Apple Crostada

I have about 15 apples left from the 10 pounds we picked over the weekend and a leftover pie crust in the fridge and it was just calling me to make a crostada. I love the apple crostada's from Maggiano's and am looking forward to a work dinner I planned there in October. In the meantime, I thought I would attempt my own. Since I was trying to use up a leftover pie crust, I didn't make my own. I'm going to next time I make this and will update the recipe then.

1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into slices or chunks. I used my Pampered Chef apple corer, peeler and slicer to make quick work of the apples. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Ida Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Balsamic-Marinated Flat Iron Steak

I bought a flat iron steak for the first time a month ago and didn't really know what to make with it. I went through my stack of recipes, you know the stack that consists of pages ripped out of magazines just waiting to be used! I found an old copy of the All You magazine and there was this recipe. It used flank steak, but I thought I could easily substitute the flat iron steak I had since I heard it takes well to marinades...and I was right! It was really good and the marinade wasn't too strong and gave the meat a nice subtle flavor.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp dried rosemary
salt & pepper
1 1/2 lb flat iron steak

Combine the vinegar, sugar, rosemary and salt in a ziplock bag. Add steak to bag, seal and turn bag several times to coat the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, turning once or twice to redistribute the marinade.

Preheat a gas grill to high. Remove steak from marinade and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Discard leftover marinade. Grill steak for 4 to 6 minutes, carefully turn over and continue to grill until meat reaches your desired doneness.

Transfer steak to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Slice steak thinly against th grain.

Alternatively you can cook the steak on a lightly oiled ridged grill pan over medium-high heat on a stove for the same amount of time.

Recipe adapted from All You Magazine

Apple Streusel Muffins

We went apple picking today and I bought about 10 pounds of apple. I've already used half of them to make applesauce and wanted to bake with some of the others. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and modified it to make it a little healthier and remove some of the sugar. I baked them earlier this evening and my house smelled delicious! And they're just as good as they smell!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (if you don't have, just use all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples (I used 1 large and 1 medium golden delicious apples)

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Add applesauce; stir to combine. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. The batter will be thick.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.
 
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Salmon Cakes

We love salmon and I found this recipe a couple years ago in Everyday with Rachel Ray Magazine. It's been awhile since my daughter has had salmon and she gobbled it up tonight for dinner. She even asked to have it for lunch tomorrow! I'd say that was a success and I need to add it to your weekly menus more often. I used sockeye salmon but regular salmon works great too!

1 1/2 pounds cooked salmon fillet, skinned and chilled
3 cups panko
6 scallions, white parts only
2 small celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2/3 cup fat free mayo
salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted to make my cakes kid friendly)
3 large eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Flake the salmon ito a large bowl. Using a fork, mix in 1/2 cup of panko, scallions, celery, parsley, mayo, salt, pepper and cayenne. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Form the mixture until 8 patties about 1 inch thick. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 1/2 cups of panko with 1/2 tsp of salt. In another bowl, beat the 3 eggs. Coat the patties with panko, then eggs and panko one more time.

In a heavy skillet, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat. Add 4 salmon patties and cook until golden brown about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Cook remaining 4 patties and drain.

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

I bought an acorn squash at the Farmer's Market last week and had planned to use it last week, but didn't get around to it. I made it tonight with salmon cakes and a salad. It was a nice little sweet treat to have with dinner.

1 acorn squash, cut into 8 wedges
olive oil
sea salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place wedges in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then roast for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix into a paste. Remove squash from oven and spread sugar butter all over squash. Return to the oven for 30 more minutes until squash has browned and is caramelized.

Halfway through roasting, your paste will have become a sauce. Brush sauce over the top of the squash and then continue roasting until time is complete.

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Peanut Butter Dip

My daughter and I went grocery shopping yesterday and there was a rack of recipes. I saw this one for peanut butter dip and figured it would be another way to add protein to my daughter's snacks. This was super easy and tastes great with animal crackers, celery or any fruits. You can substitute curry powder in place of cinnamon for a change.

2 - 6oz containers lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, put in the peanut butter. Place in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds to melt.

Add to the yogurt mixture and whisk together. Enjoy!

Applesauce

This is my quick and easy version of applesauce. I bought a 1/2 peck of apples at the Farmers Market yesterday. My daughter eats applesauce every day so we go through it quickly. I see many trips to the orchard to pick apples in our future!

Peel and cube apples. Place into a microwave steamer bag. Fill bag and cook for 3 minutes. Cool slightly and then put into blender. Puree until smooth, or chucky depending on your preference.

Let cool and enjoy with some cinnamon.

Mushroom Chili

I’m having a hard time finding meatless recipes to make since I’m not a fan of eggplant and I think every recipe I’ve found has eggplant in it. I had this recipe for a year or so, it was given out by a mushroom farmer that had a stand at my town’s farmer’s market. I was disappointed to find out that he wasn’t going to be attending this year’s market since he had the best crimini and portabella mushrooms. He was from Kennett Square, PA – the mushroom capital of the world! That area of Chester County produces 65% of all mushrooms for the United States. There’s a big festival every year to celebrate mushrooms. I didn’t realize it was last weekend; I’ll need to add it to my calendar next year to check it out!

This recipe was quick and easy. It was a perfect dinner for a cool fall night. Make sure you have a chunk of crusty bread to go with it!

2 Tbsp olive oil
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 small banana pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
28 oz can Italian style small diced tomatoes
15 oz can light kidney beans
Small can of no-salt tomato sauce
Salt & Pepper

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and pepper until they are tender. Stir in the garlic and chili powder to combine. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir occasionally until they are tender and cooked through.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes for sauce to thicken. If desired, sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Pecan Granola

The last batch of granola that I made went over well. I wanted to try something a little different and found a recipe on Tasty Kitchen. I changed a couple things about it but kept the wet ingredients the same. I want to find a recipe that makes clusters of granola rather than a cereal type granola. I have a recipe from my mom that is going to the next granola I make.

6 cups rolled oats
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 cup blanched silvered almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup dried fruit - I used cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts and flax seed together. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix the oil, honey, vanilla and salt. Mix with a fork or whisk and warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Whisk the mixture together quickly to emulsify. Pour over the oat mixture immediately and combine well.

Spread the granola over the prepared baking sheet(s) and place in oven for 20 minutes. Stir and return to oven for 10 minutes. Watch over the granola to make sure it doesn't burn. Stir occasionally. Add the cranberries to the granola, stir to combine and place back into oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Cool granola completely and store in an air tight container.

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Now that it's feeling more like fall, I'm ready to start using my oven for more than just baking. We haven't had pork in a long time and I couldn't pass up the sale at Giant last week. Buy one pack, get one free - I mean really, who can't pass that up! I usually just pan saute pork tenderloin but wanted to find a new recipe and found this one from allrecipes.com. I change the recipe slightly and it turned out great.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1.25 lb pork tenderloin
Salt
fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 granny smith apples, diced
1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup apple jelly
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over mediume heat. Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides. Remove from pan and place in baking dish. Season all sides with salt, pepper and dried parsley.

In the same skillet, saute onions and apples for 5 minutes until onions soften and become translucent. Add the apple juice and deglaze the pan. Bring to a boil and then add around the pork in the baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix the apple jelly and balsamic vinegar until there are no lumps. Spread over pork.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until pork is cooked. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I had a luncheon at work last week and we were asked to bring in desserts. I've been in the mood to make cupcakes but didn't want to end up eating most of them. This was the perfect opportunity!  I was short on time otherwise I would have attempted to make my own frosting. I just used a can of premade buttercream frosting and added cinnamon (thanks for the tip Laura).

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven  to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper lines. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla and combine.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine. Add half of the milk to the mixture, combine. Continue this process again until all ingredients are used and combined.

Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan and then remove. Place cupcakes on a wire rack and let them cool completely. Frost with desired frosting flavor.

Makes between 13-15 cupcakes.

Recipe from Bakerella.

Creamy Taco Mac

I'm still continuing trying to eat healthier and eliminating processed foods. This recipe is fairly healthy - I used fat free cream cheese and sour cream. It's still nice and creamy and tastes great as a leftover too! It very similiar to Hamburger Helper, but uses ground turkey instead.

1.25 lbs ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped

8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water

1 16oz jar of salsa

4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning

3 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

salt & pepper

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, plus more for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add taco seasoning and salsa. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness

Recipe from Lauren's Kitchen

http://src-blogger-here.com/" target="_blank">http://secretrecipeclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/srcrecreate.jpg" border="0" alt="Secret Recipe Club" width="248" height="122">
Recipe created by: Secrets from the Cookie Princess

Fattoush - Pita Bread Salad

It's once again been really hot here and I'm trying to use up the rest of my ripe tomatoes before the bugs get them. I've had a really good crop earlier this summer, but now the minute my tomatoes ripen they are being attacked by bugs. So frustrating!

Anyways, this salad was really good, light and refreshing. It's a traditional Middle Eastern salad . I topped it with roasted chicken and it made a great main course.

2 pita bread rounds, cut into 1.5 inch pieces (or buy a bag of Stacey's Simple Sea Salt Pita Chips)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded and diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

If making your own pita chips, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange pita squares evenly on baking sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until crisp but not too browned. Set aside to cool.

In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and heat 1 minute until softened but not browned. Set aside to cool.

In a serving bowl, toss cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, mint, parsley, cumin and lemon juice with the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil. When ready to serve, add garlic, pita squares, salt and pepper. Gently toss to mix.

Recipe from Working Mother Magazine, August/September 2010 issue