Maple Apple Spinach Salad

This is a spectacular salad for dinner or potlucks.

I've taken it many times, and each time I get multiple requests for the recipe. It has all the flavors of Autumn, crisp juicy apples, sweet maple syrup, pecans or walnuts and savory bacon.

Not to take full credit for this, I found a version of this recipe on a tag on a bottle of Maple syrup. I changed the amount of syrup from 1 cup to 1/3, which is much more to everyone's liking. The dressing has just enough sweet, sour, salty to make the salad a real winner.

Maple Glazed Apple Salad        Serves 6

1/3 c. pure maple syrup
4 small apples cored and chunked
8 c. washed spinach or mix with some romaine
3 T. Cider vinegar
1 T. Dijon or hot and sweet mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T bacon grease
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. cubed sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. chopped pecans or walnuts
½ t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Broil or fry bacon until crisp. Whisk vinegar, remaining syrup, mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Combine greens, nuts and cheese in large bowl. Add apple slices and then pour over salad . Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Autumn Magic

 The Sugar Maples in Middle Canyon outside Tooele, Utah are "putting on the Ritz" this year with a breathtaking array of color. Although it was warm the day we took this walk, you could feel a change in the air, along with a difference in the sunlight. There's a mellow cast to everything, and a softening of the look touch and feel, even in the temperatures.

 I spent the afternoon raking leaves from my Willow. There's something magical about a pile of crunchy, rustling leaves, that had me wishing my grandchildren were here to play in them.

The sweet, pungent odor of fallen leaves all piled up beckons wonderful memories of other walks in the woods, and playing in raked up mounds of earthy foliage. The God of nature gives us a gift each Fall, with a reminder that life is ever changing, and continuous. He sends us little gifts each season, and for me, Autumn has some of the most rewarding. Swaths of vivid color painted across the landscape, cooler temperatures that have us pulling out cozy sweaters, biting into a crisp, juicy apple straight from our tree, sharing our harvest bounty with friends and family, all a part of a season of change.
In this life aging is necessary, and so is dying, to continue on in the plan God has for us. The elderly have always held a dear place in my heart, so perhaps that's a part of why I love Autumn. The years of wisdom and knowledge our older friends and loved ones have, combined with a renewed courage to take life by the horns and enjoy their best years, is inspiring and strengthening. As we get older hopefully we shed the foolish trappings of our selfish youth, and put on a more glorious cloak of purposeful living, helping others find peace and joy. May today be a day of wonder and delight in the magic of Autumn. Share it with a friend or loved one won't you?

Tasty Tuesday - Apple Galette for Two

 There's almost nothing better than a rustic French apple tart or Galette to help usher in the Fall season. I cut the recipe in half because there are only two of us at home now, but if you double it this will serve 10 to 12 people. I started with 1 cup of flour into which I whisked in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I then added 5 tablespoons of cold butter cut up, and pinched it into the flour until all large lumps were gone. No photos I know, I had an OOPs! moment there. :-) Then I  took 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt and one of sour cream and stirred those in. I made a ball of dough and flattened it on a sheet of waxed paper and wrapped and put it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes while I made the filling. First though, I took two layers of tin foil and marked off a 10 inch circle using my springform pan. For a full size Galette you will need at least a 12 to 13 inch circle. Make sure the shiny side is facing down on the foil. Then I brushed on an eight inch circle of butter. The edges of the dough will be folded up over the fruit filling so you don't want it to stick to the foil.

 The filling consists of 2 generous cups of thin apple slices, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 heaping tablespoon flour. Gather for later, apple jelly or apricot preserves, ( I used this) and 3 tablespoons graham cracker or plain bread crumbs.

 Combine fruit, sugar, seasonings, nuts and flour and stir well. Now take out your disk of dough and roll it out into a 10 inch circle on your buttered foil with a floured rolling pin.

 Now you are ready to put this together. Whisk a tablespoon of water into an egg, and brush over dough. Now take 1/3 cup jelly or preserves and spread over that. Then sprinkle your crumbs over that and pour filling on top of that, mounding it to stay within an 8 inch area.

 Gently lift the crust edges to fold over the outside of the apple filling. Pinch cracks together and brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with a dusting of sugar over the whole thing. Slide the Galette, foil and all, onto a cookie sheet and bake on a lower rack in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are done and the crust is golden brown.

 Brush a bit of fruit jelly or preserves over fruit to give it a nice shine.

Whalaa! Apple Galette for Two!  Serve with warm vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Soooo yummy Kent wants this for breakfast tomorrow. Enjoy!

Apple Galette for Two
CRUST
1 cup flour
5 T. cold butter
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
FILLING
2 c. thinly sliced apples
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. each apple pie spice and nutmeg
1 T. lemon juice

1 egg whisked with 1 T. water
1/2 cup apple jelly or apricot preserves
 3 T. graham cracker or plain bread crumbs

Cran-Apple Dream Pie

 The other night we were having friends over for dinner. Hubby was fixing his delicious Chicken Curry with a lot of spice so I decided to create a creamy yet refreshing pie with a holiday flare. although there are several steps, this really is an easy peasy and so yummy pie, well worth the little bit of time put into making it. The cranberries can be rough chopped in the blender or food processor. Save yourself the headache of trying to chop each little cranberry or chasing them around the counter or floor. It's amazing the places you will find them later. ;-)
I used crumbs created from stale doughnuts that I cubed and lightly toasted before turning to crumbs as part of my crust ingredients but there are more possibilities such as crumbed short bread cookies, or the regular graham cracker crust. So I'm stating graham cracker crumbs in the recipe, but be creative! I never let anything go to waste, so if cookies are getting a bit dry or the same with cake, I just cube or crumble them up and dry them in the oven so I can use them for sweet crumb crusts later.
This pie has two main layers, one a creamy dreamy whipped cream cheese and whipped cream layer with a touch of grated orange peel. The other a fresh chopped cranberries and apples in jello. I used cherry jello as I didn't have raspberry, but try either and see which you like better. Cherry was very good, but I really want to try raspberry next time. Okay enough of this nonsense, on to the recipe!

CRAN-APPLE DREAM PIE

Serves 8

CRUST

1 1/2 c. sweet crumbs from graham crackers or shortbread cookies

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

In a 9" pie plate combine ingredients and press onto bottom and up the sides of the dish. In a pre-heated 350 degree oven bake for 5 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped, buy a pint container of whipping cream so you have some for topping as well.

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1-2 t. greated orange rind

1/2 - 3/4 c. powdered sugar, to taste

In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange rind, mix well. Gently fold in whipped cream until fully incorporated. Don't beat heavily as whipped cream will lose it's stiffness and the creamy filling will be too soft. Spread into the cooled crust and let set in the refrigerator while preparing jello layer. 

JELLO LAYER

1- 3 oz. box Cherry or Raspberry Jello

1 c. boiling water

3/4 c. cold water

1 c. each chopped apple and cranberries

1/2 c. sugar

In a medium size bowl combine jello, sugar and boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Add cold water and let soft set in refrigerator. Add fruit and stir gently. Carefully spoon over cream cheese layer in pie plate. Let set until firm, about 1-2 hours.

WHIPPED TOPPING
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
3-4 T. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl combine ingredients and whip until soft stiff peaks form. Add a dollup to each piece of pie when served.

Recipe of the day - Apple Peel/Core Jelly & Syrup

Anyone who knows me very well knows that I hate to see things go to waste. I realize that apple peels and cores would be great in the compost pile but here's a way to put them to use to make something very wonderful. Did you know, that you could save your apple cores and make a delicious jam or syrup out of them? A few years ago I saw a recipe for apple peel jelly. I can't find my source now, but when I looked it up online and compared the recipes I found with the apple jelly recipe in the pectin box recipes, they are pretty much the same. The only difference is that in one you peel and core the apples, slice them and cover with water. Well all those apple peels and cores that were being wasted actually make a delicious jelly or pancake syrup. Here's what I do. I save all my apple peels that are discarded because of fussy children, and the cores as well by freezing them in containers or ziplock bags. I have a pot that will hold about 2 gallons of liquid so when I get enough to almost fill it up I will place them in the pot, no thawing necessary. I add enough water to cover, and then bring to a boil, turn down to simmer with a cover on the pot and let it cook for about 1 hour. I let it cool and then strain the whole thing in a wire mesh colander. You can use a jelly bag or cheesecloth in your colander if you like your jelly nice and clear. Don't squeeze, just let it drain for a couple of hours. For the standard jelly recipe here are the measurements:

Apple Jelly (Apple Peel) Yield 7- 8oz. jars
5 cups apple liquid or bottled juice
7 cups sugar
1 box pectin

In a large pot dissolve pectin in cold liquid. Stir to get out all the lumps. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to keep from scorching. When it comes to a rolling boil that can't be stirred down add the sugar all at once. Bring to a rolling boil that can't be stirred down again and continue to stir and let boil for 1 minute. Take off of heat and pour into sterilized jars. Secure lids and waterbath for 5 minutes.

Spiced Apple Peel Syrup   Yield 4 1/2 pints or 9 8 oz. jars
6 cups strained liquid
4 - 5 cups sugar (depending on the tartness of the liquid)
1 box pectin
1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice
2 T. freshly grated orange rind

Combine liquid, Apple Pie Spice and orange rind in large pot. sprinkle on pectin and stir until dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring all the while and add sugar all at once. Keep stirring and cook until it has boiled for 1 minute. Take off of the heat and pour into sterilized bottles/jars. Secure lids and hot water bath for 5 minutes.

Enjoying the fruits of the season

What could be better than fresh bread warm from the oven? A nice big pot of creamy soup to go with it!
It's cooled down a bit here, which inspires me to come up with some cool weather dishes. We had some dutch oven chicken left over from a dinner last week, but not enough to take care of the both of us. So I took a boneless, skinless chicken breast and threw it in a 2 qt. pot with some fresh Rosemary, Sage, and 1 1/2 quarts of water, along with 1 cup of wild rice mix. I let that simmer while I sauteed 1 chopped onion in 3 T. butter and 1 of oil in a large soup pot. I also took half each of one very large green, and one very large orange bell pepper and roasted them in the oven. After the onion was nice and caramelized, I added the mixture in the small pot, as well as 2 more quarts of water. I cut up one large carrot, and cut the kernels from one ear of fresh sweet corn. I added 2 chicken bullion cubes, and one small can of diced green chilies. I seasoned with 2 tsps of seasoning salt, and 1/2 t. garlic powder. Then I added 1/2 tsp thyme as well as 1 tsp course ground pepper. One bay leaf went in as well. This simmers until the rice was done. I turned down the burner and pulled out the chicken to cut up. I added the leftover dutch oven chicken from last week, and that gave the soup a nice creamy consistency. I also chopped up and added the roasted bell peppers at this point. For anyone who would like to try this or a variation, I would add a can of either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup since you probably won't have dutch oven chicken sitting around. I would also use 2 chicken breasts, plus 2 carrots.

The bread was a variation on my Italian bread recipe. I'll make this easier to follow here. The one thing I noticed about this bread is that it is so soft and delicious. I think it may be because we used actual best for bread flour instead of unbleached flour. My husband raved about it.
Place in mixing bowl of mixer fitted with a dough hook:
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
1 t. sugar
Let sit in bowl to proof or get foamy. Add:
3 T. oil
1 t. salt
1/4 c. corn meal
1/2 c. oats
3 cups of Best for Bread flour
Mix well. Gradually add more flour, 1/4 of a cup at a time, until dough forms a nice smooth ball.
Place in well oiled baking dish or casserole. Let rise until doubled and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

This bread is not only great for soups, but makes a fabulous french toast for breakfast. As an added healthy topping for our french toast this morning I took about 1/2 cup of maple syrup and warmed it up in a small pot, added a small chopped, unpeeled, granny smith apple, and a handful of walnut pieces. This was so wonderful over the french toast, you should really give it a try!

Robins and things.....

As I stand at my easel painting this robin is busy gathering food for little ones. Sometimes he will come sit under my window, cock his head and look up at me, trying to figure out what I'm doing I suppose. I should give him what for for waking me up every morning at 4 am. Have you ever noticed that this time of year the birds all rise at 4am and start their chirping in tandem? It starts with one, then another and all of a sudden it sounds as if every robin on the planet is right outside the window. It's like airplanes taking off or trains passing by though, you do get used to the noise.
Here's a recipe for all you chicken salad lovers. It's probably a bit to yuppie for my hubby, but Annie loved it so it's a keeper.

Bowtie Pasta Chicken Salad
1 c. cooked, cubed chicken, preferably smoked.
1 small apple, chopped
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. fresh chives, snipped
1/2 5 oz container gorgonzola cheese
3/4 c. each plain non fat yogurt and mayonnaise
2 T. honey dijon mustard
2 c. uncooked mini bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions
Combine all ingredients. Season to taste. Enjoy!