APPLE CRISP FOR TWO

Click on photo

I call this apple crisp for two, although I guess that is a bit of a misnomer. It actually makes 3 large desserts (like the above photo), so in my warped sense of proportions, it is apple crisp for two (and a little more for later) haha.  This can easily be doubled (just bake it a little longer).

I love a good fruit crisp. I like the topping slightly crunchy (but not HARD crunchy) and I like it to have lots of gooey filling. This is one of the best crisps we've tried in years.

2 large Granny Smith apples (see note)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Toss with the above ingredients and place in a greased baking dish (I use a 9" x 5" loaf pan). Sprinkle two tablespoons of water over the filling. NOTE: Don't mix the water into the above mixture, just sprinkle it evenly OVER the filling; trust me it works perfectly and makes the BEST sauce.

For the topping, mix
¼ cup quick oats
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons melted butter

Use a spoon and mix the topping ingredients until everything seems coated with butter. Evenly sprinkle it over the fruit filling. Bake in pre-heated 350 oven for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long).

NOTE: Make sure you use a good baking apple like Granny Smith. Regular eating apples don't work well in this kind of recipe (they get mushy).

NOTE: If you want to make dessert for 6, just double the recipe and cook for 45 minutes in an 8" x 8" pan.

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Majjiga Janthikalu (Buttermilk Crispies)

Hi blog friends wish you all a belated happy dewali. I am sharing one of my dewali preparations, a traditional savory andhra snack whose main ingredients are curd and sago. It is a tangy and crispy snack which kids would love to munch. Here is the recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups homemade rice flour
• 1 cup sago (Sabudana/Tapioca)
• 2 cups curd
• 10-15 medium size green chilles paste
• 2 tbsp roasted channa dal powder
• salt to taste

Procedure

Soak the rice for 4 hours, drain the water completely and pat it dry and make it a fine powder. Keep aside

Soak the sago in 1 cup curd for 2 hours.

Now mix the rice flour, soaked sago , green chillies paste, salt, roasted channa dal powder nicely. Then add little by little curd and check the consistency.Blend nicely until the prepared dough should not stick to the side of the vessel.

Heat oil to fry in a deep bottom pan,set the three hole plate in the jantikalu gottam/murukku press and now fill the dough in jantikalu gottam and slowly press one inch over the hot oil.

Fry on medium flame and flip it occasionally till it becomes golden brown and looks crispy. Remove it and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Store it a air tight container once its completely cooled.

Note:

1. Oil should be properly heated initially medium to high flame and it should not be too hot as it will get charred and if too cold will not fry properly.

2. Adding roasted channa dal powder makes it more crispy.

3. The green chilli paste should be very fine otherwise it will stick to the plate inside the murukku press and dough will not come out smoothly

4. Sago should be properly soaked.To check if it is soaked properly press it between your fingertips and it should be completely soft.

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WEEKEND BREAKFAST PIZZA

I don't buy refrigerator (whomp tube) biscuits very often, but I DO buy them for this recipe. My family absolutely loves this quick and easy breakfast. As a matter of fact, the first time I made this, I was told "this is gold!!"  Even Picky-picky Hubby gave double thumbs up which is rare!!

This weekend treat can easily be "tweaked" to suit your family. Here are the basic ingredients:

8 ounce Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pound (total) cooked breakfast meat (see  note)
1½ cups frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1½ cups shredded cheddar
4 eggs  (don't be tempted to add more)
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Open the refrigerator rolls and press into an ungreased 12" pizza pan, pinching all of the seams shut. Important: make sure you press some of the dough up onto the sides of the pan to create a "lip". DO NOT PRE-BAKE THE CRUST.

Cook (and completely drain) one pound of your favorite breakfast meat (NOTE: I used equal parts of crisp bacon, breakfast sausage and finely diced ham...but ANY combo will work well. Just make sure the total weight is about a pound).

Sprinkle the cooked breakfast meat, evenly, over the unbaked crescent dough. Next, evenly sprinkle the thawed hash browns and cheddar cheese over the cooked meat.

In small bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, black pepper and milk together. Drizzle evenly over everything.  NOTE: Don't be tempted to add more eggs. It is going to SEEM like it isn't enough, but trust me...it is perfect.

Lastly, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over all.  Bake in a 375 pre-heated oven for 30 minutes (my oven took 28 minutes). Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before you cut it.

Sauteed mushrooms, peppers, etc. would be wonderful in this breakfast pizza. Just add them the same time as the thawed hash browns. You might have to add a couple extra minutes to the total baking time if you add a LOT of extra veggies.

NOTE: You can also use one of those small boxes of JIFFY pizza crust mix instead of the crescent roll dough.

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STRAWBERRY FROSTING

This quick and easy strawberry frosting is just delightful. I used fresh strawberries, but I see no reason why frozen (thawed) strawberries wouldn't work.  It has a light, fresh, fruity flavor and was a big hit at my house.

1 cup UNSALTED butter at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar (see note)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
5 tablespoons strawberry puree (see note)

Whip the butter, with electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Add the strawberry puree (I just pureed fresh strawberries in my food processor), vanilla and salt. Beat till smooth.

NOTE: The liquid of the strawberries will vary for everyone. If your frosting seems too soft, just add extra powdered sugar (a little at a time) until you get the consistency you want.  If you are going to use this for piping trim, you'll have to add at least another cup to a cup and a half of powdered sugar.
NOTE: This recipe will easily frost 2½ dozen cupcakes if you are just frosting them with a knife.

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Hot Dish Madness - Cowboy Bean Casserole

Last spring I put together some lower calorie but tasty updates to traditional casseroles and hot dishes. Having everything pre measured and portioned out really helped us track the calories and lose weight.

I used to love this bean casserole when my Mom used to make this for us when we were kids. What I have done is fancied it up a bit to give it some different layers of flavor. Serve this with a salad and you have a pretty good meal.

People have been asking me for the recipes so it is time to get them posted as we move into the cooler part of the year.

Cowboy Bean Casserole  
  
28 oz Van Kamps Pork and Beans 
1 Can Red Beans
1 Can Black Beans
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
8 oz Smoked Sausage
8 oz Cooked and Drained Bacon
1 Medium Onion
1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
1/2 Cup Ketchup
2 TBS Brown and Spicy Mustard
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup French's French Fried Onions      
  
Total Calories    3545
Calories Per Serving    295
Makes 12 Servings

Fry the smoked sausage and set aside. Brown the lean ground beef and set aside. Slice up the onion and fry it till it is translucent. Dice and fry the bacon until brown and set aside. Mix all the ingredients with the exception of the french fried onions and put into a 9 x12 casserole. Top with the French Fried Onions and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

If you want to save a few more calories and carbs you can substitute Splenda Brown Sugar for the regular Brown Sugar.

Enoy!

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CLASSIC BUTTER CAKE

A few days ago, my cooking buddy Katy, at Food For a Hungry Soul, posted a great classic cake recipe. It immediately caught my eye, not only because it looked so moist and delicious, but it looked quick, easy and used all standard pantry ingredients (my idea of a great recipe).

The recipe is all I hoped it would be. We had company for the weekend and the cake was a big hit. As a matter of fact, it was gone in about a day and a half (and it makes a nice big cake!!).  I hope you try it, it is delicious, thank you Katy!!

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 2)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour two 8" x 2" baking pans and set aside. (see note)

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat on high speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl once in a while). Add the eggs and beat two more minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally between the pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Katy frosted her butter cake with a delicious looking chocolate frosting, which I planned on repeating until I discovered I didn’t have enough powdered sugar, so I opted for a cooked frosting that uses granulated sugar, you can find my recipe here.

NOTE: The first time, I made this cake, I made the mistake of not measuring  the depth of my 8” cake pans. Katy’s directions said 8” x 2” and I found out (all too late) that my pans were 8” by 1½”. The cake baked beautifully, but got so tall that it came over the top and flowed over the edges (and down the sides) of the pan (thank goodness I had them on a cookie sheet!!) The next time I made the cake, I used a 9” x 2” pan and it worked beautifully (baked in 30 minutes).

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Carrot Semiya Payasam

With dewali just around the corner this carrot semiya payasam is one of my favorite festival foods. It is quick and easy to prepare. Additional of carrot gives it a very nice color and enhances its flavor. Here is the recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup broken vermicelli/samiya
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dry fruits (cashewnut,almond,kishmish, chironji and elachi)
• 1 tsp ghee

Procedure

In a deep bottom pan take 4 cups of milk and heat it.

While you wait for the milk to boil, in another pan heat 1 tsp ghee and fry the vermicelli/samiya to light golden brown and keep aside

In the same pan another spoon of ghee and fry the dry fruits till light golden brown and keep aside

Once milk starts boiling add the vermicelli , grated carrot and stir it nicely and let it cook. Stir occasionally every minute.

Once its cooked switch off the flame add the sugar and stir nicely. The sugar will melt automatically with the heat

Add the dry fruits and serve warm

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For The Love of Soccer and Rugby

We have all witnessed the glory and the excitement brought to us by our National Soccer Team, Azkals, on the recent season. The sport is beginning to come back with a vengeance after the series of poor performances in the past years, so I am more than happy to accommodate a guest poster, Alma, here on Sassy Chef. I wonder what food I'll prepare the next time me and my brothers watch another

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RASBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Everyone loves these raspberry bars, they have an ultra-buttery shortbread crust topped with cooked raspberries and a streusel topping.They are very sweet, buttery, tender AND they cut nicely...perfect for gift giving (these will definitely be in my cookie gift boxes this Christmas). Yes, you heard me correctly...it is never too early to start planning your holiday baking!!.

Raspberries grow well in Alaska, so if you are lucky enough to have some in the freezer, this is a wonderful recipe for them; I'm not so lucky, so I used a 12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries.

Put the berries (no need to thaw) in a heavy saucepan with ¼ cup of water and one cup of white sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium high and simmer the berries until they thick (I turned mine down to a medium low heat and simmered them for about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool (they will thicken even more as they cool).

SHORTBREAD CRUST

21 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled to room temp.

This seems like a lot of butter, but it makes an upper and lower crust

¾ cup of white sugar

2 large egg yolks

3 cups + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

No need to use an electric mixer, I did it all with a wooden spoon. Mix the sugar into the melted butter and whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour to make a very stiff dough. Remove two cups of this dough and pat evenly into a foil lined 9 x 13 pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or put in freezer for 7 minutes). Set the rest of the dough aside.

Bake the 9 x 13 chilled pan of dough, on the middle rack of your oven, for 20 minutes at 325.

After 20 minutes, the dough will still be very pale in color and will not have any golden color on the edges. Remove it from the oven and spread the cooled raspberry filling evenly over it.

To the reserved shortbread dough that you set aside, add ¼ cup of granulated sugar and use a fork to break up the dough into crumbs (I use my pastry cutter).

Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the raspberry layer. Bake on the TOP rack of a 350 oven for 25 minutes (mine took 32 minutes). Watch the crumbles towards the end of the baking time so they don't get dark. 

Cool baked bars on a wire rack for at least an hour or until completely firm. You can speed set them in the fridge. When the bottom of the pan is completely cool, lift the bars out of the pan by pulling on the flap ends of the foil. Cut into 2" bars. These will keep at room temperature for a week.

 NOTE: The butter measurement of 21 tablespoons is not a typing error

NOTE: Line  your 9" x 13" baking pan with foil and leave the ends of the foil a little long, so you can use them as handles to lift the cooled bars out of the pan. You don't have to grease the bottom of the pan because there's so much butter in the shortbread, but DO spray the sides of the pan/foil with cooking spray so the jam doesn't stick to the sides.

NOTE: Pay attention to baking temperatures. The first crust pre-bake is on the middle rack at 325. The final bake is on the TOP rack at 350. The recipe says it is baked on the top rack so that the bottom of the crust doesn't get too dark.

NOTE: If you want to take a shortcut, I am fairly certain you can just use raspberry jam instead of cooking the berries. I have not tried it this way, but I don't know why it wouldn't work (although I'm fairly certain that the cooked berries taste "brighter".

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Crispy Hot German Potato Salad

I went to an Oktoberfest party last night at an old school German restaurant in Lake Zurich, Illinois called Fritzl's European Restaurant and Pub. It has the reputation of being one of the better German restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area.

They make a fine schnitzel and have a decent German potato salad. I have always liked the traditional tangy flavor of a Hot German Potato Salad. It is a pretty old school dish whose recipe traditionally revolves around potato, onion, bacon, mustard, and vinegar.

Anyway some genius that was sitting at the bar ordered his hot German potato salad grilled/fried on the flat top. It looked great when it hit the table and it inspired this recipe which updates an old favorite. Texture and the layering of flavors is what makes this one a little different than any other one you have had.

My father was a true potato salad aficionado. He was an engineer and engineers are typically pretty precise people. He made a precise traditional mustard potato salad which remains the very best I have ever had in my life. Nothing comes close to it and the thing that made it special was the texture.

He always said what made his so good was how he controlled cooking and cooling times which resulted in the perfectly textured potato. He also precisely controlled the size and crispiness of the Walla Walla Sweet Onions, sweet pickles, and boiled eggs. Everything was the uniform perfect size so every ingredient worked exceptionally well with the other.

I use the same principles of potato salad preciseness as my father with what I call the Crispy Hot German Potato Salad. I like to serve this with grilled sausages and sauerkraut...Lederhosen optional!

2 1/2 lb Yukon Gold Potato
1/2 lb Bacon
1 Medium Red Onion
1/4 Cup Crushed Garlic
1/8 Cup Chopped Chives or Scallions
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp Brown Sugar
Paprika to taste
Fresh Dill
1/8 Cup Stone Ground Mustard
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the Yukon Gold Potato's and refrigerate overnight. Slice the cold potato's into 1/4 inch rounds and set aside. Dice the bacon into 1/2 inch slices and fry it in a cast iron frying pan until crisp and set aside. Fry the onions and the garlic in a trace amount of the bacon grease until translucent and set aside. Fry potato rounds in the olive oil until reasonably crispy on both sides.

Combine red onion, garlic, chives, bacon, cider vinegar, and the stone ground mustard and toss with potato's and return to the frying pan for a final crisping on both sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with paprika, chives, and fresh dill.

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Root Beer Short Ribs

Root Beer Short Ribs are all the rage these days. They are hearty, easy to make, economical, and quirky enough even to impress everyone at your next dinner party. I like to serve them over smashed red potato's with something green on the side such as steamed green beans, asparagus, or brussel sprouts.

Make sure you use a good quality cane sugar based root beer. No matter where you are in the country there is a fantastic boutique root beer. A couple of examples readily available in the Chicago area would be IBC, Stewarts, Goose Island, or Sprecher.

What makes this recipe different is kicking it up a notch with smoked chipolte powder and adding some richness by adding demi-glace while finishing the sauce.

4-1/2 pounds beef short ribs
Sea salt and pepper
Garlic powder
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1" wedges
1 bunch celery, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
12 baby carrots, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
8 sliced garlic cloves
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon smoked chipolte powder
One 1.5 package of demi-glace gold
3-1/2 cups beef broth
2 cups root beer

Preheat oven to 275^o F. Season ribs generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat oil to high. In batches, brown ribs on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Transfer ribs to a plate and pour off all but 2 Tablespoons fat from pot.

Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, cumin, smoked chipolte pepper, and star anise. Cook until the onions are soft which usually takes about five minutes.

Return the ribs to the pot and add broth and root beer. Bring to a rapid simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. Cook until meat can be easily pierced with the tip of a pairing knife, about 3 hours. With a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to a large straight-sided skillet; discard solids by pouring/straining liquid through a sieve or strianer. Skim off fat from cooking liquid. If you have time, place liquid in the refrigerator for a little while, making it easier to discard the fat that will accumulate on top.

Add demi-glace gold to strained liquid. Boil liquid and ribs over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by half which takes about 20-30 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on it and move the sauce around to add a glaze to the ribs.

Smashed Garlic-Bacon-Onion Red Potato's

8 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 strips chopped bacon
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cover the taters with cold water in a 3- to 4-qt pot and add 1 tbsp salt. Boil until almost tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and lightly crush to about 3/4 inch thick with a potato masher, keeping potatoes intact as much as possible.

Finely chop four strips of bacon. Fry bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it light brown and remove. Reserve the oil and add garlic and onions to the skillet and cook till translucent and remove. Add potato's to skillet and top with the onions, garlic, and bacon then lower heat to medium-low and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 20 minutes total. Serve sprinkled with cheese. Season generously with pepper.

Serves 6-8

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MAPLE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (MICROWAVE)

I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe pages: The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook. I have found some great recipes over there, and I highly recommend their recipe blog.

This quick and easy microwave fudge is totally addicting. I made it the other day and our company went nuts for it (I have to admit that Picky-Picky Hubby and I ate our share as well). The unlikely maple-peanut butter combo is fantastic; not quite peanut butter, not quite maple, hint of butterscotch maybe?

8 ounces salted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound of powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8" x 8" buttered pan with parchment paper so that the parchment overhangs enough to fold over, once the pan is filled (I didn't butter the pan).

Place the butter and peanut butter in a large (microwave safe) bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 2 minutes (cut the butter into cubes and mix it into the peanut butter so that it all melts evenly).

Remove the bowl from the microwave (carefully, it is hot), and stir. Re-cover and microwave for (an additional) 2 minutes. Remove from microwave (careful, it is really hot) (watch for hot steam when you remove plastic).

Add the extracts and powdered sugar and stir with wooden spoon (I used my stand mixer). Press into prepared pan and press down until flat and compact. Cover the top of the fudge with extra parchment paper. Place in fridge for 2 to 4 hours.  Bring to room temperature before you try to slice this fudge. I didn't butter the pan, so I had to run a thin knife around the edges before I lifted the fudge out of the pan by using the parchment paper "handles".

Store in air tight container at room temperature. I didn't put mine in an air tight container, I just left it in a bowl with loose fitting lid.

NOTE: If the fudge seems "crumbly" while it is still hot, don't worry about it. Just press it tightly into the prepared pan and when it chills, it will look just like the photo. Eight ounces of butter seems like a lot, but I can guarantee you the fudge does NOT taste greasy at all, it is excellent.

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Malunggay (Moringa) Powder Recipes

My
dad is a certified health buff who loves everything organic. Ever so often he picks stalks of malunggay leaves from our tree, and
makes a brew with fresh lemongrass stalks and fresh pandan leaves, all
from our garden of course. Mixed in with raw honey and a squeeze of lemon and he's a happy man.






When I came across Golden Style Cafe's Malunggay Powder,
I was very delighted because

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APPLE CAKE with CARAMEL SAUCE

My Facebook friends are "torturing" me with tales of inexpensive produce this time of year...bushels of tomatoes equalling 14 quarts of fresh salsa...bushels of apples and peaches (I am so envious). The other day (here in Alaska) I paid $2.29 a pound for apples!! Whew!!!

I found this recipe for apple cake on Recipe Shoebox, it is the ultimate as far as flavor and moistness. It is one of those gem-recipes that is even more moist on the second day. Served alone it is sensational, but served slightly warm with ice cream, it is ridiculously delicious.

5 large Granny Smith apples
½ cup butter (room temperature)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Peel, core and dice the apples (about pea size...I use the food processor), set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg; beat in vanilla.

Add flour, spices, salt and baking soda to the butter mixture. The batter will be very thick (almost like a cookie batter). Stir in the apples (the moisture from the apples will loosen up the batter).

Spread the batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish (I like to use glass) and bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched (my electric oven takes 45 minutes).

Lara's original recipe just said to serve the sauce (recipe below) with the cake, however, I decided to do it a little differently: I removed the cake from oven and let it cool for 15 minutes, then I poked small holes, about every 2", over the entire cake  (make sure the holes go deep enough to touch the bottom of the cake pan). NOTE: I used my skinniest meat thermometer to make the small holes.  Pour the hot caramel topping over the surface of the cake (it will disappear down into the holes).

EASY CARAMEL TOPPING (Lara called it butterscotch, but it is more of a caramel taste).
In a sauce pan with a heavy bottom, mix ¼ cup butter and ½ cup brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted completely. Slowly add ½ cup heavy cream (careful it will splatter at first) whisking while you add it.  Bring this mixture to a LOW boil.  Boil and stir for 3 minutes. Pour hot topping over warm cake. Let cake cool before serving.

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