A little bit of Apple Butter

I was browsing through some blogs, and an old colleague of mine said that she had made apple butter in the crock pot. I had never done that before (I had never made apple butter, period!), so I searched for an easy recipe.

Approximately 3 lb. apples
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
Dash of salt
3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

So. . .that was one recipe. . .and I pretty much did that, minus the adding water/apple cider (since later on in the recipe they ask you to boil it down to very little moisture anyway. And I added less sugar, something I read on another blog, that suggested if I were using sweet apples, maybe not as much sugar was needed.

So, I followed directions as needed. . .but then when I got to the part that suggested I take the lid off of the crock pot to get rid of excess water, I did something different--so ground-breaking! I decided to drain it. . .and make apple cider with the extra apple juice. Brilliant, I know! (See my "pioneer method" of getting apple juice?)

 I don't have a hand blender, and when making apple sauce, I usually just use a potato masher if I do the crock pot variation because we don't mind it chunky on occasion. So for this recipe, I put the drained apple sauce into the kitchen aid to make it smooth. So easy, so fast!

Then I added the spices, and needed to boil it one more time in a sauce pan (or crock pot again. It was getting late into the night, so the sauce pan was quicker. More dishes, yes, but it got me to bed before my alarm clock went off in the morning!)

And the kids like like it--including he BIG one. . .but not E. He thinks it is just smoother spicier applesauce and that doesn't belong on bread. Oh well. . .it is getting gobbled up anyway!

Happy fall food preserving!

MPM. . .again

WELL . . .how long has it been since I have posted one of these?!?!?

One "change" for the new year was to get back into some of the organized routines I had before I went back to work. Meal planning often slipped through the cracks . . . and grilled cheese can be made in so many different forms! I KNOW I won't have time to blog about meal planning all the time, but with a few spare moments, and needing to be on the computer to find some recipes anyway, here is what my week is looking like:

Monday- Chicken Milani (CP), buns
Tuesday- Crock Pot Gingered Beef, rice, salad
Wednesday- Easy Baked Chicken Courdon Bleu (stuffed version~I think that is easier, and using a real cheese sauce), noodles, glazed carrots
Thursday-left-overs
Friday-pizza
Saturday-we'll see. . .
Sunday (Breakfast for Supper)-Pancakes & sausages

Last week's highlight:
Last week I made the Better Butter Chicken from the Eat, Shrink and Be Merry Cookbook. I think this might be a link for it. I was pretty hesitant about making it. . .but I knew I liked it and the hubby liked it. . .I was just worried about the kids liking it. No worries! This recipe isn't quite so spicy as a more authentic kind, so it was perfect. And the hubby got a spicier batch for himself. :)

See more MPM at www.orgjunkie.com

Pizza Pasta

My kiddos were part of a the summer reading club at their local library. In addition to the reading they did at home, there were various shows/presentations that they could attend. One that we went to was put on by The Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a cooking show, where they connected the need for reading and writing with working at the various levels within the restaurant. They also had some of the kids help them make a special secret recipe created just for the event.

Well, not so secret, I guess, when they give the kids the recipe, right?

So, my son came home and wanted to make it. It was called "The Old Spaghetti Factory's Secret Pizza Pasta Salad."

So, he put together the ingredient for the dressing: 1 c. tomato sauce (we did a home made version of the kind we like. OSF obviously used their tomato sauce recipe), 1 c. ketchup, 1/4 c. diced onion, 3/4 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 1 t. basil, 1 t. oregano, & 1 t. black pepper

Then he added  cooked pasta (3/4 c. to each 1/4 c. dressing), added diced mozza cubes, sliced pepperoni, and even tried to decorate it with fresh basil like the chef did!

This was supposed to be a "cold salad." He wanted to try it warmed up, so we added a bit more dressing and a bit more cheese, and baked it briefly in the oven.

Add a little garlic toast. . .yum!

Thanks to the Old Spaghetti Factory for the recipe and the fun of making it at home!

This post is linked: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday

Apple-Blackberry Dessert

'Tis the season for Barbecues. . .LOVE that!

So to the most recent one we went to, I brought dessert. My hubby loves Apple Crisp, my daughter loves anything sweet, and my son. . .he's not a huge sugar fan. Weird, huh?

I tried this recipe--Apple-Blackberry Dessert--for the first time. I knew my company was pretty forgiving if it didn't go well. ;)

The recipe came from here

Apple Blackberry Crisp

Ingredients:

Filling
3 Mutsu apples. peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes ~I just used an assortment of apples, and that worked just fine as well.

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries (or raspberries or strawberries) (250 ml)

1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (125 ml - 175 ml)

2 tablespoons cornstarch (30 ml)

Grated zest of 1 orange ~This was a nice touch--had never done that before.

Topping
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (125 ml)

1/4 cup flour (60 ml)

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into chunks (75 ml)
1/3 cup brown sugar (75 ml)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2 ml)
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (1 ml)

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup almonds, chopped (60 ml) ~I didn't add any of these. . .not huge nut fans in the house, but it didn't take away from the topping, in my humble opinion.
Butter, for baking dish

Directions

Filling

1.In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients and toss to blend.

Topping

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Put the oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Work mixture together with fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Add almonds and blend well.

3.Butter an 8 by 8 inch baking dish with butter. Pour apple filling into dish and mound topping over filling, covering it completely. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Here is the pre-cooked delight. . .

And my son wasn't so big on blackberries--just in case he didn't like them. So I made a regular Apple Crisp as well.

Mmm. . .in the oven. . .

And no picture of it on a plate. . .it was all gone before I even thought about it!

So. . .I think that means it went over pretty good! Little whipped cream or a little ice cream (the french vanilla kind, of course. . . mmm). . .it was delish!

Linked at Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesdays

MPM

Monday. . .and a menu plan!

Monday- Salmon Strudels for the adults; basic grilled cheese and ham for the kids. It's game day--need food to eat in front of the TV, right?
Tuesday (CP)-BBQ Chicken, buns, cut veggies
Wednesday- Another game day? Probably teriyaki chicken wings (or just use the Epicure teriyaki mix/spice, throw it all in the CP for a few hours and call it good!), french fries, and something super healthy to balance it all out! :)
Thursday- Sandwiches and salad
Friday- Left-overs or pizza (BBQ chicken sounds good to me right now. . .)
Saturday's Snack- baked onion rings (see note below)
Sunday- Pancakes and Bacon (will try to add blueberries or blackberries. . .see if "change" is okay! Or else I'll jsust save the fruit for the topping.)

Snack. . .the baked onion rings. . .here is my little hint. . .I added one more step to the recipe given. After cutting up my onions, I soak them in water or milk, tn do the flour, then the egg wash, then the crumb mixture. I find the batter sticks a little better. One of the notes suggested putting the finished product in the fridge before baking to help it stick. Who knows. I'm an instant gratification person when it comes to these since they take too long to make! While it doesn't quite compare to the tower of rings from Red Robin or the greasy little bag at A&W's, it's a good after noon snack paired with a little barbecue-mayo mixture.
(photo from here)

For more MP, visit www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe it has been over a month since I have posted. . .much less done any type of menu plan! Things have been kinda crazy with some Reno's going on (as in the kitchen!) a trip to visit family, the normal busyness of life, that kind of thing. Maybe I have an excuse, right. . .?

Here is a MP once again.

Monday-Grilled Cheese (fancy-ish), yam fries, veggies and dip
Tuesday-Greek Chicken (either this recipe or this CP one), tzatziki, pitas, mixed veggies
Wednesday-Salmon Strudels, corn and pepper salsa
Thursday-Spaghetti garlic bread
Friday-left-overs or pizza
Saturday-TBA. . .maybe?
Sunday- French Toast Casserole, sausage

Enjoy your week. For more MP, visit www.orgjunkie.com

Cake Mix Brownies

A bit back (as in Valentine's Day!) I needed a quick recipe, and I just wanted brownies. (I wanted to have something for our church's women's group as well as a treat for my hubby's work--without being too frilly for obvious reasons. Cupcakes were kinda out of the question! Brownies would definitely do.)



I had heard someone on TV talk about brownies using a cake mix, so I thought I would give it a try.

After a bit of searching fora recipe in which I had the ingredients on hand, here is what I came up with:



No Fail Easy Cake Mix Brownies

Don't let the title trick you. . .because mine didn't actually turn out "no fail" in my humble opinion. If you look below at the photo (if you can see) the middle kind of sunk down. I like consistently flat better. Did they suit the purpose? Yes. Easy? YES!



Take 1/2 c. butter, 1/3 (or 1/4) c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. water, 2 eggs, 1 t. vanilla, and 3/4 c. chocolate chips or chocolate pieces, and mix all of that with your cake mix. Dump it all in a greased 9x13. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, and there you go. Easy? Definitely!



And I shouldn't complain too much about the fact that it sunk a bit, because that was easy enough to cover with some chocolate caramel icing and a red-hot to make it valentine-ish-y, so. . .there you go. An easy snack that everyone enjoyed.


This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesdays
• What's Cooking Wednesdays
• Sweets for Saturday

Menu Plan Monday

Happy eating this week. . .here is what we are doing:


Monday- Polynesian Ham, noodles, Melted Cheese Buns


Tuesday-Honey-Ginger Grilled Salmon (can substitute chicken), rice, salad

Wednesday-BBQ Chicken, buns

Thursday (CP)-Vegetable-Barley-Beef Soup

Friday-left-overs or pizza

Saturday's Snack-one-pan brownies (hopefully I'll post later)

Sunday (BFS)-pancakes, bacon



*Since my hubby is destroying my kitchen, I've been forced into "cleaning." Both the results of what he has destroyed (as I have a baby in the house!) and the junk in the cupboards that I no longer have! Which means. . .recipes. I discovered--again--that once upon a time, I had great hopes and dreams to be (or become) quite the homemaker! I have recipes galore, magazine clippings about hosting and table decorations, articles about how to pair wines with meals, crafts and decoration how-to's. . . and sadly, much of that went into the recycle. I guess when you are younger you just don't know how life is going to turn out--or how busy life becomes, especially with children and everything that goes along with raising them! Funny how I didn't have any articles on how to make a child clean their room every day or how to raise your child to become the next president. . .



Anyway, the positive outcome of my sad nostalgia, is that I found a few good recipes to hold onto and to try. One of them is this one. And it is super easy!

Honey-Ginger Grilled Chicken


1 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic powder
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. orange juice
1/4 c. honey
1 scallion, chopped
1-1/2 lbs. salmon fillet

Directions:

1. In a large self-closing plastic bag, combine first 6 ingredients. Mix well. Place salmon in bag and seal tightly. Turn bag to distribute the marinade.




2. Refrigerate 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Turn bag occasionally.




3. Lightly grease grill rack. Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove salmon from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with reserved marinade during cooking. Discard left-over marinade. Serves 4.




Notes: You can substitute salmon with 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Served great with steamed rice tossed with grilled vegetables.

My note: I kept the salmon in the marinade all day. We ate it with honey-garlic noodles and a salad. It was super easy and super good. Our kids even asked for more of the "chicken." And therefore, we definitely had "chicken" for supper. LOL!

Apple Loaf

Finally I am going to get this post up! For how incredibly easy this recipe is, you'd think I'd have posted it already!
I got this recipe from my sister--back in "apple-sauce season" I wanted something productive to do with apples instead of applesauce! (Although looking back, and being more than half-way done all the applesauce I made, something productive would have been making EVEN MORE applesauce!)

This was originally a Zucchini Bread recipe with an apple variation.

1.5 c. flour

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

1 c. sugar

1 c. shredded unpeeled zucchini

1/4 c. cooking oil

1/2 c, chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

The apple variation of the recipe says to replace the zucchini with 1.5 c. shredded peeled apple. My sister's great advice is to also substitute the cooking oil for applesauce (Which many people do things like that anyway).

So. . .grating apples. . .

Mix that with applesauce/oil, egg, and sugar. In another bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Add the "wet" stuff to the "dry" stuff. Stir until just moistened. Fold in nuts now if you are going to add any. Pour in a pan. . .Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

There you go. Yummy bread all the time. I make these into muffins, little loafs or regular sized loafs--whatever works. The other thing I love about this recipe, is that it is so-o-o forgiving and still works out! If you don't have nutmeg, add a little more cinnamon. Use whole-wheat flour instead. Use all chunky applesauce instead of shredded apple. Add a little extra apple if you like it super apple-ish-y.
Some things I have learned. . .let the loaf cool completely before slicing or moving into plastic to freeze or store. Its better to even wait a day. That is why the little muffins or little loafs work better if you want to eat right away--which you will!!! And make two at a time. . .in our house this disappears VERY quickly!

See more recipes at Tempt My Tummy, Tasty Tuesdays What's Cooking Wednesday, Sweets for Saturday.

Menu Plan Monday

So, I skipped a week. . .welcome back to MPs for me!

Monday-Hamburger Stroganoff. . .okay, it was a Hamburger Helper!!! (gotta keep the hubby happy if i want my kitchen usable soon!) with garlic bread and salad.

Tuesday-Polynesian Ham, rice

Wednesday-Nachos

Thursday (CP)-Slow CookerThai Chicken, noodles, salad

Friday- pizza

Saturday's Snack-Apple Loaf. . .I'll get around to posting about this one of these days!

Sunday- French Toast Casserole, ham steaks

Last week we had: ravioli in spaghetti sauce (found the "just-like-old-spaghetti-factory-tomato-based recipe and made that. . .added Italian sausage. . .not a big hit in this household this week. . .and we even had to eat it twice!), chicken bacon pizza (this was and always is a big hit!), chicken nuggets and french fries, and grilled cheese.

Have a great week!

For more mp idea, visit www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan day again. . .

Last week was one of those weeks were I didn't follow the plan. Which is all good, because I made this recipe: Honey Citrus Crock Pot Chicken. (I was kinda tired of peppers and onions and all that in food and creamy chicken kind of recipes). The only thing I would change is to use more pepper or ginger or something like that to give it a bit more of a kick.

And then later on in the week, to use the left-over chicken, I made a version of this stir fry. And everyone liked it. So it turned out to be a good eating week anyway--plan or no plan.

This week:

Monday- BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, coleslaw

Tuesday- Spaghetti, salad, garlic buns

Wednesday- Fancy grilled cheese, and for me and hubby~Homemade Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Thursday (Crock Pot Day)-CP Thai Chicken, rice, corn

Friday- left-overs or pizza

Saturday's Snack- Apple Loaf (hopefully I'll get a post out about this one)

Sunday-French Toast Casserole, sausage

Well, there you go.

For more menu plan ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan late-Monday

So much for starting the new year in an organized fashion!

Oh well. We have been busy with family get-togethers and the resulting colds and germs that go along with all of that (read: crabby kids)! This week it is back to the ordinary life. . .I think, anyway!

Monday-We had creamy chicken (CP) on buns and salad

Tuesday- We had Taco Salad

Wednesday-Thinking about pizza sandwiches or pizza

Thursday-Tuscan Chicken sandwiches (CP), stir fried veggies

Friday-Hamburgers (just want the BBQ going in the cold! we did it this past weekend with some salmon, and it is just yum when you smell that outside!)

Saturday- see my appy selection below

Sunday-pancakes and ham

Appies: Since it is a new year and no one wants to be eating anymore, here are a few of the appies/treats we had over the holidays (while I ceased to blog!)

Guacamole

Fresh Salsa

6 Roma tomatoes, 1 c. chopped onion, 1 T. garlic, 1 pepper, 1 t. hot chili, 1/2 t. cumin, 2 T oil, 2 t. lemon or lime juice.

Chop, mix, let sit for 1/2 hour, and enjoy!

Bruschetta

8-10 tomatoes, 2T finely chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 c. fresh basil, 2 t. red wine vinegar, 3 T olive oil, salt and pepper--to taste.

Mix ingredient together and let stand for 1/2 hour. Drain excess liquid. Slice Italian bread, brush with 3 T oil, broil on low until just browning. Spoon tomato mixture on top of bread. Enjoy!

Baked onion rings

Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

For more menu plan ideas, visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/!

Squah Soup

It is Fall. . .and that means we get to try some fall cooking!

I made squash soup for the first time last year--only because we decided to try to grow some butternut squash in our garden. My hubby remembered his mom making stuff with squash, so we though it would be good to grow. . .if it grew. The squash did grow great, but when I asked hubby what his mom had done with the squash, he couldn't remember. Off to the Internet I went!

We once had a squash soup as a starter at a fancy-ish restaurant, so I thought I might give it a try. It turned out to be wonderful. So. . .a week ago (or more, don't remember anymore!) I made it again!

I have no idea where I got the recipe from, so here is my go at it. . .

What you need:

1 large butternut squash

1 medium onion

2 apples, peeled and chopped

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper to taste

ground coriander

ground cinnamon

ground nutmeg

6-8 c. chicken stock or broth

The recipe suggests slicing the squash as shown (which isn't butternut squash, but looking at the web, this kind is similar--just a tougher shell. I needed hubby to cut them open for me. I wasn't strong enough!) Slice, take out the seeds and goop, then score it to let olive oil seep in and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. cover with foil and roast in a 350F oven for about 1/2 hour. I used this squash as food for the baby as well, so I just roasted it for now, and added the spices later on to the soup.

Next I put a little butter or olive oil in large pan, added a chopped onion, and added the salt and pepper now.

Once the onions were soft, I scooped out the squash from the shells and added the rest of the ingredients. After the soup came to a boil, I simmered it for about 30 minutes--until everything was soft and the house smelled great!

Then, I scooped it into my magic bullet, and pureed it.

The recipe suggested adding a splash of white wine to give it a refreshing kick. For a more savoury taste, it suggested replacing the cinnamon and nutmeg with sage and bits of chopped bacon. We remembered eating it at the restaurant with a dollop of herbed cream.

We just topped it with sour cream and bacon bits. Oh-so-fancy for us!

And enjoy!

For more ideas, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, and What's Cooking Wednesdays.

Menu Plan Monday

Menu plan. . .check.
Monday. . .check!

It has been a while since I can boast on having this done on time!

Monday-scalloped potatoes, sausage, stir-fried veggies

Tuesday-teriyaki chicken wings (from last week. . .i did keywest chicken instead last week!), french fries

Wednesday- tacos or taco salad. . .

Thursday-CP Creamy Chicken, noodles, salad

Friday-left-overs

Saturday- see the salsa below!

Sunday-French Toast Casserole

Okay, had to show these. . .roasted pumpkin seeds--wash them out, spread them on a cookie sheet, top with salt, (and garlic and a touch of chili powders), bake for 3o min. at 350F. . .super easy snack on a pumpkin-making day or a squash baking day. Squash seeds can be eaten the same way. We also make it in the fry pan, only then I add some oil. . .not so healthy that way, but a little faster than 1/2 hour away from a treat. Enjoy. . .

This past week was a salsa-making week! It's a lot of work for only a few jars. . .piles and piles of tomatoes and peppers turn into only 4 jars! Oh well, my hubby loves it, so I make it! (Made 2 jars one night and two jars another night. . .the second night I convinced him to help me chop, so that all worked out!) I use these two recipes on www.food.com: recipe # 9272 and #32124. This time around, though, we added a bunch of different kinds of peppers--including Habaneros!!! This site is a good one for telling you about peppers.

See how beautiful/colourful it looks all fresh and cut up in the pan?

For more MPM, see www.orgjunkie.com

Making Applesauce

It's not too late to be Tuesday still, is it?

This is "harvest" season.

For us--me--that means applesauce season.

I tried something new this year. Applesauce in a crock pot. I figured if there was something easier than the way I usually make applesauce, I was going to figure it out.

I used this recipe, from the "Crock Pot Lady." I love her blog and have used many of her recipes before, so I figured this one was worth a try as well.

So, I cut my apples. . .with an apple cutter because you need to core and peel them.

Then put the slices in the crockpot with the cinnamon, brown sugar, water, lemon juice, and vanilla. This was where I was beginning to get nervous because when I make applesauce the good old fashioned way, I just use apples. . .maybe a little sugar and cinnamon when serving it, but otherwise just apples.

See how beautiful it looks in the crockpot (above), and also when it is done (below)? After about 5 hours or so, I took my potato masher and made the apples into sauce. It was chunkier than when I make it otherwise, but I thought it was good.

The part I didn't like about it was the vanilla. My kiddos did not like that "flavour" in it either. So, I made another batch the next day, using apples and water.

Yep, that is all. No extra flavouring.

Then I mixed the two together.

And then it tasted wonderful.

Was it easier than the way I usually do it?

Hard to say. When I do it otherwise, I have a system going of washing, coring and cutting, boiling, and using the mill. Put the applesauce into jars for canning or into containers for the freezer and there you go.

The crockpot way there is not as much washing, still coring, AND peeling, but then there is no milling, but some easy mashing. But you can't keep doing this for three or four hours straight as I only have one crock pot (which is a blessing and a con, I suppose.)

They rate pretty evenly to me. The best part is the smell. Yum-yum. But the best-est part is being done. And cleaned up afterwards. And sitting on the sofa, enjoying the smell.

This, of course, must be qualified by the fact that I don't own a KitchenAid. No such luxury in this kitchen. When my hubby and I first got married, and it was a joy to spend time with me, he would help and we had one of those old cone shaped funnels with the wooden club-like tool. So a mill is definitely moving up in the world, but it is no KitchenAid. I may have jealousy issues over those who may have one. :)

Here is my little a, enjoying an apple. You should have seen the drool this caused him. It was great! And now that he is actually eating solids, sometimes I just take a pan, boil a cut up apple for a bit, mash it up, and then he has applesauce. This is a small commitment--one apple at a time. I just have to pay attention to what is one the stove for a bit.

My E had to get involved too. He loves using the mill with me. . .for a short time. . .before I put on a show because I just want the kiddos out of the kitchen. He also helped out by writing "2010" on the top and "apple" on some of them. Of course, he snuck his name on a few too. It's amazing the places he sneaks his name onto. (The best is on coupons--so I have to explain what the coupon says to the person at the checkout and explain my child's obsession with writing his name everywhere!) Thanks E!

And that is applesauce season in our home!

For more tempting ideas, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

And What's Cooking Wednesdays.