Strawberry Almond Pie

Every week we go to dinner on Friday night at a local restaurant that has old school homemade desserts. Since spring began I had been seriously jonesing for a baked fruit pie so every week I would ask what the pie specials were and every week I was told peanut butter and coconut cream, not what I was looking for. I decided if I wanted a fruit pie I would have to make it. So I started scouring the internet for a good strawberry pie recipe and all I found where alot of shortcut recipes for a cold cream pie and that is not what I was craving. I was looking for a crunchy crusted sweet and tart strawberry pie. I was originally going to make a strawberry rhubarb pie but alas no rhubarb in my grocery store so I decided to spice up my pie in a different way. I hope you enjoy this pie. If you are looking for a shortcut you can use store bought pie crust and it will still be yummy. 

First you need to make the crust. When you are making pie crust the most important thing is really cold ingredients. So cut up the butter in small cubes and freeze it for at least an hour. It will make a huge difference in the flakiness of the crust. 


Ingredients for crust
2 1/2 cups sifted ap flour, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks of ice cold butter cut in small cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp ice water


Place all the flour in the bowl of your food processor. (if you don't have a food processor you can cut the butter into the flour with your finger tips or a pastry cutter, however if you have warm hands like me don't try and use your fingers your crust won't be as flaky as it should) 
Add the salt and sugar and all of the cold butter an pulse to combine. Make sure you pulse it until you see little chunks of butter floating all throughout the flour some big some small slowly stream in the ice water while the food processor is still pulsing add until just coming together. 


Dump half onto a piece of plastic wrap and combine into a disc cover it with the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes to cool. Do the same with the second half. 


Now for the filling!


Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ap flour
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 cups fresh strawberries hulled and halved
3/4 cup slivered almonds
2 TBS butter


Preheat oven to 425' F


Roll out one pie crust to fit a 9in pie pan with about one inch hanging over. Place into the pie pan without 
buttering, its not needed there is enough butter in the crust it won't stick


In a large bowl combine white and brown sugars with flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and both extracts. whisk to combine . Add strawberries and almonds to mixture and gently stir until all the strawberries are covered in the sugary dust. Pour into the prepared crust mounding it slightly in the middle. 


Roll the second crust to the same thickness as the first and cut into 1/2in strips. Weave strips into a lattice formation leaving the ends hanging over. Fold the end of the bottom pie crust over the lattice ends to seal them in then using your fingers create a fluted edge. 


Then baste pie with a little milk and lightly dust with sugar. (I used vanilla sugar for a little extra surprise)


Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust looks golden brown and amazing. 
Cool before eating and serve with some lightly sweetened whipped cream and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon. 


Enjoy!


Krystle

Ham and Pea Risotto

When Michael and I first started dating he bragged about this risotto that he could make. We never got the chance to try out his infamous recipe until a few months after we got married. Let me just say I didn't marry my husband for his culinary skills. He knew that it had ham and saffron but had no basic knowledge of how to actually make a risotto and neither did I at the time. This recipe was developed from that error and many other trials where we ended up eating chicken mcnuggets rather than a well prepared risotto. I was a little put off on trying to make risotto after those instances until I moved up here and saw the absolute abundance of ham and other various pork products. These are a porky people. Anyway the ham here is really delicious I guess it makes sense being a mere 45 minutes from Virginia. So I decided to try once more on the perfect ham risotto with the english twist of peas. I don't know why but ham and peas are super yummy together they compliment each other so well. So here you go I hope you get to try it and don't be afraid if it doesn't work the first time. Learn from your mistakes like I did and maybe you will discover something tasty. 

excuse my photos risotto doesn't photograph well :)

Ingredients

4 Slices of bacon cubed and rendered

4 cups of chicken stock

1 pinch of saffron

1 onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup of cured diced ham in 1/2 in pieces

1 1/2 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup frozen english peas

2 TBS butter

Parmesan cheese for garnish

First render the fat from the bacon and remove cooked bacon to drain on a towel. Remove all but 3 TBS or so of the bacon fat (just enough to coat onions and rice) Brown the ham slightly and set aside with the bacon. Sautee the onions and garlic until translucent and soft then add in the rice. Stir and make sure every grain of rice is coated in fat (add more fat if needed)

In a separate medium sauce pan bring chicken stock to a simmer with the pinch of saffron. 

Once onions and rice are all coated you can deglaze the pan with the white wine. Make sure to keep stirring. Once all the liquid seems to have evaporated you can start ladling in the stock about a half cup at a time stirring in between each addition. Continue this way until rice is tender and the consistency is creamy. Once you get the consistency you desire then add in the peas and the meat that has been set aside. Stir in the butter and heat for about 2 minutes so the peas have time to cook slightly. Top with the cheese and eat. It should be creamy and smooth and absolutely delicious and incredibly indulgent. 

Enjoy!

Krystle

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a tutorial on how to bake the basic chocolate chip cookie. These cookies come among some of the most requested things for me to bake, not only by my family but often anyone who has tried them. The thing that I don't get is cookies are really easy to make, and also really easy to screw up. If you miss a step or don't mix them long enough you will have a totally different cookie than you would if you mixed it too much or just enough. Mixing the cookies is a big part of cookie perfection, so is baking time for that matter. I feel like cookies are all to easily overbaked and then they turn into little rocks with chocolate in them. That is not good eats for anyone. Also bear in mind that the chocolate you use is going to change the flavor of the cookie tremendously so if you want to up the yum factor a bit try switching up brands and levels of sweetness. I like to use Ghiradelli  and Guittard when I bake cookies. So I hope my few cookie baking tips help you out because when chocolate chip cookies are done right nothing can beat them. NOTHING!

First step is assembling your ingredients. I find it best to have them all laid out so you know you have everything and you don't forget the all important salt or baking soda.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt (I use kosher)
1 cup UNSALTED butter at room temp (very very important)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation if you are going to make cookies make them taste good)
1 pkg (12 on) chocolate chips ( I substitute 1/3 cup each of semi sweet, milk, and dark chocolate chips)
1 cup walnuts *optional but they do make the cookies better in my opinion.

Next step is all about preparation. You need to preheat your oven to 375' having a hot oven waiting for you is crucial for a crunchy bottomed cookie with a soft tender middle.  Then you need to prepare your cookie sheets you can either use a silpat or cut parchment to the size of your sheet and just place it in no need for extra grease or butter. If you properly prepare your cookie sheet you will have cookies that come off without breaking almost every time.

Then comes the mixing. If you don't have a stand mixer save yourself some heartache and use a hand mixer don't try and cream butter and sugar by hand unless you want to be there all day.

Cream the butter and sugar together until the color changes to a light yellow almost off white color. This means that the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and they won't be grainy to the touch. Once this happens you can add your eggs one at a time lightly beating until incorporated then add in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, soda, and salt and whisk lightly to make sure they are well combined.  Then add in the flour mix to the creamed butter mix one serving spoonful at a time making sure to scrap down the sides of the pan and get it all mixed in. After it is all mixed in the mixture should still be light in color and texture. Then you can add in your chips and walnuts and mix by hand using a rubber spatula as to not break up the delicate morsels of chocolate with the high powered machinery.

Then using a small ice cream scoop portion out 1 dozen on each cookie sheet (this recipe makes aprox. 4-5 dozen cookies.) If you are only making a few then put the remaining dough on plastic wrap and roll into a roll and you can refrigerate or freeze for as long as you need them but they won't last long. You can just slice them as you need them.

Once they are all doled out and in there final resting place put them in the hot oven for 8-10 minutes turning once to assure even cooking. Then take out of the oven let them rest for at least 5 minutes (they usually only make it to about 3 minutes) before eating or transferring to a cooling rack or plate.

I hope this helps the cookie baking dilemmas and I hope you make and eat these cookies because they truly are the best.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Cinci Style Chili

It has recently come to my attention that I have been seriously slacking in the posting on my blog department. I apologize I have been a bit preoccupied, however I have been writing my recipes down so I will complete a little back log and hopefully give you something to read and eat. So in my family there is a tradition of Cinci Style Chili on Christmas Eve. I know it isn't near Christmas but whenever its a little chilly out and I am feeling a little nostalgic I think of this Chili. When I was living in TX it was impossible to get at a restaurant and the frozen was decent but there is nothing like homemade. I have found a restaurant here that serves it and it is super yummy but I decided it would be wise to have my own recipe. This chili isn't a chili you think of when you think of traditional spicy chili. It has more of a Mediterranean  flair with cinnamon and chocolate. It is very savory and for me smells like the holidays.

Ingredients

1 qt cold water
2 lbs ground beef
2 cups crushed tomato
2 yellow onions diced
1 TBS oil (veggie or canola)
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS dark cocoa powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
2 TBS cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp clove
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a large stock pot sautee the onion and garlic in oil until soft not brown. Add in water and then ground beef. Mix until all the meat is broken up. You want this to be a very fine texture and you aren't browning it you are basically boiling it with the water and spices. Add in all the spices and let cook on medium heat stirring occasionally for 4-6 hours. After about 2-3 hours go and check on it and remove layer of fat/oil that is on the top.

For traditional serving suggestions see below.
 3 way - Spaghetti, Chili, and Cheese.
 4 way- Spaghetti, Chili, Cheese and Onion
 5 way- Spaghetti, Chili, Cheese, Onion, Beans

Coney Dog- Hot dog, Mustard and Chili. YUM.

Hope you enjoy this I surely do. Oh and it keeps well in an airtight container in the freezer for future enjoyment.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Chewy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? Only weirdos right. Right... However if you are a weirdo who doesn't like the wonders of melty chocolate and chewy buttery cookie awesomeness than hopefully you will like this cookie. Michael isn't a big chocolate fan and has declared the oatmeal cookie with peanut butter chips the world's greatest cookie. I beg to differ, seeing as it can't be the best cookie when the classic chocolate chip cookie is in fact the world's best. I will say that this is a really good cookie, it is tasty and chewy and soft and a little bit melty from the peanut butter just plain GOOD. If you can't have peanut products you could change it out for the more classic raisin or a more daring currant or cranberry. So here you go hope you like it. :)

Ingredients

1 stick of softened butter

2/3 cup brown sugar packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350'

In a mixer or by hand if you are strong beat together the butter and sugar until lighter in color and creamy.

Add in egg and vanilla and stir until combined

Meanwhile in a large bowl sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Then add in the rolled oats and mix thoroughly. 

Add the wet mixture to the dry and combine with wooden spoon by hand. (Don't try and mix them in with a mixer because it will break apart the oats) After all of the flour is no longer visible add in the peanut butter chips and fold them lightly into the batter. 

Let chill in the fridge for at least 5-10 minutes then scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly toasty.

Enjoy!

Krystle

Apple Toffee Cupcakes

One of the bests things about going to a fair or if you live in Houston, the Rodeo carnival, is the food. The chance to splurge and eat things you know you shouldn't eat like tons of funnel cake and delicious caramel apples that are nearly impossible to eat with out coming close to breaking your teeth. Well I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Carnival, I try to go at least once a year if not more and it just started this last weekend with the cook off. My dad is on a cook off team and I joined it but then I moved so I never got to go to any competitions. Any who I decided to try and make something that would remind me of the carnival you go to before you go in the livestock show and look at the animals and before you go watch the rodeo and see someone almost get smashed by a huge angry bull. Ah to be home again. The rodeo is a HUGE tradition in Houston and an even bigger tradition with my family and friends. It is a time to get together and grub on some great BBQ (shout out to Holmes Smokehouse BBQ my whole family works the booth during rodeo time and on a side note someone needs to ship me some Holmes Bacon *hint hint* mom and dad) watch people doing crazy near death bull rides, watch mom cry at the calf scramble and listen to some amazing performers. Moving on from the reminiscing I found a recipe for apple cupcakes that I enhanced a bit to make them more yummy and more carnival. I think the cowboys and carnies alike would be proud. Here you go Apple Cupcakes with a Toffee Glaze

Ingredients 

For Cupcake:

2 Apples I used Pink Lady
1 TBS Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed please)
2 1/4 cup AP Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup heaping brown sugar (I used dark)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 TBS melted butter *plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup apple juice
1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 400' F and grease a 12 cup muffin pan preferably nonstick
Core and grate one apple and slice the other apple into 1/4 in slices and toss in lemon juice.
Sift  flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg together and then whisk in the sugar and add in grated apple pieces.
Combine melted butter, milk, apple juice, and egg in a bowl and the add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared tin and place 2-3 apple slices on top of the batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and golden brown and a toothpick can come out clean
Run a knife around the edge of each cake and place on wire rack to cool.
While cooling prepare glaze below.

For Toffee Glaze:

1 TBS butter
1 TBS heavy cream- you can use 2 TBS light cream and no half and half instead
1 TBS half and half
2 TBS brown sugar

Add all the ingredients in a small pan and melt over medium heat stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and let boil for one minute or until sauce is thickened. Let cool slightly then drizzle over cupcakes or dip the top of each cake in the mixture. Let cool for at least one minute (toffee is really hot) then you may serve as is or with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

This recipe is inspired by a statement I seem to always make "Oh I can do that." Seriously I say this all the time and it gets me into trouble because even if I can do that, (which most of the time I totally can) sometimes I don't have the time nor resources. However this particular time I had the time and the palate to make this happen. I was eating a dish at an Italian restaurant with some girlfriends and I said I can make this no problem, so I went home that week and tried to make it. This is such a tasty dish it became a staple at my house I LOVE IT. It is hot and spicy and creamy and cheesy, seriously everything you want in pasta. YUM. This version I am giving you today is kind of a 30 minute cheaters version, your welcome. Everyone should definitely try this one out it comes together so quickly and tastes so delicious.

Ingredients:

2 store bought rotisserie chicken breasts or roasted chicken breasts(recipe below)

2 TBS butter

1 tsp olive oil 

1 red onion diced (small to medium in size)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 TBS red pepper flakes (this makes it really spicy if you like your food more mild try 1/2 tsp-1 tsp)

3 TBS white wine
1 750g can of marinara sauce (I use one box of POMI marinara)
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup mozzarella cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan grated
1 lb rigatoni

to roast chicken breasts:
take 2 chicken breasts bone in skin on and rub them liberally with extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder then cook them in a 350' oven for 35-40 minutes.

In a large pan (dutch oven) over medium high heat sautee onion in olive oil and butter. When the onion looks a little softer (3-4 min) add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook that for about 30-45 seconds stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn. Deglaze the pan with the white wine then scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. The add in the box or can of store bought marinara sauce. Then fill the box or can up half way again with water to get all the excess tomato out of it then add that to the sauce as well. Simmer this for about 20-30.

In a large pan heat salted water for rigatoni to a boil then cook according to directions.

Shred the chicken breasts and add that into the sauce.Then add in the frozen peas, half and half, and both cheese to the sauce. As soon as the pasta is done add it to the sauce and toss lightly making sure not to damage the shape of the pasta. Salt and pepper to taste then top with a little chopped parsley and serve.

If you are going to cook this in advance the sauce can be refrigerated and reheated as long as the pasta has not been added. So cook the pasta and add it into the reheated sauce just before serving.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Lasagna

Sorry I am a little behind on writing, I had some people coming over this weekend and I needed to make sure the house was unpacked and in order for guests. I made this recipe last week I was going to serve it at a dinner with some girlfriends but they ended up not being able to make it but the great thing about lasagna is that you can freeze it before you cook it and it cooks up just the same as if you made it that day. So feel free to make this ahead for a dinner party or just a family meal it will last in the freezer a few weeks with no problems. I wanted to make lasagna because I found a recipe for homemade ricotta and I had the urge to make it so I put it in this lasagna. So I served this on Saturday night to my out of town guests and it was a huge hit. Hope you like it. 

Ingredients 

makes one really large lasagna or two medium size lasagnas 

For the meat sauce:

1 onion small diced

2 carrots small diced

1 stalk of celery small diced

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS butter

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup white wine

1 LB ground sirloin (you can substitute for chuck if you want)

1 LB hot italian sausage (out of the casing)

1 28oz can chef cut tomatoes with basil

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup red wine

1 TBS italian seasoning

2 tsp garlic powder

1 TBS tomato paste

Sautee onion, carrot, and celery in butter and olive oil on medium heat then salt and pepper. After about 4-5 minutes and the veggies look a little softer then you can add the garlic and continue to sautee for another 1-2 minutes. Add in the beef and sausage and break it up (I use a potato masher to break up the meat because it makes sure the sausage gets broken up quickly and it mixes the meat really good too.) Cook until the meat is cooked through. Drain the meat in a strainer and then return to pan. After you return the meat to pan cook it for 30 seconds and then deglaze with the white wine. Add tomatoes and then fill one can half way with water and add that to the pot as well. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add in red wine, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and tomato paste then stir and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for another 15-20 minutes then take off heat and cool before assembly.

For Assembly:

Meat sauce (recipe above)

2 cups Ricotta (recipe below) you can use store bought if you want

2 TBS fresh parsley

2 TBS fresh basil

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 egg

1 box of no boil lasagna noodles

2 bags mozzarella cheese

Mix ricotta, parsley, basil, rosemary, parmesan , and egg in a small bowl until combined.
Start assembly in a lasagna pan with small amount of meat sauce on the bottom so the noodles do not stick. Then add noodles,  I like to spread the ricotta mix onto the no cook noodles so there is a thin layer then I add the meat sauce until the noodles are covered and then a generous amount of cheese and repeat until you all the ingredients are gone.

At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
If you are cooking this fresh cover it with aluminum foil and place in a 350' oven for 35-40 minutes and then remove the foil and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
If frozen you can thaw in the refrigerator and follow the directions above or cook from frozen by putting lasagna straight into the oven preheated at 375 and cooking for 45 minutes covered and then 45-55 minutes uncovered.

I served this with a baby green salad and some bread sticks made with store bought pizza dough, garlic, rosemary and olive oil. It was really yummy!

For the Ricotta:

makes about 2 cups (just enough for above recipe)

4 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp salt

3 TBS white wine vinegar

In a large pot bring milk, cream and salt to a boil over medium heat
Turn off the heat and add in the vinegar
Let sit for one minute then pour over a sift lined with 2 layers of cheese cloth
let it drain for 25 minutes 

Enjoy!
Krystle

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's day. I was originally planning on making this for dessert to go with the super romantic Valentine's meal of pizza and beer but I decided to class it up a bit and made chocolate fondue and bought some pretzels, cream puffs, and strawberries for dipping. I already had the ingredients for a yummy apple crisp so I decided that it was a good midweek treat. Michael is out of town and is coming back tonight so he will be excited to have the leftovers for breakfast (hey don't judge it has apples and oats in it so one can argue it is kind of good for you.) So any-who I was supposed to have some friends over for dinner so I made a lasagna (recipe coming soon) and was going to have this for dessert however one of them called about 45 minutes ago telling me that her daughter was in labor so we had to reschedule, the good thing is lasagna freezes well and reheats amazing so no harm done. I already had the crisp in the oven when they called so I figure hey why let a delicious warm treat go to waste so I had my mid day, mid week snack.
I just added a little fresh made whipped cream with this AMAZING cream I bought at the Amish market (love having that right down the street, an advantage of living near Amish country) and it was an awesome treat to motivate me to do more laundry/unpacking. The worst part about moving is even if your clothes where clean before you moved you need to rewash them because they have been in a stinky truck for a week. I don't know if you have ever washed everything you ever owned but it takes a lot of time and effort. At least my washer is in the basement so I am getting my work out going up and down the stairs. Anyways on to the recipe. This is super delicious and not to sweet so you can feel free to top it with an amazing vanilla bean ice cream (blue bell for those lucky enough to have it... oh how I miss you blue bell.)

Ingredients


for the filling:
5 gala apples peeled and sliced 1/4'' thick
juice of half of an orange
2 TBS vanilla sugar*
1/8 tsp clove
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 TBS flour
3 TBS dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 TBS butter
for the topping:
1/2 stick of butter
2 TBS flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS vanilla sugar
pinch of salt

* If you don't have vanilla sugar make some it is easy! Take one vanilla bean that you have used the insides of for another recipe or one whole bean, put it in some sugar, wait a week and you will have an amazing flavored sugar! If you don't have a week to wait just substitute regular sugar and then add a tsp of vanilla extract.


Preheat the oven to 350'

Put sliced apples in a large glass bowl and mix in orange juice. Toss lightly and make sure all of the apples are covered to prevent browning. Then sprinkle with vanilla sugar and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. This will release alot of juice that is tasty but will make your crisp to runny so you will need to drain them after they rest.

After you drain them place them back in the bowl and add in clove, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg then lightly toss. After you have all of the apples covered in the spices you can add in the flour and toss lightly. Then you can add the cranberries and pecans.

Place apple mixture into a pan that has been lightly buttered. Cut up the butter into cubes and place around the top of the apples

For the topping:
Cut the 1/2 stick of butter into little cubes and put in mixer with the flour, oats, cinnamon, and sugar and mix on medium speed until they are combined well.

Add the topping to the apples with your hands breaking it up into small pieces. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of salt and into the oven it goes. It should take about 30-35 minutes. When it looks golden brown it is done.

note: if you like your apples mushier you should slice them a little thinner but in this recipe the apples still have a little bit of a bite.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Maple Pork with Fennel and Apple

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone reading I hope it is going well for everyone. I would post a what I will make tonight but due to the lack of variety in my husband's favorite foods he has requested pizza for Valentine's day dinner and being the good wife I am I suppose I will oblige. Any-who, this is the first time while cooking on a whim that I decided to try and denote what I was doing needless to say it is a little crazy and hard to read so forgive me if this isn't great. I use this chutney/sautee alot when cooking pork because lets face it pork and apples taste amazing together (that's why we all like the classic pork and apple sauce) well this dish is kind of a nod to the classic and I hope everyone gets to try it out. This is the first time I used this method with the pork itself thought and I think it turned out pretty well. You can break down this recipe and use it separately but together it makes a pretty full meal and you get your vegetables in a sneaky yet delicious way. Enjoy.

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon thinly sliced 

1/2 bulb of fennel chopped small (some stores call it anise) 

1 red onion chopped small

1/2 yellow pepper chopped small

1 stalk of celery chopped small

1 carrot chopped small

1 medium sized apple chopped small (I used a Gala apple)

1/2 cup white wine divided

1/2 cup chicken stock

3 TBS butter divided

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

2 TBS Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup)

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic minced

4-6 thinly sliced pork chops

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb egg noodles cooked and strained 

Salt and Pepper

For the Sautee

Add bacon to a cold large pan (I used a 5 qt dutch oven) and turn heat to medium low. Cook bacon until most of the fat is rendered out and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. 

Add the fennel, onion, pepper, celery, and carrot to the pot that has the bacon fat in it and sautee until soft about 8-10 minutes. Then add the apple and sautee for another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of white wine*

*If you would like to serve this as more of a chutney then you may stop now if you want a sauce then read on.

When the pan looks dry again deglaze with another 1/4 cup of white wine and add 1 TBS of butter. Stir until all of the butter is melted and take out 1 cup of the sautee mixture. Then add in the chicken stock and remaining butter. Wait for the butter to melt and then puree. You can do this in a blender or use a hand blender. The sauce will be very thick you can add more chicken stock or starchy water if you want to thin it out. I just tossed 1/2 lb of egg noodles in it and it was fine. 

For the Pork

Salt and Pepper both sides of the meat.

In a small bowl combine maple syrup, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, and pepper. Mix well and then brush liberally on both sides of the pork chops.*  

* you could grill these and they would be fantastic it is cold out so I just pan fried them

For indoor cooking turn heat to medium high and heat 1 TBS of olive oil and 1 TBS of butter in a pan, once the butter is melted and the pan is really hot place the pork chops in. If they are really thin like mine where they only need about two minutes on each side.

To serve I tossed the noodles in with the thick pureed sauce and topped them with the reserved bacon and toasted pecans then served the pork on top with the reserved veg sautee on top of that. Then I sprinkled a bit of parsley for color. Here is a bad photo of that.

I hope you try this out. Let me know how you like it and feel free to change it up and make it your own. That is how I develop things and make them taste better.

Enjoy!
Krystle

Turtle Cupcakes

So I was at karaoke last week and I decided I wanted dessert. What is the best dessert I can think of when I am out on the town you ask? TURTLE CHEESECAKE! It is a gift from the gods with its caramel and pecans not to mention the worlds most perfect treasure, lots of chocolate. Anyway as I was devouring the entire piece with no help from Michael (not really complaining) I thought to myself... this would make a delicious cupcake and so I decided to go home and try it out. I had a few hardships trying this out like my kitchen is so drafty it is really difficult to get anything to a proper room temp so I had alot of waiting on cold butter to warm up. Anyway this recipe is my second attempt and they are pretty tasty. I tried to make this recipe as user friendly as possible by substituting a store bought caramel sauce instead of a homemade caramel but you could make one from scratch if you want.

Warning. These cupcakes are really sweet but also really yummy.

Chocolate Cupcake
Recipe yields 1 and 1/2 dozen cupcakes


Preheat Oven to 350'
Line Cupcake tins with paper liners

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably dutch process or you can use special dark)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream*(see note)
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 TBS white vinegar
* If you use the same measuring cup for the sour cream as the oil the sour cream will come out easily.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a sifter and sift into a large bowl.
Using a spatula or spoon stir in oil, sour cream and water then stir to combine.
In a small bowl combine egg and vanilla then add it to the batter.
Finally add in the vinegar and whisk to combine. (there will be a slight reaction here and your batter may get lighter in color but don't worry it is doing fine)
Scoop out the batter about 3/4 full into the prepared tins. ( I use a disher and it makes quick work of it.)

Place them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes depending on your oven. I would start checking them at 13 and see where they are. These cupcakes have a slight rise but they shouldn't get overly puffy. They are finished when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Let rest until cool before icing.

Salted Caramel Icing
1 stick butter at room temp (hopefully your kitchen is warmer than mine)
2 cups of powder sugar sifted
3 TBS heavy cream
1 tsp salt
2 TBS store bought caramel sauce

Cream the butter in a mixer for at least a minute until it lightens in color.
Add the sifted sugar a half cup at a time and beat it well in between.
Add the heavy cream and salt  and beat on high for at least 3 minutes.
Finally add in the caramel sauce and beat it to combine.

Serving Suggestions:
Frost then top with toasted pecans or turtle candies that have been cut or drizzle with a little more caramel sauce.

Enjoy!
Krystle