Plum Crumble

I have been wanting to try this for months and months now.  I finally got to it, and I am so mad I didn't try it out long ago.  This is my new summer favorite.  It came from Orangette, my absolute favorite blog.  It's like you know her after reading one post.  Someday, when I make it to Seattle, I want to go to her restaurant, Delancey, and taste everything.  Well, she is so kind to have posted this recipe because it was on the menu there for a little while.  I love it. I know that crumbles may seem like a warm comfort food for winter, but this my friend is perfect now while plums are in season.

The picture shown is only half of the recipe in a very shallow pie plate; I had too many treats in the house in the first place. Also I didn't put any crystallized ginger in it because I didn't have any.

Orangette / Delancey's Plum Crumble


serves about 6

Ingredients

Filling
12-14 Italian Prune Plums (I cheated and used the huge ones you can get at Costco, 10 or so should do the trick.)
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Flour
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

Topping
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
7 Tbs Butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Remove pit from plums and slice in half into a bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients for the filling.
Carefully fold the dry mixture into the plums just until coated.
Pour plum mixture into a deep 9" pie dish. Face the skin sides up.  I also have baked it in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Whisk together the dry ingredients for the topping.
Add the beaten egg with your hands until you get small moist crumbles.
Sprinkle evenly over the plums.
Spoon the melted butter over the topping... it will be pretty drenched.
Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Cool a few minutes and eat warm or cold.  You can warm up a cooled crumble by putting it in a 300 degree oven for about 20 min or so.
Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or by itself.

Spinach and Havarti Chicken

This recipe came out in the Sunset March 2010 magazine.  The recipe was for Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Polenta.  Clearly this is not what my pictures look like.  First, I am not a huge fan of polenta (I'll eat it but probably won't ever buy it), second I don't like mushrooms much, and third, I usually cook with chicken tenders because it's easier to control the portions as well as other things.  I am pretty sure the recipe cooked as originally described is delicious, the picture they have makes me want to eat it.  I just tweeked it a bit.  I used frozen spinach, paired it with wild rice, left the mushrooms out, and didn't stuff the chicken.  After making it a few times, I think I found the best way to do it.  Your neighbors may stop by unexpectedly when they catch a smell of this coming from your house.


Spinach and Havarti Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients
  
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 chopped Yellow Onion
1 tsp Minced Garlic
4 oz Mushrooms (yuck, not for me)
5 oz Spinach (I use chopped frozen, but fresh would work)
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 1/ 2-  2 lb Chicken (I would use about 8 tenders or 4 chicken breasts)
4 slices Havarti Cheese (originally calls for Italian Fontina Cheese, but I always have Havarti on hand, yay Costco)
Salt and Pepper 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Heat 1 Tbs of oil in large pan.
Add chopped onion, garlic, and mushrooms (if you want them).  Cook until softened and onions start to brown a bit.
Add spinach, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper.  If you use fresh spinach cook until it a little wilted, if you use frozen, just heat till warm-- not long.
Remove from pan to a small bowl and set aside.
Add another Tbs or two of olive oil to the hot pan and allow to heat up over medium high heat.
Add chicken (salt and pepper each side) and cook just until brown.
Transfer to a baking dish, layer the spinach and onions over the chicken, then top with cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 6-8ish minutes until the cheese is melted.

German Apple Pancakes

I have to say it has been for ever since I have posted something on here.  About 3 months.  It makes sense to me because we recently found out we are expecting a little bundle of joy, and the past 3 months I have not really had the desire to cook, bake, or eat certain foods.  We are very excited, our lives are changing faster than I think we recognize.

A breakfast item, as I see it, is very appropriate to post because it was the only kind of food I wanted to eat for a few months.  These pancakes are different than any other German pancake I have ever made before, but I love them.  I am used to the sort that you bake in the oven and watch rise 4 inches over the top of the pan; very fun.  The apple is what intrigued me and really got me to try them.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

German Apple Pancakes

Gourmet Magazine 2006

Ingredients

1/4 cup Sugar plus 2 Tbs
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Milk
4 lg Eggs
1 1/2 lb Gala Apples (3-4 apples)  - I used Fuji
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
Butter for the skillet

Directions

You may want to half the recipe, we were pretty full after 2 pancakes... unless you are really hungry!
Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.
Mix the flour, salt and remaining 2 Tbs sugar in a large bowl.
Stream in the milk and add each egg individually.
Peel the apples and cut slices from top to bottom 1/8 inch thick, you can use a mandolin or just a knife.  Avoid the core.  Continue to cut the apple slices into 1/8 inch thick matchsticks.  I found the long matchsticks to be hard to work with when you cook the pancake, so just chopping the apple in tiny pieces might work better.
Coat apples with the lemon juice.
Add the apples and lemon juice to the batter, fold.
These are kind of like crepes, so the batter should be thin.
Heat over medium a small amount of butter (about 1/2 Tbs) in a non-stick skillet.

Pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan and cook until the edges begin to brown, then flip.  About a couple minutes a side.
Continue to butter the pan in between each pancake as needed.
You may want to keep them warm in a 200 degree oven until you are done cooking.
Sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar and eat warm.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

If you don't have a lot of time but want to make something that tastes like you put hours into it, this is the soup to make.  I found a pretty large bag of asparagus at Costco and I got excited.  This recipe calls for 2 lbs of asparagus and their bag was 2.25 lbs so I saved some of the stalks for another recipe.  Also, it started to snow today (I sure am getting sick of the cold) and I wanted something warm to sip on while I watched the Olympics.  This soup was perfect for the occasion.  

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine 2001

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

2 lbs Asparagus
1 Chopped Medium Onion
5 Cups Chicken Broth 
2 Tbs Butter
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Milk
1 tsp Lemon Juice


Directions

Chop asparagus stalks into 1 inch segments.
In a large heavy pot, saute onion over medium heat until soft. 
Stir in asparagus chunks and salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the asparagus becomes soft.
Transfer in batches to blender to blend smooth. (careful it's hot)
Return to the pot and add the cream and lemon juice.
I finish blending the soup together with an immersion blender because my blender doesn't seem to get it completely smooth.  If you don't blend it completely smooth is has the texture of slimy boogers (gross I know, but that's what I think of).
Serve with crusty bread.  Yum.

Broccoli and Shells

This is such a delightful Italian dish. The original recipe calls for orecchiette but it is seriously no where to be found in these parts.  Either way, these shells worked out fine.  Orecchiette is an ear-shaped pasta.  Doesn't that sound appetizing? I have wanted to try it for the longest time, but have never actually attempted to buy the small pasta.  Finally, when I want to buy it, I can't find it.

This pasta doesn't have a thick, heavy sauce, and that's why I love it.  It has such simple flavors, which I think is refreshing. The whole time I was eating this I was craving some kind of pear, apple, or grapes to go with it.  I'll have to keep that in mind next time I make it.  I hope you love it as much as I did.  Oh, and this makes quite a bit, I made it for just two and we have plenty of leftovers (which I am pretty happy about).

Broccoli and Shells


Ingredients

You can easily add more or less of each ingredient.  

1 Large Chopped Bunch of Broccoli ~ 3-4 cups
1 lb Shell Pasta
~ 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Ham - or cooked Bacon or Pancetta if you want to get fancy 
2 Cloves Minced Garlic (I buy it smashed up in a jar... much easier to use)
~ 1/3 Chopped Yellow Onion (Scallions or other types can be used)
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a large pot, bring water to a boil.  Add pasta and a Tbs or 2 of salt.  Cook the pasta until it is just about done. Maybe, 6 minutes or so.  You just don't want it to get mushy when you bring it all together in the end.
Drain the pasta and save about 2 cups of the starchy water.
In a large pan, heat oil.  Add the garlic and onions and saute until they become soft. 
Add the ham and let it brown just a bit, this should not take long.  If you are using bacon or pancetta, you would want to cook them before hand.
Add the broccoli and about 1 cup of the saved starchy water.  Stir well, gradually adding more water if needed.
Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.  You probably won't need much salt because the ham is salty.  
Add the cooked pasta and stir well, coating all pasta and broccoli.  Add more starchy water if needed.
By this time the broccoli should be cooked through.  If not, you can cover the pan for a few minutes to steam the broccoli.
Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.

Chorizo Vegetable Soup

I found a tortellini soup on Epicurious (originally published in Bon Appetit in 1993) but this here is what I actually made with what was on hand, and my it was good.  I was very wary when starting the soup, but both the husband and I were pleasantly surprised.

One morning, about a week ago, my husband went to the store and made me breakfast. Isn't that sweet? There was leftover chorizo that needed to be used, and since I have never used the stuff, I went searching for a recipe.  I found one that intrigued me. Although, I had to alter it quite a bit because I did not have a lot of things it needed. The result? Great! Nothing like warm soup on a cold day.


Chorizo Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1/2 lb Chorizo or Italian Sausage, or heck- even turkey sausage
1/2 small chopped Yellow Onion
1 clove smashed and chopped Garlic
3 cups Chicken Broth
1/4 cup White Wine
2 cans diced Tomatoes
2 diced Potatoes (normal size, not the giant ones)
~1 cup chopped Celery
~1/2 chopped Red or Green Pepper
~1 medium Chopped Carrot
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Basil
Parmesan for topping (I think this is the best part!)

Directions

Over medium high heat, brown the chorizo or sausage in a large pot. Drain, set meat aside in a bowl. Remove all but 1 Tbs fat from the pan.
Over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in the pot with the remaining fat. Allow them to become translucent.
Add the meat back to the pot, along with the broth, wine, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, pepper, carrot, oregano, and basil.
Let simmer for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
To serve, ladle into a bowl and sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with warm crusty bread or crackers.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Applejack Sauce

This dish is all about the sauce. Cook the chicken pretty much any way you'd like, add this sauce to it and it will liven up any meal.

The first time I made this, it was with pork chops and with this apple stuffing tucked inside. It was so good but quite a bit of work. I made this on the first Valentines Day my husband and I spent together (boyfriend at the time); along with a homemade Tiramisu that didn't turn out so well. Since then, I have yet to make another Tiramisu, but have made this sauce pretty often. I turned this dish into a meal that doesn't have to be for a special occasion (hence chicken) but at the same time -definitely could. This comes altered from Williams-Sonoma American.

I think I have always paired this recipe with the stuffing listed in the paragraph above.



This is a picture of the brandy in flames... if you can see them (its the blue color).


Applejack Sauce

Ingredients

Grilled, baked or pan-fried chicken, or pork chops
1/3 cup Applejack (apple Brandy) - I have made this with Apricot Brandy also, probably any would do
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
3/4 cup Chicken Stock or Broth
1/4 cup Cream
Chopped Sage for garnish

Directions

In a small sauce pan on low heat, add the brandy. Once it's warm, ignite with a match or lighter... Careful!
Let it flame for about 30 seconds. If it doesn't go out on it's own you can cover the pan with a lid. Set aside.
Dissolved the cornstarch in a Tbs of water and add this, preferably, to the pan you cooked the meat in.
Add the brandy, broth, and cream. Stir well. If you use the pan you have cooked the meat in, this will de-glaze the pan getting all of the bits of flavor from the meat up and off the pan into your sauce. Yum!
Bring to a boil over medium heat for about 1 minute. You should be able to see it has thickened just a bit.
Spoon over your meat and voila! Boring to fantastic. :)

Apple Stuffing

This is a pretty basic stuffing, but with apples. The original recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma cook book American. It calls for dried apples and to be stuffed in a pork chop which is delicious. But, this is for those who only want the stuffing.

I cubed some bread I had and let it dry out in a bowl for a day, stirring it occasionally to let all parts of the bread be exposed to the air.

Apple Stuffing

Ingredients

~4 cups cubbed and dried Bread
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/3 cup Chopped Shallot, Green Onion, or Yellow Onion
1 chopped Apple
1 tsp Dried Sage or 2 tsp Chopped Fresh Sage
~3/4 cup Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and bread to the pan to saute the onions and toast the bread. Stir every few seconds. If it is sticking, add more oil by the teaspoon.
Turn off the heat and add the apples when the onions and bread are close to done, about 4 minutes.
Add the sage, salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken broth trying to coat as much bread as possible. Coat until the bread is just wet, not soaked but damp. You may have to add more broth if it looks a little dry.
Transfer to an oven baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Stir halfway through to check the stuffing.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

I was surprised at how flavorful this dish was; but, if you look at the ingredients, it should be. This recipe is part of 3 or 4 other recipes combined. It is more ideal for ground chuck but I didn't have any of that on hand (if you haven't noticed yet, I'd rather use ingredients I already have) and it's cheaper! You can use any cut of beef you have on hand. I also decided to put the stroganoff on a baked potato since we had a giant bag I just bought. I've only had it on egg noodles before but this worked out great! I actually never eat the skin of my potato (I know, it's where most of the nutrients are) but I always taste a hint of dirt- yuck. Well, everyone, I have an announcement: I ate my potato skin! AND my husband did too! He never eats his either. Can you believe it? I actually liked it, all because of this delicious stroganoff.

Oh and my husband and I don't like mushrooms, so the picture shown has none. (I know, stroganoff is basically pure mushrooms but whatever) And, how do you make stroganoff look appetizing in bad lighting? Take my word for it, it's good.

Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Hambuger or Chuck
1 small chopped Yellow Onion
1-2 cups fresh Mushrooms-- this is a guess because I didn't use any
1 can Beef Broth (low sodium would be great)
1/3 cup White Wine
~1 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp Prepared Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika

Directions

Brown, salt and pepper the beef on medium high heat, set aside. If you have a large amount of fat in the pan, you can discard it.
Over medium heat, add the chopped onion to the pan and cook until they become soft. If you do not have enough fat from the beef in the pan, you can add 1 Tbs butter to help keep it from sticking.
If you are using mushrooms, this would be the time to add them to the pan to saute until soft.
Pour the beef broth and wine into the pan. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can add 1 or 2 Tbs flour at this point and stir constantly. Let it boil until the liquid has decreased by half.
Turn the heat down to low and add the sour cream, paprika, and mustard.
If it is not as thick as you like it, you can simmer, uncovered for a few minutes to try to thicken it up.
Serve over cooked egg noodles, baked potato, or rice.

Enjoy!

Guacamole

I had two avocados that desperately needed to be used, as well as a giant bag of chips. The choice was easy to make, guacamole it is! Perfect for your upcoming Super Bowl party. Although, I would probably double the recipe if you plan to have a lot of people over.

Guacamole is so simple and so good. I hope you find this recipe very do-able. I swear every store bought guacamole is some sort of mutant green color or just does not taste right. You will be much happier making your own. Promise.

Guacamole

Ingredients

2 Ripe avocados
Juice of 1/2 a Lime or about 2 Tbs (depends on how juicy it is)
1-2 Tablespoons Chopped Red Onion
~ 1 Tbs Chopped Cilantro (I like a little less than a Tbs)
1/2 Squashed and minced Clove Garlic (add more if you'd like, I am not a garlic lover)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Slice avocados and remove the pit. Scoop avocado away from the skin and into a bowl. Smash with a fork.
Add the lime juice, red onion, cilantro, and garlic.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

*The picture shown does not have a tomato in it. It is good with or without, enjoy.