Apple Crisp

Two years ago when I got married, my experience with cooking was limited to the typical college student fare. Thanks to a friend's recommendation I now owe just about everything I know to America's Test Kitchen. And my Mom of course!

Baking on the other hand is a completely different story. Lets just say following instructions explicitly is not a strong suit of mine. So when I tried this Apple Crisp recipe for the first time, I was delighted with how easy it was and the results were amazing. This is now my go to dessert recipe that receives raves every time. You can use any combination of apples, but I recommend 1/2 Granny Smith, 1/2 Red Delicious. And if you don't have one of these,

Get one! It will make the whole process much easier and should only set you back about $10. Usually after the crisp has been assembled I like to mix 1/4c pecans with 1T unsalted butter and 3T brown sugar and sprinkle this over the rest of the topping. This gives you a little more of those caramelized pecans that are so yummy. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Topping:

6 tbsp  all-purpose flour

1/4 cup  packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1/4 tsp  cinnamon

1/4 tsp  nutmeg

1/4 tsp  salt

5 tbsp  unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened

3/4 cups  finely chopped walnut or pecans

Filling:

3 lbs  apple (6 to 8), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1-1/2 tbsp  fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp  grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Add the butter and toss to coat. Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingertips until the mixture looks like crumbly wet sand. Add the nuts and toss to incorporate. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes before baking.

2. For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, together and place in an 8-inch-square (2-quart) glass or ceramic baking dish or 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.

3. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:

Crisp for a Crowd
Double the ingredients, bake the crisp in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, and increase the baking time to about 1 hour. (This works with the pear and peach variations as well.)

To make-ahead:
The crisp can be baked up to 8 hours ahead of time, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature. Reheat in a 350-degree oven until warm, 10 to 15 minutes. You can also make the topping in advance: Prepare it through step 1, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Source

Excerpted from The America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook by the editors of America's Test Kitchen. Copyright 2005 by the editors of America's Test Kitchen. Excerpted, with permission by Harper Collins Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

“My dog, she looks at me sometimes with that look, and I think maybe deep down inside she must know exactly how I feel. But then maybe she just wants the food off my plate.”

This is Zoe. Little furry love of my life!

Zoe likes....


Watching TV

Snow

Hiking

 Her Bag (Yes, we have a doggie bag. This was intended for carrying her when she was a puppy and couldn't make the long distances on our hikes as you can see above. However, Zoe doesn't realize she's a big girl now and still loves it when we get the bag out.)

As you can see, she is adorable. And quite unaware that she is not human. This might be due to the fact that I and the rest of my family treat her like our baby. But every dog has her flaws and Zoe's is a stubbornness that my husband claims rivals my own. This has resulted in two long years of potty training. Now the worst part of all this potty training was my belief that she knew what we wanted and just refused to give it to us. I really had no hard proof of this until recently. We had finally worked out a routine of two walks a day that seemed to eliminate indoor accidents. I should note here that Z is very courteous about her indoor BM's, she kindly preforms them in our bathtub....not something we taught her but I must say its easier to bleach that way! Anyways, we had a schedule, schedule was working. Then one afternoon my friend and I were having a little craft time (yes, I realize I'm an 80yr old woman) and were grossly neglecting little Z. Later that evening she had a very unproductive walk and we soon discovered why. During craft time, Z had exacted her revenge on me with a steaming pile of vindictive wrath in the tub. Anger and frustration begin to build inside me. Will it never end?!
And then I look at this face.

Have you seen these in your grocery store?

They contain everything you need for a Greek, Italian or Spanish salad. Just add the lettuce! (Wow, I sound like a commercial, Sorry!) I'm sure its great that way but I just wasn't in the mood for a salad so I did this.

Ingredients
1 container Just Add The Lettuce (Greek)
1 box penne pasta
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1/2 T oregano
1/2 T garlic salt
1/2 lb uncooked shrimp
Salt and Pepper to taste
Feta Cheese (The dressing contains feta but if you really like a lot of it you will need more)

-Combine vinegar and the next 4 ingredients in a bowl then add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and place in fridge
-Cook the pasta according to box directions, drain and place in a large bowl
-Heat a nonstick skillet on medium-high and pour in shrimp. Cook until pink then add to pasta.
-Pour salad dressing into pasta bowl and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste
-Serve immediately or chill for two and half hours

To Blog or Not to Blog (I realize this Shakespearean tag line has been butchered and overused, but will one more reference hurt?)

A few months ago my sister introduced me to Stumbleupon.com. I was hooked! So many sites, blogs, videos now so easily accessible. The personal blogs were what caught my eye however, and I began to think maybe I could do this too. And, the snide voice in my head added, then you can actually be a contribution to society instead of getting a sore thumb from clicking the stumble button over and over...

When I was younger, on a particularly sweltering summer day in Houston, my best friend and I were hit with a sudden impulse to accomplish something and decided to set up a lemonade stand. While creating our sign we decided we needed a catchy name to set ourselves apart from the other more generic lemonade stands we had seen. We settled on Hotsy Totsy Lemonade! Only 10 cents a cup! Like many of my bouts of creativity, this was short-lived and little came of it. (I tend to be impatient and have been self diagnosed with ADD) I believe we ended up chasing neighbors down to force feed them free cups of lemonade.

So when I created this blog on another creative impulse it felt a lot like that summer day when I decided to try something many others had tried before and give it my own little spin...and give it away for free of course! Here's hoping I stick with it!

Use it or Lose it

No matter how carefully I plan my grocery list to avoid things going to waste, it seems an inevitability! You may have heard of the incredibly PC term ‘Hobo Stew’ where you combine the miscellaneous items in your kitchen that are about to go bad into some sort of edible concoction. As you will come to see, I always have enough salsa in my fridge to supply a small Mexican restaurant. So my ‘hobo stews’ often have a very southwestern flair. The following recipe was one such attempt that received a YES MA’AM from the hubs. He also had a few name suggestions: Tortilla Explosion and Mexican Medley. We will be taking other suggestions!
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 zucchini diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1 can drained black beans
1 can rotel
1 cup of corn
2 flour tortillas torn
2-3 cups crumbled tortilla chips
2-3 cups shredded mexican cheese
2 Tb Chili powder
3 chili’s in adobo sauce
3 green onions chopped
sour cream
-Preheat oven to 275 and prepare a large casserole dish
-Brown beef,place adobo chili’s in with the beef and use spatula to break them up.  Then add onion, garlic and chili powder. Once most of the liquid has evaporated, pour into prepared dish.
-Cover meat mix with half of the crumbled chips and shredded cheese. On top of cheese place the tortillas(This is optional, I literally had two tortillas left and just threw them in but we found that they added more substance to the layering so give it a shot!).
-Saute zucchini, pepper and mushrooms until softened. Stir in beans, corn and rotel and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half and pour into the dish.
-Cover with remaining chips and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and chips are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
-Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions. Serve with sour cream.