Apple and Brie Toasts

One of our all time favorite food combinations is Apples + Brie.

Occassionally, we'll buy a round of brie, dice up some apples, sprinkle the apples with cinnamon and nutmeg, surround the brie by the seasoned apples - bake and dig in with a baguette.

Want something that required an ounce less chopping but held the same flavors - we put this together for annual "Valentine's Dinner Cooking Extravaganza".

Sliced bread.
Topped with sliced apples.
Sprinkled with Cinnamon.
Topped with sliced brie.
Baked for 10-ish minutes until cheese is melty.

Easy Peasy and Absolutely delicious!

Detox Juice: Carrot and Apple

Just another week of trying out the juice detox. We've enjoyed the detox...kind of, more like, the day after a detox is quite nice, but the actual day of detox leaves us with a headache and ready to retire to bed early and STARVING the next day.

Regardless, Carrots and Apples are a good juice combination whether your detoxing or just want a fresh cup of juice.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Extended Shelf Life for: Apples, Cutie

Unfortunately, I took no photos of this dish. However, if you want to see what it looks like at various stages, check out this recipe filled with step-by-step directions.

Essentially, you peel and core a few apples, toss in a tough of water, cinnamon, nutmeg, I added the skin of a tangerine and let it go to work in the slow-cooker for an entire day. Take out the orange peel, season with sugar to your liking, can or store in the fridge, wam-bam-thank-you-mam!

Snicker Apple Tart

Having made delicious tortes for Thanksgiving (and subsequently Christmas Eve with the in-laws) I was eager to try out something new for 'belated Christmas' with my own folks. A bit of meandering on Pinterest soon turned up this recipe for Snicker Apple Tart and knew I had to give it a whirl.

I made mine in multiple steps, wanting to ensure the oven was ready and available for the holiday ham which means I left the cooked apples sitting in slightly underdone pie shells for more than a few hours which caused the crusts to be a bit soggy even after re-heating...this could be simply the time issue or an oven issue or an issue of impatience, however, were I slightly more prepared for those factors this would have been phenomenal, considering such factors, this was still damn-good ;)

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a pre-made pie crust, roll out into a shallow pie plate or torte pan, prick with a fork and bake for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and core 2 large Apples to be arranged in the pre-cooked pie shells in whatever arrangement you so desire. Over the apples, drizzle 1/4 cup Heavy Whipped Cream mixed with 4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup unsalted Peanuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While baking, chop 2 Snickers Bars into bite sized pieces.

When 30 minutes have passed and pie is ready, remove from oven, sprinkle with Snicker pieces and drizzle with 1/3 cup Caramel Sauce. Let set a few minutes to get melty and mingled.

Enjoy.

Raspberry-Applesauce

Extended Shelf Life for: Apples and Raspberries

Here we go! Another non-exact recipe from the kitchen of Melissa Harrington...I swear, sometimes I only blog to remember what's come out of my kitchen...oh wait, that is my primary reason for this little ole blog ;)

If you need a good applesauce recipe, I suggest you check out this page which has a nice variety including stove-top, crock-pot and oven varieties. Once you've made your applesauce, if you're wanting to add raspberries, here's the trick to the trade - wait until the last minute.

Raspberries are delicate little souls and will break down into a warm apple sauce without much begging on your part. So, before you start your applesauce, I recommend that you lightly sprinkle your raspberries with sugar, let them set while you prepare the applesauce. When the applesauce is finished, take a quick fork to the raspberries to mash them up before dumping them into the applesauce. Mix until the color is even and viola, you've got a beautiful, raspberry-flavored applesauce which, trust me, you'll love having on the breakfast table!

Fruit Cocktail Vinegar

Extended Shelf Life for: Pear Skins, Apple Skins and Lemon Peel

Recently, I made Apple Cider Vinegar, it was easy and turned out a DELICIOUS pot of vinegar of which the man and I have enjoyed a daily shot (which is beneficial in terms of boosting our immune system AND regulating our blood sugar, meaning we aren't starving 2 hours after breakfast - awweeesome!)

Anyway, in learning to make Apple Cider Vinegar, I discovered that basically the scraps of any fruit or veggie can easily and quickly be turned into a health-packed (and surprisingly delicious) vinegar product.

So, with some aging apples, pears and another few lemons I set to work with another batch of vinegar with was the cores and skins of a few pears, a few more apples and the peel of a single lemon. I put these scraps into our large crock and covered with water and sugar (one quart of water + 1/4 cup of sugar) until the peels were completely covered. Cover the crock with cheesecloth, let set in room temperature (60-70 Fahrenheit) for about a week before straining out the peels, transferring the liquid to another crock (or glass jars) and covering with cheese cloth for another 2-3 weeks until you have the degree of fermentation and vinegary taste that you love and desire. The lemon peel here makes the vinegar quite tart and sour, but completely enjoyable!

Juicer Favorites/Experiments gone Well

Extended Shelf Life: Apples, Grapes, Bok Choy, Carrots, Pomegranate

Since returning to Laramie, we opted to make a fairly grand purchase of an Omega J8500 Juicer and it has been revolutionary!

I'm confident you'll be seeing a lot of juicer related recipes popping up as we're discovering all kinds of uses for the appliance (if you're feeling a bit impatient and want to learn more now, check out this page about my experience with the Juicer).

For now, know that a combination of Apples, Grapes and Bok Choy is quite amazing!

Equally amazing is a combination of Apples, Carrots and Pomegranate.

Sweet Potato, Apple and Tofu Muffins

I do some strange things sometimes. Strange, yet occassionally brilliant. I'll chalk this recipe up to strangely brilliant.

I had just made a pasta sauce using boiled and mashed sweet potatoes and apples which were then mixed with soft tofu. The dish was fabulous, but I had a bit of leftover sauce.

A few mornings later, craving some fresh baked bread product, I simply used the pasta sauce in place of bananas as if I were making banana bread and before you know it, I had my self these super Sweet Potato, Apple and Tofu Muffins!

Ingredients/Directions:

Cream together 1/2 cup margarine, softened and 1 cup white sugar. Add 2 eggs and1 1/2 cups apple/sweet potato/tofu puree. Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking soda. May add one or two  handfuls of craisins or nuts if so desired. Bake at 350 as cupcakes (10-15 minutes) or a loaf of bread (40-50 minutes) until golden brown and no longer gooey in the center.

Sweet Potato and Apple Pasta

Occassionally inspiration hits when there are just the right ingredients in the fridge, ingredients that need to be used within a day or two or tossed. I'm lucky to have the appropriate ingredients and inspiration for the creation of this dish, inspired by a Vegetarian Pumpkin Alfredo, this pasta dish is a little sweet and would definitely fit a fall evening with a cup of cider in the most beautiful of ways.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a saucepan boil 2 Apples, peeled and chunked with 4 small sweet potatoes, chopped with a small touch of water (maybe 1/4 cup). When the apples and potatoes are tender, drain about half of the liquid then use an immersion blender, food processor or blender to pure the potatoes and apples together. Add to the mix about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of soft Tofu. Meanwhile, prepare a couple cups of pasta, I used Penne. Season the sauce with cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of brown sugar. When pasta is finished, add sauce to the pasta  until you reach the desired consistency, serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and chopped almonds on top!

Apple Pancakes

Extended Life for: Apples Ingredients:

2 cups Master Mix
1 1/4 cup Water or Milk
1 egg, beaten
1 Apple, diced
Cinnamon
Vanilla

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients until just moistened. Then add apple pieces, a splash of vanilla and dash of cinnamon. Drop by spoonful onto a hot nonstick, greased griddle or fry pan. Flip when bubles appear on the surface. Enjoy with syrup and hot cup of chai!

Grandma's Apple Crisp

Extended Shelf Life for: Apples

In preparation for marriage, as is true of most brides-to-be, I was honored to spend time with the women of my family, my future family and many dear friends. As I’ve always known I loved being in the kitchen I requested recipes be given as the gift or part of the gifts I would receive during these celebratory times.

Mike’s grandmother, frail during our courtship, engagement, and marriage could not come to the bridal showers, however she lovingly wrote out two recipes of her heritage and sent them to me in good time. One such recipe is this one for an Apple Crisp. I’ve opted out of typing the ingredients and directions because seeing on the recipe card, seems to make the preparation that much more enjoyable. And, to enjoy the finished product, I find the most important ingredient are good friends and family. I enjoyed this particular crisp with Micah and SaraJane after their own busy weekend with family and celebrations for their dear son, Mihretu.

I always hear that Grandma Harrington made the most delicious apple pies, I wonder if she ever slipped a simple apple crisp in to switch things up a bit?

Apple-Strawberry Pancake Syrup

Extended Shelf Life for: Apples and Strawberries I wish I could accurately inform readers how this was put together, however, I ended up throwing things in my baby crock-pot added more water than I had intended and decided it would be syrup rather than apple/strawberry sauce.

So, here is what I think happened, peel and chop about 3 apples, add a couple cups or so of strawberries, sprinkle in some cinnamon, a generous helping of sugar, cover with water, cook for about 3 hours on low, until all ingredients are soft and smell delicious!

When ingredients have spent their time in the crock-pot, run them through the blender and enjoy in the moment or refrigerator for later and heat on stove top before serving over pancakes or French toast. Enjoy for Mardi Gras dinner or a Saturday morning breakfast with good friends, hot tea and engaging conversation.

Blackberry-Apple Pie Crisp

Extended Life for: Apples and Blackberries Take a long good look at those blackberries...now, give me one good reason why they were disposed of? We're not sure either, but thankful for the opportunity to work with these delicious little morsels.

Ingredients:

1 pre-packaged 9in. Pie Crust
1 lg. pkg. Blackberries
2 lg. Apples; peeled, cored, sliced
1 cup Sugar
Sprinkling of Cinnamon

3/4 cups Rolled Oats
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/8 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp. Butter
Sprinkling of Cinnamon

Directions:

Place crust in bottom of 9 in. pie plate. In a bowl, mix apples, blackberries, sugar and cinnamon. Let set for 20 minutes. Meanwhile; mix oats, sugar, flour, and cinnamon together, cut in butter until mix is crumbly. Pour fruit mix into pie crust and top with oat mixture. Bake in oven at 400 for 45-50 minutes until heated through and crispy. Enjoy with ice cream, whipped cream or great friends and great conversation!

Slow-Cooker Applesauce

Extended Life for: Apples

Two of my favorite kitchen concepts are the slow-cooker and old-fashioned goodness. This recipe is a fabulous combination of both. This is an uber-simple formula for super-delious flavor that will leave you feeling satisfied and un-invaded by chemicals and perservatives.

Ingredients:

4 Apples, peeled, cored and quartered

3/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Sugar

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the slow-cooker. Heat on low for 3-4 hours or until tender. Run through a blender, enjoy with a sprinkling of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

Peanut Butter Rice with Apples and Raisins

Extended Life for: Apples and Raisins

In the midst of preparing crab apple butter I developed this quick dish that was sweet, healthy and completely satisfying. I don't generally use the microwave to prepare a meal, but this day, I made an exception as I was desperately hungry.

Ingredients:

2 Green Apples, chopped
1/4 cup Raisins
1 Cup uncooked Instant Brown Rice
(plus required ingredients for cooking)
1/2 Cup Nutcracker Sweet Tea or any chai
3 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp. Honey
Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

Prepare instant rice as per box directions for microwave. Prepare 1/2 cup tea, add peanut butter and honey, mix until smooth. Mix apples and raisins in a bowl. Let rice and peanut butter sauce cool slightly. Mix rice in with apples and raisins then stir in peanut butter sauce. Season with cinnamon as desired.
May be enjoyed warm or you may chill for a couple hours before enjoying!