Fresh Apple Cake

As I've said many times before, I'm not really a dessert person. Given a choice of types of food, my preference is always savory. I do, however, like making desserts.

I love the ooooh's and awwww's and Oh My Gawd's when I present a luscious looking dessert like the stunning Oreo Cookie Cake or the decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie or the inviting Strawberry Cake. I know. I admit it's a little egotistical.

This cake is not like that. It's not fancy. It's not decadent. In fact, it's plain, simple and while satisfying to a palate yearning for something sweet, it is less so than other desserts I've made. That's why I loved it.

You could definitely sweeten it up some with a sugary glaze or salted caramel drizzle if you so desire. I didn't. I covered it with a light dusting of powdered sugar and thought it was perfect.


I found this cake at Food52.com, one of my favorite food sites. I followed the recipe exactly, except for one minor detail. I left out the raisins. Why, you ask? I live with a Raisin Squirrel, who is also a Nut Squirrel, a Chip Squirrel, a Pretzel Squirrel...are you getting the picture? It's my husband, Tom. He's the consummate nosher, nibbler, snacker and raisins are one of his favorite little morsels. When he walks through the pantry to the garage, or from the garage through the pantry to the den, he grabs a handful of whatever morsels are stored there, pops them into his cheek and nibbles away at them, one by one. He also is not immune to grabbing a bowl and creating a custom morsel mix for himself to nosh on while he watches a movie.

So, yes, I adapted this recipe slightly. It would probably be a little sweeter with the addition of the raisins, but I didn't miss them. It was still moist and tender and quite luscious.


Fresh Apple Cake
Adapted slightly from Food52.com

• Butter for greasing pan (I use my own Easy Release Pan Coating)
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan (see above)
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, cored, and thickly sliced tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith (I used a large dice)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins (I omitted)
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan (or use a pastry brush to apply the Easy Pan Release.

Beat the oil and sugar together for 5 minutes in a stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment). While the mixer is working, assemble the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.

Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined. The batter will be very thick.

The batter will be thick, so you'll need to drop it into the prepared pan by the spoonful. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a rack and cool in the pan before lifting out.

Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Oreo Cookie Cake

I came across a recipe for this cake several years ago. It is supposed to be a copycat recipe for a cake that was served at TGI Friday's, but I cannot confirm that. I haven't eaten at TGI Friday's in years and when I did, I only ordered the Asian Chicken Salad. I never looked at the dessert menu.

The recipe includes directions for a homemade chocolate cake, but the cake didn't impress me all that much. So the next time I made it, I substituted a Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake. The texture was much better.

The cake is a little time-consuming, but it's worth it because it is a stunning presentation. The tricky part is using a long serrated edge knife to cut the cake layers in half horizontally. This video from Zoeybakes.com demonstrates how to accomplish this quickly.

The cookies add that familiar Oreo cookie crunch. The filling is creamy and luscious. One slice is laden with calories, but it's delicious.

I hope you give it try.

Oreo Cookie Cake

• 1 box Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake, baked according to package directions using 9-inch pans.
• 4 - 1 ounce squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 20 Oreo Sandwich Cookies (not Double Stuff), divided

Bake the cake using according to package directions in two 9-inch cake pans. When the cake is done, cool in pans for 5 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove the pans and cool the layers completely.

When the cake is cool, crush 12 Oreo cookies into coarse crumbs in a plastic bag Zip-lock type bag. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream into soft peaks. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in the whipped cream and crushed cookies.

Cut one cake layer in half horizontally. Place one slice on a cake plate and spread with about a quarter of the filling. Place the second slice on top and spread with more filling. Cut the second layer in half and repeat, finishing with a layer of the filling on top of the cake.

Place the chocolate squares and butter in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, checking and stirring every 30 seconds, until the butter and chocolate are melted and combined. Do not overheat the chocolate. Cool 5 minutes.

Crush the remaining 8 cookies.

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the crushed cookies while glaze is soft.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

It's Final

There's no going back. The menu is committed to MS Word and printed, with lovely graphics of course.

For appetizers, bite-sized Asian Turkey Meatballs. I found this recipe at Gina's Skinny Recipes and loved them. I made them for the first time and posted the results in March 2010. I've made them many times since then, both for appetizer and entree.

To keep things simple, we will steam some shrimp and serve it with a quick and Remoulade Sauce.

I was going to keep the appetizers down to only two, but I've been wanting to try Suzanne's Cranberry Salsa, so I put that on the appetizer menu as well.

The turkey is in a cooler in the garage submerged in apple cider. Tom will make the stuffing in the morning, but tonight he's going to prepare the mashed potatoes, refrigerate them overnight in a casserole dish and we'll warm them in the oven tomorrow just before dinner.

The turkey giblets will be thrown in a pot of water with some onion, carrot and celery to be simmered all day on the stove. That wonderful turkey stock will be used for my gravy.

Instead of the traditional overly sweet candied sweet potatoes or sweet potato pudding, I'm going to roast chunks of fresh sweet potato with a little butter and a touch of pure maple syrup.

Fresh green beans will not be in the form of a casserole. They will be cooked until just done with bacon and butter. Simple, easy, delicious. I don't know why I never thought of cooking them that way, but I guess you have to have the vast experience of the chef who introduced me to them ~ my niece's husband, who is a chef and culinary instructor in southern California.

We may not have green bean in casserole form, but we will have casseroles of sorts. First, my son Mike's recipe for Cauliflower Gratin, which combines cauliflower with cream and copious amounts of Parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheeses for one of the best gratins I've ever eaten.

The second casserole is Marie's Parmesan Roasted Onions. To. Die. For. Honestly.

I don't like canned cranberry sauce. But I saw David Hahn, a filmmaker, on some cooking show a few years back promoting Cranberry Fool, a cranberry topping that he and his wife use to make and gave as gifts. Since he was trying sell his new product, he didn't give the recipe, but the ingredients are listed on the jar: cranberries, cherries, currants, raisins, vanilla and NO SUGAR, although I do add about 1/2 cup. How hard is that? I think his product contains fresh cherries, but we obviously can't get them year round, so I use dried cherries. I've made it ever since in place of cranberry sauce and I've even added candied jalapenos and served it over cream cheese as an appetizer. Pretty darn yummy...and I don't care for cream cheese.

We cannot have Thanksgiving dinner without rolls. I found the recipe for Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls at Pinch My Salt in 2008 and made them for Thanksgiving that year, too. They are absolutely delicious.

Finally, for dessert I am making Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake that I saw at The Pastry Affair. The recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of espresso powder, but I already know I'm probably going to use a little bit more.

Here's the menu in a more formal state:

I have a lot of prep work to do, so I better get started. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday weekend filled with fun, love and good food! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Candied Jalapenos and My Thanksgiving Menu

In my last post I said I would post the recipe for the candied jalapenos that I used in the Vietnamese Slaw and on the Pork Banh Mi Sandwich. We love these at our house. We use them for everything, from salsa to topping sandwiches. I took a jar to my son's house and they were a hit there as well. I've known folks who just chop up a few, mix them with cream cheese and serve it on crackers.

The recipe is the lazy person's method and has only three ingredients: a jar of pickled jalapenos, sugar and a touch of alum (which is optional). No picking jalapenos from the garden. No slicing. That's all done for you.

I buy the pickled jalapenos in the 64-oz. jar, so that's the amount I will use for the recipe. If you decided to use a smaller jar, just reduce the amount of sugar and alum by the same ratio.

You should keep the Candied Jalapenos in the refrigerator. Fair warning: they won't last long!

Candied Jalapenos

• 1 - 64-oz. jar pickled jalapenos
• 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon alum

Drain the liquid from the jar of peppers into a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar to the pan with the liquid and bring the mixture to a full boil. The sugar she be completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in alum. Allow the liquid to cool for 30 minutes.

Pour the cooled liquid back into the jar with the peppers. Do not allow to overflow. If there is any liquid remaining in the pan, discard it. Screw the lid back on the jar and refrigerate for a few days. Keep refrigerated.

That's it. I told you it was the lazy person's method.

Now, I'm already planning for Thanksgiving dinner. I think Tom's sister and brother-in-law will be coming, depending on their travel schedule, but whether we have company or not, we will have the traditional roast turkey, stuffing and gravy.

It's the rest of the meal I'd like to change up some.

Let's start with appetizers. First of all, I will make mini-sized Asian Turkey Meatballs. And a few days I saw a recipe for Baked Brie Bites @ Plain Chicken and I think I'd like to give those a whirl sometime before Thanksgiving, but they sound yummy without all of fuss of an En Croute.

The main course will, of course, be roast turkey, but I will put it in an apple cider brine the day before. The bird will be stuffed with a traditional bread stuffing, but Tom likes to add some fruit as well, like chopped apples and dates, along with the onions and celery. When we put the bird in the oven, I put the giblets and neck in a pot of water with some onion, carrot and celery and, when we are ready to serve, I make a gravy with the rich turkey broth.

I feel like switching up the side dishes this year. We usually make the traditional mashed potatoes, but I made Parisian Potatoes last month and I think I'll make them instead of mashed potatoes this year.


Not wanting to stray too far away from the traditional, green beans will still be on the menu, but not in the form of a casserole. A few years ago at a family reunion, my niece's husband made the tastiest green beans I've ever eaten. The dish consisted of simply fresh green beans, crisped bacon and butter, all of which were cooked together until the green beans were tender. Amazing.

A couple of years ago, I visited Marie @ Proud Italian Cook and copied her recipe for Parmesan Roasted Onions. They are rich, savory, creamy and delicious. And even if I'm the only one who eats them, they will be served Thanksgiving Day.

It's hard to decide what to do with a sweet potato. I'm not fond of the overly sweet candied sweet potato, nor do I care for the grated sweet potato casserole I've made the last 3 or 4 years. I'm thinking of roasting sweet potato rounds or wedges this year.

Of course, I will have my version of Cranberry Fool, a cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, a little sugar, dried cherries, raisins with a touch of vanilla.

For dessert, I am making a Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake posted at The Pastry Affair

I don't think anyone will leave hungry.

What are you serving for Thanksgiving dinner?



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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie 'n' Oreo 'n' Fudge Brownie Bar

I'm not a dessert person. I know you can't tell from my blog posts because I post so many of them, but they're not for me. I'm happy with a bite or two or maybe nothing at all after a good meal. But Tom, my sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, other family members, friends and guests...that's another story. They all have their favorites and I aim to please.

When I saw this dessert at Kevin and Amanda's, I knew I'd have to bake it.

Now the photo isn't as pretty as theirs, but I think you get the overall idea: THIS IS GOOD!

Look at that. A layer of chocolate chip cookie, topped with a layer of double-stuffed Oreos, topped with a layer of soft, fudgey brownie. I took the recipe one step further by adding a cup of peanut butter chips to the brownie batter. Top it with a scoop of ice cream and a little warm caramel and it's as good as any dessert you'd get anywhere in town.

How good is it? The day I baked it, Tom looked at the pan and said, "Get most of that out of here or I will eat the whole thing by myself." So, I cut a nice big piece off, leaving about a third of it for us, put the larger piece in a pan and Tom took it to our next door neighbor who has three growing girls. A couple of days later, my neighbor brought back the clean pan with two handmade thank you cards. This is how much my 11-year old neighbor loved this dessert (I've erased her name to protect the innocent):



You just can't get a better endorsement than "It fell from heaven."

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie 'n' Oreo 'n' Fudge Brownie Bar
Adapted from Kevin and Amanda
PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12-oz package) of chocolate chips
• 1 package Double Stuf Oreos
• 1 package family size (for a 9X13 pan) Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1/4 cup hot fudge topping (this goes into the brownie batter)
• plus you will need the ingredients called for in the brownie mix: eggs, water and oil
• 1 cup peanut butter chips (this is my addition)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch X 13-inch pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes all the way up the sides, folding in the corners of the pan so that it lays flat against the sides. Spray generously with cooking spray.

Cream the butter and both sugars together in a large bowl for 3 to 5 minutes at medium speed with with an electric mixer until the mixture is light fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Turn the mixer back on to low and slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture until the flour is just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Top the cookie dough with a layer of Oreos.

Make the brownie mix according to package directions, adding in the hot fudge topping and peanut butter chips. Mix well to combine. Pour the brownie batter over the Oreos and cookie dough. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes.

Note: The parchment paper makes it easy to remove the entire bar from the pan in one piece for easy service. And, of course, you may not want to double up on the bars as I did in the photo. A single brownie bar with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce or chocolate sauce, though not as spectacular looking, is just as satisfying...

Orange Dreamsicle Cake

First, I would like to thank my foodie friend, Alison of Wish Upon a Chef for turning me on to this recipe.

As noted in her blog post, this recipe is not for purists. It contains two highly processed ingredients: a boxed cake mix and a box of bright colored jello. If these ingredients make your nose curl in disgust, simply hit your back button. I won't be offended.

However, if your response to those ingredients is something along the lines of, Well, that's sounds somewhat interesting. Please continue, well, stick around.

One of those highly processed, pre-packaged ingredients is a box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix. To be able to acquire a box of this specific cake mix, you must be lucky enough to live in a part of the country where this cake mix is readily available. I'm not. I have never been able to find this product in Conway, Arkansas, where I live.

But I loved the idea of making a cake that is reminiscent of the orange sherbet and vanilla 50-50 ice cream bar I used to buy from the guy who drove the ice cream truck through our neighborhood every summer afternoon during my childhood in the 1950's. So, since Alison's post over two years ago, I made sure to visit every grocery store in every city I've visited since then to see if I could find the elusive cake mix. I struck gold....er, orange....during a visit to my son's house in Savannah just before he moved to Florida almost a year ago and I bought two boxes. They've been sitting in my pantry ever since then.

It's been hot here...hot and sunny...which reminds me of growing up in Fresno, California, where temperatures reach well above 100 degrees daily all summer long, and I've been thinking about those 50-50 bars....and Alison's cake.

Alison adds flaked coconut to her icing and I did, too, but when I make it again, I think I'll leave it out. I love the creamy, silky vanilla icing in concert with the sweet orange of the cake and I thought the coconut was more of a distraction than an enhancement.

I also baked my cake in two 9" round cake pans instead of baking the cake in a 13" X 9" rectangle pan, mostly because the only plate I have large enough to hold a rectangle that size is a cookie sheet and...well...presentation IS everything and I'm just not a beautiful-cake-on-an-old-cookie-sheet kinda gal.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake
by Alison @ Wish Upon a Chef

PRINTABLE RECIPE

For the cake:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix
• 1-1/4 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 small box orange jello
• 3 eggs

For the icing:

• 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (I will leave this out next time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9"X13" baking pan or spray with cooking spray.

Pour all cake ingredients into a bowl and mix well (about 3 to 4 minutes). Pour batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before icing. (Alison's note: You can leave the cake in the pan and ice only the top, but I like to turn it out onto a cakeboard and slather a ton of icing on the top and sides)

For the icing: Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. While you continue to mix, slowly add the orange juice and confectioner's sugar whipping into to stiffer peaks.

Place the sour cream and coconut in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Gently fold the whipped cream into the coconut mixture until just combined. Smooth over cake and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Roasted Potato Salad and Date Pudding Cobbler

After the whirlwind month of May, I'm back from vacation.

I spent a week on Anna Maria Island (Florida) with my youngest son's family, a week in the San Francisco Bay Area with my oldest son's family and a weekend in Fayetteville for my nephew's wedding. My trips included 5 days of driving and 3 days of flying, one of my flight days interrupted by flight cancellations due to weather. Whew!

It was a great vacation, but I'm glad to be home and back in the kitchen.

I made these ribs for dinner last night and served them with a Roasted Potato Salad and a simple tomato, cucumber, onion and artichoke heart salad marinated in a vinaigrette.

While I was in Florida, my son made his delicious version of potato salad. As he was putting it together, he called out the ingredients as I quickly noted them in my iPhone. I've already made this salad twice since then -- once while in San Francisco and again for last evening's dinner.

When I was in local grocery store on Tuesday, I picked up a bag of beautiful purple potatoes and used them with the Yukon gold potatoes called for in the recipe.

For this salad, the potatoes are roasted instead of boiled and the dressing is a cross between a mayonnaise and vinaigrette -- a little creamy, a little tangy but with a little bite. And, of course, you can't go wrong with bacon.



Chris' Roasted Potato Salad
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 7 small to medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 5 green onions, sliced thin
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease)
• 1 small container crumbled Blue cheese

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat)
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cut up potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper. Mix until all the potatoes are lightly covered.

Place the potatoes in an even layer on a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes until done. You should be able to easily pierce the potato with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are roasting, fry the bacon until crisp (I cut up the strips of bacon before frying). Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel, reserving bacon grease.

To make the dressing, put all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until smooth.

Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cooked and crumbled bacon, green onions and crumbled blue cheese and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss the salad until all the ingredients are coated well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.



The Date Pudding Cobbler isn't really a pudding or a cobbler. It's a very moist, gooey cake-like concoction.

I was looking for something tasty for last night's dessert, but I didn't want to run to the store for anything, so I started scouring my cookbooks and recipes for something that would use what I already had on hand. I already had the staples: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, etc. I had some medjool dates leftover from when I made these scones and a few walnut pieces. And there was an unopened tub of Cool Whip in the freezer. Cool.

I used all of my remaining medjool dates, which measured just over 1 cup after seeding and chopping. That was the only change I made to the recipe.



Date Pudding Cobbler
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 cup chopped dates (I used just a little over 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I think pecans would be good, too)
• 1 cup water
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip and ground cinnamon if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and the baking powder with a whisk. Cut in the butter until it is crumbly.

Add the dates and walnuts and toss to combine.

Gradually add the milk a little at a time mixing until combined.

In a saucepan, combine the water and remaining 1 cup brown sugar and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the date mixture and mix well (the batter will be thin).

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool.

Cut into squares and serve topped with a little whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Last weekend when I posted the recipe for the Apple-Apple Butter-Custard Pie, I mentioned that it was the second easiest pie I'd ever made, the easiest pie being the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie that I made that didn't survive long enough for a quick and simple photo shoot.

This time I hired very big, very muscular, snarling men to stand guard as the pie came out of the oven....

Okay, I lied about the snarling men. But I made it very clear that before anyone [read: husband and sister] had even a small bite, photos were going to be mandatory. Non-compliance was not an option and could result in bodily injury or worse.

So, here it is....flakey crust, gooey chocolate, crunchy nuts and soft, sweet cookie dough, with ice cream.

The recipe is from the Nestle website and you can print it there.

This pie is easy and quick to assemble using primarily staple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

I used a pre-made refrigerated pie crust, which turned out better than any other time I've used them. The uncooked pie filling is more like a cookie dough rather than a pourable filling, so the pie crust bakes up flakey instead of soggy.

When you are filling the pie crust, you will think that there isn't enough dough, but, trust me, it will be fine after it's bake.

If you use a refrigerated or frozen pie crust, bring it to room temperature. Take your butter out of the refrigerator at the same time and they will both be ready.

Once this is baked, the recipe instructs you to "cool on a wire rack." You will be lucky if it lasts long enough to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

• 1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat the eggs with an electric mixer in a medium sized mixing bowl until they are light and foamy.

Add the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until smooth, then beat in the butter.

Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts and spoon evenly into the pie shell.

Bake for 55 - 60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Apple-Apple Butter-Custard Pie

I was going through my cupboards a few days ago and found a jar of apple butter that was about to expire.

I have learned not to keep food items beyond their expiration date.

Up until a few years ago, I was not what you would call an avid baker. But once I started this blog, I began experimenting a bit more. I found a recipe for Baklava Muffins. They sounded really good, the reviews were great and it was a Nigella Lawson recipe, so how could I go wrong? Well, they turned out awful!

The cupcakes were tough and tasteless. I blamed the recipe.

A few weeks later, as I was preparing to make another batch of cupcakes, I happened to notice the expiration date on the bottom of the baking powder - September 1998. Oops. No wonder my Baklava Muffins were such a flop. Sorry Nigella. My bad.

I haven't tried to make Nigella's muffins again but since then I closely monitor expiration dates.

So back to the jar of apple butter. What was I going to do with a whole big jar of apple butter?

Once again, I began scouring food blogs for recipes and I found this one. I made only one change...I added a can of apple pie filling, hence the name Apple-Apple Butter-Custard Pie.

This was probably the second easiest pie I've ever made. The easiest was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie I made a few days later, which was eaten so quickly I didn't even get a chance to photograph it.

If you are a food purist, this is not the recipe for you. The only fresh ingredient - the eggs. I used a premade pie crust and the rest of the ingredients are canned, except the eggs.

You won't need any other spices besides the vanilla extract because the apple butter and apple pie filling will sufficiently season the pie.

This pie, despite its processed origins, received rave reviews from my husband, my sister and my neighbors. The consensus was, however, that it is even better served cold than at room temperature. And, of course, much better with a squirt of processed, pressurized whipped cream.

Apple-Apple Butter-Custard Pie
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 1 9-inch pre-made rolled pie crust, room temperature
• 1 16-ounce jar of apple butter
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 - 14-ounce or 15-ounce can apple pie filling

Preheat oven to 350F.

Unroll prepared pie crust and arrange in pie pan.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together apple butter, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in apple pie filling. Pour into prepared pie crust.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until center is mostly set (it might jiggle slightly
when moved) and a sharp knife inserted near the center comes out mostly clean.

Cool to room temperature before slicing and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Orange Mascarpone Tart

Well, Christmas is finally behind us and, frankly, I'm breathing a sigh of relief.

Neither of our sons were able to visit this year, nor were we able to make the trip to either Florida or California to visit them. To make things worse, we were not financially able to exchange gifts either, although I did bake cookies and breads for the rest of the family.

Tom and I had planned a very quiet Christmas dinner, but when it came time to cook, we weren't particularly hungry, so we put off the dinner until today. And, rather than make a dinner of turkey with all the trimmings, we opted for Herbed Rack of Lamb with Fig/Port Sauce, Sweet Potatoes Anna, steamed broccoli and for dessert an Orange Mascarpone Tart.

Last year when we subscribed to Bon Appétit magazine, we received as a promotional 'gift' a small cookbook, "Bon Appétit Tastes of Italy," and it has become Tom's go-to cookbook for new ideas.

The first time Tom made the original recipe, Mascarpone Tart with Honey, Oranges and Pistachios, he increased the amount of orange zest to about two tablespoons, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. We both loved the orange flavor, but frankly neither of us thought the pistachios added much of anything except maybe a crunch that we didn't find really necessary.

With the changes, I love this tart. It is light, fresh tasting and not too sweet...my kind of dessert. For our Christmas dinner, Tom decided to do something a little different. Instead of one large tart, he made eight individual tarts, eliminated the pistachios and finished the tarts with grated chocolate. Perfect!



Although we didn't eat our Christmas dinner yesterday, we DID have dessert. After all, it was Christmas. And this morning, Tom set aside two more tarts for tonight's dinner and delivered the remaining four tarts to his parents to share with their friends at the retirement home where they live.

Orange Mascarpone Tart
Modified from Bon Appétit

Makes one tart that serves 8, or 8 individual tarts

• 1 refrigerated pie crust (one half of a 15-oz. package)
• 2 large navel oranges
• 1 - 8- to 8.8 oz. container chilled mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) ground cardomom

Preheat oven to 400°F.

For one large tart, press the pie crust into a 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Pierce crust all over with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 24 minutes. Cook completely on rack.

For 8 individual tarts pans, roll out dough thin enough to easily cut circles for 6 tart pans. Gently piece together the cut-off pieces of remaining dough, roll flat and cut out 2 more circles for the remaining 2 individual tart pans. Bake until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

Grate enough orange peel to measure approximately 2 generous tablespoons.Cut off remaining peel and pith from oranges. Slice oranges into thin rounds, then cut rounds crosswise in half (for the individuals tarts, cut the orange slices into six equal pieces). Place orange slices on paper towels to drain slightly.

Combine mascarpone, cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, cardamom, and orange peel in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat just until blended and peaks form (do not overbeat or mixture will curdle). Spread or pipe the filling evenly in cooled crust. Arrange orange slices atop tart in concentric circles. Drizzle tart with remaining 1 tablespoon honey (or divide the remaining honey between the 8 individual tarts).

To serve, grate a little semi-sweet or milk chocolate over the top of each slice or individual tart.

Oreo Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes....Ooooo Baby!

I knew the weather was going to be bad. The meteorologists had been predicting it for days. First sleet, then ice pellets (which I think are still technically considered sleet), then snow. So I went shopping Wednesday morning and picked up the Oreos to make these little babies.

I found these delights at Dishin' and Dishes. Katie adapted the recipe from the book, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

The base of the individual cheesecake is a whole Oreo cookie and the cheesecake mixture is punctuated with Oreo cookie pieces. The only change I made to this recipe was drizzling a little chocolate glaze on the top of each cupcake, the method for which I will add at the end.



Oreo Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table
Adapted from Katie Johnstonbaugh of Dishin- & Dishes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Makes 30 cupcakes.

For the Cupcakes:

• 42 Oreo cookies. Leave 30 cookies whole and coarsely chop 12 cookies. One bag of Oreos is enough.
• 4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (I used "1/3 less fat")
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream (I used "lite" sour cream)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Glaze:

• 2 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 275°.

Line 30 muffin tins with paper liners. Place one Oreo cookie in the bottom of each cup.

Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat one minute. Beat in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in sour cream and salt. Turn mixer to low and mix in chopped cookies just until incorporated.

Spoon the cheese mixture on top of the whole cookie and fill each muffin cup almost to the top.

Bake about 22 minutes (mine took about 7 minutes longer). The filling should be set.

Remove from oven and refrigerate the cupcakes still in the tins for 4 hours.

To Make The Glaze: Put the chocolate and butter in a small glass bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time for about 2 minutes, until the butter and chocolate are melted enough to be combined. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cold cupcakes and return to the refrigerator to completely set.

To serve, remove the paper lining.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE


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Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake

I'm not much of a dessert lover. I especially shy away from foods that are exceptionally sweet, like pecan pie or brownies. I know, I'm weird, but just the thought of putting all that sugar in my mouth makes my teeth hurt. I much prefer a fairly light dessert like a sorbet, flan or a soft and luscious creme brulee.

However, I made an exception to my own self-imposed rule for this wonderful cake...



Ardyce, my friend and former co-worker, brought this cake to a potluck when we both worked at the local university. I hesitated to try it because it looked ooey-gooey-sweet...not my cup of tea at all. But Ardyce tried and loved what I brought to the table, so I felt compelled to reciprocate. I'm glad I did.

This cake is sort of a cross between a cake and bar. It's super moist, chock full of fruits; it's tender, but dense, and topped with a mixture of brown sugar, chopped nuts and coconut.

Last week, when I was craving something really tasty for dessert and went searching for a recipe that would inspire me, I came across Ardyce's recipe.

I had my piece of cake with a little bit of ice cream (low sugar & fat, just because), but it's delicious all by itself.

Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake
adapted from a recipe by Ardyce Coffey

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 - 15 ounce cans of fruit cocktail with syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but you could also use pecans)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with oil, Crisco or cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, soda and salt with a small whisk to combine. To the dry mixture add the fruit cocktail (syrup and all) and eggs...


...and beat to combine with a hand or stand mixer. Pour into the well greased baking pan.



In a small bowl, mix the chopped nuts, brown sugar and coconut. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.



Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until done. Remember, the cake will be very moist. And, don't be alarmed if the brown sugar does not fully caramelize at first. The moistness of the cake will eventually dissolve the brown sugar.



Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

When I was a kid growing up in Fresno, California, my mother would bring home whole pomegranates given to her by co-workers who grew them in the trees in their yards. Mom would cut the pomegranate in half for me, the only assistance I would receive, and I would sit on the lawn in the back yard with a paper napkin in my lap and pick out the red seeds one by one and pop them into my mouth. When I could no longer reach the seeds with my fingers, I'd gently peel back the skin and pry away the white membrane to reach even more seeds. It would generally take more than an hour to completely devour one whole pomegranate, single seed by single seed, and when I finished, my mouth and fingers would be stained bright red and my legs would speckled from the red juice. But not one seed escaped.

I don't think I've eaten a pomegranate since I was a teenager...a very, very, very long time ago.

Just in the last couple of years, I discovered pomegranate juice was being sold in stores, first in the smaller bottles and now in quarts and I've been buying it regularly ever since. But, in the last couple of months, I noticed that many regular food bloggers were using pomegranate juice in everything and praising all things pomegranate because they had received free samples of pomegranate juice. WTH???

So I did it. I did what I sometimes do best. I whined. Publicly. I whined too much about all the other bloggers getting their free samples of POM Wonderful while I made my weekly trip to WalMart to purchase my POM Wonderful with my own money. I suppose POM Wonderful finally took pity on me and guess what I got ~ Yaaayyy!! Free POM Wonderful!

Now you know that I already used pomegranate juice (when I purchased it with my own money) in that barbecue sauce I made a while back. And, I use it in the that refreshing summer drink recipe I also shared in the same post. Of course, I also use it in a pomegranate martini. But what else? I have a box full of those bottles.

I have some ideas. Like reducing the juice down into a syrup and using it to flavor mascarpone cheese for a dessert. Or maybe using it to flavor a salad dressing. Or how about a citrus and pomegranate glaze for salmon. So, I'll be working on those recipes in the next few days to see if I can come up with something delicious to share.

In the meantime, thanks POM Wonderful and Molly for the delicious stash!

I hope this doesn't make me a shill.

Our Foodie Weekend

Our food plans for the weekend were pretty ambitious.

Last week, I found two small packages of Maytag Blue Cheese at Kroger, so Friday night Tom made a delicious Grilled Fillet of Beef with Blue Cheese Glacage that he saw Chef Emeril Lagasse prepare several years ago on his program, Emeril Live!

I don't know why Chef Emeril would call it a "glacage" since it really isn't a glaze in the traditional sense of the word. It's more of a loose, savory custard. But, by any name, coming hot out of the oven, it smells absolutely wonderful.



Tom has prepared this dish many, many times and if you love blue cheese, you will love this. He almost always serves it over the Bacon and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and garnishes it with crumbled bacon and sliced green onions instead of the worcestershire sauce called for in the recipe.



It was the perfect meal to start a weekend.

Saturday we were up early and out the door by 7:15 am, heading for the North Little Rock Farmers Market for some nice eggplant and tomatoes. We scored more than that. We purchased two baskets of the season's first figs.



Those beautiful tomatoes would become an ingredient for an Insalata Caprese and the figs would be transformed into a Fig Galette for Sunday's dinner.

When we got home from the Farmers Market, we made a large batch of ricotta cheese to use for stuffing portobello mushrooms for dinner that night.

We mixed some of the fresh ricotta cheese with cooked sweet Italian turkey sausage, one beaten egg, some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, some chopped fresh basil and a little Italian seasoned bread crumbs, then filled the large portobellos with the stuffing and cooked them on the grill outside. So creamy and luscious.



We also made large batch of mozzarella cheese for the Insalata Caprese to serve with our Sunday dinner, Brick Barbecued Chicken.



And, finally, I made the Fig Galette, also for Sunday's dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, I made my very first attempt at preparing a galette, sharing the painful experience here, but I vowed to try it again.

For the Fig Galette, I decided to avoid another crust fiasco and just use a prepared pie crust. It was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made.

First, I covered the bottom of a large baking pan (I used a round pizza pan) with parchment paper and laid one pre-made pie crust in the middle of the pan. I gently stretched the crust out a little with my fingers to make a little bigger circle. Then I sprinkled the crust with a couple of tablespoons of plain sugar. So far, so good.



I trimmed the stems from the figs and cut them in quarters lengthwise. I laid the fig quarters in circles, overlapping each other slightly, until I had filled the crust but left a 1-1/2 to 2 inch border on the outer edge. For the center, Tom took one fig, cut off the stem and cut 6 slits lengthwise, making sure not to cut all the way through. He sat the fig upright in the center and gently opened it like a flower. He's so clever...



I sprinkled the figs with another 2 - 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, then gently lifted the border edge of the crust over the figs (the parchment paper really helped control this), slightly pinching the crust together every so often so the border was even.

I brushed the edge of the crust with some beaten egg white and sprinkled the edge with turbinato sugar (just because I like the way turbinato sugar keeps it's shape during baking).



I then baked the galette in a 375° oven for about 45 minutes, or until the figs were bubbly and the crust was a golden brown.



It turned out perfect!

Now that this galette was a success, I suppose I'll have to make another, but next time I'll have to make my own pastry crust.