Apple Cake

During the fall I always crave apple desserts. Maybe it comes from growing up with lots of apples from my grandpa's orchard. Maybe it's just because my dad is the biggest fruit-a-holic of all time and he passed that on to us. This is a recipe from my mom and it just wouldn't be fall without having appple cake at least once. I started early this year and made it before the first official day of fall even hit, I just couldn't wait one more day for the delicious aroma and even more amazing taste of this cake.

Apple Cake

Cake:

2 c. sugar (I used half Splenda and half regular sugar)

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

2 c. flour

4 c. shredded apples (I used a mixture of granny smith, jonagold, and honeycrisp)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional--I leave this out because I have issues with nutmeg, but if you like nutmeg go ahead and add it)

Topping:

1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

2 T. melted butter or margarine

1 c. brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup brown sugar Splenda instead)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine all cake ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

3. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or mostly clean.

5. Cool slightly and top with whipped cream. It is best warm!

Mac and Cheese

Everybody loves Mac and Cheese. Only I'm not so much of a fan of the Kraft Easy Mac and stuff anymore. It just didn't grow up with me. So when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit I knew that I had to make it (even if it is technically part of an ad). I made a few modifictions (but not many).

Kerrygold Mac and Cheese

1 pound macaroni, penne, or ziti, cooked tender and cooled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup onion, small dice
pinch of sugar
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups milk (I used half whole milk and half 2 percent)
1 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chedder, grated (the original says to use the Kerrygold brand- which is great cheese, but pricey)
1 cup Swiss, grated (I subbed Jarlsburg in here)
1 1/2 cups Kerrygold Dubliner, grated (This I actually used, it's fantastic!)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 slices bacon or prosciutto (this is my addition, I used half of each)
1 cup bread crumbs
fresh parsley

1. Cook pasta and set aside to cool.
2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, add onion and just a little salt. Add the pinch of sugar and cook until onion is tranluscent.
3. Add flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Don't let it color! Whisk in milk and cream, incorporating totally. Bring mixture to a simmer and add the bay leaf and cloves.
4. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and remove bay leaf.
5. Whisk in chedder and Swiss cheese, until incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Combine the pasta, bacon and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Spoon into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
7. Top with grated Dubliner, parsley and breadcrumbs (you could also add other herbs like thyme, but I like it simple).
8. Bake at 375 degrees farenheit for 8 to 10 minutes.

(In the magazine they also mention adding sauteed mushrooms for another variation. Could be tasty.)

It's very, very tasty. But not exactly healthfood.

Adapted from a Kerrygold ad in the October 2008 Bon Appetit magazine.

My Favorites: Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker. I owe at least half (probably more) of my cooking skills to good old Betty. She was there for me when I was just a tiny kid, learning how to cook. She taught me about cookies, pancakes, cobbler, sweet and sour sauce, and meatballs. Her big red classic cookbook was always a staple in my household growing up, so when I happened upon a copy of it while at a swap meet 8 years ago, I had to snatch it up. $2 for Betty? That's definitely an offer I couldn't refuse. Since then, I've consulted her often, and she's never let me down. Since then I've also aquired other Betty Crocker cookbooks, such as the Quick and Easy cookbook, and the recipes keep getting better. If you don't have one of her cookbooks, you're crazy, but you can check her out online at http://www.bettycrocker.com/ And if you don't like to cook from scratch, you can also buy her baking mixes at the store. I definitely recommend the chocolate walnut chunk brownies, lemon poppyseed muffins, and devil's food cake mix. They're virtually fail-proof and ready in minutes. Oh Betty, where would I be without you?

***As a side note, it turns out that Betty Crocker was never an actual person, just a name created by the Washburn Crosby Company to give cooking advice and market their products. The day I learned that a little piece inside of me died.

Fresh Peach Cobbler

I remember making this with my mom when I was younger. The smell is AMAZING and it tastes even better. It's perfect for breakfast (warmed up in the microwave) on a chilly fall or winter day, and makes a great dessert when you add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. This is a classic Betty Crocker recipe, and I've never tasted another cobbler that I like quite as much. This time I made peach-raspberry cobbler with fresh peaches from my dad's orchard (aka his backyard full of fruit trees) and fresh raspberries from my in-law's garden. I also used Splenda instead of sugar and it turned out fabulous! Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler a la Betty Crocker

1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced fresh peaches (6 medium) or 1 large can peaches (with juice)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar or Splenda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh raspberries (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400º.
2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in peaches (and raspberries if desired) and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole; keep peach mixture hot in oven.
3. Cut shortening into flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture look like fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot peach mixture.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired (and it's totally recommended, even for breakfast. Cobbler is just never as good without a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream).

Yastrzemski Pot Roast

I cook five days a week at work. But I don't think that the recipes that go along with the menus are very good. So I tend to experiment a little bit to improve them. This doesn't always work out (Corn Nut Chicken, Ask Me How!), but most of the time, after some trial and error, we have something that's a huge improvement. So this is my version of pot roast, which I think is a great improvement. It's technically a Yankee pot roast, but I'm opposed to all things Yankee so I renamed it after Carl Yastrzemski (Yaz!).

Ingredients-

One beef roast, about 4 lbs (I like to use round, but chuck would work too- figure about 1/2 lb per person if you want to make the recipe smaller)
1 1/2 tablespoons Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher or Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper (fresh ground is much better)
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
2ish tablespoons Butter (or olive oil if you're trying to be a little healthier)

Can of tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail (I use the spicy V8)
Worcestershire Sauce
Dijon Mustard (you better have some of this on hand it is Essential after all)
Basil
Thyme
Rosemary (just a tiny bit)
Onions, minced
Mushrooms, sliced
Garlic, minced

Red potatoes (I use Red Bliss ones), cut into chunk, usually just about quartered
Celery, chopped in 1-2 inch pieces on the bias
Carrots, about the same as the celery, maybe a little smaller
Onions, chopped
Parsley, chopped (only the fresh kind! no dried parsley!)

Directions-
1- Mix together the flour, salt, pepper and sugar. Coat the outside of the roast with the mixture. This will help with the browning process. Heat the butter (or oil) in a deep, heavy, pan (something that's oven safe if you plan to cook it in the oven). Brown the roast on all sides on a medium high heat. Remove the roast and set aside, tented with foil.

2- Mix tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and herbs together in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly, the mustard can be hard to incorporate. Set aside for the moment.

3- In the same pan (on medium high heat) that you browned the roast (there should be a tasty fond at the bottom now) you're going to caramelize the minced onions, mushrooms and garlic. Add in a little more butter (or oil) if there isn't enough left to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add the onions, mushrooms and garlic (in that order, you don't want the garlic to burn). When they have just started to caramelize (about 2-3 minutes) deglaze the pan with the tomato juice mixture you made in step 2. Stir constantly until the fond from the bottom of the pan has mostly incorporated into the liquid. Pour liquid into a large measuring cup or bowl.

4- Add the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, celery) to the pan. If necessary, add a little more butter/oil. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, you just want to soften the vegetables, not brown them!

5- Add the roast back into the pan, nestled right in amongst, and on top of, the vegetables. Pour the tomato juice/mushroom mixture on top, covering the meat and the vegetables. Top with the parsley.

6- Bring everything to a simmer, cover, and put into a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Cook for three hours, checking halfway through to see if meat is covered by liquid, if not, then turn the meat over at that point.

7- After three hours, take it out, slice the meat and serve with the vegetables. If you want to make the liquid into a gravy then add 2 tablespoons of flour into 1/2 cup of water, stirring it in until it is completely incorporated.

You could also finish this in a crock pot. All you'd have to do is, after step 4, take the vegetables, pour them into a large crock pot, add the roast, sauce and parsley and cook on medium for 5-6 hours, turning it up to high at the end if it's not quite done.

There's the possibilities for many variations on the recipe. Feel free to experiment with different herbs, or add in some beef stock to the sauce for that extra beefy flavor. Cooking is art, not science, so just try something! In fact I have an idea to use a pork roast and put an Asian spin on the recipe (a lime/soy sauce, maybe some daikon, ginger).

Brownie Trifle

This is one of my most requested recipes ever. It's the perfect combination between chocolate and berries, and creamy pudding and brownies. It's easy to make, but looks amazing, so it's great for parties! Make it in a trifle dish or, for individual servings, in wine goblets.

Brownie Trifle
1 brownie mix
2 small boxes (4 serving size) chocolate pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 oz.) packages cool whip
1 (12 - 16 oz.) package frozen raspberries.

1.Prepare brownies according to directions on box, only use 3 eggs instead of 2. Bake in 9 x 13 pan. Let cool and cut into 1" cubes.
2. Mix chocolate pudding with milk. Fold in half of an 8 oz. package of cool whip.
3. Layer half the brownies, half the pudding mixture, half a tub of cool whip, and half the frozen raspberries in a trifle dish or large glass bowl. Repeat layers, ending with raspberries. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Homemade Rolls

This is a very basic dough recipe. The dough can be used for a number of things: rolls, pizza dough, cinnamon roll dough, scones, navajo tacos, bread, etc. To make wheat rolls, just substitute wheat flour for all or half of the white flour and honey for the sugar.

Homemade Rolls

3 cups flour
1 1/2 - 2 Tb. butter
3 Tb. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tb. dry milk
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 1/8 cups warm water

Combine warm water and yeast in bread maker. Add other ingredients. Put in bread maker on dough cycle. When bread maker beeps, take dough out and form into 12 equal balls. Place in greased 9 x 13 pans. Let raise 1 -2 hours or until rolls double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Brush rolls with butter and serve.

*This is a great recipe that can be made in the bread maker. If you don't have a bread maker, you can also make it by hand. Just mix the items according to directions above and knead for about 10 minutes. Let rise until double, form into balls, and bake.