Pork Chops in apple sauce

No, that's not pork chops with applesauce, but with an apple sauce. They were on sale at the local latin market, so I decided to try - I think I've maybe cooked pork chops once before, so it was a bit of an adventure. So, here's what I did

4 pork chops
salt and pepper
oil
apples, sliced
apple butter
worcestershire sauce
garlic
chicken broth

Generous salt and pepper the pork chops (I used kosher salt). Fry them briefly in a skillet with a small amount of oil, a minute or two on each side so that they're seared. Remove them from the pan.

Combine about 1/3 cup apple butter, a tablespoon of wooster sauce, 1-2 cloves garlic, minced, and some more pepper.

Toss in the apples and saute them until they are just barely starting to soften. Add some chicken broth and loosen all the yummy carmelized gunk on the bottom of the skillet. Return the pork chops to the skillet, pour the sauce on top of the chops, and add some chicken broth (you can make it as thick or as liquidy as you'd like). Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the pork is done all the way through and the sauce has reduced a bit. The apples were all mushy and falling apart, but it worked so well with the pork.

We had this with a quinoa pilaf and green beans.

-Thyme

Chocolate Potato Cookies

Chocolate Potato Cookies? Think that sounds kinda gross? Think again. I am here to tell you that these cookies were a shot in the dark that turned out pretty decent. Unlike the pie from last week, which I wasn't such a great fan of, I actually liked these. They were very moist and chewy cookies and, of course, you can add fun stuff to make them more interesting. Here is the recipe from the Tasty Taters Potato Cookbook again.

Chocolate Potato Cookies
2 c brown sugar (I didn't pack mine in at all and it worked fine)
1/2 c shortening (I used butter because my shortening was emitting a
rather...uh...rancid odor)
1 c mashed potatoes
2 eggs
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted (I didn't have unsweetened so I used a little less of
the sweetened and just threw in some cocoa powder, but my chocolate flavor wasn't
great at the end so I'm thinking it must make a bit of a difference here)
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 c buttermilk

Cream the sugar with your shortening (or butter, or margarine, whatever form of fat tickles your fancy) and then stir in the potato, eggs, chocolate and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients. Blend dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Be careful not to overbeat. The dough isn't as thick as say for chocolate chip cookies, it is pretty sticky, but please not that that is the way it is supposed to be. Also note that here is where I went a little crazy and since it seemed so boring I added in some mini chocolate chips and some almonds. I also think some caramel chunks or peanut butter chips would be delicious!

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 or until set. Very soft, very moist, very chewy. Enjoy!

-Cayenne
Up next: A non dessert!

Zesty and Delicious...Potatoes?

Having oodles of wonderful Idaho-grown potatoes at my disposal I decided to get a bit creative and try out a new potato recipe or two. Not that I don't love all the traditional (and abundant) uses for potatoes, but I just wanted to really test their limits...So, here is one recipe that I found particularly interesting and figured I might as well share. I mean really, who could possibly RESIST the call of Idaho potatoes...don't you hear them? They say..."eat me....eeeeeeat me" see, they like it. So you should like them, it is only fair. If you would like the verdict from this highly unusual recipe please see the end of this post.

*Note: If you do not happen to have true Idaho potatoes handy I am sure that in light of the circumstances it can be forgiven to use some other regionally grown potatoes.

Orange Potato Meringue Pie (from the cookbook "Tasty Taters Potato Cookbook"

1 c. unseasoned mashed potatoes (I made mine from scratch, which works great I would
just recommend spending a bit more time to make sure you mash them well, chunks
taste a little funny in pie, that's all I'm saying)
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
2 egg yolks (save the whites)
1 whole egg
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
1 unbaked pie shell

Mix all those ingredients together until smooth and pour into your pie shell. Pop it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until it is set and then put your meringue (see below) on it and bake for another 20 min or until it is nice and browned.

Meringue: beat together the two egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and 6 Tbsp sugar until stiff peaks form. *note when beating egg whites it is best to use a metal bowl and to not dip your fingers in it, oils make it much more difficult to get those stiff peaks.

Verdict: This was an alright pie. I guess it wasn't really the best fit for me because AFTER I made the pie I remember that I'm not really a pie person to start with, and in addition, I've never really been a meringue person...but this was just too interesting to resist. My biggest problem was how sweet it was, I think if you cut back on the sugar that you use it would be a LOT better. So, this was a very sweet pie and mine had potato chunks in it, which made for some interesting textures but didn't really taste bad. The flavors themselves were pretty good. I do have to say though that the best part was the pie crust, which I made from scratch and was super proud of. Turned out super flaky and delicious. mmmm... but feel free to play with this some. I think it might taste good with some nuts in it as well, but maybe I'm just weird.

Up next...
Some form of potato cookies!
-Cayenne

New and Improved Squash Tea Bread

I just had an extreme yumminess moment. I made some Squash Tea Bread using pumpkin puree that I made up last fall and needed to use up. I used one of my favorite recipes from EatingWell. I made one big change though. Since I was out of honey, I used molasses. It was divine. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant (what, didn't I mention that before?), but I'm still reeling from it. So I thought I'd share. So follow the link, try the recipe with any squash puree that you like, and try it with molasses or honey. YUM!


http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/squash_tea_bread.html

Also, just a side note here, I doubled the recipe and used 2 eggs since that's all that I had and it turned out fine. I didn't use a plain ol' egg white like they ask for.

Rosemary

A Sincere Apology and Marbled Cheesecake Bars

Dear Blog,

It is with a most sincere apology that I would like to acknowledge that you have suffered from a serious state of neglect as of late. What began as a fruitful and abundant endeavor has now turned stagnant with all the craziness in each of our lives (although admittedly it would be in the lives of the 2 married sisters who actually posted consistently). I would like to make this up to. My plan is to post a recipe a week for...uh...well, for awhile. I will try my best to not make them all dessert recipes, but I make no promises. That is one love in my life that is still quite strong (just thinking about some sugary goodness makes my heart melt).

Recipe #1 on this very ambitious trek of mine comes from the "Hershey's Cookbook"and it is called...

Marbled Cheesecake Bars

This is recipe that involves just a few simple steps before being united with a delectable and delicious treat. It could almost be considered evil, at least with a few minor adjustments it is. I will give you the recipe as it is in the book and have little asides showing my adjustments which (I think) take this recipe from delicious to divine...but don't just take my word for it.

Chocolate Crust:
Stir together 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 60 cookies), 1/3 cup Cocoa and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Stir in 1/2 c. melted butter until well blended and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
*My notes: first time I made this I didn't have vanilla wafers so I used graham crackers, I liked how it wasn't so sweet but would recommend cutting back on the cocoa as it makes it a bit too bitter. I would also use granulated sugar instead of powdered if you don't like your crust so sweet, but if you like the sweetness go all the way and indulge with the wafers and powdered sugar!

Cheesecake:
3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 sections (1.2 oz each) unsweetened chocolate (I would actually cut back on the amount of chocolate... shocking, I know)

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy and then add the sweetened condensed milk, beating until smooth. Now just add in those eggs and the vanilla and mix well and voila! You have a delicious cheesecake batter! Split aside some of the batter (the recipe says 1/2, I recommend less than that, maybe around 1/3) and add your (now) melted chocolate to it, mixing it up until it looks silky smooth (mmmm). Pour your non-chocolate batter over your crust and then spoon the chocolate batter on the top of it. Use a knife or spatula to go to town making it pretty and marbley (marbly? marbleicious? marbled? Whatever. You know what I mean.)

Bake 45-50 minutes in a 300 degree oven until it is just set. Remove and let cool, refrigerate several hours until chilled and then cut into bite sized chunks of tantalizing heaven perfect for guilt free indulgence...ok so maybe not completely guilt free, but still, so worth it!

Cayenne

Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce and Buckwheat Pancakes

Yes, this is yet another breakfast post from Rosemary. I swear I'm not a one-trick pony. I just really like pancakes. They're easy and there are so many fun variations! So here are a couple more ways to enjoy the most important meal of the day. Pictures will come soon.

 Rhubarb Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce
Rhubarb season is upon us! At least it's upon our parents, so therefore it is on us as well. I'm always curious to find new ways (besides the old rhubarb crisp stand-by) to use up this curiously tart vegetable. 

So this is another recipezaar.com find. It's one of those few recipes that I wouldn't do that much to alter. Basically, you cook down your rhubarb with sugar for a bit, then strain out a good amount of the pulp. The pulp goes into the waffle batter much like you might use applesauce, prune puree, or a squash puree to replace fat and add moisture. You continue to cook what's left in the pan (a bit of pulp and a whole lot of yummy red syrup) to make a lovely sauce. Although, I cooked mine a couple minutes too long, so it was more of a jelly. I advise stopping short of jelly. But whether you do or not, the flavor is great and a welcome alternative to maple syrup. If you want to keep more of that rhubarb tang, cut back on the sugar a bit. I think I'll do that next time just because I enjoy that added dimension of flavor.


1 1/4 lbs rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar (again, reduce this to get more of the tangy tartness coming through)
3 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 3/4 cups flour (any combination of all-purpose and/or whole wheat flour should work. The original recipe only called for 1/4 cup of whole wheat, but I went for 3/4 and it was fine. Next time I'll do more.)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt


1. Combine rhubarb and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over med-low heat. Cook until rhubarb is tender and translucent.
2. Using a slotted spoon, reserve 1 cup of rhubarb pulp for later use.
3. Boil remaining pulp and syrup over med heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. (You can do the first 3 steps ahead of time and refrigerate until you're ready to make the waffles.)
4. In one bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). Set aside.
5. In another bowl, whisk your egg whites until they're good and frothy. Add milk, oil, and the 1 cup of rhubarb that you set aside in step 2.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just enough to get things wet. Don't overmix!
7. Cook in the waffle iron of your choice and serve with rhubarb sauce on top.


Buckwheat Pancakes

Using whole grain flours other than whole wheat is a great way to add variety to the diet, which improves overall quality of the diet. It's not that any other flour is necessarily more nutritious, but every grain has a unique combination of nutrients, making it higher in some and lower in others than another flour. Beyond that, each flour lends its own unique properties in the kitchen, giving different tastes and textures. So rather than trying to disguise these grains as regular wheat products, enjoy their unique flavor! Here is one of many buckwheat pancake recipes that you can try.

3/4 cup buckwheat flour (available in health foods section of grocery store, health foods store, bulk bins section of some grocery stores or online. Looks like gray sand...even on the other side of a diaper, so be careful when feeding to toddlers and babies as I learned the hard way.)
3/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat and they were perfectly soft and fluffy, so I'll stick with it)
1 tbsp baking powder (if you don't like them so fluffy, add a little less)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (granulated or brown)
1 1/2 cups milk (more for thinner batter)
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1. Mix dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt) in one bowl, set aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients (sugar, milk, egg, oil) in another bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moist. There will be lumps. Leave them be. They'll cook out and if you beat until smooth, your pancakes will be tough.

Rosemary

Crepes

I just finished eating the last crepe, sorry. I was going to take a picture - I even plated it all pretty with chocolate sauce drizzled and strawberries around the side. But it was too scrumptious - I ate it before I found the camera.

The recipe I used was pretty basic:

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tbs melted butter

All whisked together thoroughly. Pour 1-2 tbs worth of batter in a slightly oiled pan (depending on how big it is), tilting the pan around to spread the batter thinly around the pan. Flip to brown both sides.

Fill with whatever the heck you want - we had strawberries, cream, and poor man's nutella (melted chocolate and peanut butter)

Now I haven't made crepes since French class in college, so I tried to remember how to do it properly, read a couple of recipes online, and here are the tricks I learned this morning.

*Keep the pan on medium heat - make sure it's not too hot.
*Either use liberal amounts of pan spray, or have a good nonstick surface (our little pan was a little rough in the middle, so several crepes were a bit messed up)
*Use a spoon to ease up the edges and loosen the crepe so you can flip it (spatulas were too big)
*Wait until the batter looks like it's pretty much cooked all the way through before flipping to the other side.
*If you're going to do the nifty one-handed flip - make sure you work the crepe to the edge of the pan before flipping - otherwise it'll just fold in on itself and your husband will laugh.

-Thyme