Apple Chips

if you just so happen to have read more than one entry into this blog you would probably know that one of my life long quests is to find a way to get josh to eat something somewhat healthy. snacks, as with most of us, are his demise. after i head off to bed he stays up for hours munching down on anything that can be considered bite sized, is loaded with salt and/or sugar and is easily on hand. terrible! i wake up in the morning ( pre-sunrise) and recount his night via the empty candy wrappers and cracker crumbs. *insert sign here*

hmmm, what can be done here? well fruit chips are always a hit around this apt - so i see no reason why i shouldn't be making tasty little treats here in my own kitchen. these apple chips are so tasty! i've honestly never had an apple chip that had so much flavor. the key here is to "marinate" the apple slices in the simple syrup and then making sure to drain and pat pseudo-dry before putting them in the oven.

APPLE CHIPS

1 Fuji apple

1 1/2 - 2 tsp lemon juice

1c sugar

1c water

*bring the sugar and water to a boil in a large skillet, bring back down to a simmer for about 1minute, turn off heat and let cool slightly

*slice the apples with a mandolin set to "2.0" or about 1/16"

*sprinkle lemon juice over the apples

*place apple slices in the simple syrup and let marinate for at least 2 hours

*preheat oven to 200F, line baking sheet(s) w/ parchment

*remove the slices one at a time from the syrup and lightly pat dry

*place the slices in a single layer on the prepared pan and place in oven

*let bake for 2 hours, flipping each slice halfway through

*turn the heat off and let dry in oven for about 2-3 hours until crisp

Apple Galette

as you know i have no kitchen at the moment. this past month has been somewhere between a nightmare and lovely day dream. the condo purchase fell through, actually it was more like an implosion. but that's cool; i (for the first time in our 3 years together) heeded josh's advice and PRE-PACKED - over a month ago. yeah don't ever do that - unless you enjoy jamming your shins on cardboard edges every morning and trying to cook a dinner without cutting boards. try it, its really fulfilling. keep wine on hand. lots of wine.

ok so i still have my cookie sheets because although i was effected by my overly active husband - i was not fully converted and gave up packing about 2 hours in. so really i am half-packed. like i said i have a cookie sheet. and apples are in season so whadda ya do when that happens? make a pseudo apple pie also known to me as an apple galette. i'm so fancy.

my instructions:

1. check out my recipe for the best apple pie ever here

2. make half the dough

3. instead of chopping the apples, slice them thin

4. roll the dough out, place on cookie sheet

5. lay apple sliced over the dough (make pretty pattern), leaving about 6" from the dough edge

6. fold dough over, drop in butter and brush with egg wash

7. bake as usual, cut the time by about 10 minutes since the apples cook faster.

8. enjoy!

Pumpkin Apple Nut Loaf

so i'm back - kinda sorta.

got hitched, got swine flu (seriously), attended two after the fact receptions and have the apt packed up and ready to move on out. so like any home purchase - it takes longer than you think. i sadly packed away my kitchen so there hasn't been much baking lately. but i couldn't take another weekend void of fun treats so i trekked downstairs to duane read and got myself a few disposable baking pans in various shapes and sizes - then got to baking.

lesson here: disposable baking pan are worthless. yeah worthless. basically you have to increase cooking time by 50%, don't ask me why. seems to me the pans; basically made from thick foil would cook faster. just untrue. everything comes out all doughy and weird. like i said increase cook time by 50%.

fortunately, after "fixing" the cooking time for my pan's shortcomings, this loaf came out great! below is the correct cooking time if you are using real pans. i am trying to clean out the pantry and i have a ton of canned pumpkin from thanksgiving last year as well as mini packs of pecans my mom mailed me a while back that were getting rancid. throw it all in and happy autumn!

PUMPKIN APPLE NUT LOAF

Topping:

1 1/2 tsp flour

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oil

Loaf:

1 1/2c flour

1/2 tsp (scant) salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ginger

1c canned pumpkin

1/4c + 2 tbs canola oil

1c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

1/2c chopped pecans or walnuts

* preheat oven to 350F, grease 2lb loaf pan

*mix together all topping ingredients and set aside

*sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger

*in separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar

*add wet to dry ingredients and stir just to combine

*fold in apples and nuts

*pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with topping

*cook for 50 mins - 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean

Apple Pie

i can't tell you how many times i have made this pie. every single time it has been perfect. to top that all off it was also the pie that i made for the thanksgiving dinner i made for josh and i the day he proposed. ahhh. i know! so i guess there could be some bias there. non-the-less i have never gotten bad or mixed (which to me is bad) review on this pie.

in the summers when

we go up to our friend's farm and there are pink ladys available i feel almost obliged to cook this up. it just makes sense and what could be more fun that watching southern raised city boys play horse shoe, drink cheap beer and eat apple pie?! i love it!

APPLE PIE

Crust: click here

FIlling:

3lbs peeled apples, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/4c sugar

1/4c packed brown sugar

1tbs cornstarch

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

2 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg, beaten

*preheat oven to 450F

*roll out one half of chilled dough, line bottom of our pie pan with it - place back in frig until ready to fill

*in a large bowl combine all ingredients except butter & egg

*roll out the other half of chilled dough

*pour filling into prepared bottom crust, distribute butter on top of the filling

*top with the other half of dough, pinching ends to make a decorative edge

*brush with beaten egg

*place in oven and cook for 10 minutes, lower heat to 350F and cook for another 40-50 minutes

*let cool completely (at least a hour) before cutting.

Juiced Up Carrot Cake

so josh is gone. he left monday night and won't be back to corrupt my strictly healthy dietary requirements with his seemingly unquenchable - yet starting to gradually wane - need for delicious sugary treats. i admit it: sugar and butter are delish. but sooner or later i have to get back on track, not just for me but for my poor salivating father who has to sit through these posts, week after week. sorry dad.

anyways so my plan while alone for the next 8 weeks (josh is back mondays and tuesday) is to gather a decent amount of reasonably healthy baked treats. that and kick the habit of eating cereal for dinner when alone (ugh how sad is that?). i can do it!

so here we go: healthy treat number uno. i packed away the week's supply of "daily bread" with josh and i wanted to make something i could convince myself was a healthy substitute to house my almond butter for lunch at the office. pack in the fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole wheat and viola! one day i may try to substitute the sugar with maple syrup or honey. one day.

JUICED UP CARROT CAKE

1/2c whole wheat flour

1/2c AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2c + 2tbs sugar

1/2c peeled and grated granny smith apple

1/2c peeled and grated carrot

1/2c grated zucchini

1/4c + chopped walnuts

1/4c buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4c canola oil

*preheat oven to 350 F, grease a loaf pan

*sift together the flours, sugar, soda, cinnamon & salt

*add the apple, carrots, zucchini & walnuts - stir to combine well

*in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and buttermilk

*add wet to dry and mix to just combine

*pour into prepared loaf pan and cook for 45-50 minutes until toothpick is clean

*let cool completely before slicing in.