Apple Filling / Topping

When I make pancakes for dinner, I like to make some kind of special sauce to go along with them.  This apple creation could be used for this, though I made it to function as the filling for a cake.  It has a nice taste of apple and it isn't too sweet, which makes it a winner in my book.  A nice bonus is that it also makes a very tasty "glue" in a layer cake.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Granny Smith apple, skinned, cored and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. In small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch until cornstarch is no longer clumped.  Stir in water and mix until cornstarch is dissolved.  Stir in cinnamon.  Place saucepan on medium heat.  Cook and stir mixture until it bubbles and becomes clear.  Add apple pieces.  Return mixture to a boil to lightly cook apple.  Remove from heat, then stir in lemon juice.  If using as a sauce, use hot.  If using as cake filling, refrigerate filling until you are ready to use it.

White Chili

I don't really remember when I first had white chili, but I seem to recall having a fantastic bowl of it in a restaurant at some point when I was a teenager and thinking that I needed to learn how to make it.  No recipe that I tried could replicate the depth of spice and flavor that I wanted, so I ended up embellishing a number of recipes and concluding with this one recipe.  I can never decide if the taste or the smell is more fantastic, since the smell seems to seep into every room of the house and even outside.  The taste, however, is really something extraordinary.

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, minced
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small can chopped green chilies, drained
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Shredded Jack cheese and tortilla chips, for serving

1. In dutch oven or stock pot, saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add chicken and saute until chicken is evenly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chilies and beans, then broth. Measure spices into mixture and stir well.  Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is tender.
2. In small bowl or measuring cup, whisk flour and milk together.  Stir milk mixture into simmering soup and stir well.  Return mixture to a simmer to thicken.
3. Remove chili from heat and stir in sour cream.  Serve with desired stir-ins.

Porter Beef Stew

I wanted a beef stew with a deeper flavor than just broth.  Since I had a busy day planned, I also wanted a stew for the slow cooker.  Even with those ideas in mind, I wasn't completely sure about how this would turn out.  I made a casserole earlier this year that had beer and tomato paste as the base, so I thought this would work.  I was pretty impressed with the end results.  It is especially delicious with a crusty bread or multigrain roll.

Serves 4

1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lb beef, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 bottle porter beer
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Cut up scallion.  Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and stir with scallion.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until scallion is soft.  Stir in cornstarch until paste forms.  Pour mixture into slow cooker.  Add beef cubes and mix well.  Pour porter over mixture, then stir in tomato paste and broth.  Season with thyme and salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.  Stir as needed to prevent mixture from sticking to the slow cooker crock.
2. About an hour before you plan to eat, add potato and carrot pieces.  Stir well.  Cook until potatoes are cooked through.  Serve hot.

Peanut Noodles with Broccoli and Shrimp

Not real sure where the basis for this recipe came from, but this is a dish I have been making for a while now.  I sometimes change the vegetables (snap peas and green beans are also good) or the meat (I also like sliced chicken breast) but the sauce remains much the same.  It's a little sour, a little sweet, with a great nutty start.  The stronger flavors of broccoli and garlic tone down the shrimp nicely as well.  It's tasty all around.

Serves 2-3

8 oz linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb raw shrimp, skinned and deveined
1 1/2 cup broccoli pieces
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1. Cook pasta to al dente.  While pasta is cooking, clean shrimp, mince garlic, and cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces.  Drain and set aside.
2. In saucepan where you cooked the pasta, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add drained shrimp and saute until shrimp is lightly browned.  Stir in broccoli, drizzle with water, and season with salt and pepper.  Cover saucepan and steam contents until shrimp is cooked through and broccoli is bright, about 5 minutes.
3. While shrimp and broccoli are steaming, stir cider vinegar and brown sugar together in a small bowl.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.  Add peanut butter and mix well.  Remove cover from saucepan and remove pan from heat.  Stir pasta into shrimp and broccoli, then top with peanut butter sauce.  Stir well and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

I had baking and other things to do yesterday, so I decided that something in the slow cooker was in order.  In looking at slow cooker recipes online, I happened upon one that was for a turkey breast.  I thought it would be far enough away from Thanksgiving to have turkey.  I decided to make it more-or-less how I would make a turkey for Thanksgiving, herbs and all, and was impressed by the results.  The turkey was moist and had a good flavor, just without the oven being tied up for hours.

Serves 4

1/2 onion, cut into pieces
2 sprigs fresh thyme
9-10 fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
3 cups water
2-3 lbs turkey breast with bone and skin
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Scatter onion pieces over bottom of slow cooker.  Add thyme, sage, garlic salt, and water.  Place turkey on top of this and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook turkey on low for 7-8 hours.  Remove from slow cooker carefully, as turkey will likely fall apart.  Cut into pieces to serve. 
3. If desired, reserve broth for another use.  Use a slotted spoon to remove onion pieces and herbs, then pour broth into a container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

We had a family birthday this weekend and I had a football game to go to, which meant that the traditional cake that I am usually in charge of making was not going to happen unless I wanted to making said cake at midnight.  I realize that normal people would probably just buy a cake, but I am not really normal.  So I got the idea that cheesecake would be a lot easier and take less time.  For just being the easiest thing that I could think to make, this was absolutely delicious.  Notice that the dairy is all room temperature, which is to help the room-temperature melted chocolate mix in without clumping.

Serves 8

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons water
2 8-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup sweetened flake coconut
1/2 cup pecan pieces

1. In measuring cup or small heatproof bowl, heat chocolate chips for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Set aside.
2. In small bowl, combine cocoa powder and water.  Mix until paste forms.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese until it loses the shape of blocks.  Add sugar and mix until combined.  Beat in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.  Scrap sides of the bowl.  Stir in the now-cooled chocolate and the cocoa paste.  Mix just until combined.  Pour mixture into chocolate crumb pie crust.  Place filled pie crust on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake cheesecake in 325 degree oven for 40 minutes or until center does not look liquid when pan is shaken.  Transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack.
5. As soon as cheesecake is out of the oven, start the topping.  In a small saucepan or skillet, whisk yolk and cream together until smooth.  Add sugar and butter, mixing until combined.  Place saucepan or skillet on medium heat and, stirring frequently, cook until mixture is thick and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.  Drop small amounts of coconut mixture over hot cheesecake, smoothing as best you can to cover the top of the cheesecake.
6. Allow cheesecake to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Cheesecake can be stored in refrigerator for up to three days.

Pumpking Pasties

I have always been intrigued by the idea of these pumpkin pasties, which I always have to include the note next to that the word "pasty" that it rhymes with "nasty".  Having had a few pasties when I was in the UK--mostly in Scotland--I was curious how it would be that a pumpkin filling wouldn't just run everywhere.  I am sure that this could be accomplished with magic, but what about in the non-wizarding world?  So I decided to just jump in and try it.  Cornstarch seemed like my best bet, since it would probably take too much flour and then the filling would be peach, not orange.  From there, I basically just added bits and pieces of pumpkin pie filling that made sense.  I was amazed at how nice these looked and how great they tasted.  Now whether they are like the ones Harry Potter ate on the Hogwarts Express, well, that I think is debatable.  But I enjoyed them. Note about how I shaped these: I have a cut and seal tool, which really saved me time and gave me a very polished finished product.  You can buy a cut and seal tool like I have here: The Pampered Chef Cut N Seal #1195

Makes 12 pasties

1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (if using homemade puree, use 1 1/2 tablespoon)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Generous dash ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
Dash ground ginger
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3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cinnamon
3/4 cup oil
6 tablespoons water
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1-2 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling

1. In mixing bowl, stir pumpkin and cornstarch together until cornstarch is absorbed and no lumps remain.  Stir in 1/3 cup sugar--you will notice it get a little watery with this and that is fine--cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.  Set aside.
2. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In medium mixing bowl, toss flour with salt and cinnamon.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  In measuring cup, measure oil and water together.  Whisk oil and water together until the mixture looks milky.  Pour liquid, all at once, into well in the center of the flour.  Stir liquid into flour until all flour is absorbed.  Divide dough into thirds and shape each third into a ball.
4. Cut two squares of waxed paper.  Place dough ball between the two sheets of waxed paper and roll out until dough is the same size as the waxed paper.  Cut large circles with a cookie cutter or your cut-and-seal instrument, turning the cutter to make a clean cut.  With one third of the dough, you should have 8 dough circles.  Any scraps between circles can be lifted and incorporated into remaining 2 thirds of dough.   Using a small cookie cutter, press a shape into 4 dough circles but do not wiggle the small cutter to cut through the dough.  Place 2 tablespoons of pumpkin mixture on the 4 dough circles without the shape cut-out, then spread the pumpkin into a disc of equal thickness to within about 1/4 inch of dough circle edge.  Use a spatula to lift a dough circle with the shape cut-out, then use your hands to place the cut-out over the pumpkin.  The edges of the bottom (no cut-out) dough circle and the top (cut-out) dough circle should be about even.  Seal edges of dough with fork or with cut-and-seal.  Lift sealed pasty onto prepared cookie sheet.  Fill, layer, seal, and transfer remaining 3 pasties from this dough.  In the process or making the pasty, the cut-out in the dough will likely free itself from the dough circle.  As long as it is in place, leave it. The cutouts allow steam to escape, but exposed filling will get leathery so leave the cut-out in as cover against that.
5. Roll out the other thirds of dough as described in step 4.  Make 4 more pasties out of each remaining dough ball as described in step 4. 
6. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons sugar over tops of pasties on cookie sheet.  Bake pasties in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges are dark gold and tops are lightly browned.  Allow pasties to cool on the cookie sheet, then store in an air-tight container.  They can be frozen for 1-2 weeks or kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.