Applesauce

I have a certain fondness for this recipe. I remember watching my mom make batches of applesauce when I was growing up and the whole house smelling like cinnamon. It could be the middle of a dark, cold Idaho winter, or a hot afternoon in the summer; applesauce was something served year round in our house. And now that I live in a state where apples are plentiful, it makes me even more happy.


I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m a bit prejudiced when it comes to applesauce, and this one is no exception. I never really cared for the store-bought, over processed kind. There was usually a serious absence of texture and flavor more often than not, and I couldn’t taste the love. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. Once you go through the process of making applesauce, you’ll understand what I’m talking about, and you won't be able to go back to store-bought either.


This recipe is for you mom. And for me. 

This is going to be a smaller batch of applesauce that I’ll be making today, but the recipe is pretty easy to double or triple depending on your needs. I used two (2) pounds of Granny Smith apples for my applesauce.

Other Ingredients: 

• Ground Cinnamon 
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Cloves
• Water
• Brown Sugar

Peel your apples (carefully!) and set them aside. Don’t worry if there are any brown spots from bruising on the apples. Using a sharp knife, quarter the apples. Remove the seeds and the core area from the apples. Once quartered, chop the apples into small slices.

Place the two (2) pounds of prepared apples into a medium to large sized stock pot. Pour in ¾ cup of water. Next, measure out one (1) tablespoon of cinnamon, one (1) teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon of ground cloves. Mix the spices, water and apples together using a wooden spoon.

Turn the stove on high enough so that the water boils, but the sugar and spices don't scorch. Once the water has reached its boiling point, turn down the heat and add ¾ cup of brown sugar. The sugar should not be packed, but loose in the measuring cup. Stir in the sugar with the apples and spices. 

Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 min. Keep an eye on the apples so that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. I tend to stir my apples every 5-7 minutes to make sure everything is okay.

When 30 minutes have passed, test your apples by pressing down on them with your wooden spoon gently. If the apples cut easily with your spoon, turn off the heat and get your masher. If they need a little more time, that okay. Just cover them (make sure there’s still a little liquid in the pot) for another 5 minutes and test again. *Note-the cook time is the same no matter how big your batch gets!*

Take your masher and press through your apples until the desired consistency is reached. I like my applesauce to be on the more rustic side, so I keep some of the apple bits whole. Taste your applesauce and adjust the spices as needed (adding more cinnamon is common, but this batch didn’t need any).

Enjoy your homemade applesauce hot right away, or you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Ribollita

A few months ago, while wandering the cooking section of Half-Price books, I stumbled upon this gem.

This cook book has a little bit of everything (yes, it has pasta but there's so much more!). One of the recipes in particular has become a favorite in our household. It's called Ribollita. It's a fabulous, hearty Italian soup, full of vegetables and bread. It's light enough that you can have it year round without it feeling heavy in your stomach, and it'll satisfy you. Plus, for you vegetarians out there-it's meatless!

Ribollita

What You Will Need

• olive oil
• onions (you can use red, yellow, or white-whatever you have on hand)
• carrots
• celery
• garlic cloves
• thyme, parsley, salt and pepper
• cannellini beans 
• canned diced tomatoes (or you can use 3-4 fresh tomatoes)
• vegetable stock
• kale
• crunchy bread (French bread or ciabatta bread works well)

I like to start this recipe by prepping all of my vegetables. I chop my carrots, celery, and onions on the course side so it gives the dish more of a rustic quality. If you like, you can certainly chop your veggies finer. I use 3 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, and 1 large onion.

Celery tends to be wider at the bottom. I like to run my knife in the middle of the celery stalk about 2/3 of the length. Then I fold the two halves together and chop. The result, evenly chopped celery. And no, I didn't cut my finger on the knife. That was from a stapler accident at work. Don't ask.

Once you get all of that chopped, you can put a large skillet on the stove and begin to heat it. Once the pan is ready, pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, and let it heat.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the heated oil and stir. Let the veggies cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. You don't want the veggies to burn, but you do want them to cook down a bit. Add 3 chopped cloves of garlic, and the spices. You will need roughly 2 tablespoons of the parsely and thyme, and then 1-2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper. Mix well.

 
While the veggies are cooking, you can go ahead and prep your tomatoes. If you are using canned dices tomatoes (which I normally use), make sure they are not flavored with any extra seasonings in the can. If you are using fresh tomatoes, I've offered some guidelines below for their prep.

To start with, make sure your tomatoes are washed. Slice each tomato in half and set aside.

Using a large soup spoon, gently scoop out the seeds and excess liquid of each half.

If you have kids, this is a great way to get them involved in the kitchen. There nothing sharp about this step. Just a little messy which can be fun!

 Cut the tomato into small pieces and set aside to add to the soup later.

Using canned cannellini beans, rinse the beans well under cold water, making sure all the starch has been removed from them.

Add the beans and the diced tomatoes to the veggie mixture.

I like to mix my veggies all together before I add the vegetable stock.

Add 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth to the pan and cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Beautiful and delicious.

Wash your kale and rip it into small pieces (about 2 inches a piece) and set aside to add to the soup when the 20 minutes has passed. If you don't like kale, you can use arugula or spinach. I've played around with all three before with this recipe and they all work nicely with the flavors.

Take your bread, and slice it into thin slices.

mmmmm...bread

 Then, using your fingers, tear the bread into small chunks. (This would be another step the kids can help with!) Be mindful not to add too much bread to the soup! If you do, you will soak up all the delicious liquid and flavor and will have a pretty sad excuse for Ribollita. I know this from experience sadly.

After the soup has simmered for at least 20 minutes, add the kale and the bread to the soup mixture.

I just realized this pic doesn't show the bread.

 Let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Again, don't add too much bread! Better yet, add it in a little bit at a time and use your best judgement. Adjust the seasoning to taster. It's okay to add a little more salt and pepper if you want! Enjoy!

Pork Loin Chops with Roasted Red Potatoes

I feel like a lot of people don't make classic dishes anymore because they're afraid. How much time is this going to take? How do I prepare the meat again? How will I know what to do next? What if I get it wrong?

I'm a big fan of classic dishes, like pork chops and potatoes, and I want to make sure these recipes don't get lost or forgotten. I understand that a lot of times the effort on a weeknight is pretty much minimal, but that's no excuse for a box of mac 'n cheese to start being the main dish of a meal more than once in a while. So with that said, let me show you how to make a really classic meal with a lot of flavor, but minimal effort.

What You Will Need

• red potatoes (I typically use 4-6 small red potatoes)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• oregano
• rosemary
• pork loin chops (with or without the bone)
• garlic 
• 1 cup of liquid (more info later)

 Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F for the potatoes. Wash your red potatoes and pick out any "eyes" before you cut them into large bite-sized pieces. Place the potatoes into a glass baking dish. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes and mix with your fingers. When the olive oil has coated all the potatoes, season them with the salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Mix the seasoned potatoes with your fingers again and cover with aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, before removing the foil. Then bake another 10-15 minutes, or until done. (You will know the potatoes are done when you are able to stick a fork into them without resistance.)

*TIP* The larger you cut your potatoes, the more time it will take for them to cook. Mine are about an inch and a half here, and they took about 30-40 minutes.

Seasoned potatoes are SO good. Seriously, I think this is how I got Daniel to date me. Just kidding...I think.

Now for the meat. :)

First thing's first: wash your pork. Yes, I said wash your pork. Pork tends to have all kinds of fun bacteria, etc. that I'm not going to go into here, that likes to linger on its surface. (You can do this with chicken as well for good measure.) Just give the meat a rinse under some cool water and rub it gently with your fingers. Pat dry with a paper towel.

You're going to season both sides of the meat with salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic. I did a rough chop of the garlic (using about 3 large cloves). When you are finished with one side of the meat, gently pat the seasoning on the meat before turning it over. This will ensure that the seasoning stays with the meat.

Using a cast iron skillet (or other heavy, oven-safe skillet) pour in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat it through.You will need to "roll" the oil around the pan so that is coats the bottom evenly.

Once the bottom of the pan is coated in the heated olive oil, place the seasoned pork chops in the skillet. The heat should be turned up high enough so the meat will brown easily, but not burn. Remember, you are not completely cooking the meat on the stove top.

Once both sides of the meat are nicely browned, pour in 1 cup of liquid. I used a combination of white wine chicken broth, and brandy. ( You could also make this using apple juice and chicken broth.) The liquid will ensure that the meat doesn't dry out in the oven while it finishes cooking, while enhancing the flavor of the pork.

This is the color you are aiming for when you are browning the meat, before you pour in the liquid.

Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil, and place in the oven until fully cooked. This will usually take about 10-20 minutes depending on whether your pork is bone-in or boneless. (This would also be a good time to use the meat thermometer in your kitchen drawer! If you don't have one, check out these links for my recommendations: Classic Thermometer ; Digital Thermometer 

That’s it! You’ve successfully cooked pork chops! Enjoy them with your roasted reds! I paired mine with some leftover grilled asparagus, and some white wine. 

Awesome. Just, awesome.

Beef Stew with Vegetables (Lightened Up)

I love a good beef stew. Especially on a cold, rainy day (which there are lots of here in Seattle). I like this recipe because it takes a classic dish (inspired by my mom ), and it lightens it up just enough so it doesn't feel heavy. (You'll notice that this recipe doesn't call for any flour.) And really, for a weeknight dinner, the dinner it pretty low effort. The prep work takes about 20-25 min, and the actual oven time about 90 minutes. You get tons of veggies, protein, and full belly. Plus, I got to use the fabulous Dutch oven that Daniel got me for my birthday last year!

Meat and my Dutch Oven. Also making an appearance in this photo is a plastic storage container.

 What you'll need:

• 12 ounces uncooked lean beef (I used a top round sirloin, but you can use whatever), trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1 1/2'' pieces
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup of frozen green peas
• 2 medium uncooked red potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
• 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes
• rosemary, thyme and parsley (dried, about a 1 teaspoon of each)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Before you start cooking your meat, do all the prep work for the vegetables. I like to cut my vegetables on the "chunky" side for stews, because it makes it just a little more hearty, but if you prefer you can cut yours thinner. After you've chopped the carrots, celery, potatoes, and onion, put them aside in a separate bowl.

I like to chop the carrots and celery, and then slice big pieces of onions. I kept the potatoes separate. I'm weird that way. Also, I may have gotten distracted by something shiny.

Make the broth and add the herbs to the liquid. Allow the herbs to meld with the broth while you start the beef. (sorry~I forgot to take a picture of this!)

Cut your beef into pieces, about an inch and a half or so.

Season the beef with salt and pepper.Heat a large skillet on the stove with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Cook the beef in the pan until there is a nice brown sear on it.

I ended up draining a little bit of fat, but if you use extra lean meat, then you won't have as much.

After the meat has browned, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the bottom of a Dutch oven, or other oven-safe container. Add the meat, fresh vegetables, broth and the canned crushed tomatoes. Add about a teaspoon of salt and pepper to the stew.

Cover and put it into the oven at 325 degrees for an hour and a half (90 minutes). About 10 minutes before the 90 minutes ends, add the frozen peas to the stew and mix well. Remove from the oven and serve. If needed, add more salt and pepper to taste.

I love how rustic it looks!

New Energy in the Kitchen, and in Life

Before I start sharing all the amazing recipes I've gathered, I've got to apologize for my absence. Work got a little crazy. Life got a little crazy. I was feeling just so burnt out lately that I didn't want to do anything.

Until this weekend.

I cooked. I baked. It was wonderful. It totally re-energized me and my spirit feels happy again. So to those of you who stuck around and waited anxiously for the next post, thank you. Thank you for being excited about food and entertaining and all that good stuff. I'll post three new recipes tomorrow! Just need to upload my photos!

Yellow Pepper and Onion Ragu

I was craving pasta the other night, and I knew I wanted something a little different. Well, inspiration hit (thank god!) and I managed to combine some ingredients into one of the most glorious pastas I've ever made. Not only does it taste really, really good but it looks pretty. And I like pretty.

What you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 pound of turkey sausage/ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 3-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups (dried) whole wheat pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

First thing, wash your bell pepper really well. Cut the top of the bell pepper off and de-seed it. You'll want to use a yellow bell pepper for this recipe as it lends a bit of sweetness, but not too much to the ragu. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips so that it will cook quickly.

I think this is called "julienne"

Take your onion and cut it in half. Depending on how much you like onion, you can use either the whole onion, or just half. You'll want to chop the onion into slices about a 1/3'' thick or so. Basically, not slivers, but not huge chunks either.  Set aside the bell peppers and onions.

Take your ground turkey or turkey sausage and put it in a large, heavy skillet with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. I used Itaian seasoned ground turkey for my recipe, but I would think any kind would work.

This package was actually a full pound, so I halved it. The rest is in the freezer for another night.

Brown the turkey in the skillet, stirring frequently. Don't worry about "browning" the pan. We'll deglaze that and the vegetables and ragu will just be even tastier.

**TIP** Remember to switch out your cooking utensils when working with raw meat. Once it's cooked, grab a new utensil.

Once the meat is browned and cooked through, remove it from the pan into a separate bowl. Pour another teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and toss in the onions and bell peppers. Stir them with the oil until nicely coated and let them cook down, until slightly browned.

Notice the browned pan. Make sure it doesn't get black!

 While the onions and peppers are cooking, go ahead and fill up a large pot with water. Salt the water and wait for it to boil. When it's ready, pour in the whole wheat pasta. (I used rotini for this dish, but you could also you penne, bowtie, shells, angel hair, etc.) When the vegetables are ready, add the cooked meat back in and pour in the red wine. Work at the bottom of the skillet to deglaze and reintroduce all the flavor stuck to the pan.)

a little steamy in here!

When you are done scraping the skillet, add the crushed tomatoes, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Let the sauce cook together and reduce down while the pasta cooks.

Hell. Yes.

Serve heaping spoonfuls of this sauce over the pasta. Yes, heaping because it is so good. And pretty.

Super yummy, and pretty healthy overall too!

French Onion Soup

I've never really been a fan of French onion soup in my life. I remember a handful of times tasting a spoonful of my dad's when he would order it at a restaurant, and it was nothing special. It wasn't actually until about two years ago that I really developed a fondness for this dish, and it is based solely on this recipe.

I'm not kidding, y'all.

This is amazing. I need to give Daniel the credit for this recipe though. He found a great recipe to start with, doctored it a little bit, and what you get is nothing short of mouth-watering, savory deliciousness. Seriously, there's homemade apple cider in this! This is definitely a dinner that takes time (about 2 hours start to finish) but it's SO worth it.

What you'll need for the soup:

• 5 onions (I used yellow onions, but you can use any kind of sweet onion)
• butter
• salt
• red wine
• beef broth and chicken broth
• thyme, parsely, rosemary, and black pepper
• several large bowls, measuring cups, and a big stock pot
• swiss cheese
• bread

lots of onions y'all

Cut both ends off of the onions and peel the "paper" layer, and the layers immediately underneath until you get a colorless onion. I find it helpful to have a big container or bowl on hand to hold all of the onion wrappings. Make sure you're using a big enough knife to cut these onions. If you use too small of a knife it's just going to make this task harder. **TIP** If onions make you cry, put them in the fridge overnight. This will make the gases in the onion less spicy and will help you get through the task.

Once all the onions are peeled, you will need to slice the onions very, very thin. Don't worry about making them all perfect. This is a task that will get easier the more you do it.

My onions were about 1/8'' inch thick

I like to put all of the sliced onions aside in a container just for safe keeping and to keep my cooking area a little more tidy. After you slice the all the onions, set them aside to create the homemade cider.

Making homemade cider is pretty easy. You'll need some apple juice (I use Mott's 100% apple juice), lemon juice, orange juice, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. I know that sounds like a lot, but honestly, it's really easy. You'll need 10 ounces of apple juice, and just a splash or orange juice and lemon juice.

Apple juice with orange and lemon juice added

Combine all the juices into a medium sauce pot. Add 1/4 teaspoon of all the cider spices mentioned above except the cinnamon. Put one full teaspoon of cinnamon in. And that's it. Just let it simmer on the stove for about 10-15 minutes, and then turn the heat off.

this smells heavenly FYI

At this point you'll want to create the chicken and beef broth for the soup. We use a really thick condensed base that you add hot water to. You'll need 10 ounces of both broths for the soup.

 Add the parsley only to the chicken broth (about a teaspoon), and the thyme, rosemary and black pepper to the beef broth (again, about a teaspoon each). Let these sit and meld together while you return to the onions.

Heat a large stock pot and add 3 tablespoons of butter to it. Let the butter melt before you start adding the onions. Adding the onions is a layering process. I find it helpful to divide my large bowl of sliced onions into four (4) parts. For each layer, you'll want to add black pepper and salt. I don't really have a measurement for this unfortunately, so just add according to your own judgement. Repeat this process for each layer giving it a quick stir after each addition.

 

Now this is the hardest part for me. For the next 15 minutes, you must resist the urge to stir. I mean it. The onions should be left uncovered over medium-high heat and they're going to sweat and reduce down. Don't worry about anything burning on the bottom. We'll deglaze it in a bit. After about 15 minutes, you can give the onions a stir, and then repeat the waiting process again for 10 minutes.

The onions should start to caramelize. You want them to be a deep caramel before adding any of the wet ingredients.

Watch your onions after they've sweated down for about 25 minutes. You want them to be a deep caramel color. It's okay at this point to give it a quick stir to help it along. When the onions are ready, add two (2) cups of red wine.

The wine doesn't have to be fancy. I used a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon from Trader Joe's.

So. Good. 

After you add the wine, work on deglazing the bottom of the pot. You probably won't get all the stuff off of the bottom, but do your best. Let the wine cook with the onions until you can't smell the alcohol too much, about 7 minutes. Add the apple cider, beef broth and chicken broth to the onion mixture.

Daniel "may" have added a shot of brandy to the soup.

Let the flavors meld together while you get the oven and bread ready. Turn on your broiler. Slice your bread rather thin (about 1/4'' inch) and place them on a baking sheet.

When the broiler is ready in your oven, slide the bread in for a few minutes until it gets slightly toasted on one side. Remove from the oven. Grate about a cup of Swiss cheese (you can also use Jarlsberg or Gruyere) to put on top of the bread and soup. Use either large ramekins or oven-safe bowls for the soup. Fill the bowls with the French onions soup until is is about an 3/4'' from the top. Lay the bread on top of the soup toasted side down, and cover with cheese.

 

Place the bowls or ramekins on the baking sheet and put them under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn! When it's to your satisfaction, carefully take our the baking sheet and let the soup cook for about 5 minute before serving. This can easily feed 4-6 people, so be prepared for leftovers if it's fewer than that (which is usually just fine by me).

And there you have it. The most wonderful, savory French onion soup you could possibly imagine.

Perfect. Enjoy!