A is for Apple!

Caramel Apples
Posted to Food.com by B.B.Grimm


Although apples grow all year round, September through November is considered the apple season, and with over 7000 varieties, there is an apple for every taste and every purpose imaginable.  Apples can be used in everything from beverages and desserts to savory dishes.  John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, spent 49 years of his life growing apples over as much of the country as he could.  His goal was to teach everyone to grow apples so that no one would ever go hungry.  He walked his way through Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois planting apple trees, creating orchards, teaching folks to cook with apples and giving away seeds, so others could plant trees and share the seeds as well.  Best grown in temperate climates, Washington State now grows over 50% of the nation's apples.  Apples have many healthful properties; growing up we heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  And as legend goes, Johnny Appleseed's first illness was the cause of his death at age 71!
This month we have been experimenting with apple recipes and we've made treats for kids and adults, beverages and delicious dinners, all featuring apples.  I'd like to share a few of our favorites with you today.

During the holidays we've always bought sparkling apple cider for the kids to enjoy and now we've been able to enjoy it homemade with a popular German recipe, posted on Food.com by a good friend of mine, NorthwestGal.  We've made this recipe with apple juice, fresh cider and even cranberry juice!  For our last football get together with our cousin, I made this Apple Pecan Torte.  It's very easy, despite the long list of ingredients and was a big hit with everyone.  And of course, it's not Halloween without a good caramel apple!  Enjoy!


Apple Ladybug Treats
Posted to Food.com by Sharon123

Apfelsaftschorle (Sparkling Apple Juice - Homemade)
posted by NorthwestGal

12 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate
36 ounces club soda (fill juice can 3 times)

Empty undiluted frozen apple juice into decorative pitcher or 2-quart serving carafe. Fill juice container with club soda (3 times) and pour into the pitcher; stir well.  Chill, and serve in fluted champagne glasses.

Apple Pecan Torte
My version, inspired by Apple Torte posted by dawnab

Crust:
8 ounces butter, softened
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 eggs

Topping:
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I like Granny Smith)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Crust: cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and mix well.  Add the flour and blend until crumbly.  With flour-dusted fingers, press the mixture into the bottom and 3/4 up the sides of a 9- inch springform pan.
Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar together and then add the vanilla.  Add the eggs and beat well  Pour over the crust.
Topping: Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Arrange the coated apples on top of the cheese mixture.  Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until center is set and the crust is lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate several hours or until serving time.

Dinnertime Superhero!

Photo by Lorilyn Tenney (*Tink)


Any recipe that I can use in more than one way gets VIP status in my house. Some days just get away from me. You know the ones. I may wake up early; even get a little work done before the rest of the alarm clocks in the house go off. Then my teenager ignores his alarm and doesn't get up for school until five minutes before the bus will be showing up... six blocks away. Instead of rushing to get ready though, he moseys in to me and asks if he can borrow the car. As I think about his request, I realize I have a doctor appointment, a package to Fed-Ex and a toddler to drop off at preschool, not to mention everything I need to do at home. I begin my denial with an apologetic, "Oh. Honey, I have to..." and that's when he disappears from the doorway, leaving me to wonder, "Just how do I expect to get it all done?"

Recipes like lasagna, quiche, hamburgers or meatballs are excellent for putting together, freezing and then baking when you need them. And now, my friends, you too can cover up the fact that you didn't even think about dinner until the rest of the family was on their way home! Because who's going to believe that at the last minute you had time to make homemade dinner rolls or hamburger buns? Well, I will. But that's just between us.

It all started on a beautiful spring day in May of 2009. I had ground beef thawed and ready to transform into mini-meatloaves. It's rare for my family to argue with me about what I'm making for dinner. And considering some of the strange recipes I ask them to try, when they do oppose my standby recipe choice, I tend to listen. So meatloaf was out and Bryan suggested grilling hamburgers instead. I told him to fire up the grill before I realized we had no buns. I quickly ran to the computer and found this Taste of Home recipe for 40 Minute Hamburger Buns, posted to Food.com by Marie. Dinner was on the table in less than an hour, with homemade burgers and buns! I've been using this recipe ever since, for burgers, sloppy Joes, soups, hot dogs and shredded pork or beef sandwiches.

Not that these buns need any help, but I recently found a recipe posted to Food.com by Brenda. It's one she created at home, out of her love for the King Arthur brand Everything Bread and Bagel Topping. I whipped up a batch of 40 Minute rolls, using this topping, to accompany dinner. My family thought I was a genius! They could be right, but I'm not one to brag. Living up to its name, this Everything Topping is great on everything from loaves of white or wheat bread to bagels and rolls. Even for the beginning baker or yeast-o-phobic, these recipes can turn you into a dinnertime superhero!

40 Minute Hamburger Buns
Recipe posted by Marie, Photo by Lorilyn Tenney (*Tink)



Everything Topping - Bagels, Rolls, Bread
Recipe by Brenda., Photo by Lorilyn Tenney (*Tink)

Karen's Skillet Lasagna - A busy day life saver!

This is a milestone year for our family.  At the same time we are sharing Sophie's joy and excitement for preschool, we find ourselves struggling to get through Nick's senior year with our sanity intact.  I can multitask, sure, but the work involved in senior year is daunting.  Senior government projects and presentations, community service projects, photos, announcements and of course, the senior apparel.  Not only is it time consuming, but it's all adding up very quickly, and to be completely honest, I'm overwhelmed.  We've had four photo sessions.  One for each kid through the school and one for each through a portrait studio.  It might sound a bit overkill to have that many photos but I've lost some confidence in the photo studio that contracts with the schools. 
Nick's senior school pictures were taken when we went to the school for registration.  The students file into a classroom set up like a photo studio, while the parents wait outside.  I've obeyed this rule for the last 3 years, resisting the temptation to chase behind him, yelling out instructions on how to avoid a goofy smile.  But this year is his last, so I did just that.  I followed him in, telling him to smile, but not smile and at the last second I realize he's wearing a ridiculously oversize baseball cap, sideways.  "Get rid of that thing!" I shout. 
Last week the photos arrived and we all fell in love with his pose.  The best one yet (thanks to me), but there was just one little problem... the lighting.  He looked like he had two black eyes, in the hideously green stage of healing.  Add that to the green cast over his chin and around his mouth and he looked like the Incredible Hulk!  I couldn't send these photos out to his grandparents, unless maybe I had Nick autograph them all, "Lou Ferrigno" first.  The replacement package was just as bad as the first, so they were all returned and we had professional photos taken instead. 


With all this excitement, my fridge is bare.  I feel like I have no time and no energy to shop or cook.  If there was one thing I'd never want to admit, it's that I still like to eat the chili macaroni and lasagna flavors of Hamburger Helper once in a while.  They're convenient to have on hand and quick to make on busy nights.  But the preservatives and sodium content in the spice mixes have prompted me to find other alternatives.  One handy recipe we really enjoy  was created by an online friend, kzbhansen.   It's so easy and versatile that whenever I need a quick meal, I know I can whip this one up with whatever I have on hand.  I sometimes use green or red pepper in place of the mushrooms, broken lasagna noodles instead of the Mafalda (which I've never been able to find anyway), Mexican four-cheese blend instead of all cheddar and I always serve it with cottage cheese.  It tastes like lasagna without all the prep work.  If you miss the baked cheese layer, you can transfer the cooked meat and noodles to a casserole dish, sprinkle the cheese on top and then broil it for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. 

Karen's Skillet Lasagna


1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups mafalda noodles (Mini Lasagna noodles)
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4  ounce) can sliced mushrooms, sliced
1 (26  ounce) can pasta sauce
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup cheddar cheese, Shredded

Brown beef and onion in 4 quart Dutch oven over medium heat until no longer pink, drain.  Stir in remaining ingredients, except for the cheese.  Heat until boiling, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.  Serves 4-6

Braided Challah Bread

I love baking my own bread and I don't mind kneading it myself, but I usually just let the stand mixer do the heavy work. About 10 years ago I decided I needed to own an automatic bread machine.  You can't beat it if you only have five minutes to spare for prep work but want fresh bread a few hours later.  As it turned out though, I really missed the hands-on part of bread baking.  Eventually it took a backseat to my stand mixer and then was completely lost in the storage area of the garage that I like to think of as the Appliance Graveyard.  While I realize that anything in an area called a graveyard is probably due to be donated or thrown out, I can't seem to do that.  Just as soon as I donate it I'll want to use it.  I know this because once I donated my 20 year old ice cream maker, that had been in the Appliance Graveyard for 10, I found a new ice cream recipe I wanted to make that used a machine.  I'm still mourning the loss of my food dehydrator as well.
Last year my hoarding of the bread machine went from an annoying habit that my husband simply accepts in me to something possibly akin to opening King Tut's tomb, without the curse.  I found a bread recipe that used the bread machine to make the dough and then the shaping and final rising is done by hand.  I remembered that my model has a dough setting on it, but I'd never tried it.  We promptly began excavating for the bread machine. 


I made Bread Machine Honey Whole Wheat Challah bread, posted to Food.com by Rachel Leah D, that uses the machine to mix, knead and rise the dough, then I shape, rise and bake the loaves.  The resulting bread was tender, soft and had a hint of sweetness that compliments both a sweet or savory dish.  While I had intended to make the recipe as directed, I found there were some bumps in the road on the way to my success.  I only had 2 cups of whole wheat flour left, so I had to substitute with some white flour and I learned that my machine is not capable of holding the amount of dough this recipe made.  However, after an exhaustive online search I was able to locate a copy of my machine's long-lost manual and I now know that it makes one 2-pound loaf.

After adding all the ingredients to the machine I pushed the dough cycle button and let it go.  Just under two hours later, I happened to be in the kitchen, preparing my rolling mats for braiding the dough, when the machine showed that it had under 5 minutes left to go.  All of a sudden I heard a muted, yet still loud, "POP!".  Startled, I looked over at the bread machine and saw that the dough had expanded enough to unlatch and push up the lid on it's own! I had dough stuck to every inch of the interior, including the element below the bread container.  At this point I started to reconsider the curse aspect of unearthing my machine. 

The following recipe is my altered version because, as it turns out, we like it best with a combination of white and whole wheat flour and there were no braiding instructions in the original recipe.  I still use the bread machine but have also made the dough in my stand mixer.

Braided Challah Bread
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups cracked wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (a 1/4 oz. packet)

For bread machine:
Add the first 8 ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed above.  Using a spatula, gently spread the flour out to cover all the liquid and then make a small well in the center.  Sprinkle the salt around the well and then add the yeast to the well.  Set the bread machine on the dough cycle and let it do it's magic. When the cycle is finished, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Knead a bit of flour into the dough to make it workable, divided it into 3 equal pieces.  Divide the first piece into 3 equal pieces and roll them into 10-12 inch long ropes.  Gently squeeze the tops of each rope together and then braid them together.  Repeat with the other two pieces of dough to create three loaves.  Place the braided loaves on parchment lined (or greased) cookie sheets, cover them with a tea towel or foil and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Then bake the loaves at 325 F for 30-40 minutes.  Makes 3 large loaves.

Tomato, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche

I've been trying out and creating several new quiche recipes over the last few months.   My main inspiration is a friend, and her three children, who were diagnosed with Celiac disease almost 2 years ago.  Anyone who has ever tried a low-carb diet will attest to the fact that cutting out breads and other baked goods is very difficult.  Celiac sufferers can't eat the wheat gluten, which is not only found in baked goods, but also items that do not contain flour.  Common kitchen ingredients, like ketchup, barbecue sauce, peanut butter, mayonnaise, salad dressings, syrup, taco seasoning, pasta sauce or wine can contain gluten.  But it's not just found in foods.  Hair products, cosmetics, sun-block, lotions and soaps can contain gluten as well.  After seeing the life changes my friend has had to make in order to keep her family healthy, and how costly it is to purchase gluten-free breads, cake and pancake mixes, it became my mission to develop gluten-free recipes that would satisfy their craving for baked goods, without sacrificing their health.

There are many gluten free products on the market and there are a couple major brands that produce gluten free baking mixes.  While I continue to play with rice flours and starches to produce breads and cakes that resemble those made with gluten, I am also trying out store-bought items that are gluten free.  Gluten free pie crust mixes are available, as well as pre-made, frozen pie crusts.  Another delicious option is to make a crust using crushed up gluten free cookies.  The recipe below is written with gluten free products in mind, but is just as easily made with your favorite brand or homemade recipe.

Tomato, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche
1 frozen, gluten-free, 9-inch pie shell
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
5 slices gluten-free turkey bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (can substitute Parmesan, smoked Swiss or Cheddar)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (can use dried)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (can use dried)
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake uncovered pie crust for 10 minutes.  In large frying pan, cook the turkey bacon and red onion, over medium heat, until caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, cheese, herbs and seasonings.  Add the caramelized onion and bacon mixture; combine and pour all into the prebaked pie crust.  Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serves 4

Oven-Baked Chicken Romano

As the name implies, Romano cheese has a starring role in this flavorful and healthier version of Chicken Romano.   Instead of being dredged in batter and fried or served with a fat-laden (although delicious) cream sauce, this oven-baked version offers plenty of flavor without the extra calories.

For over two thousand years, this hard, Italian cheese has been made in Rome, its namesake city, by a process known as rummaging the curd.  The curds of the cheese are drained well, then pierced before being salted and brined.  There are several types of Romano cheese, each made with a different milk and therefore producing slightly different flavors. 

The most authentic variety is Pecorino Romano and boasts a sharp, tangy and salty flavor.  To carry the title of Pecorino Romano, the cheese must be made under stringent Italian government guidelines.  To be precise, the cheese must be round, meet minimum weight requirements, be made from the milk of specific sheep, in a specific area of Italy and only manufactured between the months of October and July.  When Romano cheese is made from goat's milk it is called Caprino Romano and has a distinctly sharp flavor.  When it's made from cow's milk it has a milder flavor, which suits most American palates, and is called Vaccino Romano. 
All three varieties must be aged for a minimum of five months and are especially good for grating over dishes such as pasta, salads, breads and soups.

 

 Oven-Baked Chicken Romano


1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese or 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

2 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (dry packed, or very well drained if packed in oil)
2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup skim milk
8 chicken breast tenderloins or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

 

Preheat oven to 425.  In a shallow dish, or pie plate, combine bread crumbs, cheese, tomatoes, parsley, basil and garlic powder.  Pour milk into a second shallow dish.  Dip chicken pieces into milk, and then roll in the crumb mixture.  Place coated pieces in an ungreased 13 x 9 baking dish.  Bake in the 425 oven for about 15-20 min or until poultry is tender and no longer pink.  Serve with your favorite steamed vegetable or a small side of pasta.

Lemon-Filled Ginger Scones

I want to share a new scone technique that I recently tried.  Most scones I've made are dropped by spoonfuls into a small mound, like a biscuit, or they're patted into one (or two) large, semi-flat rounds that are then cut into triangles before baking.  The triangular scones were my preferred method until I tried these delicious Lemon-Filled Ginger Scones found in the Breast Wishes cookbook; the third in a series of cookbooks published to raise money for breast cancer patients.  While making about six different scone recipes in a matter of days, I realized that I'm partial to the scones made with buttermilk.

Contrary to what its name implies, there is no butter (or fat) in buttermilk.  It's ideal in baking because it acts very much like whole milk in pancakes, muffins and scones.  The flavor it lends to your baked goods is richer and it provides a softer, fuller-bodied texture.  I recently made homemade butter.  A crazy idea, I know, but it was too intriguing not to try it.  I've always envisioned old fashioned butter churns, which were as tall as a third grader, with a wearied farmer's wife methodically pushing the paddle around until the butter is made.  I gave absolutely no thought to what was IN the churn, however, until now.

I put one cup of fresh, heavy cream and about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt into a sterilized pint size canning jar.  The rest is easy... or so I thought.  Simply cap off the jar and shake it until the cream turns to butter.  Shaking the liquid did start out easy but was killing me at about four minutes.  At that time it had magically thickened up to where I couldn't hear it moving in the jar anymore.  I peeked under the lid and literally saw whipped cream!  It was so thick now and my arms were really getting tired so I tried passing it off on my ultra-lazy teen, who was still in bed at half past noon.  But he claimed he was too tired to shake for even a minute.  So I continued shaking it myself and within just another 30 seconds it sounded like liquid again!  Sure I'd ruined it when I had stopped shaking to pass it off, I looked through the side of the jar and was shocked to see a big lump of fluffy butter just floating in buttermilk.  What an amazingly simple process!  I separated the buttermilk from the butter.  The butter was outstanding and it worked just like butter from the store.  It hardened in the fridge and softened when left out. 

I've often substituted a combination of milk and vinegar for buttermilk in a recipe, but now I'm thrilled to have an even more authentic substitution.  When I decided to make homemade butter it never occurred to me that the bonus would be fresh buttermilk.  But I wasted no time testing it out in my new favorite scone recipe!

Lemon-Filled Ginger Scones

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/3 cup lemon curd
Sugar, to sprinkle before baking


Mix flour, sugar and baking powder.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or two butter knives, and then stir in the buttermilk and ginger.  Form into a ball and divide in two, so that one half is just slightly larger than the other.  Line a pie plate (or cookie sheet) with greased foil.  Place the larger half of the dough on foil and pat into an 8 inch circle.  Spread with lemon curd, and then pat out the other half of the dough into a 7 inch circle.  Lay it over the lemon curd and fold up the edges of the bottom dough, sealing the seam as best you can.  Sprinkle a bit of sugar (I like a lot) over the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, cool slightly, cut into pizza slices and serve.  Serves 8