Apple Appeal

With Thanksgiving only ten days away, thoughts are shifting to "the dinner". If you are the chef du jour, you are probably planning what you can make ahead of time in order to streamline the chaos of that fateful Thursday morning. If you are lucky enough to escape the duty of preparing the feast, you have at least started dreaming about those tasty holiday favorites. Personally, I have a weakness for dessert. If left unattended, I will overindulge. So... this year I wanted a dessert that would satisfy my sweet tooth but not push me out of my skinny jeans. The option I came up with was homemade applesauce. Testing commenced immediately. A squeeze of lemon juice, a hint of vanilla, and a dash of nutmeg were added to liven up this recipe. As the ingredients slowly simmered together, they created a delightful aroma which permeated the house. Served warm with a dollop of whipped cream, the applesauce was just as scrumptious as a piece of pie. Not only could it stand as a dessert, it was also an exquisite topper for oatmeal the next morning. Applesauce has officially earned it's place at the big kids table.

Waste Not, Want Not

Everyone has a way of dealing with leftovers. Some people make casseroles, some people eat leftovers for lunch. Usually, I shove them to the back of the refrigerator until they are unrecognizable, never to be heard from again. In this day and age, no one can afford to waste good food, so today I decided to break my careless leftover habit. My goal was to create something delectable from yesterday's remnants. The result was single serving pot pies. I started with store bought pie dough. Pressing the dough into a greased muffin tin, I created small cups that would hold the bounty of chicken and vegetables from last night's soup. I plucked fresh sprigs of thyme and sprinkled them into the meaty filling to boost the flavor. Using a tiny cookie cutter, I created small overlapping circles of dough that sealed the top of each pie and locked in the juicy goodness. In a 450 degree oven, they baked approximately 10 minutes. The crust was buttery, flaky and delicious. The filling was warm and hearty. A savory aroma of thyme leaked out as the crust was pierced by my fork. They looked special, tasted lovely, and could be tailored to fit whatever leftovers you have in the fridge. With a little bit of creativity, yesterday's scraps became today's main dish. As the old saying goes, "waste not, want not."

Ode to a Cheesehead

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Since I have no chance of avoiding football each and every Sunday, I have decided to embrace the sport as my culinary inspiration. I have vowed to move beyond pizza and hot wings and bring a little edible adventure to the game. Since the sports media centered around Green Bay this week, I chose cheese as my ingredient du jour. Of course, I could have selected waffles to represent the indecisive nature of Brett Favre, but I wanted to focus on the positive. Hip hip hooray for the Cheeseheads! Sharp cheddar and Parmesan were the star players in this recipe. After shredding about 1 cup of each cheese, I tossed them together in a bowl. Using a nonstick skillet on medium heat, I melted small piles of the cheese mixture until they had a golden brown edge. (Each pile was slightly larger than the size of a silver dollar) Using a spatula, I gently lifted them out of the pan, one by one, and draped them over the top of a bottle. Quickly and delicately, I pushed the edges down to form a bowl. After they had cooled, I filled the cheese cups with tangy chicken barbeque and topped with a sprig of fresh parsley. Crunchy and meaty, these tiny wonders packed a mouthful of flavor into one perfect bite.

Trick or Treat

Break out your scarf and mittens, crank up the fireplace, and go get yourself a pumpkin. Fall is in full effect, so embrace it. Roasting pumpkin seeds is a tradition that is synonymous with fall so today I diligently toasted up the innards from my jack-o-lantern after carefully carving his mischievous face. With a kiss of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, the seeds were just as crunchy and addictive as I remembered. The only problem was that they left me wanting something sweet. I decided to combine the crispy seeds with my hankering for a sugary delight and pumpkin seed brittle was the result. I referenced a recipe for the brittle from Food Network, poured it over the roasted pumpkin seeds and let cool for 2 hours. The sweet and salty snack satisfied both my cravings and produced a gorgeous amber candy that broke into shards like glass. Beautiful and delicious... what a treat!

Harissa Chips

Sundays mean one thing at my house... football. This is the day when my husband has full reign over the living room and the focus turns to all things pigskin. If there is one thing I know about football, it is that snacks are a crucial element to maintaining the energy level needed of a die hard fan. In addition to the usual fare of chicken wings and soda, today I introduced harissa chips. Thinly sliced red potatoes got a healthy drizzle of Fustini's harissa infused olive oil and then baked in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes. I browned them 5 more minutes under the broiler and then set them on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkled with salt, they were a crispy delight. The harissa brought some serious heat to the chips which was a pleasant change in flavor. It was not the kind of heat that burns your lips, but a heat that settles in the back of your throat and makes you feel like a fire breathing dragon. Needless to say, this fiery snack was well received and will make the roster again next Sunday. Who's ready for some football?!

Cure for a Cold

Well, autumn is officially here. It's time for scarves, jackets, and the sniffles. Chicken soup is the undisputed remedy for cold weather ailments, so today I made a big pot of the hearty panacea. I started with a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and picked it clean of all the meat. After setting the meat aside, I boiled the carcass and it's remnants along with a red onion, some celery stalks, three carrots, and several cloves of garlic to create a delicious base for the soup. Once the stock was strained I added in some freshly chopped carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and spinach. With a healthy pinch of pepper, this nutrient packed soup was locked and loaded and ready to tackle any intruding germs. (Sniffles BEWARE!)

I Can't Believe it's Homemade Butter

Until today, I thought making butter at home was an obsolete practice which involved stout women in colonial garb and hours of laborious churning. After reading a fellow blogger's post about how easy it was to make homemade butter, I decided I had to try it for myself. (thank you to Them Apples) Sure enough, it was as simple as shaking a jar. It took about 25 minutes for it to work through the stages of forming butter (which I used as a rare opportunity to give my arms a workout while sitting on the couch). After straining off the buttermilk, I rinsed the butter with ice water to remove any excess milk. I portioned it out into several small batches and rolled it up in wax paper for safe keeping. I also decided to make salted, thyme/parsley, and basil butter but the pure unsalted version was the smoothest, creamiest butter I have ever tasted. So the next time you have some bottled up frustration, take it out on a jar full of cream and then at least you will have something to show for all of your vigorous shaking.