Hooray for APPLES!

Even though the impending cold winds eventually manage to push through, wilting leaves do their best to keep them at bay - if only for a while.   Under blue skies, thermometers rejoice at their hovering temperatures in the 70s range.  The local farmer's markets afford us all a few more opportunities to visit with friends and neighbors before the snow flies. 

Nature is preparing to rest after fighting so hard to give us a harvest through our wicked combination of heat and drought.  For whatever reason, everyone just seems a little happier, taking a few more walks in the cool afternoon air.

There is much to be thankful for this time of year.  Nature has a gentle way of reminding us to take pleasure in what it has to offer us all.  Simple things like harvesting, cuddling under blankets in brisk air, picnics under brilliantly colored canopy trees, eating hearty soups and bread, carving pumpkins and baking apples and recognizing that with all we have, we have enough.

Fall does have its perks. 

I recently ran across a recipe for apple bars.  The first time I saw these beauties was at church and never caught up with the person that brought them.  When I ran across this recipe, well, let's just say I was pretty tickled.  You can find the link for the recipe here from Midwest Living.

You'll need apples, corn flakes, egg, sugar, cinnamon, flour, shortening, salt, milk, powdered sugar

Combine the flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until it resembles small crumbs.

After adding the yolk/milk mixture, combine the dough and pour out onto a well-floured counter.   You're going to divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Here, I've used a mat, and when you have to roll out to 17X12, you need all the room you can get!  Save yourself the tears (and the damage done to your kitchen when you throw the rolling pin) by just using your countertop.

By the time you're done pressing the dough into this pan, you're truly going to believe in miracles.  It just doesn't seem possible, but somehow, someway, the stars align, the powers of the kitchen unite, and you seem to be willing these bars into fruition!  It just happens.  I won't pretend to understand these things.  

Sprinkle on your corn flakes...yes, they really do seem to add a little something special.

Sprinkle over your apples....

Yes, of course there is more sprinkling....  Combine the cinnamon and sugar and SPRINKLE that over the apples.

Ah, so many lessons to be learned in the kitchen.  Here you can see that I didn't quite reach my goal of 17X12 and the dough cracked under the pressure of trying to be something it couldn't.  Alas...a little mending here and there with a little water glue and extra dough and it was fine - not perfect, but fine. The kitchen is one place where beauty lies in the little imperfections.    (the operating room is not one of those places, however, which is why I choose to cook.)

For the glaze, mix milk and powdered sugar.  You have a little flexibility here depending on the effect you want to have.  Too much milk and it's thin and will run into itself.  Not enough milk and it will be too thick and hard to glaze.  Find that middle ground where it streams nicely off the fork and stays put where it lands.

Just out of the oven.  While it's still warm drizzle the glaze over top in some random fashion.

I see those cracks, too, and yes, it does bother me a bit, but that's when a little cosmetics comes in handy - GLAZE!

No matter how you glaze it, it'll be gorgeous.

 ....and VOILA'!              
mmm, apple-y, flaky, sweet goodness!

 Okay, so maybe it's just me, but I could look at bakery photos all day....ALL DAY!

Apple Bars

(Midwest living)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shortening

1 egg yolk

Milk

1 cup cornflakes

8 -10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups)

3/4-1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use Penzeys)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 cup powdered sugar

3 -4 teaspoons milk

1. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half.
2. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 17x12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. Top evenly with apples. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Roll remaining dough to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. Cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white. 
3. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent overbrowning. 
4. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

By Request...Beer, Cheese, Potato Soup

It does my heart proud (as they say in the South) when someone asks me to find a good recipe for a dish they've had some other place at some other time.  A couple of my girlfriends put in a request for a good beer cheese soup - and I actually found one that is even improved with a little potato.  

This soup is Wisconsin, comfort food, fall, rainy day, winter snow, blankets and a roaring fire, all rolled into one.  It was sooo good and even better with a little toasted multi-grain bread.  If I only I had the time to make some homemade bread...

...don't worry, we didn't suffer too much.

If you like to keep your ingredient list at five and under, you may not like the looks of things right off the bat.  But not too worry, this goes quickly and I can count five things on this photo that don't even go in until the very end as more of an "enhancement".  So there ya go...

Start by chopping the onion, potato, celery, carrot.  Shred the cheese.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat and add your veggies.  Cook until they're soft and then stir in the flour and cook for about two minutes.  

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, milk, and beer.  Heat to boiling and then reduce to low.

Unholster your handy-dandy immersion blender and blend to your desired consistency.  This time, I took it pretty much to puree - but if you prefer bites of carrot and potato...don't blend quite so long.

Once you're happy with the texture, add in the cheese a handful at a time.  Allow it to melt completely before adding the next batch of cheese.


Season with Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste....and then get into your comfy clothes because.....

 You are about to be very happy indeed.

Top with sour cream, chives, and bacon if you'd like.   Okay, go ahead and add lots of bacon - I won't tell.

Beer, Cheese, Potato Soup

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth or stock

1 cup milk

1 (12-ounce) bottle beer

4 large red potatoes, or 2 large russets, peeled and chopped

2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 8 ounces)

Worcestershire  to taste

salt, pepper

Sour cream, for topping

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, for topping

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for topping

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute until they begin to soften. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and continue to stir for 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth (careful when you do this, the stock will deglaze the pan and the steam can burn),  milk and beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potato is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier soup, blend with caution, checking the texture often.  Return the soup to low heat. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition. 

Season the soup to taste with Worcestershire, salt and pepper.

Top with sour cream, crisp bacon and chopped chives, if desired.

Bringing Love Back to Monday - Cheesecake

What is it about Mondays? It has to be more than just "the weekend's over" excuse. Poor Monday has had a stigma for years. Isn't it just as good as any other day of the week?

Why should we be so discriminatory toward this one day that can't help the fact that it doesn't start with an "S" or a "T". Wednesday doesn't get half the flack for its "W" because by Wednesday, the week is nearly done and everyone is feeling happier again.  And Friday, well, it's never had anything to worry about.  

 I say, bring the love back to Monday! It's had a bad rap for way too long. They say you make your own happiness, so why assume you're going to be grumpy at least one day of every week. Why not do something that makes you happy on this otherwise shunned day? Reserve Monday for doing something you love so much that you actually can't wait for Monday.

For me, that means dessert. And I can't think of a better way to turn Monday around than a cheesecake.

Cheesecake probably gets just as hard of a time as Mondays.  People way over think it.  There are hardly any dessert recipes half as elegant as cheesecake with so few ingredients.  The only thing with it, is that you have to make it the night before you want to eat it.  So this may have to become your Sunday night ritual.

 All you'll  need is vanilla, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, sour cream. (and a graham cracker crust).

And NO, I did not mean to buy "light" sour cream.  
It's a cheesecake - light sour cream isn't going to save you now!

I use Penzeys Madagascar Vanilla Beans.  You can get yours here.

Try making your own vanilla extract.  In a resealable bottle, add in several vanilla beans that you've cut down the middle.  Stick them in the bottle and pour in vodka to the top.  




Allow it to sit in a cool, dark place for 3 months and it's ready to go.


Just replenish your vodka as you use it.







In the bottom of a springform pan, make your graham cracker crust (1 sleeve crushed grahams, 1 T sugar, 1/2 stick butter, melted, mixed together, pressed in the pan, baked at 350 for about 5 minutes.  You'll smell the aroma when it's ready to come out.

 Not looking so pretty here, but this is a lesson in patience for us all. 

Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are room temperature.  

That's pretty critical.  Also, make sure you add your eggs one at a time and allow them to be fully incorporated  before add the next egg.  

Cream cheese can only absorb so much  at a time for heavens' sakes! 

Ah, much better. There will inevitably be a few little lumps here and there.  That's okay, you won't notice it later.  I think I could have left my cream cheese out just a little longer. 

  I obviously failed my lesson in patience.

Generally, you'll want to use a springform pan for this.  
There is a latch on the side so that you can keep your cheesecake pretty as a picture.

You should have already made your graham cracker crust in the bottom of your pan...and it is already cooled down.

Bake your cheesecake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  You don't want it completely set.  It will only look "done" around the first 3 inches.  The center will still seem a bit wobbly.  That's perfect!  

While it's baking, mix your sour cream with the vanilla and sugar and set aside.

After 45 minutes, bring it out and let it set for 10 minutes.

then...

Drop the sour cream mixture by spoonfuls and spread it all around evenly.  

Bake for another 10 minutes.

Let it cool completely on a rack. Then refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight is good, too.  

It isn't going anywhere.  It's waiting to give you love tomorrow, on that horrible, wretched, day of the week...the day that is called MONDAY.

Let's pretend it is tomorrow.  You come home from work all grumpy just because it's Monday.  Oh, but wait!  That's right, you made a cheesecake last night and it is waiting for you in the fridge.  

Oh, blessed be!  

...and here it is.  Full of love and sweetness just for you on your horrible, wretched Monday.

If this doesn't bring the love back into your Mondays - 
you may require professional help. 

 I've done what I could.

Cheesecake

3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs

1 cup plus 1 T sugar

2 t vanilla extract

Graham cracker crust in a spring form pan

1 pound of sour cream

Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Make a graham cracker crust in a springform pan and allow to cool.

With a mixer, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add 1 cup sugar and 1 t vanilla and mix well, scraping down as needed.

Pour filling into crust. Bake until cake is set 3” from edges but center is still slightly wobbly, about 45 minutes.  Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

Mix together sour cream , 1 t vanilla, 1 T sugar.  Drop by spoonfuls all around cake and then spread evenly over top.    Bake for another 10 minutes.

Run a knife all around top edge of cake to loosen it.  Cool completely in pan on a rack.  The cake will continue to set as it cools. 

Refrigerate cake, loosely covered, for at least 6 hours.  Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate.  Bring to room temp before serving.