Bake until a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the center, about 15-18 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, transfer muffins to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Store in an air tight container.

Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas and Coconut & Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets

So the names of these recipes are quite a mouthful, but they are actually simple and extremely healthy dishes! I found the salad recipe in my latest issue of Vegetarian Times. I was immediately drawn to it because it had quinoa and peas! I made it once, but forgot the coconut, and decided to make it again. Then I saw these tofu nuggets in Cara's blog, and figured it would be the perfect accompniament to the salad.

Last night though, when I raided the freezer for a bag of peas, there were none! I don't know how that's possible, they're my favorite! I did find a bag of green beans though, so that was a decent substitute. The recipe calls for cooking the quinoa in carrot, beet or vegetable juice, but I decided to use some of the pomegranate juice sent to me by POM Wonderful as well as some vegetable stock to keep the calories i ncheck.

The coconut tofu nuggets were delicious, I had a little sriracha with them for dipping. They were very crunchy, as the recipe states. I could have eaten a million!

Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas and Coconut (adapted from Vegetarian Times)

& Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets (From Cara's Cravings)

1/3 c. chopped almonds

2 tsp. EVOO)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2" freshly grated ginger root
1 c. quinoa
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
1 c. vegetable stock
1 c. frozen peas (or green beans)
1 medium apple, diced
1/3 c. unsweetened shredded coconut


Toast almonds in a small pot for 3 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown. 
Set aside to cool.
Rinse quinoa under running water for a minue in a fine mesh sieve.
Place pot back on stove, heat over medium, add oil and onion, saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.
Stir in ginger, quinoa, stock and juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat, stir in peas, apple, coconut and almonds into salad.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crispy Coconut Tofu Nuggets:

1 block organic, extra-firm tofu

1 egg white, beat to a froth

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded coconut
zest from one lime
Sriracha

(Directions are slightly different from Cara's)
Slice tofu in half to create 2 1" regtangles.
Wrap the tofu in a tea towel, place under a heavy dutch oven, let it sit for 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
Set a cooking rack on top of a baking sheet, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix together the panko, coconut, and lime zest and pour onto a plate.
Cut each rectangle of tofu into 6 triangles, creating 12 total nuggets.
Season the tofu wedges with salt and pepper. Dip each one into the egg froth, then dredge in the panko mixture and set on the cooling rack.
Bake for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly browned and crispy on both sides.

Gorgonzola Apple Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

For the salad portion of our Valentine's Dinner, I decided to mix some of my favorites that go so well together. I went with a Maple Dijon Dressing, I got the idea from a Maple Walnut Dressing I had at a restaurant. Since Whitney can't eat nuts, I had to substitute something else in. I also coated some pecans in cinnamon and brown sugar, but kept them seperately in a bowl so they wouldn't contaminate the salad on Whit's behalf. They were amazing though, and we all snacked on them throughout the dinner.

Gorgonzola Apple Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

1 sack of organic mixed baby greens

1 Granny Smith apple, sliced

1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/4 red onion, sliced

1 cup pecan halves

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. EVOO

Dressing:

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup pure Maple Syrup

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp. minced tarragon

1/4 cup EVOO

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss pecans in EVOO in a pie plate.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, toss again.

Toast for 10 minutes, or until nuts are crisp and fragrant.

Arrange salad in a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together dijon, maple syrup, salt, pepper and tarragon.

Whisk in EVOO in a steady stream.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Drizzle over salad, serve the rest in a side dish.

Top salad with pecans, or serve on the side.

(In this photo, the nuts are in the bottom dish, kind of hiding behind my wine glass!)

Apple Pie with Salted Pecan Crumble

The second dessert on the Thanksgiving menu is this Apple Pie with Salted Pecan Crumble. I knew I had to make a classic double-crusted apple pie, but I also wanted to make something fun and different. Salted anything seems to be all the rage these days (caramels, chocolate, etc.), so this seemed to be a more current adaptation of a classic recipe!


I made a few slight changes to the recipe. I used all whole wheat pastry flour in my crust because that's all my mom had at home. I was worried about using all whole wheat, but all of the crusts came out perfect and the whole wheat added a great different flavor!
I also subbed in 1/2 cup rolled oats for 1/3 cup flour as noted below.


This pie doesn't exactly cut perfectly, but the taste makes up for the less than perfect slices! Next time I make this, I'm planning to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream!
Also, big thanks to Popie for peeling all of the apples for my pies on Thanksgiving :)

Apple Pie with Salted Pecan Crumble

Adapted from Delish.com

Pie Dough:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ice water


Salted pecan crumble:
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoon (packed) light-brown sugar
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup pecan pieces
5 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces


Apple Filling:
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 pounds apples (I used Gala and Johnathan), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon


To make pie dough:
In a large food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt.
Add egg yolk and butter.
Pulse until butter is cut to the size of peas.
Add ice water and pulse until it forms into a ball.
Turn dough out onto a smooth surface and gather into a ball.
Wrap in plastic; flatten into a disk. Refrigerate 1 hour.
To make salted pecan crumble:
In a food processor, combine flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup pecans; process until pecans are ground.
Add oats and butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
Transfer crumble to a medium bowl; add remaining 1/3 cup pecans and, using your hands, crumble and squeeze mixture to form larger clumps.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
On a lightly floured surface or between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll out dough into an 1/8-inch-thick 12-inch round.
Fold in half and ease gently into a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold dough, letting pastry overhang edge.
Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under and flute or crimp edge. Refrigerate shell.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.


To make apple filling:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg until blended.
Add apples, juice and zest; toss until apples are evenly coated.
Remove pie shell from refrigerator and spoon apple filling into it, mounding filling in center of pie.
Sprinkle crumble evenly over top of pie, gently pressing into place; place pie on a baking sheet.
Bake 1 1/2 hours, or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Patties

When I was writing my weekly menu and chose to make pumpkin pancakes, I thought that my favorite chicken sausage from Trader Joe's would be a perfect match.... but now I have no TJ's! So I decided to make up my own sausage patties with the same flavors. I used ground chicken breast as a base for the sausages then to give them flavor and moisture, I sauteed some apples with onion and garlic and mixed in fennel and sage. Finally, I flavored them with a bit of maple syrup and brown sugar (because all maple syrup would make them too wet).

Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Patties

1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced granny smith apple
2 minced garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. whole fennel seed
1 tsp. ground fennel seed
2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 lb. ground chicken breast

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp EVOO, onion, apple and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, toss and sweat out moisture for 5-7 minutes.

Pour into a mixing bowl, cool to room temperature.

Add remaining ingredients except chicken, mix well.

Add chicken and gently toss to incorporate.

Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors develop and mix.

Use a cooke scoop to remove 3 oz. balls, press into a patty and then place in a preheated skillet sprayed with canola oil.

Repeat until all chicken is gone, making about 6 patties.

Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve with pumpkin pancakes.

Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

I've had a package of TJ's Maple Apple Sausage in the freezer for a few months now, and I've been in clean out the fridge/freezer mode, so I had to use it up. I also had some TJ's wild rice blend, and thought an apple pecan wild rice pilaf sounded interesting and would use up both!
This meal was delicious, I think I should have chopped the apples a bit finer and chopped the pecans, and maybe added some dried cranberries for a sweet burst...maybe next time!

Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

1/2 c. wild rice blend

1 1/4 c. vegetable stock

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 red onion, diced

1 green apple, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 sprigs of thyme leaves, about 1/2 tsp.

salt and pepper

1/4 c. pecans

1 tbsp. butter*

Bring stock to a boil in a small pot, add rice, stir and turn to medium heat.

Cover and cook for 40 minutes, or until rice is cooked.

While rice cooks, heat a pan over medium-low.

Add EVOO, onions, apples and garlic, season with salt and pepper.

Sautee for ten minutes, or until softened, add thyme.

When rice is cooked, add to apple mixture, stir to combine.

Add butter, adjust seasonings and plate.

Serve with asparagus and chicken sausage.

*omit butter for vegan option

Apple Cheddar and Sausage Strata

For Mother's Day brunch, I wanted to make something special. However, I'm not a big breakfast fan, I'm happy with oatmeal and a banana, so I had to really think it through. I thought I'd make a strata because it's simple and can be done ahead of time. I wanted to come up with a flavor combo that was somewhat traditional, but also savory and sweet. I came up with apple, sausage and cheddar, and it was so good! I used a mixture of oat wheat bread and sourdough, which made it taste great! I actually made 2 versions, a vegetarian (just no sausage) and then a regular. This did take a long time to cook, but it was just like I like it, crispy on the outside and custardy (but not soggy/runny) in the middle.

Apple, Cheddar and Sausage Strata

1 loaf of sourdough bread, cubed

1 loaf of oat wheat bread, cubed

2 granny smith apples, quartered, cored and sliced

1 8 oz. brick sharp cheddar, diced

1 8 oz. tube of reduced fat Jimmy Dean pork sausage, browned and crumbled

4 c. organic whole milk

1 dozen eggs

Salt and Pepper

Pinch of cayenne

Note: This recipe made 2 casseroles, but only 1 had sausage. For 1 casserole, half recipe but keep sausage the same, or both with sausage, double the sausage.

Spray two casserole dishes with nonstick spray.

Add half the bread in each dish.

Add one apple in each and the sausage in one.

Add 1/4 the cheese to each casserole, mix the casserole ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, salt, pepper and cayenne.

Pour half the egg mixture over each, gently press down so the bread is saturated.

Cover with the remaining cheese.

Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, place uncovered casseroles in oven on the top shelf.

Cook for 60-90 minutes, or until set in the middle.

If it browns too much, cover and continue to cook.

A Year Ago: Justa Fad Pizza

Garden Harvest Muffins

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and ripped it out right away. I love zucchini bread, and JJ loves carrot cake, so this bread seemed to be perfect for us. As I read through it, I noticed it also had apples, which we both love. The best part is the moisture from the fruit and veggies adds so much moisture that you barely need any oil.
The original recipe is written for a loaf cake, but I made it into muffins. They are super moist, full of flavor, and contain SuperFoods Apple and Cinnamon!

Garden Harvest Muffins

from Cooking Light

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 large eggs
Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Add grated apple, grated carrot, shredded zucchini, and walnuts to flour mixture; toss well.
Combine canola oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with papers, coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan.
Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Jicama and Green Apple Slaw Salad

For this slaw, I used some of my favorite basics, as well as two new ingredients for slaw - Jicama and Apple. Jicama has a very interesting flavor... it's like a water chestnut, but a little sweet. I cut it into little sticks rather than shred so it, but i don't know that it really made any difference. This slaw was delicious!

Jicama and Green Apple Slaw

1 Jicama, peeled and julienned

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded

1 granny smith apple, julienned

1/4 red onion, shredded

1 lime, juiced

2 tbsp. orange muscat champagne vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. EVOO

salt and pepper

cayenne pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A Year Ago:

Tabbouli, Hummus, and Baba Ghanoush

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake, Lightened-Up!

After making this cake a few times a few other ways, I decided to see what I could do to lighten it up a bit. I didn't want to change the integrity of the cake too much, but I did make some significant changes. It tastes great no matter what you put in it (fruit, nuts, spices, etc.) and it's a real crowd pleaser.

Light Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
original by Dorie Greenspan (see link above)

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick of light butter at room temp.

3/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 large egg whites at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. skim milk at room temp.
3 apples in a small dice
1/2 c. dried cranberries

1 tsp. groudn cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a bundt cake pan.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg whites and yogurt. Scrape down, add in vanilla.
Add in baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix in for 10 seconds.
Add in flour and milk, alternating starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
Fold in apple pieces and cranberries with a spatula.
Pour into bundt cake pan. Bake for 50 minutes.
Cool for 60 minutes.

Happy New Year! Black Eyed Peas and Collared Greens

I was very lucky in life to marry a Southern Gentleman. Some of the things he says still make me laugh as I was born and raised on Long Island. I had manners, but I never called people 'Sir' and "Ma'am". Over the course of our relationship, we've exposed eachother to many traditions, words, and food. So when he jokingly asked if we were having Black Eyed Peas and Collared Greens on New Years Day, I said sure! He said I really didn't have to, but who doesn't want luck and money? So I said I'd make them, but I'd make them tasty rather than throw them in the crock. I'm always up for a challenge. But I ended up finding that it didn't take much to make this meal a success. I wanted to add another flavor to tie the 2 star ingredients together, wake them up a bit, so I went with apple. I turned to my favorite apple-maple sausage to add to the beans, and apples to add to the collared greens to cut through the bite. Overall, this meal was delicious! If it's any sign of what 2009 will bring, it is warm, comforting, spicy, sweet, healthy, and fun!

Apple Sausage Black Eyed Peas

&

Apple Onion Collared Greens

Black Eyed Peas:

12 oz. fresh refrigerated Black Eyed Peas

4 c. chicken stock

1 package Apple Maple Sausage, cut in half moons

1 yellow onion, minced
Salt and Pepper

Dash of Cayenne

Bring stock to a boil in a nonstick sauce pot, add black eyed peas, cook for 12-15 minutes, until tender with a little bite.

Drain and leave in a colander.

Put pot back on burner at medium-high heat, add sausage and onions, brown for 5 minutes. (Note, my sausage was already cooked, I was just caramelizing it). Season with salt and pepper. Add black eyed peas to sausage, toss. Add cayenne pepper to taste, as well as salt and pepper. Serve.

Apple-Onion Collared Greens

1 bunch collared greens, chopped

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 apple, cored and sliced

salt and pepper

1/2 c. apple cider

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily, add greens and cook for 5 minutes at a simmer.

Strain and leave in a colander.

In a large nonstick skillet, sautee apples and onion over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add collared greens, cider and vinegar. Turn heat to high and cook liquid off, season again with salt and pepper. When liquid is almost evaporated, turn off heat and serve.

Thanksgiving Pies!

This year for Thanksgiving, my mom put me in charge of making the pies. We originally were going to have as many as 26 people, but ended up with half that... but I still wanted to make all of the pies! It's a good thing I did because we all ate pie for breakfast each morning.


I asked my mom to warm my 2 apple pies in the oven before dessert, but the oven was at 400 and they burned... so sad. But, the sugars really caramelized and were crispy and really good! I think they looked worse than they tasted!


I decided to keep them traditional, but add a few twists, so I made:
Double Crusted Apple Pie
Crumble Crusted Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Twofer Thanksgiving Pie
Coconut Creme Pie


My dad requested the coconut creme, which isn't exactly traditional, but turned out to be a hit! Everyone loved it. For the apple pies, I combined Fuji and Honeycrisp. The crumble pie went fast - adding the cranberries and pecans really made it unique and delicious.
I was a little disappointed by the Twofer, I was hoping it would be 2 distinct layers of pumpkin and pecan pie, but it was just pumpkin pie with pecans on top, really. I think if i baked off the pumpkin layer, then added the pecan layer I'd get the results I wanted... maybe next year!

Crumble Crusted Apple Pie

Crust (halved):

3 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks frozen butter, grated on a cheese grater

1/4 c. shortening

a little less than 2/3 c. ice water

Filling:

10 apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 c. flour

1 c. dried cranberries

Topping:

1 stick of butter, grated

1 c. quick cooking oats

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. crushed pecans

Roll our crust, place in pie plate. Fill with apple mixture, top with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until golden on top.

Twofer Pie, from Dorie Greenspan

FOR A 9" SINGLE CRUST:

1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

3⁄4 tsp. salt

1 1⁄4 sticks (10 tbsp.) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tbsp.-size pieces

2 1⁄2 tbsp. very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces

1/4 c. ice water

Pumpkin filling:
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
⅔ cup heavy cream
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. dark rum
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt

Pecan filling:
½ cup light or dark corn syrup
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups pecan halves or pieces

1. For the crust: Put flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor; pulse to combine. Drop in butter and shortening; pulse to cut into flour. What you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing, gradually add about 3 tbsp. ice water—add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again; keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get water into flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened, pulse in up to 1 tbsp. more ice water, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. For the pumpkin filling: Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. Leave filling in bowl.
3. For the pecan filling: In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except pecans until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 450°. Roll dough out to a 12" circle on a floured counter, turning dough over frequently; keep counter floured. Slide dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up. Fit dough into a buttered 9" pie plate; cut excess dough to a 1⁄4"–1⁄2" overhang. Fold dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge.
5. To assemble: Give the pumpkin filling one last quick pulse, then remove bowl, rap it on counter to debubble batter, and pour filling into crust. Top pumpkin filling evenly with pecans, then pour over pecan filling. Poke down any pecans that float to the top and aren't covered with filling. Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake for another 35–40 minutes, or until it is evenly puffed and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and let it stand until it is just warm or until it reaches room temperature.

Leftovers Breakfast for Dinner - Apple Pancakes, Spinach and Goat Cheese Omelette, Bacon

For my last night of clean out the fridge, I had one more log of goat cheese (I tend to stock up at TJ’s, I can’t help it, it’s so cheap!), as well as frozen spinach, a dozen eggs, and some apples. I also had to get a pound of bacon for the country challenge recipe, but it only called for a few slices, so I knew I could use some up. After thinking for oh, two seconds, one meal came to mind: Breakfast! So here is what I came up with…

Spinach and Goat Cheese Omelettes, Cinnamon Apple Pancakes, and Bacon

From the fridge:
1 4 oz. log plain goat cheese
5 eggs
4 slices of bacon (all for JJ)
½ c. milk
Splash of fat free creamer
1 tbsp. butter

From the pantry:
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 apples, peeled and diced
1c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ c. light brown sugar

From the freezer:
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

For Pancakes:

In a sautee' apples, cinnamon, half of brown sugar, and butter for 3-4 minutes, or until a bit soft. Set aside to cool.

Mix together 1 egg, milk, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and half the brown sugar.

Ladle onto a greased skillet over medium heat, top with a few apple pieces.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Makes 6 4" panckes.

For Omelette:

Whisk together eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot sauce.

Pour into a large, greased, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until set in the middle, flip. Add spinach and cheese to the middle, fold one side over. Turn heat off, cover and let cheese melt and spinach warm through.

The Very Best of Fall Lasagna

For dinner tonight, I decided to make a completely different kind of lasagna after seeing a few variations of butternut squash lasagna on food network. They were made with butternut puree and a béchamel, rather than marinara. As I’ve said a million times, fall is my favorite season because I love the wonderful flavors. Rather than just use butternut, I decided to use many fall flavors.

Now I have to warn you, when I set out to make this, I didn’t think about how many different elements were in the dish, and the multi-tasking necessary. It seemed as I pulled more and more ingredients out, they had to be prepped and cooked before I could use them! Before I knew it, I had 7 pots/pans/bowls out! Now I know that sounds a little intimidating, but I think I have mild ADD so I was loving the million things doing on – but you can break it down and do 1 thing at a time, you don’t need to do everything at once.

Believe me, you want to make this. It is so delicious, and showcases 10 fall flavors/ingredients – apple, maple, acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, caramelized onions, sausage, nutmeg, thyme, and wheat! (And quite possibly 11 when you count the smoked fontina, but that’s your call!)

The Very Best of Fall Lasagna

1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 package apple maple chicken sausage (trader joe’s)
1 can of organic pumpkin puree
2 c. part skim ricotta cheese
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. thyme
1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
½ c. chicken stock
1 c. 2% milk
Fresh grated nutmeg, to taste
2 c. shredded smoked fontina cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily.
Combine pumpkin puree, ricotta, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside until ready to construct lasagna
Cook sausage according to package directions. Slice and set aside until ready to construct lasagna.
In a nonstick skillet over low heat, sauté onions for 15 minutes, or until tender. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Cook until vinegar is a glaze onions, turn heat off and set aside until ready to construct lasagna.
Place a steamer basket over boiling water. Peel, seed, and slice acorn and butternut squash. Place in steamer basket and steam for 3-4 minutes, do not overcook! They should be al dente. Set aside until ready to construct.
Drop the pasta noodles, and cook for 7 minutes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in flour and cook out over medium heat. Add stock, milk and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Add ½ of the cheese. Whisk until combined, turn off heat.
Drain noodles when they’re very al dente.

To construct lasagna:
Ladle cheese sauce into the bottom of a lasagna dish. Place noodles in the bottom, top with ricotta mix, then slices of squash, then slices of sausage, some balsamic onions, and a ladle full of the cheese sauce.
Repeat beginning with noodles for 2 more layers, using up squash, sausage, and onions.
At the 4th layer, spread on ricotta mixture, remaining cheese sauce, and then top with the remaining 1 c. of fontina cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

(The inspirational fall ingredients)

(The 7 elements to construction!)

(Layer 1 minus the cheese sauce topping)

(The not pretty, but gooey, delicious shot)

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake - Two Ways!

(Pear and Golden Raisin Bundt)

(Apple Mini Loaf)

My parents have a giant pear tree in their front yard. A few weeks ago, my dad sent me home with a few dozen pears. They were a little under ripe, so I decided to bake with them. I looked in Baking: From My Home To Yours, and found one recipe that called for pears that was perfect - Brown Sugar Bundt Cake! Since my husband and I both love brown sugar, we knew it would be perfect. It is very easy to make, and looks beautiful.

I was reading Dorie's playing around section, and she mentioned to try it with apples, and substitute prunes or craisins for the raisins. I went apple picking, and knew I wanted to include an apple cake in my fall treat packages, so I went with mini loaves using apple (but no dried fruits). They taste great and look adorable!

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter at room temp.

2 c. packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs at room temp.

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. buttermilk at room temp.

2 pears or apples in a small dice (I use 3)

1/2 c. dried raisins/cranberries/prunes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a bundt cake pan.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time. Scrape down, add in vanilla.

Add in baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix in for 10 seconds.

Add in flour and buttermilk, alternating starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Fold in apple or pear pieces with a spatula.

Pour into bundt cake pan. Bake for 60 minutes (25 for mini loaf cakes).

Cool for 60 minutes.

*In the apple cake, I added 1 tsp. ground cinnamon*

All American Apple Pie

Over the weekend, my husband and I went apple picking at a local orchard. We had a great time, and got some wonderful apples! I looked up many recipes and finally decided to make one of my own! It came out WONDERFULLY!!! It was sweet and tart, the crust was buttery and flaky, I'm not a big apple pie fan, but we plowed through this one!

All American Apple Pie

Crust:
3 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks frozen butter, grated on a cheese grater
1/4 c. shortening
a little less than 2/3 c. ice water

Filling:
10 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch allspice
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. flour


Mix flour, sugar and salt in a big bowl. Grate in butter, drop in pieces of super cold shortening. Using a fork, mix in the water in a slow stream. When it's just coming together and there is still a lot of flour in the bottom, use your hands to form it into a big ball. It should still be dry-ish though, you don't want it sticky.


Put in the fridge for an hour or two.


Mix all filling ingredients in a big bowl.


Roll crust into the bottom. Top with filling, roll out top, pinch together.


Cut 3 slits in the top.


Wash with milk or cream on the top.


Bake at 350 for 70 mins or until golden brown and bubbly.

Butternut Squash, Apple and Stilton Phyllo Tart

I made a tart similar to this a few months ago that I loved, so I decided to add to it and change it up a bit. I added apples because I had half an apple from the salad left over, and squash and apples are delicious together. I saw a recipe for butternut squash puree with stilton on top, so I chose to top this with stilton. I used phyllo because I don't add butter between the layers (just a bit of nonstick spray) and it still comes out great and is low-fat. The bottom layer stays moist with a thin spread of goat cheese. This is the most perfect accompinament to a bowl of soup or my harvest spinach salad!

Butternut Squash, Apple and Stilton Phyllo Tart

20 sheets of phyllo

Nonstick cooking spray - butter flavor

1/4 log plain goat cheese

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into disks

1/2 granny smith apple, sliced

1/4 c. crumbled stilton

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place a steamer over boiling water. Drop in squash disks. Steam for 5-10 minutes, or until fork tender.

Lay out a tart pan, spray with nonstick spray.

Lay 2 sheets of phyllo on tray, spray with nonstick spray, rotate 90 degrees, lay another, and repeat until the bottom is completely covered and phyllo is used up.

Spread goat cheese thinly and carefully on the bottom. Layer on squash, then press apple pieces in between. Top with stilton, salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Bistro Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Ever since I saw Liv's Blueberry Vinaigrette, I've been CRAVING it. Luckily I have pounds of blueberries to use (of which most are gone....) so I made this fruity salad with Liv's AMAZING dressing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Fruity Bistro Salad with Liv's Most Delicious Blueberry Vinaigrette

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

10 slices of cucumber

1/2 green apple, sliced

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. walnuts

1/4 c. Blueberry Vinaigrette, recipe follows

½ c. Champagne Vinegar
1/2 c. Olive oil
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp finely ground white pepper
Honey
2 tablespoons plain yogurt

*I used only 2 tbsp. EVOO and added extra yogurt

Arrange salad in a bowl, top with dressing

Note - I used much more dressing than the photo shows, basically I just ate a bowl of dressing :)

Apple Maple Sausage, Harvest Grains, Roasted Butternut Squash

As much as I love summer, it’s not the same anymore when you’re a grown-up! I miss the days of sleeping late, watching tv, going to the pool, maybe doing a few chores, and hanging out with friends at the park while eating ice cream (that one’s for you, Ingrid!).
Fall is by far my most favorite season of the year. The days are still warm, but the nights are cool and crisp. The leaves turn beautiful colors, and the fall harvest is my favorite produce time. I absolutely love apples, squash, pumpkins, corn, and anything you can go pick on a hayride trip. From apple cider to homemade caramel apples… there’s nothing like it. So for tonight, I decided to make a recipe that I was going to post on the first day of fall, but I just can’t wait any longer! It’s very simple, yet the taste is out of this world!

Apple-Maple Chicken Sausage, Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash, and Harvest Couscous with Apple Pan Sauce

Sausage:

2 links of Apple-Maple Chicken Sausage (Trader Joes)

1 tbsp. EVOO

Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash:

1 large butternut squash, cubed

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tbsp. EVOO

Harvest Cous Cous:

¾ c. harvest grain blend (from Trader Joes, a mix of Israeli Cous Cous, Red Quinoa, Baby Garbanzos, and Orzo)

1 ¼ c. chicken stock

1 sprig fresh thyme

Pan Sauce:

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

½ c. apple cider (or Simply Apple)

½ c. chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

½ tsp. dried thyme

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Dice butternut squash into 1” chunks. Spread over sheet pan, drizzle with EVOO, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat all pieces, and roast for 30 minutes.

While squash roasts, put sausage in a nonstick skillet. Add 1 tbps. EVOO and ¼” of water. Put over medium-high heat, and let the water cook off.

While sausage cooks, bring stock to a boil in a small stock pot. Add thyme and cous cous blend, cover, turn the heat to low and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Once sausage water has evaporated, toss the sausage to brown on all sides. When it’s brown, remove from the pan, and turn heat to medium. Add butter to the sausage pan, when it melts, add the flour. Whisk flour to make a roux, when the flour is no longer white, add the apple cider and chicken stock. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a bubble until desired viscosity is reached.

To serve, plate sausage slices, cous cous, squash, and drizzle with the pan sauce.

(The two star ingredients from TJ's)