Crockpot Applesauce

I had a bunch of apples sitting around from my trip to the farmers market last Saturday.  I bought (and used in this applesauce) Empire Apples.  The reason?  They are a good apple for eating & for cooking with, and when I bought the apples I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to use them for.  If you've never had homemade applesauce and own a crockpot, I really recommend you try making this.  You can either have your crockpot on high for 4 hours (what I did) or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 peck of apples (about 10 to 12 apples)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• dash of nutmeg
• 2 TBPS (more or less to taste) of ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• a dash of salt

Directions:

1. Peel and core the apples, cut into quarter inch slices.  Put in crockpot.
2. Pour sugar, water, apple cider, and spices over top of the apples and combine with a spoon.
3. Let cook for desired amount of time (3-4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low).
4. After done cooking, mash with a potato masher if you want to have a "chunkier" texture or mash the apples, wait for them to cool, and puree in your food processor or blender (I just did this).
5. ENJOY!

Irish Car Bomb Cake

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, ZENKA!  This past Tuesday, "the day of Zenka's birth, she FINALLY turned 21.  Now, if you know Zenka, she loves chocolate.  In fact, she swore off chocolate until her birthday - what a better way to hop back on the chocoholic train than to eat this cake!?  Also - Irish Car Bomb = a type of shot.  Zenka = can legally drink.  And I am Irish, and no, I don't take offense to name of the shot/cake.

The cake itself is very dense and has a strong, deep flavor.  I did use dark chocolate cocoa, so next time I may just use "regular" cocoa.  The buttercream though… was amazing.  I think I will make it again to frost other cakes.  It had a nice coffee flavor with a hint of vanilla and was so creamy.  However good this cake tasted… the decorating didn't go as planned.  I frosted the cake with a beautiful layer of the buttercream and did some nice piping along the bottom and top of the cake, and I was going to pipe some delicate strands of the ganache.  Oh, if only I were more graceful.  I was piping the ganache and it exploded…everywhere.  So I had to resort to having a layer of ganache OVER the buttercream.  Next time, I will be more careful.  But i really did love this cake and hope to make it again soon.  So… if you have a birthday coming up… let me know (wink wink).

Irish Car Bomb Cake

For the Guinness chocolate cake:

• 1 cup stout beer/ Guinness
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache:

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsn. butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp.  Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6-8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup Bailey's Irish cream, then keep adding until desired consistency is reached (I used about…eh… 3/4 of a cup)

1. To make the cake, preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two cake pans and line with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Combine stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add stout mixture and beat to combine. Mix in dry ingredients on low until incorporated. Divide batter among cake pans and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes (for me it took a little longer, but again, blame the oven). Cool completely.
2. To make the ganache, place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream in saucepan until simmering, then pour over chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Add butter and Bailey's and stir until combined. Set aside until cool and thick enough to be piped (you can use the refrigerator to speed the process but stir every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling). 
3. To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Mix in Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cakes as desired and enjoy!

Zucchini & Pepper Enchilada's with Red Sauce

I made these for dinner Sunday night thinking that I'd have enough to feed Zenka, Zach, and myself, and maybe have enough left over for lunch the next day.  I was sorely mistaken.  I now have two sizable tupperware in my fridge full on Enchilada's that will probably feed me through the week.  Now, don't take this as me complaining, I am kinda glad I won't have to cook as much this week, but I was surprised at how much I made.  I this the reason I made so many enchilada's is because the zucchini I bought wouldn't be considered "small" by most people… So, if you do use small zucchini's, you may get a more reasonable (and manageable) amount of filling.

BUT, these enchilada's were soooo good.  I loved the texture of the zucchini and the flavor was bold enough without being overwhelming.  While Mollie Katzen's thinks the whole assembly should only take an hour… it took me a little longer.

How to Assemble an Enchilada:

Step 1: Prepare filling & sauce

Step 2: Moisten the corn tortillas by sauteing them briefly in a little hot oil (and when I say briefly, I mean 10 seconds total)

Step 3: Assemble the enchiladas by planing a few spoonfuls of filling (see recipe below) on one side of the tortilla and rolling it up. Pour a small amount of the sauce (see recipe below) into a shallow baking dish, add the enchiladas, and pour the remaining sauce over the top.  Cover with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes in an oven heated to 325 degrees.  Serve hot (over beans and rice, if you feel like making it… I didn't).

Zucchini & Pepper Enchilada's with Red Sauce

Adapted from Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

Red Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 5 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (I probably added a little more than this)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, partially cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Mash a little bit with a fork, and you're done.  (I guess could could also puree it, but I have a very small kitchen that was filling up with dishes and I couldn't find a place on the counter for my food processor)

Zucchini & Pepper Enchilada Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups minced onion
• 6 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large bell pepper (I used red, but you can use any color), minced
• 5 small zucchini, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 TBSP dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• cayenne & black pepper to taste
• 1 1/3 cups of packed grated jack cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet.  Add onion, garlic, and salt, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is quite soft.
2. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and seasonings.  Stir and cook over medium heat for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the zucchini is just tender.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before filling the tortillas.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Congratulations to all the recent initiates into the Les Voyageurs (i.e. Katie, Jill, Donald, & Brian)!!  I made these cookies for them Thursday night when they were down at The Cabin.  Everyone freaked out over how good they were.  Nate said, “What are these delicious globs of gooey-ness in the cookies?” (the chocolate chunks), Megan declared that these are now her favorite cookies, & I think the true proof of their deliciousness is that fact that they were all eaten in less than an hour.

What I really like about these cookies is that the chocolate chunks go well with the texture & flavor of the chewy gingerbread.  If you must, you can use chocolate chips, but chocolate chunks melt & ‘reform’ differently, complimenting the cookie.  I can tell you that these will now be a staple in my holiday cookie plate.  Also, this is a small-ish batch of cookies, so it's very easy to double.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Adapted from “Martha Stewart’s Cookies”

(makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Power… what can I say?  Go dark chocolate or go home.)
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (I rarely actually have my butter at room temperature when a recipe calls for it – pop in the microwave for 15 seconds if you need to)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsulfered molasses (I used blackstrap unsulfered)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
• 7 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (I rolled mine in some powdered sugar, next time I make these I might try raw sugar)

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and fresh ginger on medium speed until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn onto plastic wrap. Pat out to a 1-inch thickness; seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cookies are best the day they are made, but can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Happy Halloween!  It would be more appropriate to post a recipe that had pumpkin as an ingredient or was somehow shaped to look like a ghost.  But this spanakopita recipe is good enough to make up for the lack of a holiday theme.  When I first started using this recipe (about 3 years ago), I compiled a few aspects of different spanakopita recipes for this one.

Spanakopita

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 (4 ounce) packages feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 (16 ounce) packages phyllo dough
• Olive Oil
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions until softened. Mix in spinach, dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
2. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with 10 more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. 
3. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Roasted Pumpkin Pie with an Easy No-Roll Pie Crust

Dear Les Voyageurs & Others who were at The Cabin tonight,

As promised, here is the pumpkin pie recipe… posted as SOON as possible.  I made this earlier today using some pumpkin puree I had frozen a few days earlier.  However, I had two different varieties of pumpkin puree - which I think added a little something to the pie.  One was a small (early autumn) Sugar Treat pumpkin I bought at the farmers market in the middle on September and made into a puree and froze.  The other was from a Small Sugar pumpkin I bought at Trader Joe's on Monday (and once again, made into a puree and froze).  While I recipe I used called for the pie to be baked for 55 minutes, I had to bake it for about 25 minutes longer (I'm starting to think it's because of my shoddy student housing kitchen, not the recipes).  But what really matters is that the center of the pie is "firm" when you take it out of the oven.  ALSO - I used a no-roll pie crust.  It is literally as easy as just mashing it into the pie pan.  So please, never ever buy a pie crust from the store again.  Now, little LV's/other people at dinner tonight, go and make this pie ASAP and impress your mother when you can make it for Thanksgiving dinner!

Love,

Kat

No-Roll Pie Crust

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

makes 1 9-inch pie crust

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoon) frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used almond oil)
• 1 Tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons cold milk

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Whisk together.  
2. Add frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater and tablespoon of cream cheese.  With your fingers, work the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture, breaking the butter and cream cheese up until they're in well incorporated into the flour.  I like to think that the texture was comparable to "wet sand."
3. Combine the milk and oil.  Whisk together.  Add all at once to the flour and butter mixture.  With a fork, begin to combine the ingredients, making sure that all of the flour mixture is introduced to the liquid.  The mixture will (and should) be shaggy; just dump the dough into a clean 9-inch pie plate.  With your fingers,  press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.  Try to get the dough as even as possible.
4. Place the prepared crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven and prepare your filling.  DONE!  That easy!

Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2-1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• A dash or so of apple pie spice
• A splash or so of vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until combined.
2. Pour into pie crust
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until filling is firm, and a knife, when inserted in the middle of the pie is clean when removed.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

As you can see from the previous post, I made my brownies using freshly made pumpkin puree.  What's another byproduct of pumpkins?  Pumpkin seeds!  Here is a quick way to make a nice snack out of the innards of your pumpkin.

(Side Note: When I brought these over to my neighbors house, NONE of them had eaten pumpkin seeds before.  What deprived people....)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:

• Seeds from one pie pumpkin (adjust the rest of the ingredients depending on what kind/size of pumpkin you use)
• 3 tablespoons of butter (unsalted), melted
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, pour melted butter over clean pumpkin seeds.  Toss together with kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Spread out on a prepared baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the seeds look "roasted" and are crisp when you bite into them.