Author: SaraTaft

One of my father’s favorite meals was chicken pot pie…with baking powder biscuits.   Chicken and dumplings was a very close second.   What’s not to love?  Honestly, the aroma of home cooking is probably one of the most heartwarming, soul healing scents for mankind.  Smells are undeniable triggers for memory.  And if we have been blessed with wonderfully scented memories we have been given a gift that is beyond priceless.

My father grew up during the depression.  His formative years were spent living with family, but apart from his mother and his younger brother.  His father abandoned the family when my dad was four.  Consequently, to support herself and her family, my grandmother worked as a live in cook for a wealthy family in CT.  I cannot imagine having to come up with meals during the depression when rationing and doing without were the way of life.

My grandmother was a fantastic cook.  I like to think I have a few of her culinary genes (and cooking genius) in me.  Part of the magic of cooking is in the “secret ingredient”.  The love of what you do and the love that goes into it as you do it. My grandmother had an endless supply of that secret ingredient and she generously employed it.  Her name was Orrilla Mary Barnes.  And I adored her.  I loved to watch her cook.  She loved to cook. Chicken pot pie was one of her specialties.  And, my father loved it.  I loved it. We all did.

I still have a few of my grandmother’s cooking utensils in my kitchen.  When I use them, and I do frequently,  they induce so many wonderful memories of her.  But, even better than that, I have her cookbooks.  Timeworn and falling apart but tangible nonetheless.  Her recipes, penned in her handwriting, from her years spent as a cook so long ago, when the depression raged and ravaged and inspired the world to pull together and find ways to make things work.  To propel people into imaginative creation. To stretch the limits of possibility and ingenuity.  To appreciate what was and take nothing for granted. To find the good in life no matter how small a needle it was in the haystack of hard times.  It was then, and still is, always there.

Now, chicken soup is renowned for its healing properties.  The common cold, the blues, the soul.  Turn the broth into gravy, top it with biscuits and you have the cure for whatever life has thrown your way…at least while you sit and enjoy it.  Enjoy it fully.  There is no other way.

Like my grandmother, I have an affinity for using up leftovers.  Typically, I make this recipe with leftover chicken.  As I did for the pie in the photos here.  I intentionally bake extra chicken for dinner and a day or two later make this easy one pot culinary delight.  A completely new meal from leftovers…again.  This method saves a lot of time too since the chicken is already cooked and ready to add to the pot.

As with most of my cooking, there is no set measure here for the ingredients.  Thinking ahead, when I baked the chicken for dinner, I saved the pan drippings when putting the leftover chicken away. To get the full benefit of those drippings, I add a bit of water to the pan and scrape all the luscious brown bits into a flavorful, rich broth and pour it into the same container I use to store the leftover chicken.  I use this as the liquid base for the pot pie instead of store bought chicken stock.  I personally think it tastes better.  A plus to that is; it doesn’t contain the mass amount of sodium that even low sodium store bought broth contains.

Pull the leftover baked, skinless, bone in chicken breasts and thighs (or what ever leftover chicken parts you have…bone in, boneless, skin or not) out of the fridge and take the meat off the bones.  Put it off to one side.  Along with, but separate from the leftover broth in the container.

Get out your favorite large dutch oven.  Mine happens to be an enamel coated cast iron one.  It doesn’t matter if yours is not.  Cast iron, stainless steel…what ever you have is fine.  Over medium/low heat, melt 2 or 3 TB of butter in your dutch oven.  Add a TB or two of extra virgin olive oil (evoo).

Dice a medium (1 cup) sweet onion and add it to the butter and evoo.  Slice about a 1/2 cup of fresh leek and add to the mix.  Saute this for about 5 minutes or until the onion becomes a bit translucent.

Dice into 1/2 ” chunks:  2 medium carrots, one large potato (peeled or not, your call, or two medium sized potatos) and add them to the mix.  Then add a few fresh grinds of salt and pepper.  Saute this on medium heat, uncovered, for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.  If it appears too dry, add two or three TB of water.

Now, add the chicken pieces you have waiting on the side.  Stir them into the mix and let them cook until they are heated.  Maybe 5 to 7  minutes. Then, add 2 teas of dried thyme leaves.  Stir the thyme into the mixture well then add 2 TB of flour.  Stir the flour into the mix so the chicken is well coated.

Here is the really important part.  Let the mixture continue to cook and brown (but not burn) over medium heat.  You WANT brown bits to stick to the sides and bottom of the dutch oven or pot you are using.  It will be dry. Let the mixture of chicken and veggies and onion cook for about 15 to 20 minutes to get this wonderful brown crust on the pan.  Stir it up occasionally. This browning of the ingredients is what adds the most wonderful flavor to your chicken pot pie.  Trust me.

Once those brown bits are well done (as in very brown and noticeably stuck to the pot), add 2 cups of boiling water to the pot (you can do this in your microwave). to the pot.  Stir it in and then let it all sit there for a minute or two.  This will help release the brown, crusty bits from the sides and bottom Gently, scrape the sides and bottom of the pot to release all that wonderful, dark brown, flavor filled, gravy forming goodness.

Now, add another tablespoon of flour and stir it in well.  Get that leftover juice from the storage container you set off to one side and pour it into the pot.  A thick, irresistible gravy should be forming.  Turn the burner to low and let this magnificent mixture simmer while you make the baking powder biscuits to top it with before putting it into a 350 degree oven.

Pre heat you oven to 350 degrees.

To a mixing bowl add 2 cups of all purpose flour, 4 teas of baking powder, a dash of salt and pepper, and 6 TB of cold butter diced into small chunks. Blend this mixture until the butter has mixed into the dry ingredients enough to form small crumbly chunks.

Gradually add cold milk or ice water (approximately 1/2 cup) until a nice pliable dough has formed.  You do not want the dough to be sticky, but make sure all the dry ingredients are mixed in well and form into a ball.

Remove the dough ball from the mixing bowl and on a floured surface, using your hands, pat the dough out to form a 1″ thick circle.  Using a biscuit cutter or a sharp knife, form the dough into biscuits and place each one on top of the pot pie mixture.  Repeat until all the biscuit dough is used up.

Place that pot of simmering deliciousness in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the biscuits are an enticing light brown color.  Remove the chicken pot pie from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Add a side dish if you wish.  I typically serve this culinary masterpiece by itself.  It can stand up to the challenge of being a fulfilling one pot meal. Don’t plan on leftovers.

Many Blessings…

 

 

Last Saturday,  over Columbus Day holiday weekend, Bill and I met longtime friends, Alan and Pam,  at Sunset Meadow Vineyard,  located in Goshen, Connecticut.    We met there at 3 o’clock in the afternoon to enjoy a bottle (or two) of the splendid wine  they produce.  If you are in the area and/or looking for a relaxing afternoon adventure…by all means,  visit this vineyard.  You won’t be disappointed.  I know winter hours will be in place soon and they are closed two days during the week.  Check their site online before you go.  They have a Facebook page as well.

Now, part of the beauty of this whole adventure is, folks are welcome to bring a picnic basket or two of palate pleasing  goodies to enjoy with SMV’s wine; while siting in comfortable chairs at tables provided inside and out.  Since last Saturday was a splendid example of a New England fall day, we sat outside.  Surrounded by the vineyard, the view is glorious.   The gifts of nature are hard to beat.

We arrived just at three and were guided by a parking attendant to a parking spot in the field adjacent to the vineyard.  It was a short walk up to the entrance, where a lot of visitors were well into picnic basket fare and wine tasting.   Most of the outside tables were occupied but our timing was just right and we claimed one just after it was vacated.  We secured another needed chair and covered the table with our smorgasbord. Then, we got ourselves a bottle of wine.  My SMV favorite is Twisted Red,  a dryer red…the kind I prefer.   Our friend Alan likes SMV’s  Root 63…another red, rich in fruit and sweeter.  Pam enjoys their wine slushy.  On a hot summer day those are delightfully refreshing.

Our table was set with all the accouterments needed for minimal work with maximum enjoyment.  Baked Brie,  chunks of Swiss cheese, fresh fruit, homemade bread with freshly roasted garlic and a pear balsamic jelly,  marinated artichoke hearts and melt in your mouth Parmesan cheese shortbread crackers.

And, there we lounged quite lazily, sharing fine wine with great friends, seated contentedly around a table spread with delectable edibles, on a warm,  slightly breezy New England fall day; surrounded by grape vines still laden with grapes.  It was a fine way to spend a sunshine infused Saturday afternoon.

I have tried several recipes for this kind of cracker.   All of which were good but I felt they could be better.   Finally, after much tweaking and experimenting on my own,   I can call my recipe a keeper.  If the reactions of the two couples at the table next to us was any indication of how savory and delicious they are then I know I experimented just right.

Thank you to you friendly folks from Norwalk and Trumbull for being taste testers and  picture takers !

 

Parmesan Cheese Shortbread Crackers

These crackers are easy to mix together.  The dough requires an hour minimum in the refrigerator for chilling.  Do not skip this step.  When I know I will be pressed for time I make the dough ahead and waiting one or two days in the refrigerator makes no difference to the dough!

This recipe makes roughly 3 dozen good sized crackers.  I cut them with fluted cookie cutters for a bit of festive variety.  Using butter in the recipe makes these crackers melt in you mouth.

To a large mixing bowl add:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of room temperature butter (1 stick)

2 TB or more of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan… and a bit extra saved off to one side to dust the dough before cutting into shapes

2 TB finely grated Asiago

1/2 teas dried thyme leaves

1/2 teas  freshly ground Himalayan pink salt

1/4 teas freshly ground green pepper

a dash or two of garlic salt if desired

a dash or two paprika or cayenne pepper to your liking

Mix all the ingredients together well until they form a ball of dough, drizzling more olive or avocado oil as needed.  Once the ingredients have come together, form the dough into a 6″ X 2″ round.  No need for precision here, you just want it relatively flat so you can wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take  the dough out of the refrigerator and, on a flour dusted surface, roll it to 1/4 ” thickness.  Sprinkle the rolled dough with a bit more Parmesan cheese if desired.  This browns nicely on the crackers while they bake.   Using cookie cutters or a knife, cut the dough into your desired shapes and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  The crackers do not spread when baking, so you can place them fairly close together on your baking sheet.  Continue re- rolling and cutting the dough until you have used it all.

Bake the crackers in a 350 degree oven for roughly 20 to 25 minutes until light brown.  Make sure they do not get too brown on the bottom.

These crackers will be very fragile when they come out of the oven.  Let them rest on the baking sheet for at least 2 minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack.    Cool them completely before storing.  If you are storing them, stack them.  This will help prevent breaking.

I have not tried freezing them, so I honestly cannot say how well they freeze. They don’t last long enough for me to find out !!!

I do know, with a glass of your favorite white or red, they go down deliciously and melt in your mouth in the most wondrous way.

Whether outside picnic style, or inside in front of a fireplace glowing with warmth,  do enjoy these crackers.  Soon, here in the northern hemisphere, the daylight hours will be compromised by the early dark  of the winter months.  If you bake these crackers just right, they have the potential to deliver a bit of delicious, edible sunshine.

 

Many Blessings…

Its been a warm autumn here in the Berkshires of New England.  On our hill in the woods, the leaves are just beginning to show color.  On the yonder northern hillside, beyond the pond on the other side of the road, the leaves are particularly vibrant in the afternoon sun.  When I stand at my kitchen window, I get a stunning show from the suns spotlight on that hillside and I easily get lost in the view.

Our house is built in the woods on our land and great care was taken to preserve as many trees as possible.   We cut only what was necessary to pour the footprint for our house.  Nestled 400 feet back from the road, we used cedar clapboards, unstained but water sealed,  in order to blend the structure into the natural environment.

We filled the outside walls with as many casement windows as we could fit and essentially, we live in a light filled, woodland house, with a view into the forest surrounding us, from every room in the house.  It’s a spectacular event to sit here at my computer and glance out the windows just in time to see a black bear or bobcat stroll by.  An occasional moose will leave deep prints in the soft earth, proving it gal-lumped by, yet how we usually miss seeing an animal of that size is beyond me.

During the winter months we feed the birds.  We hang the feeders high from a cable to keep the bears and squirrels away from them.  We go through a lot of black oil sunflower seed !!!  Watching the birds is, for me personally,  the greatest meditation therapy.  We see most of the New England birds at our feeders all winter.  The black capped chickadee,  our state bird,  is always the first at the feeders as soon as we hang them late autumn.

Today is one of those fickle  fall days when the sun is half in, half out.  The clouds appear in the sky out of nowhere, dissipate back to nowhere, and occasionally threaten rain.  It’s windy and falling leaves fly into the windows with a slap and a splat.  Big, meaty acorns fall from the oaks, tap dancing their way through  branches and leaves, down to the forest floor, with a velocity that causes them to bounce before they settle.

In my kitchen today, I have garlic roasting and bread dough rising.  The house is warm and I am thinking comfort food.  Which, of course, means pasta.  Mac & cheese kinda pasta.  Cheesy, gooey, comfort infused mac & cheese.

When I was feeding our growing boys, many moons ago, I typically used two boxes of pasta for mac & cheese.  I would make the traditional kid friendly kind.  From butter,  cheese, and pasta.  I would occasionally add peas.  In my mind that was somehow fulfilling my obligation to provide a rounded meal complete with a vegetable !!!  A side of steamed broccoli worked too!

Fortunately, I don’t have to cook that volume these days.  But, when our boys and their young families gather here for a meal, this recipe is the go to.  It faithfully pleases kids of all ages and resonate’s down home comfort in a big way.  I usually pair it with a turkey meatloaf and a salad and no one ever goes home hungry.  If we’re lucky, Bill and I might have some leftovers for lunch the next day.

The Oxford definition of comfort, in part, is…  “a state of physical well being, things that make life easy or pleasant,  cause or provider of satisfaction”.

For me, from the prep standpoint, this recipe falls into Oxford’s definition  “things that make life easy”.  I can’t think of an easier dish to prepare.  I can do this early in the day if necessary and bake it when I’m ready.  It is excellent left over as it re-heats nicely in the microwave or, covered,  in a moderate oven until heated through.

Cost wise, it is still one of the less expensive dishes to make (especially if you are feeding a crowd).  Basically, it’s pasta, butter, milk and cheese.  A cup or two of frozen peas, a 1/4 cup of diced sun dried tomatoes, a minced scallion and/or 2 TB of chopped chives.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Fresh chopped parsley, a dash of dried thyme leaves, maybe some dill.  Anything goes for dried or fresh herbs.  A half cup of plain panko and a freshly sliced tomato if you wish.  Once in a while, if I haven’t got a meat planned to go with it, I will bake some bacon until crispy and crumble it on top of the baked mac & cheese.  Give your creative cooking imagination free reign here…anything goes.

Big Kids Mac & Cheese

First, decide, based on how many you are feeding (and plan on second, maybe even third helpings) how much and what shape of pasta you will be using.  I feed three adults typically and use a one pound box which gives us enough for another meal and a lunch or two.

I use Barilla (NON GMO) pasta, Mezzi Rigatoni or Medium Shells.   Elbows are fine too, just keep in mind you want to use a pasta that has big openings to cradle all that cheesy good sauce you will be pouring over and into it.

Get your pasta out and ready.  This recipe is for one  1 pound box of cooked pasta. Double the cheese sauce for two boxes.

Fill a large stock pot with heavily salted water (per pkg directions)  and set it on your stove top.  Get a large ceramic or glass casserole dish out and ready to fill with goodness.

Now, using a sharp knife, finely chop a small scallion and, if using, 2 TB of fresh chives .  Dice a 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes.  Set these aside.

Dice into small chunks, 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese,  1 cup Fontina cheese and 4 TB of Asiago.

Pour 2 cups of milk in a measuring cup and keep it near a  large sauce pan on your stove top.

In that large sauce pan  (or an enameled cast iron dutch oven, which I use and also bake and serve the mac & cheese in) melt a stick  (1/2 cup) of butter over low heat.  Do not let the butter brown and burn!  Once the butter is melted stir in  the diced scallion and/or chives.  Add 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and whisk into the butter until it is thick and not lumpy.  Slowly add 2 cups of milk while gently whisking it into the flour and butter .  I use whole milk for a creamier sauce.   Feel free to use what ever percent milk you have,  just not skim.

Turn the heat on high under your stock pot of heavily salted water.  Pre heat your oven to 325 degrees.

Continue whisking the butter and milk sauce and add more milk if necessary, to form a smooth, fairly thick sauce (think slightly thinner than sour cream consistency).  Turn the heat up to med/low and add all that cheese, the diced sun dried tomatoes and 1 to 2 cups of frozen peas.  Stir it all into the butter and milk sauce until the cheese  is starting to melt.  You will know when this starts to happen.  Resist the temptation to swipe a bit of that cheesy blend from the sides of the sauce pan.  IT IS HOT!

Now, add your dried and/or fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir them in well and turn the heat off under the sauce pan.

Once the water for your pasta is boiling, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.  Once the pasta is done, drain it well and pour it into your waiting casserole dish.

Carefully, so as not to burn yourself, pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in the casserole dish.  Using a spatula, scrape all the sauce from the inside of the sauce pan.  Stir the pasta and cheese sauce well,  letting all that cheesy goodness settle into the spaces in the pasta.

Peel, core and thickly slice a large, ripe tomato.  Lay it over the top of the pasta and cheese sauce.  Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of plain panko over the top of the tomatoes (I like to sprinkle a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the fresh tomato slices as well) and bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven, for about 30 minutes, until the mac & cheese is bubbling and the panko is light brown.

Oxford’s definition of comfort, “a state of physical well being”, most certainly applies to this kind of cooking.  The pleasure that comes from sharing a meal of comfort food, on a cool autumn day,  surrounded by the beauty of nature visible through the windows of a warm house, on a hill,  in the woods.

Many Blessings…

 

This post is right up there next to one of my previous posts…How to Make Something Out of Almost Nothing…what on earth do I do for dinner tonight?

I’m creating here from leftover turkey meatloaf, but truly, there is something delicious to be made from a handful of leftover cooked green beans and a few cherry tomatoes. Add a bit of Feta …  I’m getting  carried away here…what’s new?

I know a few folks who cringe at the mention of leftovers.  And, I’ll be the first to admit there are times when eating something the first time around is more than enough.  Yet, there is a certain insatiable need in me to re-create something new with leftovers. Creating an entirely new meal that uses only two or three other ingredients and a bit of imagination.  The challenge, for me, is irresistible.

Taking into consideration just the expense of food, throwing leftovers away is foolhardy in more ways than one.   We live in a country that wastes an enormous amount of food.  Now, that unrecognizable mass of green and purple hairy stuff in the back of the fridge is clearly not a candidate  for resurrection.  By all means, trash it.  Even the dog doesn’t want it !!!

But, there are so many possibilities for perfectly good leftovers that will not only save those hard earned dollars in your food budget, they will save you time and reduce your stress level.   We must eat to live.  Yet  many of us are not eating to live.  What and how we eat is making us sick and/or killing us.  Fast food, processed food,  stress, time, money.  Obesity, disease.  That is not living well.  It is existing in a constant state of unhealthy stress.

I can tell you, from  my experience, there is nothing better than leftovers after a long day away from home.  The last thing I want to do when I get home, is take a lot of time making something new from scratch when all I really have the energy for is pouring a glass of wine, and wishing somebody else would worry about dinner.  The stress reducing power of leftovers, for me, is high.

For instance…as an example…I know there is half of a two pound leftover turkey meatloaf in the fridge and about 2 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes.  Yes, that alone won’t feed three adults.  But the turkey meatloaf and potatoes won’t be alone.  On my drive home after a day away,  my imagination kicks in and I decide  I’m going to dice it up and use it to make Shepard’s Pie.  (Who say’s you are allowed to use only lamb in Shepard’s Pie?)

So, when I get home I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine.  On my stove top in a saute pan,  I’m going to caramelize a sweet onion, add some finely diced garlic and some dried thyme.  A bit of dried rosemary too.  I’ll stir in  a tablespoon or two of tomato paste (I buy the tubes or jars and refrigerate them after opening which saves having to somehow store what is left in the can when I only use a tablespoon or two,  and,  it stays fresh longer) a 1/4 cup of water,  and simmer it all together.

When the onion and garlic is caramelized to my liking, I’ll add the leftover diced turkey meatloaf and a  bit more water (1/4 cup) or wine to add some needed moisture and a tablespoon or two of butter.  I’ll simmer this savory smelling mixture until the meat is heated through.  Then, I’ll add a tablespoon or two of flour and mix it in well.

I’ll add  more water,  (roughly 2 cups of hot water) and slowly stir the mixture until a nice gravy forms.  I’ll add salt and pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce if I have any on hand.

When that has simmered for a few minutes, I’ll take some frozen peas or corn out of the freezer, stir in a cup or two, and let that simmer for a few more minutes.  I’ll start my oven heating to 350 degrees.  I’ll pull a casserole dish out of a drawer and turn the heat off under the  saute pan on the stove top.

I’ll put the leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave for a minute or two to soften them up a bit for spreading.  While they do their thing in the microwave, I’ll grate a cup or so of cheddar cheese.

Then,  I’ll spread the turkey meatloaf, cleverly transformed into Shepard’s Pie filling, into my casserole dish,  cap it with the mashed potatoes, spread the cheddar cheese on top and  throw it in the oven for about 25 minutes.  When that cheese is nice and brown and the Shepard’s Pie is bubbling it will be time to eat.

All of these steps in under an hour.  An entirely new one pot meal.  From leftovers.  If you don’t tell the leftover critics…they will never know that’s what they are eating.   And, with any luck, there will be enough left over for your lunch tomorrow.   Leftovers sometimes taste better the second time around!

Tonight, after a day out,  I made an entirely new dish out of leftover roasted butternut squash,  roasted garlic and ricotta.  I’ll share that idea  another time.

Many Blessings…

 

One of my husband’s and my most enjoyable outdoor activities when our New England autumn arrives is to go to an orchard to pick apples.  We both grew up in families that went apple picking and to this day, its a welcome adventure.  Even better now, is going with our grown children and their little ones.

Baking with apples is one of my favorite things to do.  The entire process, from picking apples, to peeling, coring and slicing them, is one of fall’s most enticing gifts.  The scent of apples alone is delightful.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and the smell of cooking apples becomes enchanting, leading me back to the orchard…

Bill and I arrive at the apple orchard early on a crisp fall day.  The autumn sun is still climbing across a cool blue sky.  Heavy dew is beaded on matted grass in the field where rows of apple trees stand.  On the cusp of a killing frost, yet still saturated with life, the pulse of the orchard is beating in the chill rouse of the day.   The droning buzz of bees, drunk with apple juice, permeates the air. The dank smell of decaying leaves and grass  mingles with the smell of apples in the warming air.   Migrating birds  squawk and dive,  pecking at apples on the ground and in the trees taking full advantage of a meal on the fly.  A portly woodchuck waddles off in a hurry when we threaten it’s space.  Occasionally we see a deer watching us from a distance, waiting it’s turn at the apples on the ground.

Families scatter about the orchard.  We hear the chirpy voices of children, some close, some far away, as they run down the rows of trees, searching for apples.   We listen to the warning voices of parents cautioning their youngsters to the perils of bees, poison ivy and eating too many apples!

Carefully navigating among the drops on the ground, some of which are rotting,  Bill and I search tree branches for the biggest, reddest, juiciest apples to put in our baskets.  We each keep an eye out for the best of the best to try.  The sun is warming the orchard and we remove our jackets.  We search for a dry spot in the grass and throw them down to sit on while we share the apples we have picked for tasting.  Deciding which kind we want more of, we get up and fill our baskets to the brim.   With sticky fingers we trudge slowly out of the orchard with pounds of apples for eating, baking and making into sauce.

And, without fail, the baking begins as soon as I’m home in my kitchen.  I have been making this apple cake for years.  I don’t even remember where the original recipe came from.  Like my father used to do, I cut it out of a paper or magazine years ago.  I have (as I tend to do with all the recipes I use) tweaked the ingredients to my liking and, this is the final version I’ve used for years.

This recipe freezes very well.  I bake it in a Bundt pan or loaf pans.  It comes out perfectly every time I make it into a cake or into loaves.

I make this recipe with chunks of fresh apple and a lot of walnuts. Pecans work well too, use either, but not both.  Feel free to add raisins.  Occasionally, I will add a 1/4 cup of diced dried apricots.

As with any baked goods, always use pure extracts.  The rich flavor they add is unbeatable by any imitation.

Decide which pan(s) you are going to make this recipe in,  one Bundt cake pan or two 9 x 5 loaf pans.

Peel, core, and dice into small chunks, three large baking apples (3 cups…a bit over is fine).  Cortland, Rome, Empire or Ida Red.  A softer apple makes this recipe super moist and the apples are not crunchy.  Granny Smith apples do not work well here…

Put the prepared apples close to your mixer.  Grease your Bundt pan or your two loaf pans.  Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To your mixing bowl add:

1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup of light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of grape seed oil (or canola oil)

Blend the sugars and the oil until just blended.  Then add:

3 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Beat the eggs  and vanilla extract into the sugar and oil until well blended.

Add:

3 cups of prepared apples

1 1/4 cups of roughly chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup of raisins (optional)

Blend all these ingredients together until well mixed, scraping the bowl at least once.

Lastly, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl.  Sift together:

3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of allspice

Mix until the dry ingredients are just blended.  Using a spatula, scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl well and finish mixing by hand until you are sure all the ingredients are completely blended.  The batter will be thick.

Using the spatula,  evenly fill the Bundt pan or the loaf pans.  Bake the Bundt for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife blade inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Bake the loaf pans for 55 to 60 minutes or again, until a knife blade inserted into the middle of the loaves comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Gently remove from the pan(s) and cool completely.   When completely cooled, dust the cake or loaves with powdered sugar or vanilla powder.  Cinnamon sugar works too!

Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.  Either way, it doesn’t last long so my advice is to make sure you get the biggest slice.  If not, go back for more!

  Many Blessings…

 

 

There is definitely a change in the air here on the hill in the woods.  A steady, strong wind blew cooler temperatures across the Berkshires yesterday and the temperature early this morning was 39 degrees.  Fall has arrived.

With it’s arrival come pumpkins, apples and winter squash.  Root vegetables for harvesting and storing.   Cornstalks for fall decorating.  Crisp nights and cooler days.  Sweaters and jeans.  This is a glorious time of year.

The house was warm and delicious smelling yesterday as the cool wind blew into New England.  It was filled with aromas of roasting butternut squash, apples and sweet onions sprinkled with allspice, salt and pepper.  A good day to be inside with the oven on.

To a large roasting pan I added one large peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash, two cups of peeled, cored and diced apple (any kind will do but I use Cortland or Rome), and one large peeled and diced sweet onion.  I sprinkled roughly a teaspoon of allspice on the mix along with salt and pepper to taste.  I drizzled avocado oil (olive oil works too), a half cup of water and 4 TB of melted butter over the mix.   I  put the pan in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.  I gave the squash mixture an occasional stir and once the squash was just about fork tender I took it out of the oven.

I let it cool on the counter and then placed the entire squash, apple and onion mixture into a large storage container and put it in the refrigerator to sit overnight.  I do this so the flavors can blend together, which in my opinion, brings so much deep, flavorful richness to this bisque.

This morning I took it out of the refrigerator and put it in a large enameled cast iron stock pot, added more salt and pepper, 3 bay leaves and a stem of fresh sage leaves (about 6 leaves).  I added 3 cups of water, gave it a stir and let it simmer uncovered on the stove for about 2 hours.  Until the squash is falling apart.

Once again, the house is warm and scrumptious smelling.  Add to the aroma of simmering squash, apple and onion the amazing smell of baking bread.  I can sit here and inhale all day.

I have turned the flame off under the stock pot and am letting the mixture cool a bit before I remove the bay leaves and the stem of sage leaves (if the leaves have come off the stem try to find them and take them out…no harm if you can’t find them all).  Once the mixture has cooled enough so I don’t get burned I will blend it in my blender until it is smooth and thick to my liking.  If it is too thick for my blender to do it’s job I add more water.  My goal is to have a creamy, smooth, fairly thick bisque.

No cream or milk is necessary in this bisque.  Feel free to add it if you wish in place of the water.  It will make a richer bisque with a lighter color.

Once I’ve blended the squash mixture to a thickness of my liking I will put it back into the stock pot and reheat it before serving.  Occasionally, depending on what else I am making for dinner, I will put grated sharp cheddar on top of each serving of bisque.  Or, I will make croutons from left over crusts of my homemade bread.  Since I am making cheddar filled tomato pie for tonight I will skip the cheese on the bisque.

Friends will be arriving soon for the weekend.

I will set the table.  Light the candles.  Pour the wine.  Then, I will take the hot, beautiful, creamy, butternut apple bisque off the stove top and put it on the table next to fresh baked tomato pie.  I will take the roasted garlic out of the oven and put it next to the loaf of thickly sliced warm bread I infused with thyme and rosemary.

 

I will turn off the oven and place the already baked apple pie in the oven to warm just enough to make it feel like it was just baked.  We may all have to sit a spell and sip another glass of wine before we have room for pie.  That’s okay.   We have a lot to share and catch up on.

Enjoy this coming weekend…Many Blessings…

 

So.  You made some pies and you have some extra pie crust dough. Whatever you do…don’t throw it away!  If you don’t have the time or the energy to do something edible with it at the very least, put it outside for the birds to enjoy.  

My mother used to make “lick daubs” (from German lecken daub) when she had a small amount of leftover pie crust dough.  Lick daubs are like mini versions of German Strudel.   Our name for them, “lick daubs”, came from my father’s German speaking Grandparents.  In German, lecken means to lick and daub means to spread.  My mother would roll out the dough and spread  a thin sweet filling on it.   I  couldn’t stand to wait for them to come out of the oven.  Waiting for them to cool was torture.  We couldn’t help but lick every last sweet crumb from our fingers.  Those mini bite sized lick daubs filled with cinnamon sugar and butter or simply strawberry or peach jam, were splendid, mouth watering treats.  There were usually only a few, 6 maybe 8 sliced from the rolled dough and baked, they didn’t last long once out of the oven.  I still make them and usually eat them all myself !!!

Once in a while I have enough leftover dough to make a tart.  I fill it with a bit of extra fruit filling (if I have any left over from the pie(s) I’ve made) or I fill it with fruit jam.  

Roll out the extra dough to the same thickness as you would a pie crust. Then, gently spread any type of fruit jam you have on hand onto half of the rolled out dough.  Stay an inch or better away from the edge of the dough.  Once you have a thin layer of jam spread on the dough, fold over the other half of the dough onto the jam side.  Roll and crimp the edges as you would a pie crust.  

Or, spread the dough with a thin layer of soft butter and sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon sugar.  Or, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove sugar.  Anything goes.  You can’t mess this up.  

If I’m thinking along the lines of a breakfast type tart I will drizzle pure maple syrup over half the rolled dough and then sprinkle crushed walnuts and a bit of diced apple on top.

Use your imagination.  How about something with chocolate…almonds…dates…?  The possibilities are endless.  

Once in a while I haven’t got enough pie crust dough left for a tart.  Time for “Lechen Daubs”.

Prepare them much the same way as you would a tart with the exception of spreading jam, cinnamon sugar or what ever filling you choose, thinly over the rolled dough and then roll it up.  Crimp the ends and press the edge gently against the roll without flattening.  Using a sharp knife blade, cut the roll into 4 or 6 or 8 pieces.  Place them on a small pan or pie plate.

 

I bake these treats in the same 425 degree oven as I bake the pies or a tart.  Keep an eye on them though, they are small and will bake quickly.  Usually 15 minutes or so for lick daubs and maybe 25 minutes for a small tart.

 

With house guests arriving tomorrow for this weekend, I have spent today baking.  I can do a lot of prep work ahead of time.  My friend Nikki and I love to cook together (our husbands are our biggest fans).  I get as much prep done ahead of time as I can which gives us time to relax and visit too.    

 I’ve roasted butternut squash, sweet onion and apple that I will use tomorrow to make  butternut bisque.  I’ve made apple walnut cake and an apple pie.  There was just enough pie crust dough left for me to make a half dozen Lechen Daubs.  With apricot jam filling.

Two are missing already!!!  And there is no one home but me!!!  Funny how that happens…my treat.

 Enjoy this beautiful fall day.  

Many Blessings…

 

My mother’s older sister Alice was the pie baker in my mother’s family.  Every Thanksgiving Aunt Alice made no less than 6 apple pies.  She also made pumpkin pies… though not as many.  My mother and Aunt Alice baked most of the Thanksgiving pies.

My mother had five sisters and one brother.   After a fashion, all of those siblings married and had children.   The cousin count for me on my mother’s side of the family was 17.

Typically my parents hosted Thanksgiving…which to me, meant family and   pies.  Not one pie, not two, but several.   Several were necessary.  Some years there were 36 or more of us gathered around a very long arrangement of tables.  Depending on which of us cousins were dating or engaged or married the exact number seated at those tables varied.  Those Thanksgivings have left me with countless vibrant, priceless memories.  Undiminished, colorful memories.  Of family and pies.  The turkey, in my opinion, was then and still is,  just a side show.

Those long tables were lined end to end in the narrow living room of our home.  Surrounded by mismatched chairs and benches pulled from every corner of the house (the piano bench always held two of the smallest cousins at one end…my father presided in his chair at the other) the tables were draped with the finest perfectly pressed white linen tablecloths.  Thick white paper napkins were used just for the holiday.  Every set of silverware we owned was employed.  Every dinner plate set carefully at each place… dinner plates for the adults, smaller plates for younger cousins.  The  crystal salt and pepper shakers were filled.  An array of fall colored candles stood waiting for their light in various polished brass or clear crystal candlesticks.  Various hot mats and serving spoons were placed strategically.  It was a waiting masterpiece.  An expectant, roasting turkey infused thrill filled that room.

All of those settings paled though in comparison to the glowing centerpiece.  A mammoth, brilliant bowl of fresh fruit graced the center of that line of tables.  The chartreuse yellow green of pears with their reddish brown  freckles.  The saturated red and burgundy of apples.  The little orange seedless clementines we saw only at holidays.  Yellow bananas and bunches of deep purple grapes.  Nestled into those glorious fruits were unshelled nuts.  Almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts.  Brown hued and elusive among the fruit they hid until they were plucked by searching fingers from hiding and cracked with nutcrackers that lay on either side of the fruit bowl.

To this day I feel the enchantment of that fruit and nut bowl.  Occasionally a grape  was plucked before the meal.   Traditionally though, the fruit bowl waited with royal splendor until early evening when  leftover turkey was pulled out,  a nibble or two was had and the annual Thanksgiving game of domino’s (with the domino’s my Grandfather Monroe brought back from France in WW II) was underway.  There was nothing left on the tables but that waiting bowl of luscious fruit and nuts.  It was time and we dug in.

My memories here are wandering and taking me from the pie table.  Well…almost.  That pie table was well attended.  Before the turkey feast (to count how many of each kind waited there) and after the turkey feast.  I remember (speaking for myself) counting those pies.  I counted how many pumpkin were there…three or four (Grandma Monroe’s pumpkin pie recipe will appear in the near future),   mince…usually only one…it wasn’t too popular.  One or two creamy nutmeg custard and sweet, sticky pecan.  Apple pies were always plentiful (one year there were eight).  Good old American apple pie.

I’m fairly certain there were at least a dozen pies on the dessert table each Thanksgiving.   Next to the apple pies on the table sat a large chunk of sharp cheddar cheese.  I (as did my father) love sharp cheddar and apple pie.

Now that game of domino’s could become quite competitive.  That kind of competition works up an appetite.  One that fruit, as luscious and fiber filled as it is, cannot satisfy like PIE.  So, off we’d go again to the pie table.  Those WERE the days.

I did not start making pies until many years after those family Thanksgivings.  I make plenty now.  Every chance I get.  Apple, peach, cherry and blueberry are the favorites.   Who doesn’t like pie?  One of my boys doesn’t like sweets but he likes PIE.

I have used a standard pie crust recipe many times.  BUT…this pie crust recipe is my immediate family’s all time favorite.  Anyone allergic to nuts however must stay away.  I always ask before making pies for a gathering if anyone is allergic to nuts.  I use almond meal in my recipe.  It adds a nice nutty sweetness to the crust of any fruit pie.  And I ALWAYS use butter.  NOT lard, NOT Crisco…BUTTER makes all the difference.

I never make only one pie at a time.  This pie crust recipe makes enough for two pies.  A 10″ deep pie plate and an 8″ plate.  Or, you can fill two 9″ pie plates.  Either way you choose.

I always bake the pies before I freeze them.  Just my preference.  This pie crust freezes well.  I form it into a small round (about 1″ thick by 6″ round) and wrap it well before freezing.  It is handy to have a frozen pie crust in the freezer.  Simply thaw it, roll it out and fill it with something delicious.

I prepare my pie filling before I mix the crust.   I just like doing it that way.  This gives the fruit a chance to sit and absorb the spices and creates a nice bit of juice.  It smells delicious too, as it waits on the counter.

Peel, core and slice or dice roughly 8 cups of fresh apples.

In a large bowl mix the apples with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of light brown sugar and 1/4 cup of all purpose unbleached flour until well mixed.

Add a dash of salt, a teas. of ground nutmeg, and 2 to 3 teas. of ground cinnamon.  (adjust these spices more or less to taste no exact measure here).  Sometimes I add a dash of ground cloves or allspice.  You don’t need much of these strong spices.  Mix the apple mixture until everything is well blended and the apples are evenly coated.  Set aside and deeply inhale that splendid scent.

Before making your pie crust pre heat your oven to 425 degrees.

To a large mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer) add 3 1/2 cups of all purpose unbleached flour, 2 to 3 TB light brown sugar, 1/4 cup of almond meal and a 1/2 teas. of salt.  Mix these dry ingredients a bit then add 1 1/2 cups of cold, diced butter.  (3 sticks).

Blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it begins to form tiny pea sized balls with the flour.  Now, slowly add roughly 1/2 cup of ice water (give or take) to the flour/butter mixture until it sticks together and forms a ball. Do not over mix.

When you have a smooth, well formed ball of dough stop mixing and remove the dough from mixing bowl.  Place it on a floured rolling surface and form the dough into a large ball.  With a sharp knife or dough scraper divide the dough into two equal portions.  Place one of those portions off to one side.

Again, divide the remaining dough into two equal portions.  Using floured hands, form one portion into a saucer sized smooth form.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12″  round.  Place this round in your pie plate.

Give the apple filling a quick mix and pour half the mixture into the bottom pie crust.   Gently spread the apple mix evenly over the crust…do not push down or you will tear the crust.

Now. Repeat the rolling process with the other portion of pie dough.  Place this round on top of the apple mixture so the dough edges line up with each other.  With your fingers, move around the edges of the pie plate while tucking under and crimping the dough so it seals the apple mixture in tightly.  When you have finished crimping, use a sharp knife to gently slice two or three  short openings in the center of the top crust.  This allows steam to escape during baking.

Repeat this entire process again with your next pie.  Set the pies aside on your counter.  You have one more job to do before placing them in the oven.

In a small bowl crack an egg.  Add a sprinkle (maybe a teas.) of light brown sugar.  Whisk the egg and brown sugar together until thick and well mixed.  Using a pastry brush, brush the egg mixture evenly over the top crust of both pies.

Now, on the off chance you have some pie dough left over (this usually occurs when I trim the edges of the dough before tucking over and crimping) you can use it up by rolling it out one more time.  Using cookie cutters (fruit, turkey, leaf shapes…anything you wish) cut the extra dough and place on top of the pie.  Brush with remaining egg and sugar mixture.  You may not need to use all the egg and sugar mix.  Discard any left over.

Place those masterpieces in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes or so until the pie crusts are well browned and the filling is bubbling from the slits in the top.

Remove from the oven and cool completely.

I like pie room temperature.  Some like it cold.  Enjoy it however you like it.  Ala mode, with sharp cheddar.  Preferably around a table filled with family and or friends.  For breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Pie goes with every meal in our house.  Is there any other way?

With Thanksgiving coming soon I know I’ll be hearing the little voices of my grandchildren asking me… “Mimi…did you make pies”?!?!?

Many Blessings…

I have never been a big breakfast eater.  I bet nutritionists would frown on that admission.  I have tried eating breakfast and it without fail sits on my stomach all day making me feel sluggish and uncomfortable.  So, coffee is my go to breakfast until mid morning when I feel like having something to eat.  I know I’m not alone in this way of eating or not eating…my mother, my cousin and I share this family gene.  It works for us.  As the saying goes…”if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

My husband Bill is the opposite of me when it comes to breakfast.  He needs food almost immediately after rising.  He doesn’t drink coffee.  In fact he doesn’t like any hot beverages.  He can’t stand cold cereal.  Once in a while he will have hot oatmeal but only if there is nothing else available.  So…I guess it’s fair to say we are both picky about breakfast.

Since Bill’s alarm clock goes off at 4 a.m. I need to make sure there is something pre-made…on the spot…and easy for him to eat in a short amount of time.  I don’t rise at 4 a.m. to make him breakfast !  I try to make up for it on weekends when I might make a puff pancake with fresh fruit or scones.

Over many years I have looked for, found and altered to my liking, a few different types of quick breads that make a healthier breakfast than sugar and cholesterol filled store bought “quick” breakfast foods.

By adding nuts or nut flour/meal, dried fruit or fresh fruits in season,  various seeds, honey and or yogurt, I have found ways to make these a bit healthier for breakfast.  I reduce the sugar in these breads, sometimes by half.  I have adjusted in increments over the years to find what works well in different breads.  Some additions or subtractions have  not been keepers.  This recipe however, has not let me down once.  It’s delicious toasted.  It’s delicious not toasted.  It’s tender, not too sweet, and should be sliced into thick, hearty slices.  Better for toasting that way too!!!  Add jam or jelly or honey and you have a filling quick breakfast.

Children of all ages love this bread.  It’s a favorite in our house.  It’s a go to, easy to put together, easily doubled recipe.  It freezes well, but two loaves don’t last long in our house.  Occasionally I will make two loaves just to freeze.  Knowing they are there as a backup is such a relief when I’ve had a few days of scrambling and haven’t had time to bake.

Of course, this bread doesn’t necessarily have to be for breakfast.  Enjoy it any time you want!!!

Quick Oatmeal Almond Breakfast Bread

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9″ X 5″ loaf pan.

For a single loaf you will need:

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (vanilla is fine too)

6 TB of melted butter

1 TB honey

2 large eggs  (I use duck eggs when I can get them)

3 TB light brown sugar (packed)

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup almond meal

2 cups unbleached flour

2 1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

Optional:  1/4 cup of finely diced dried fruit or whole raisins.  If you do add dried fruit add a 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce as well.  (see below)

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Feel free to add any kind of nuts in place of the almond meal.  Walnuts are my go to… 1/2 cup roughly chopped.

When it comes to dried fruit I typically use 1/4 cup of finely diced dried apricots.  Raisins would work well as would dried cherries or figs.  Anything goes.  When I add dried fruit I also add 1/4 cup of  unsweetened applesauce for a bit of added moisture.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats and the almond milk.  While the mixture sits for a few minutes,  melt the butter in a small bowl in your microwave or in a small sauce pan on the stove top.  Do not let the butter burn.  Let the butter cool for a few minutes then add it to your oat and almond milk mixture.

Next add the honey and if you are using dried fruit, add the 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce and the diced dried fruit.  Blend these well into the oat mixture.  Add the eggs and again, mix until well blended.  Add the brown sugar.  Mix well.

Now add the almond meal, flour, salt and baking powder. Add chopped nuts if you are using them.  Mix until just blended.  Do not over mix but do make sure the dried ingredients are thoroughly mixed into the wet ingredients.  I usually do this last mixing by hand with a spatula.  This insures I get all the ingredients evenly blended.

The batter will be thick.  Spoon it into the prepared loaf pan with a spatula.  Spread it evenly in the pan.  Feel free to sprinkle a few oats or chopped nuts  over the top of the batter.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes  out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool  for 15 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely before slicing.    If there happens to be any left over store it in a plastic storage bag.

My family’s absolute FAVORITE topping for this bread (preferably toasted) is Peach Paradise Jam.  You won’t find it in any store.  It’s made here from fresh peaches and…a few secret ingredients…  I won’t make you wait too long for the recipe.  Next week perhaps…

Today is the first day of fall.  Enjoy the splendor of this season and as always…

Many Blessings…

 

 

Every now and then I find myself facing a personal brain challenge game called… WHAT ON EARTH do I do for dinner tonight?  It’s a desperate self induced exercise that forces my brain cells to do quick creative thinking.  This exercise usually occurs when I’ve had a busy week and  have not been able to refill the pantry or the refrigerator.

There is half a box of pasta, a can of black beans and some sun-dried tomato’s.  Or a scant cup of Quinoa or brown rice and some leftover turkey meat loaf in the freezer.  Maybe a cup of frozen peas as well… not enough to feed my husband, me and my mother who has her evening meal with us each day.  On your mark, get set, go…go brain, go.

I typically don’t let myself get into this personal brain game dilemma but when it happens I’m up for the challenge.  I have, over the years, found countless ways to make a meal out of a bit of this and a smidgen of that.    NO one has ever commented that the “Meatloaf and Sun Dried Tomato Casserole”  has only enough meatloaf for two.  By the time the leftover meatloaf has been mixed with the quinoa, peas, sun-dried tomato’s and that 1/4 cup of grated Asiago it’s sooooooooo good no one notices!  Add some caramelized sweet onion and those five mushrooms that weren’t squishy like all the rest in the produce drawer and you’re good to go.  A dash of dried basil or oregano won’t hurt either.

When so many men, women and children in this wonderful but also sad world are STARVING, wasting food is a crime of epic proportions.

I once knew someone who stuffed any and all leftovers from every meal down the garbage disposal.  I couldn’t watch.  I imagined the leftovers screaming all the way down the drain…”Noooooooooooooo…I still have so much to give…so much life left in me….”  of course, that probably had a lot to do with my upbringing by depression generation parents.  Yes indeed…I remember hearing at (almost) each meal how children in Africa were starving.  AND they still are today…NO JOKE.  I offered my vegetables to them at dinner one night.  That dinner didn’t end well…for me.

Tonight, I am caramelizing sweet onions and garlic, adding some Hanger Steak Tips to that mix for my husband and mother. (Guido’s Fresh Marketplace to the rescue on the way home today.)  I baked some russets and scavenged a few pole beans from the garden.  I am having  my leftover half sandwich from a lunch yesterday with a dear friend.  And…I feel this post is not complete…I personally want to add so much more.

I promised Quick Oatmeal Almond Breakfast Bread on my Facebook page  earlier this week and that will appear tomorrow.

One day soon…I will go into a bit more creative detail about what to do with leftovers.  There are so many delicious and wholesome possibilities.  Truthfully, the combinations are endless.

So, for today…the close of one of those WHAT ON EARTH do I do for dinner tonight?” days…  this is it.  No photos, no real recipes, but prayers for those  in desperate need in this world and…

Many Blessings…