Homemade Applesauce

I love the fall.  It is my favorite season and a large part of that is how much I enjoy Fall foods.  Anything with apple, pumpkin, or squash is just dandy for me.  This year, it was extra special since it was my first fall being a mom.  

Unfortunately, the apple harvest wasn't quite up to the challenge.  We didn't get to pick our own apples this year, but we did manage to go the orchard twice to buy apples.  Both times I brought them home and made applesauce for E.  This is by far the best applesauce I've ever had.  The original recipe can be found here, but all I did was take 5 lbs apples, 1 cup applesauce, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves and simmer until my apples were complete mush.  Then I ran them through the food mill to get rid of all of the extra skin since I was making it for E.  

I managed to forget to take a picture of my applesauce, so you will just have to imagine how delicious it looked as well as tasted.

Birthday Cheesecake

P's birthday was last week and I wanted to make him something special.  I made him a decadent chocolate cheesecake, and he loved it!  He ranked it number two in desserts that I have made him, pretty high praise.  I got the recipe from pinterest, of course.  And, for once, I remembered to take pictures of the dessert!

Chocolate Lovers Cheesecake
Original recipe found here

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1½ cups finely ground chocolate cookie crumbs
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
½ cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
1¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature

For the glaze:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper.  In a medium bowl combine the cookie crumbs, and melted butter.  Stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened.  Add the crumb mixture to the springform pan and gently press about 1 inch up the sides of the pan.  Press the rest of the crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚ F.

To make the filling, combine the sour cream, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (in short intervals, stirring frequently) until completely smooth.  Set aside and let cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, cocoa powder, and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the sugar and continue mixing about 2-3 minutes more, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Add the cooled chocolate to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed.  Beat in the sour cream mixture just until evenly blended.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing each just until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust.  Bake until the center jiggles very slightly when nudged, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 1-2 hours.  Then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.

To make the glaze, place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan or in the microwave.  Pour over the chocolate and let stand briefly, 1-2 minutes.  Whisk just until a smooth ganache has formed.  Whisk in the butter until completely incorporated.  Pour the glaze in an even layer over the chilled cheesecake.  Chill thoroughly.

Easter Cheoreg

Back in high-school, a friend of mine's family made this recipe every year around Easter.  It is a delicious bread, and I enjoy making it to this day.  However, it makes a lot of bread, so I end up freezing it.  Next time I make it I will take pictures, it's so pretty!

Ingredients:
10 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c milk
2 c butter
15 c flour
1 tp baking powder
2 tp ground mahleb
4.5 tp dry yeast
1 Tb salt

Directions:
Sift flour and put in a large bowl.  Make a hole in the center.  Dissolve yeast, melt the butter, beat the eggs, and pour all of this into the hole in the flour.  Blend flour with liquid gradually, first with spoon and then with your hands.  Knead the dough for about 1/2 hour or until your hands stay free of dough.  Cover the dough well and let stand 4-5 hours to rise.  Shape dough into braids.  Let the braids stand for awhile on a greased baking sheet.  Then brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until golden brown.

Swiss Bircher-Meusli

In high-school, one of my best friends had some great family food traditions.  Many of those recipes are ones that I continue to make today.  I usually make this one at least once every summer.

Ingredients:
6 apples, something tart like granny smith
4-6 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
splash of orange juice
fresh fruit in season (berries, grapes, peaches)
bananas

Directions:
Shred the apples and mix them with citrus fruit.
Mix in sweetened condensed milk and oatmeal.
Add in chopped fresh fruit, but don't add the bananas until ready to serve.

Rich Autumn Pork Stew with Beer

Original recipe from Epicurious.  My friend Sam told me to make this for my husband, and I was very skeptical, since he doesn't like stews.  I wouldn't say he loves this one, but he does find it edible.  I personally think it's delicious!

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless pork, cubed
salt & pepper
6 Tb olive oil
2 med onions, diced
4 med carrots, diced
2 med apples, cubed
1 bay leaf
1 cup tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 bottle, 12 oz, beer
2 Tb brown sugar
cooked buttered egg noodles

Directions:
Season pork with salt and pepper, brown in 4 Tb olive oil
On low heat cook onions, carrots and apples with 2 b olive oil about 10 minutes adding the garlic in the last 2 minutes.  Add in remaining ingredients except egg noodles, add pork back to pot.  Simmer for 1.5 hours, serve over egg noodles.

Makeover Cheddar Biscuits

I've never actually had the cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster.  However, I'm told they are delicious and addictive.  This version is healthier, from my healthy cooking magazine, but very tasty!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tp baking powder
1/4 tp salt
1/2 tp garlic powder, divided
1/4 tp baking soda
4 Tb cold butter, divided
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 tp garlic powder and baking soda.  Cut in 3 Tb butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add cheese.  Stir in buttermilk until just moistened.
Drop by two tablespoonfuls 2 in apart onto baking sheets covered in parchment paper.  Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Melt remaining butter; stir in garlic powder.  Brush over biscuits.  serve warm.

Chili Pork Tenderloin

I made this a couple of weeks ago.  I liked it so much that I'm planning to make it again when my parents come to visit this weekend.  Original recipe from healthy cooking.

Ingredients:
1 Tb lime juice
t tp chili powder
1 tp soy sauce
1/2 tp sugar
1/2 tp salt
1/4 tp pepper
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 Tb olive oil

Directions:
Mix first 6 ingredients into a rub.  Rub over pork tenderloin.  In large ovenproof skillet, brown pork in oil.  Then bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 145.  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Useful tips to myself

Lately, I can't seem to remember the most basic of cooking skills.  In the last month, I've looked up how to hard boil eggs three times, since each time I go to do it, I've forgotten.  So, here is my list of things I never remember how to do, any suggestions of things to add?

Corn on the Cob
Leave the husk on, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  place corn in husk in oven for 30 minutes.

Hard Boiled Eggs
Put eggs in a single layer of pan and cover with cold water until water is 1-2 inches above eggs.  Add some salt and bring to a rolling boil.  Turn off heat and cover, let sit for 12 minutes.  Rinse eggs in cold water and then refrigerate until needed.

Brown Rice
1 cup rice to 2 1/2 cups water.  add rice, olive oil, salt and water to pan.  bring to a boil.  reduce heat and simmer, covered 40-50 minutes.

Quinoa
The ratio is normally 1:2 and you rinse the quinoa first.  However, I have recently found a website devoted to quinoa and she has a different suggestion  I tried that today, and it was the best quinoa I've ever had.

Buttermilk
I never have buttermilk on hand, but you can make your own.  Put one Tb white vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup, then fill up the rest of the way up to one cup line with milk.  Let stand five minutes.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

P doesn't eat a lot of fish, but I made this for him and he liked it.  I served it with couscous and salad.


Ingredients:


6 tilapia fillets (6 oz each)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c mayonaise
2 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tp minced fresh basil or 1/4 tp dried basil
1/2 tp seafood seasoning


Directions:


1. Place fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; spread over fillets.
2. Broil 3-4 in from the heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Barley Beef Skillet

I made this when my friend was in town, it served three and we still had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Delicious!


Ingredients:


1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 small carrots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup medium pearl barley
2 tp Italian seasoning
1/4 tp salt
1/8 tp pepper


Directions:


1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
2. Add the broth, tomato sauce and water; bring to a boil.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients; cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until barley is tender.

Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup

I went to California Pizza Kitchen and had this soup.  It was so good, I tried to recreate it myself.  Here is the original recipe that I found online.


Ingredients:


2 c split peas
6 c water
4 c chicken broth
1/3 c onion (minced)
2 tp lemon juice
1 tp salt
1 tp sugar
1/4 tp parsley
1/4 tp white pepper
1/8 tp thyme
1/2 c barley
6 c water
2 med carrots (diced)
1/2 c celery


Directions:
1. Rinse and sort the split peas
2. Add them do a large pot with 6 c water, chicken broth, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, sugar, parsley, pepper, thyme, and celery.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours
4. Bring barley and 6 cups water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
5. Blend in food processor the pea mixture in batches.
6. Drain any extra liquid from the barley and add the barley to the pea soup.
7. Add carrots and simmer 15-20 minutes
8. Turn off heat, cover soup and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

I found this recipe on pinterest.  I tried it for P a couple of months ago and I've made it 3 times since then, he loves it!


Original recipe found here


Ingredients:


3 lbs frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Franks Buffalo sauce
1 packet ranch dip mix
1 can black beans
2 c frozen corn
tortillas
shredded cheddar


Directions:


1.slow cook chicken, sauce and dip mix 6-7 hours.  shred chicken and cook one hour more.  Add in corn and black beans
2.Serve with tortillas and shredded cheddar
3.Freeze extras in 2 cups freezer bags for future use

Sausage Pasta with Vegetables

I love this recipe.  It's easy to make and P likes it so much, he requested it specifically.


Ingredients:


1 lb chicken sausage
2 c whole wheat pasta (uncooked)
veggies of your choice (I usually do green beans)
1 clove minced garlic
olive oil
1/4 c mozzarella
Parmesan cheese

Directions:


1. Cook pasta separately.
2. Cook sausage and garlic in olive oil.  Add in veggies.  Mix with cooked pasta and top with cheese.

Chicken Wheat-Berry Casserole

When my mom came to take care of me after E was born, we bought some wheat-berries.  She then left town and they sat there for the next two months.  She sent me recipes for things to do with them, but the ungrateful child that I am, I ignored them.  P then decided he wanted to cut out white grains/pasta from our diet as much as possible and I started thinking about those darn wheat-berries again.  Here is the recipe I ended up using them in, and it was a real winner.


Original recipe found here


Ingredients:


1 cup wheat berries
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 carrots, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 tp cumin
1 tp salt
1/4 tp pepper
1 Tb cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Rinse wheat berries and drain well. Cut chicken into 1-½” pieces and combine with remaining ingredients, except for cornstarch and ¼ cup water, in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until wheat berries are tender and chicken is cooked.

2. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and blend well. Add to casserole in slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes until thickened, then stir again and serve.

Why I need a mandolin

Last Tuesday, P and I made zucchini pasta for dinner.  It turned out delicious, I simply blanched the zucchini for about 10-30 seconds and served it with spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.  However, I sliced 4 zucchinis extremely thin by hand.  This took forever!  I would love to make this dish again, however I refuse to until I have a mandolin.  Isn't it beautiful?

Quinoac and cheese

I've mentioned before my addiction to pinterest.  Now combine that with the fact that I'm slightly OCD and I'm always looking for better ways to organize things.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that pinterest is not perfect!  sometimes, the links for recipes that I've made are broken the next time that I go to make that recipe, so disappointing.  So, I am going to continue to steal other peoples recipes, but I'm going to put them in my blog with a link to theirs, but also write it out so I don't lose it!
Here is my first one, I made this last night with rave reviews from P, meaning he would at least eat it again.


Quinoac and cheese  (original recipe found here)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 chicken breasts

garlic salt

pepper

2 Tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cups 2% milk, divided

2 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup Franks buffalo Sauce

1-1/2 cups + handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil.  Add quinoa and return to boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler.Season chicken breast on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

3. Whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Pour in remaining milk, and green onions. Switch to a spatula and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then cook for one minute while boiling.

4. Remove the pan from the heat then add in buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted then add in cooked quinoa and chicken, and stir to combine.

5. Pour into a non-stick sprayed casserole dish and top with handful of cheddar cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.

Healthy Cooking

Last year for Christmas my mother got me a subscription to healthy cooking.  Even though it's been over a year and we've moved, the issues keep coming.  I hope this continues as this is probably the most useful magazine I've ever subscribed to.  I've made at least four or five recipes in each issue and usually many more.  I received this issue a couple of weeks ago.

Today I finally got a chance to make some of the recipes from this issue.  First, a peach blueberry baked oatmeal

Unfortunately, I had it finished just in time to go to church so we will have to try it out for breakfast tomorrow and see how it tastes. 

Next I made a sausage potato bake.  They make it healthier in the magazine by using ground turkey with spices to imitate sausage, but I really wanted sausage so mine isn't quite as healthy as theirs.

This turned out to be a huge success.  My husband (who hates most vegetables) didn't even mind that there were onions in it.  

If you are looking for ideas about what to make for dinner, I highly suggest this magazine.  I worked as a nanny for over a year for a vegetarian family, and during that time I made almost every vegetarian dish I found in this magazine, as well as replacing tofu for many of the meat entrees.