Apple Picking and Pie!

It all started about two weeks ago when my co-workers decided we should go apple picking. We picked a day and a time and I was all set to go meet them when Brian said, "My roommates are going to a corn maze."



As you can imagine, I was torn. Both were Fall activities I had been lusting for. Then Brian told me the farm with the corn maze also had apple picking, and I was sold. A corn maze AND apple picking? My fall dreams had been answered.



Arriving home with a peck of apples and a bunch of stress about the upcoming semester to relieve through bake therapy, I set about to do the first thing and stressed person with apples would: Make an apple pie.



Recipe to come!

Quick Update

I have been baking a lot lately. It's probably the stress of new things manifesting as deliciousness, but I'll get to that later this weekend. For now, a quick stash of PhotoBooth cooking pictures I have been hoarding...


Classy Campfire Food:
Potatoes, ground beef, onions, and butter toasted in a puff pastry.
A hearty, steamy treat.



Barbara Sawyer's Stuffed Peppers (as made by Brian Sawyer):
Green peppers filled with beef, rice, and seasonings, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and roasted in marinara sauce.


Barbara Sawyer's Goulash (as made by Brian Sawyer):
Macaroni, ground beef, tomato, spices, and lots of chili powder.


Sideways Chicken Pot Pie:
Cream of chicken soup, frozen mixed veggies, and shredded chicken, baked in a pre-made crust.

Because Brian and I are both working full-time (and then some) we have learned to appreciate the joys of simple cooking. We use a lot of quick cooking meats like ground beef.
He likes to stick to his mom's recipes, while I like to improvise. It's been fun having a standard routine because it makes it easier to fall into a pattern where cooking is commonplace.

This weekend I will post some real recipes with pictures from my real camera!

turkey meatballs

i stole this recipe from molly over at orangette (love her!) in fact, if anyone is looking to buy me a gift (my half birthday is in a few weeks - i know, who buys someone a gift for their half birthday?? whatever, it's the only occasion i could think of) you can preorder her book for me :) normally when i steal someone's recipe i tweak it a few times until i think it's just right, but this one is perfect as is.



turkey meatballs with all kinds of tasty surprises in them - toasted pine nuts, golden raisins, cilantro, etc. she recommends a lemon and cumin yogurt sauce to dip them in, but i think they have such great flavor already that i wouldn't want to take away from it. here's the recipe. and some more photos of my meatball making process!

Potato Leek Soup: A 30-Minute Meal with Shaina Shay

A lame picture (taken by my MacBook), but a delicious and shockingly simple soup for 2.

Directions:
Have your boyfriend peel and cube 4-5 fingerling potatoes.
Boil potatoes in one can (14.5oz) chicken broth for 15-20 minutes, covered.
Turn heat to low and mash with a potato masher or puree with a nifty SmartStick, like Brian got me. (You can leave some potato cubes intact.)
Saute one large sliced leek in butter. (Try not to forget about it and let it burn... Ahem.)
Add sauteed leek and 1 c. cream or half & half (I used cream and it was cream-ay!) to the potatoes and liquid.
Stir.
Add salt and pepper and french fried onions if you wish, and enjoy!!

The whole thing took about half an hour and it was very filling and yummy!

oatmeal pancakes!

I know I'm usually so health conscious that it's annoying to my less conscious friends (thanks for passing that on, mom!), but then there are those times when you catch me finishing off a bag of kettle chips all by myself or occasionally even heading to the drive-thru for a double-double and fries from In-N-Out. I'm a hypocrite, I know. I admit it! My excuse is always the same: I didn't have time for breakfast this morning, so I didn't eat anything. Now it's mid-afternoon and I'm so famished that I'm just going to eat the quickest, easiest thing I can find because I absolutely can't wait another minute. Usually I'm so hungry at this point that I eat way more food than necessary, at a much faster rate than I normally would. Which almost always results in a stomach ache.

You would think by now I would have already figured out the whole correlation of cause and effect here, since it's pretty obvious. The truth is I've always been totally aware of my bad habit of skipping breakfast, but up until recently I've never done anything to correct it.

Enter the oatmeal pancake.

My friend Danielle gave me this recipe (if you want to call it a recipe) awhile ago - I was complaining to her about how I was so sick of regular old oatmeal, so she told me that her mom makes a really tasty oatmeal pancake that I might like to try. Her mom also makes really yummy dairy-free ice cream and a matzah brie dish that's to die for, but more on those later...

After a little bit of experimentation, I created my own version of the oatmeal pancake. I've passed the recipe on to a lot of friends, all of whom make their pancakes a little bit differently than me. There's one thing we all agree on, though: it's the perfect quick breakfast for any day of the week. Here's my version.

I start with 1/3 cup quick oats, and add an egg white. I then dump in some cinnamon and flax seed (probably about 1/4 t. of cinnamon and 1/2 t. of flax seed, but I never measure) as well as a splash of soy milk. Sometimes, if I feel like experimenting, I'll add a little ginger, or cloves, or whatever else I grab from the spice cabinet. Then I mix it all up with a fork and dump it all in a pan. It's usually a little thick so I use a spatula to kind of guide it into round, thin, pancake-like shape. I let one side brown and then flip it and do the same for the other side. It only takes a few minutes to cook. After that, I top it with whatever I'm in the mood for - usually yogurt (soy yogurt in my case) and lots of fresh berries (I prefer strawberries and blackberries).

It's the perfect breakfast because it only takes a few minutes to make, it's yummy, and it's totally a well-rounded meal. The oats and flax seed give you fiber, the egg white adds some protein, yogurt gives you a serving of dairy, fresh fruit helps you reach that five a day, and cinnamon is an extra added bonus - there are studies saying that it lowers cholesterol, aids digestion, and even reduces your appetite. Sounds pretty perfect to me!

wild mushroom pasta

tiffany and i tried out a new recipe awhile ago, i kept forgetting to post pictures until now though. it's a pasta with all kinds of mushrooms- white button, portobello, and an assortment of wild. white wine, chicken broth, garlic, shallots, and lots of fresh herbs made the sauce complete. it was kind of a lot of work - lots of slicing, chopping, mincing, etc. but it was really yummy. tiff even liked it, and she's not a fan of mushrooms at all!

here's the mushroom sauce simmering on the stove...


add pasta, and chicken...


...final product!

4th of July Feast (No Picture)

Sorry! I didn't think to take a picture of this one...

Living in the dorms, I always thought of my lack of grill as a huge impediment. Steaks and kebabs could never be as good when prepared stovetop. However, on the suggestion of a co-worker I looked into broiling.

Following this link to a tee, I produced some of the best steak I've ever had in my own home. Really!! I bought two rather pricey Boneless Rib Eye steaks from Whole Foods and put a very basic steak rub on them. They were flavorful, tender, and more than enough for the 3 of us.

I also made mashed potatoes: 2 very large potatoes, a stick of butter, a dash of pepper, and an excess of garlic salt, and a House Salad. Brian took care of the garlic bread.

All that and a nice red wine and we were in business for a fabulous Fourth of July feast. If only the fireworks had been as nice as my cooking!