Apple Pilaf

Apple Pilaf (Vegan)

(2-4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 medium Yellow Onion, fine dice

2 medium Carrots, fine dice

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 cup Brown Rice, uncooked

2 ½ cups Vegetable Stock/Broth

1 tbsp. Dry Parsley Flakes

¼ tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Black Pepper

2 Fresh Apples, peeled, cored & sliced (see note)

1 tbsp. Canola Oil

1 cup Unsweetened Apple Juice

2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced or pressed

2 tsp. Rubber Sage

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

Directions:

Start the rice portion of recipe in a large saucepan.  Do this by sautéing the onions and carrots in the butter.  This should take 6 to 8 minutes over medium to medium-high heat.  Next add the rice and continue for 3 to 4 more minutes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, cover, than reduce to simmer for 40 to 45 minutes.  After the rice starts to simmer and in a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the apple slices in the oil for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove apples and keep warm.  Now add the apple juice, mustard, garlic, sage, salt and pepper to the pan and bring to a boil.  Continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half and then return the apples to the pan.  Carefully combine the two pans into one, place in a serving dish and enjoy.

Note:               I suggest using a Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala or an apple that is not of the soft variety like a Red Delicious.  I use a locally grown Sweet 16 apple when I make it.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Cranberry Slaw with Walnuts

Cranberry Slaw with Walnuts

(12 servings)

Ingredients:

6 cups Fresh Cabbage, shredded

1 cup Fresh Carrot, shredded

½ cup Fresh Yellow Onion, shredded (thinly sliced)

1 cup Dried Cranberries

1 cup Walnuts, chopped and toasted

     Dressing:

½ cup White Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Celery Seed

¾ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

1/3 cup Walnut Oil (see note)

1 tsp. Dried Tarragon (or 1 tbsp. Fresh Tarragon, minced)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, onion and cranberries and set aside.  In a mixer, combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery seed, salt and pepper.  Blend for 30 seconds before slowly adding the oil.  Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and add the tarragon.  Now add this mixture to the cabbage mixture and combine well.  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.  Just before service, add the walnuts to the mixture and toss, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Note:               If you don’t have walnut oil just use extra virgin olive oil.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Pasta with Pumpkin & Sausage

Pasta with Pumpkin & Sausage

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Bulk Sweet/Mild Italian Sausage

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

4 cloves Fresh Garlic, chopped

1 medium Yellow Onion, small dice

1 dry Bay Leaf

2 tbsp. Fresh Sage, chiffonade

1 cup Dry White Wine

1 cup Chicken Stock/Broth

1 cup Pumpkin, canned

½ cup Heavy Cream

1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

To taste Salt and Black Pepper

1 lb. Penne Pasta, cooked

To taste Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, brown the sausage until done and remove from pan to a paper towel lined dish.  Drain all grease from pan and then add the olive oil, garlic and onion.  Sauté the garlic/onion mixture for 3 to 5 minutes then add the bay leaf, sage and wine to pan.  Reduce the wine by half which should take about 2 minutes.  Now add the chicken stock and pumpkin and mix well as it starts to bubble.  Return the sausage to pan, reduce heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream.  Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to sauce and season to taste with the salt and pepper.  Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.  Remove the bay leaf before adding the sauce to the pan with the drained pasta in it.  Over low heat continue to cook the combined mixture for another minute before putting it in your serving bowl.  Top with a little parmesan cheese and have extra on the table for those that might want more cheese.

Note:               You could buy links if needed and remove the casing and break up the sausage as you cook it.  You could use hot Italian sausage if that meets your taste.

Note:               For chiffonade, pile the leaves on top of each other and than roll them up.  Start at one end and cut thin slices.  This gives you thin ribbons of the leaves.

Note:               If you prefer a different pasta shape, by all means use one that you like.  Whatever pasta you use, be sure to under cook it by 1 minute of package directions before combining with the sauce.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Fall is Officially Here & We Start Changing Our Eating Habits

Fall is here, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and with that comes changes to our eating habits.  We start eating more fall harvest foods such as the many different kinds of squash (butternut & acorn are my favorite).  Pumpkins come into play and not just for use in a pie.

As we go through the fall season I'll try to give you some perspective of familiar foods and recipes.  However, I will try to introduce you to some foods and recipes you are maybe not accustomed to as well.

It seems that as the weather starts to cool down and the leaves change and fall from trees, we start eating heartier and heavier foods.  I'm not sure if it because of some relationship we have with the other animals of the world.  But we tend to put on some weight in the fall and continue into the winter like bears or squirrels.

The lighter fare of the spring and summer seem to pass away and we think the heartier foods will keep us warm throughout the fall and winter seasons.  I think that is one of the reasons many people make  a new year's resolution of losing the weight they have gained in the last four months of the calendar year.

This week will have three recipes for you to try.  The first two are recipes I've run across and happen to like on occasion.  I will change them up a little as I do with most recipes I find.  The third dish is where I've taken two recipes and used parts of each to make another one.  I did this one to give some vegan friends/family another recipe to try in their diet.

The first uses pumpkin in the recipe for a sausage and pasta dish that surprised several that I have served it to in the past.

The second one is for a slaw recipe that includes cranberries and walnuts (two fall foods) and gives you a nice break from the usual cole slaw recipes you get in restaurants.

The last recipe of the week uses apples in a vegan dish with rice.  A vegan would probably have this as a main dish.  I think, however, most people will use it as a nice side dish with a pork or ham entree.

Please give them a try and let me know how they turn out for you.  Have a great week and thanks for following my food blog.

Apple Butter

Apple Butter

(7-8 half pint jars)

Ingredients:

6 cups Sliced Apples (your choice), peeled & cored

3 cups Sugar

1 tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

½ tsp. Ground Cloves

As needed Paraffin Wax

Directions:

In a large sauce pan with a half inch of water, place the sliced apples.  Cover with a lid and turn heat on to low.  Cook until the apples get mushy.  Using either a cone sieve or a ricer put the apples through the devise.  Now return apples to the pan and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves combining ingredients.  Turn the heat up to medium and cook uncovered until mixture thickens.  Remember to stir the mixture often as it will take about 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and fill sterilized jars to within a half inch of the top.  Add melted wax (see note below) to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch.  Let apple butter and wax cool down before putting lids on jars.  The apple butter does not need to be refrigerated until after you have removed the wax seal.  Store the jars in a dark cool place.

Note:               To seal with paraffin wax, please be careful.  Place a small to medium sauce on the stove top with an inch of water in it.  Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.  Place a disposable foil pie pan on top of the sauce pan.  Cut one slab of wax (4 in a box) into several pieces and carefully place them in the pie pan.  The heat will melt the wax.  Once all the wax in the pie pan has melted, carefully pour over the apple butter in the jars.  Repeat the process until all the jars are sealed.

Note:               If you don’t have fresh apples, you can use unsweetened apple sauce instead.  This way you can make apple butter year round and it’s less expensive, too.  Just combine all the ingredients over medium heat until thickened (30-45 minutes) to your desired thickness.  Remember to stir often.

Note:               To sterilize jars, you can place them in boiling water for a few minutes.  USDA guidelines suggest 15 minutes of boiling for the jars.  Be sure to use only clean equipment when making jellies or canning other products.

Efforts Ideas for Future

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Green & Red Pepper Jelly

Green or Red Pepper Jelly

(6-7 half pint jars)

Ingredients:

¾ cup Green Peppers, cored, seeded & rough chop (see note below for the Red jelly)

¼ cup Jalapeno Peppers, cored, seeded & rough chop

1 ½ cups Apple Cider Vinegar

6 cups Sugar

4 oz. Liquid Pectin

As needed Green Food Coloring (make as light or dark as you wish)

As needed Paraffin Wax (see note)

Directions:

Place the chopped peppers in a food processor and run until you have a fine mince.  In a medium sauce pan, place the processed peppers, vinegar and sugar over medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pectin and food coloring.  Pour the mixture into the sterilized jars to within a half inch of the top.  Seal with melted paraffin wax to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch.  After the jelly and wax have cooled, top the jars with lids and store in a dark cool place.  They do not need refrigeration until the wax seal has been removed.

Note:               To make RED pepper jelly (I make this one hotter) just substitute red bell peppers for the green ones.  I then use a Ho Chi Minh pepper (yellow) for the jalapeno.  It has the same heat as an orange habanero pepper but has more body to it.  Then change the food coloring to red.  Enjoy!

Note:               To seal with paraffin wax, please be careful.  Place a small to medium sauce on the stove top with an inch of water in it.  Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.  Place a disposable foil pie pan on top of the sauce pan.  Cut one slab of wax (4 in a box) into several pieces and carefully place them in the pie pan.  The heat will melt the wax.  Once all the wax in the pie pan has melted, carefully pour over the apple butter in the jars.  Repeat the process until all the jars are sealed.

Note:               To make either jelly hotter you can leave in the seeds of the hot peppers used.

Note:               To sterilize jars, you can place them in boiling water for a few minutes.  USDA guidelines suggest 15 minutes of boiling for the jars.  Be sure to use only clean equipment when making jellies or canning other products.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Grandpa has to Brag on Granddaughter

First, I want to thank everyone who is following my food blog whether on a regular basis or occasionally.  On Monday the blog broke the 10,000 hits mark.  Each week the number of hits is slowly increasing.  I'm picking up more hits from many different countries around this amazing world of ours.  The biggest increase seems to continue to be from Russia.  Thank you followers from Russia and please continue to spread this link to friends and family.

Cabana Boy & New Assistant

Today I'm not going to talk about food, cooking or recipes.  As a proud grandfather for the first time, I have to brag up my granddaughter.  Her name is Eleanor Ruth and they call her Nora.  The Eleanor Ruth part is after two of her great-grandmothers.

Nora will be 4 months old next week.  She is already rolling over from stomach to back and back to stomach.  She loves to stand on her own two legs but needs us to help her balance.  I'm sure it will be awhile (months) before she is holding herself up against a table or chair of some kind.  But like every grandparent, our granddaughter can do things no other child can do (at least in our minds).

The great part for me is taking care of her a couple days a week while her parents work.  She has become my new assistant helping me with this blog.  I'm sure she will contribute more as each month goes forward.

Deep in Thought

As I mentioned above, she is ahead of her age and is already giving me feedback on a regular basis.  I'm going to need her help as Google has updated their blog screen. I'll have to figure out what changes (much less why the changes) they have done to screw up everyone.  The screen is already flashing messages that I am having problems.

Hopefully, I figure it out and am able to show a few photos of Nora.  By the way, she loves to jabber but you have to listen close to figure out what she is saying.  Fortunately only a grandparent can understand her language and we don't tell her parents.  That's for them to figure out someday.

One of the great parts of being a grandparent is watching personalities develop.  She is a very happy baby and I can see some family traits.  The only bad one so far is from her grandfather.  She doesn't like to go to bed either.  You can always sleep some time in the future as far as the two of us think.

Play Time

Enough on Nora today.  Tomorrow is a recipe for "Pepper Jelly" which has a bite to it.  The recipe covers a mild version and a hotter one.  This jelly is great to put over room temperature cream cheese and serve with crackers.  I happen to like it on toast, pancakes and waffles too.  Then Friday's recipe is for "Apple Butter" and if I do say so myself, it's damn good (pardon the French).  Be sure to check them out and try them too.  They are not hard to make and it is well worth it.  Have a great week and thanks again for your support.