Fantastic Fall Apples!

My family loves almost all apple desserts, but Apple Crisp is an absolute favorite around here! It's easy to make and foolproof...it comes out crispy on the top and juicy and flavorful underneath! Like most of my dessert recipes, this one is from my husbands' side of the family -- I got this from a special aunt and a good friend. I have made only 2 minor adjustments to her original recipe over the years. Be sure to have some vanilla ice cream to put on top!

We prefer this recipe made with Granny Smith apples, but any firm, tart baking apple will work.

Ann's Apple Crisp

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

First prepare your apples:

4 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup water

1 T. lemon juice

Layer your apples in a 1 - 2 qt. dish and sprinkle them with the salt and sugar. Pour the water and juice over all.

Next, the Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1 T. oatmeal

1 c. sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix together your dry ingredients and cut in the butter with pastry blender, 2 knives or your hands, which ever way you like! The mixture should be course and well mixed, with pieces about the size of peas.

Sprinkle the topping over the apples, and bake for 40 minutes, uncovered. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Fall Dinner -- Herb Roasted Pork and Gravy

The weather in central Virginia has turned decidedly chilly -- it's almost like we went right from summer to winter! Now that things have cooled off around here, it's easier to think about heating up the kitchen with roasting and baking.

I always cook a nice dinner on Mondays, because I think that Monday is a tough day for almost everyone, no matter what you do! If you are working a 9 to 5 grind, then it's back to the old routine, after a leisurely weekend of football and family. If you are a kid, getting up early and heading off to school after a day or 2 off can be tough. Even if you are a full time or part time stay at home mom (like me!), Monday means laundry, cleaning up lots of messes and at my house, fixing a nice dinner to say, "Here's to a good week, Family!"

This Monday, it's Herb Roasted Pork, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Cabbage and Red Onions and Ann's Apple Crisp (recipe here). Yummy! Try the pork and apple dessert with your favorite sides and enjoy the taste of fall!

Herb Roasted Pork

1 3 - 3.5 lb. pork roast

2 cloves garlic

4 sprigs fresh thyme

3 - 2" stems fresh rosemary

fresh ground black pepper

1 medium onion, peeled and thickly sliced

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce, for gravy

Water or beef broth, for gravy

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Now, prepare your herbs:

Wash and dry the thyme and rosemary. Remove the leaves from the stems. I am lucky enough to still have lots of herbs in my garden, especially these 2 which will withstand the cooler weather and continue to produce.

Chop the garlic thyme and rosemary. Grind in some fresh black pepper and continue to work this mixture together until it is well blended. With a small sharp knife, cut the garlic cloves into slivers. Push the knife into the pork roast and insert a sliver of garlic into the roast. Do this several times so that the roast is studded all over with garlic cloves. 

Place your pork roast, fat side up, in a heavy, deep roasting pan. Score the fat with knife making 3 or so slashes across the roast. Rub your herb mixture over the surface of the roast, making sure it gets down into the slashes. Scatter the onion slices over the top of the roast, and along the sides. Sprinkle the whole thing with salt.

Put the roasting pan (uncovered) into your preheated oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer sounds, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cover your roast. Set the timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The internal temp. should be 180 degrees. Remove the roast and let rest 10 - 20 minutes before carving. Occupy your time making gravy, while you wait for the roast to cool.

Here's how I make gravy: To the drippings in the pan, stir in a 1/4 c. flour (a scant 1/4 c., not packed, just lightly spooned), and mix that into the juices with a wire whisk, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, getting up all the brown bits and onion.

Make sure all of the flour is absorbed by the juices, that way you won't get lumpy gravy. Put the roasting pan on the stove --you may need to "straddle" it over 2 burners, depending on your stove and your pan -- and turn the burner(s) on low. Pour in 2 1/2 c. water or beef broth if desired, and continue to whisk, making sure your flour is dissolving and the gravy is blending well, continuing to scrape the bottom and sides of the roasting pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce, it gives great flavor and color. Turn up the heat, and keep going until it starts to boil This takes about 10 min. but you can do this while your meat is cooling. . Add a little salt and pepper, after tasting, if necessary.

Something special to begin your tailgating!

Tailgatin' Mufalletta

It's football season! Let the fun begin!

Here is a recipe for a fantastic sandwich that travels well, keeps well and feeds the multitudes. It is my variation on a "Muffaletta", a classic from N'Awlins that my family loves. Let me give props to some research I did on the the Food Network website, which I combined with a sandwich I grew up with that we called a "Zep", short for zeppelin, that my parents discovered when we were stationed near Valley Forge, PA.

Tailgate Muffaletta

First make the dressing:

1/3 c. red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced

1/3 c. olive oil

2 T. jalapeno olive spread (from a jar, I used Mezetta's)

10 pitted, chopped black olives

6 green olives, with pimentos, chopped

1/4 c. roasted red pepper, chopped

a little fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

Whisk together the vinegar, dried oregano and garlic. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add in the rest of your ingredients

Now, for constructing your sandwich:

1 round crusty, loaf ("boule") of bread, about 1 lb., 7" diameter and 3" high

6-8 slices thinly sliced, smoked ham, such as Sahlens Smokehouse Ham

8-10 slices hard salami

6-8 slices provolone cheese

1/2 onion, thinly sliced and soaked in some cold water**

1 c. shredded lettuce (iceberg or romaine)

1 dill Kosher spear pickle, minced

Cut the top inch off the bread and set aside. Hollow out almost all of the interior of the round bottom, leaving a sturdy shell intact. Spread several T. of your dressing mixture over the bottom of the shell, and up the sides. Layer in the meats and cheeses. Top them with the onions, lettuce and pickle. Spread a little more of the dressing on top. Carefully cover with the reserved top of the loaf.

Wrap this tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 min. and up to 24 hours.

Use the bread you pulled out of the middle of the boule' to soak up the rest of the dressing mixture as a yummy appetizer!

**Cooks note: Soaking the onions takes some of the bite out of them and makes them more palatable. Simply slice them very thinly, and put them into a bowl with some cold water. Let them soak about 10 minutes, and drain off the water before using.

When you are ready to serve, cut the sandwich into pie shaped slices. They can be as thin or as thick as you need them to be, depending on how many people you need to serve. This will AMPLY serve 6 and could serve as many as 12.

And Let Me Just Say, GO HOKIES!!

Fresh, Simple Salsa

There is simply nothing better than fresh salsa, and it is so very easy to make. Why not try it this week, while tomatoes are delicious and inexpensive at the markets and peppers are abundant?

We have been trying our hand at growing tomatoes and peppers in our backyard in containers. The peppers were extremely successful, the tomatoes, not so much, but we did get a few. Luckily, we have a friend who had lots of tomatoes on his vines and he was very generous! In a addition to that, the local favorite Hanover tomatoes have been on sale at several Richmond area grocery stores, including Kroger and Ukrops.

Here is a very basic, simple and tasty salsa recipe. Enjoy!

Simple Salsa

4 - 5 large Hanover or farm stand tomatoes

1 or 2 Hanbanero pepper (1 makes it spicy, 2 makes it medium hot)

1 handful fresh cilantro, washed, dried and stems removed

1/2 medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters

1 tsp. sea salt

a few grindings fresh ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 T. white vinegar

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

2 tsp. olive oil

Bring a medium sized pot of water about 2/3 full to a full boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, get out your food processor and dust it off. Wash your pepper and VERY CAREFULLY cut it open and remove most of the seeds and the stem. Wash your hands with soap and dry them with a paper towel. DON'T TOUCH your face while handling the pepper!

When the water comes to a boil, using a slotted spoon, immerse your tomatoes, one or two at a time in the boiling water for about 15 seconds. Remove them to a heat proof bowl and let them cool. When they have cooled, take off the skins and cut out the core at the stem end. Put the onion, garlic and pepper into the processor and pulse it a few times to begin the chopping process. Add in all but one of the tomatoes, the cilantro, and everything else. Pulse the salsa til it is almost smooth then add in the last tomato. Pulse a few more times until you reach the desired consistency.

Don't leave out the olive oil or the vinegar. The oil gives the salsa a little richness and the vinegar kicks up the fresh flavor. The lime juice makes is zesty! Don't be afraid of adding the habenero, using only one or 2 and seeding the pepper keeps the extreme hotness in check while spicing up the salsa for an authentic flavor! This salsa is really good just like it is, but don't be afraid to keep going! Makes about 5 cups.

Make this your own! Add in, as you like:

1 cup. fresh, roasted corn

1 c. drained and rinsed black beans

another hot pepper or 2

3 or 4 minced oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

A movie for foodies and travel buffs alike!

Go see "Julie and Julia" this weekend! It's delightful. You'll have so much fun, and a renewed admiration for America's first celebrity chef, Julia Child. I enjoyed the flick so much, I went out and bought "My Life in France" by Julia the very next week. What's next? I've asked for "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" for my birthday in September. Julia's got me all revved up to be creative in the kitchen! What's on the menu this weekend? Real Chile Rellenos, starting out the old fashioned way, with fresh chiles. I've made them before, but used whole chiles in a can. This should be interesting. I'll take some pix and let you know how it all turns out!
In the meantime, get your Julia fix by checking out the pbs site on all things Julia:

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/

It's All Greek To Me!

Tonight, I am trying something new. An all Greek, home-made meal. The chicken is marinating in a yogurt and rosemary infused marinade, and even the spanikopita was made by me and my friend di cucina, Kathy. Working with phyllo dough is a little tricky, as it dries out very quickly. I printed off Ina Garten's recipe for "Dinner Spanikopita" and followed it to the letter. The results were fabulous! So, if you are feeling adventurous in the kitchen, check it out at foodnetwork.com. Even with 2 experienced cooks working the recipe, it took us over an hour to produce about a dozen servings. We made them in a bigger size, which I think was easier, since it was our first time working with frozen phyllo dough. The chicken is also adapted from an Ina recipe. It's grilled outside, so does not heat up your kitchen. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are fairly easy on the budget and the waistline! Don't be scared of the yogurt in the recipe. It makes the meat so juicy and delicious. I think you are going to love going Greek! Greek Style Grilled Chicken Thighs 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 to 6 pieces each 1 lb. non-fat plain yogurt 5 T. fresh rosemary, snipped 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced 1/2 tsp. dried oregano juice of 1 lemon the zest from 1/2 of that lemon 1 tsp. sea salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 medium red onion, quartered and separated into pieces

Mix together everything except the red onion. Let this mixture marinate in the frig at least 30 minutes, up to over night. Over a large cookie sheet, thread your chicken pieces on to a skewer (bamboo or metal, but be sure to soak the bamboo first in water if that's what you use) alternately with a piece of red onion. This is a very messy procedure! Be sure to wash your hands well after handling raw chicken and clean any surface that it touches. Preheat your outside grill or get a grill pan nice and hot. Lay your chicken skewer on the grill, turn the heat down a little and let it alone for about 5 minutes. Turn it once and grill a few more minutes till the onion starts to brown and the chicken is cooked through -- about 8 - 10 minutes total. Serve with rice or pita bread.

Bruschetta, A Super Simple Summer Treat

The tomatoes are in, and when they come in, they really come in! We are deluged with gifts of tomatoes, so there are lots of tomato sandwiches at our house, and plenty of salade caprese, that classic pairing of tomatoes, mozarella and basil. It was that salad that inspired this appetizer that I made for my husband for his August birthday.

We love bruschetta, and when you are drowning in tomatoes, what could be better? The basil in my garden is lush and green, and the pairing of tomatoes and basil is simply classic, simply delicious.

Simple Bruschetta

5 medium almost over ripe tomatoes

1 clove garlic, finely minced

12 large basil leaves

pinch of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

3 T. good extra virgin olive oil

1 loaf french baguette

about 3 -4 oz. fresh mozarella (that's about 1/2 of a medium size ball of it)

Preheat your oven to 275. Thinly slice the baguette and put it on a cookie sheet. Place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it sit for 30 more minutes.

Finely chop your tomatoes and drain off a little of the clear juice. If the skins are tough, you may want to skin them first. (Very easy to do, just dunk them into boiling water, pull them out out immediately and let them cool to the touch. The skins just slip right off!)

Roll your basil leaves together like a cigar and cut them thinly -- this is called a chiffonade in chef-speak. Mix the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, salt, sugar, pepper and olive oil in a non-metal bowl. Place it in the frig for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together.

Put one spoonful of the tomato mixture on top of each toast. Count how many you have (probably somewhere around 24) and cut your mozarella into that many small squares. Place one on top of each toast and run it under the broiler for 3 minutes or less, until the mozaralla is just melted.

Delicious served as an appetizer, a side dish or even a light lunch. Refrigerate any leftover tomato mixture and use it on grilled chicken or fish, or even heated up slightly and put over pasta.