Apple Galette

I wrote recently about my challenges as a baker. Case in point:  I made this dessert twice on Thanksgiving - not because I needed two of them, but because in the first attempt I underestimated the value of using parchment paper, as instructed. My blunder left me with too-few apples for a second attempt - thanks to my neighbor Maria for coming to my rescue with a couple of apples she had on hand!

The second time was a charm, though, and this was a quick, easy - but equally as tasty - alternative to a traditional apple pie. And it was beautiful! 

This was the first attempt - notice the lack of parchment paper. It stuck like glue to the pizza stone - and I was so sure the stone would make the bottom perfectly crisped, etc. It looked beautiful (and tasted delicious, I have to confess), but couldn't be removed from the stone with anything but a large spatula and a lot of scraping. Not good.

For a dessert, this was my kind of recipe - the woman who wrote it used terms like "about," "around," "some," and "sprinkle." I didn't measure carefully, but this is what I did...

Ingredients:

•  4 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 2 T brown sugar
• Peel of about a quarter lemon
• Juice of about a quarter orange
• Pinch of salt
• 2 T butter, small diced
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
• 1 prepared pie crust - I used Pillsbury
• Sugar, for sprinkling
• Parchment paper!

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Toss apples in a large mixing bowl with next 5 ingredients, through salt.
3. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
4. Roll out pie crust to about 1/8" thickness.
5. Place pie crust on parchment lined cookie sheet.
6. Pile apples on top of crust.
7. Dot with butter.
8. Fold crust up over the apples - you will not cover all the apples. No need to be fancy, just fold the crust onto itself until all is pulled up.
9. Brush crust with egg mixture and sprinkle all over with sugar. Bake about 35 minutes or until nicely browned.

This is my second attempt right before it went into the oven...again, notice the parchment. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

We eat a lot of chicken, and it's fun (and sometimes a little frustrating) to find new ways to prepare it. Who knew that Nov. 12 was Chicken Soup for the Soul Day?! Not me...but I had a package of chicken and everything I needed to make soup.

I love chicken noodle soup but haven't had much success with it in the past - no matter what I did, it just didn't seem to have much flavor. In an effort to make a soup that didn't just taste like chicken broth, I made two additions this time that made all the difference - lemon zest and a jalapeno. Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• zest of one lemon
• 1 lb. chicken, cooked, cooled, and diced
• 2 quarts low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 bag egg noodles

Method:

1. Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat.
2. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and jalapeno until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in dill, zest, and pepper. Add chicken.
4. Add stock and bring to boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions, about 7 - 9 minutes.

Jalapeno Popper Dip with Bacon Breadcrumbs

This dip is similar to another that I've made a few times, but is so much better in so many ways! Fresh roasted jalapenos, bacon, three kinds of cheese, creamy filling, crunchy topping...what's not to love?!

It is spicy as written, but you can adjust the heat level easily by removing all the seeds or using fewer peppers. It was a huge hit at a get together this weekend and has definitely made it into the "make again" folder.

Fortunately, I thought to prepare a small dish with enough for just Brian and me, which we had tonight. Nice way to start a festive week!

To roast the peppers, toss them with a little olive oil and roast at 425 until they begin to char and soften, about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 10 slices bacon, diced and crisp cooked
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 T bacon grease, slightly cooled
• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
• 1 cup plus 3 T grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 10 large jalapenos, roasted and diced (seeds removed from all but one)

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Add bacon, panko and bacon grease to a food processor. Process until bacon is approximately the size of the breadcrumbs. Stir in 3T of parmesan and set aside.
3. Mix together all other ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Place in a pie plate. Sprinkle with bacon breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and dip is heated through.

Source: The Wicked Noodle

"Famous" Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not a big baker. I love to cook, but find baking to be way too precise and picky. All that measuring and mixing is just too tedious for me.  I don't even do a lot of baking at my annual Christmas Cookie Day with my nieces - they measure and sift and stir...and I "supervise." I didn't even have a "baking" label until I entered this post, my 68th.

This is why my mom's Kookie Klown, which she kept filled with homemade cookies, now houses dog treats. On the up side, since our dogs are a little spoiled, I use her cookie jar every single day (sometimes more often than that....don't tell Brian) and think of her each time.

I've had this recipe for a while. I've never had a chocolate chip cookie at Nieman Marcus and have no idea if this is really the authentic recipe.  Regardless, it makes a delicous cookie. With espresso powder, lots of vanilla, chopped nuts, and bittersweet chocolate, it's a "grown up" chocolate chip cookie. Not overly sweet, a little crunchy, it's nice with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot coffee.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso, slightly crushed
• 1-1/2 cups (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla for 30 seconds longer, until well combined.
4. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer, while beating on slow speed. Beat for about 15 seconds. Stir in the nuts, chocolate chips and espresso powder, and mix for 15 seconds longer.
5. Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening (or use a non-stick spray).
6. Drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in 2-tablespoon dollops about 3 inches apart.
7. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles; there should be room on the sheet for six or eight cookies at a time.
8. Bake for about 18 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges. Bake for a little longer for crisper cookies.

Source: About.com home cooking

Three-Ingredient Pulled Pork

This was quite simply one of the easiest, most delicious meals I've made in a long time. Thanks to my friend Erin, I can now serve up authentic Pulled Pork Sandwiches with just three simple ingredients (plus rolls, of course).

I love that you can use a lean, high quality pork roast for this. I trimmed the roast before cooking it and any fat that was left slid off easily when it came out of the crock pot.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb. boneless, center cut pork roast, fat trimmed
• 12 oz. root beer soda
• BBQ sauce to taste (plus extra for serving, if desired)

Method:

1. Season roast all over with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Pour soda around roast.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Remove pork from slow cooker. Remove any remaining fat from pork.
5. Shred pork with two forks.
6. Place shredded pork into medium sauce pan.
7. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce (I used about 1 C) and 2 TBSP of the soda from the crock pot.
8. Heat gently until ready to serve.