This year for Thanksgiving we were fortunate to be invited over to a friend's who is an excellent cook. I did contribute a few things:
Apple Pie (see last blog entry) with whipped cream.
Sweet Potato Casserole - the way my Mom has always made it, based on a recipe in the Fanny Farmer cookbook.
Boil some sweet potatoes until just fork tender. Peel and slice and layer with granny smith apples in casserole dish. Include some brown sugar and cinnamon in each layer. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes, then bake uncovered another 10 minutes.
Apple - Orange Cranberry Sauce - a Williams Sonoma recipe you've got to try, easy to make and delicious to eat.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?objectid=2B4B2473%2D7272%2D4F5A%2D8BDFBB7D8A8FA69B
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Apple Pie...a Billings Family Tradition
The bridal shower on Sunday was really fun. In addition to the pasta salad I also brought an apple pie. Everyone enjoyed it and really wanted the recipe. I bake pies so often, I never thought of posting recipes for them. One of the important things with apple pies is not to use too much sugar so that you can really taste the fruit.
Pies are easy once you get the hang of them. Don't be intimidated. I'm always available for lessons for those in the bay area. My Dad is an excellent pie baker and can provide training on the East Coast. :)
Here's the apple pie recipe I use:
First, the crust:
2 sticks butter
12 oz. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4-6 Tbsp iced water
I use my cuisinart to make crust. If you don't have a cuisinart, you can use a pastry cutter or fork. I cut the butter up into cubes and pulse it in the cuisinart with the flour until it reaches a sand like consistency. Then I add one tablespoon of ice water through the shoot and pulse a couple time. I keep adding ice water until the mixture is just wet enough to ball up. I then ball up the mixture and wrap it in plastic wrap and plop it in the fridge. It needs to refridgerate for at least two hours before use. When you are ready to make you pie just cut it in half, shape it into hockey pucks and roll it out with your rolling pin.
Next the filling:
3 lbs. organic granny smith apples (organic really does taste better with pies)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
juice of 1/2 lemon
Peel core and slice the apples about 1/4 inch thick. Toss all the ingredients together and let sit while you roll out your crusts.
Then assemble:
Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie plate. The bottom crust should overlap the edges of the pie plate. Spoon the apple mixture into the pie plate. Spread an even layer on the bottom first and then pile the rest on top. I usually reserve about a cup of the apple mixture to make some mini pies with the crust trimmings. Wet your finger and go around the edge of the pie plate. Roll out your top crust and place on top of the pie. This should also overlap. Gently press the top crust over the pie and into the area where you wet the bottom crust. Trim so there is about 3/4 inch overlap total. twist the extra dough in and primp with your fingers. Poke some holes in the top of the pie with a fork to allow steam to escape while cooking.
Finally the oven:
Preheat your oven to 450 and put the pie in for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 for another 30-40 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is a nice golden color and you can hear it sizzling inside. I have a crust guard from Pampered Chef to keep the edges from burning. You can also cover them with foil to be safe.
Bonus, the mini pies:
I roll out the extra crust and put the reserved apple mixture in the middle. Fold up the sides. This smaller pie only needs to bake for about 25 minutes at 350.
Andy usually eats the whole pie and then I give the mini pie to a neighbor or co-worker as a treat.
Pies are easy once you get the hang of them. Don't be intimidated. I'm always available for lessons for those in the bay area. My Dad is an excellent pie baker and can provide training on the East Coast. :)
Here's the apple pie recipe I use:
First, the crust:
2 sticks butter
12 oz. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4-6 Tbsp iced water
I use my cuisinart to make crust. If you don't have a cuisinart, you can use a pastry cutter or fork. I cut the butter up into cubes and pulse it in the cuisinart with the flour until it reaches a sand like consistency. Then I add one tablespoon of ice water through the shoot and pulse a couple time. I keep adding ice water until the mixture is just wet enough to ball up. I then ball up the mixture and wrap it in plastic wrap and plop it in the fridge. It needs to refridgerate for at least two hours before use. When you are ready to make you pie just cut it in half, shape it into hockey pucks and roll it out with your rolling pin.
Next the filling:
3 lbs. organic granny smith apples (organic really does taste better with pies)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
juice of 1/2 lemon
Peel core and slice the apples about 1/4 inch thick. Toss all the ingredients together and let sit while you roll out your crusts.
Then assemble:
Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie plate. The bottom crust should overlap the edges of the pie plate. Spoon the apple mixture into the pie plate. Spread an even layer on the bottom first and then pile the rest on top. I usually reserve about a cup of the apple mixture to make some mini pies with the crust trimmings. Wet your finger and go around the edge of the pie plate. Roll out your top crust and place on top of the pie. This should also overlap. Gently press the top crust over the pie and into the area where you wet the bottom crust. Trim so there is about 3/4 inch overlap total. twist the extra dough in and primp with your fingers. Poke some holes in the top of the pie with a fork to allow steam to escape while cooking.
Finally the oven:
Preheat your oven to 450 and put the pie in for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 for another 30-40 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is a nice golden color and you can hear it sizzling inside. I have a crust guard from Pampered Chef to keep the edges from burning. You can also cover them with foil to be safe.
Bonus, the mini pies:
I roll out the extra crust and put the reserved apple mixture in the middle. Fold up the sides. This smaller pie only needs to bake for about 25 minutes at 350.
Andy usually eats the whole pie and then I give the mini pie to a neighbor or co-worker as a treat.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Bridal Shower - Pasta Salad
I'm going to a bridal shower on Sunday and I've been asked to bring a pasta salad. I have one that I've been making for years and it's always good. I even made 10 recipes of it for a friend's wedding once. Pre-cooked chicken from Costco was added to make it the main meal. (We didn't have pasta salad for about a year after that.)
It's a super easy recipe. I like to roast my own red peppers, so that makes it a little more time consuming.
Fusilli with Tomato, Arugula and Feta:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/fusilli-with-tomato-arugula-and-feta-recipe/index.html
It's a super easy recipe. I like to roast my own red peppers, so that makes it a little more time consuming.
Fusilli with Tomato, Arugula and Feta:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/fusilli-with-tomato-arugula-and-feta-recipe/index.html
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
It's been a while...
Wow! It's been a really long time since I posted to my blog. I've made lots of great things since July that I should have been posting. Now I'm inspired again. My sister and her friends visited this past weekend and I made them an apple cake. I also made one for a potluck at work. Both groups gave rave reviews. I've had many requests for the apple cake recipes, so I'm posting it here.
See recipe for apple cake below. I used butter instead of margarine. I just don't buy margarine. I also used whatever type of apples were on hand. The last one I made had 2 honeycrisps and 1 granny smith. In my oven, I only needed to bake for 55 minutes, so be careful with the cooking time.
I also made turkey meatballs last week. They are great to freeze and are best heated up in sauce. This helps them stay moist. The microwave also works well. I heated them up in the oven as described in the recipe and they were kind of dry. I usually adjust the recipe and make 2 1/2 lbs of turkey meat so that we have lots to freeze.
Cinnamon Apple Cake:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=520875
Turkey Meatballs:
Since I can't figure out how to post pdfs to this blog, I will type out the recipe for you.
1 lb turkey
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Put all the ingredients together and use your clean hands to incorporate everything together. Roll between palms into meatballs of whatever size you prefer. I do mine about 1 inch. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Gently brown meatballs for about 2 minutes. Transfer to cookie sheet with sides, it's okay if the meatballs are touching. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. When they come out of the oven you can eat them immediately. Also, you can transfer to another cookies sheet, this time don't let them touch, cool to room temperature and then freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag. The best way to thaw them out is by throwing them in pasta sauce for 20 minutes on the stovetop.
This recipe appeared in the September 2008 issue of Cooking Light on page 18.
See recipe for apple cake below. I used butter instead of margarine. I just don't buy margarine. I also used whatever type of apples were on hand. The last one I made had 2 honeycrisps and 1 granny smith. In my oven, I only needed to bake for 55 minutes, so be careful with the cooking time.
I also made turkey meatballs last week. They are great to freeze and are best heated up in sauce. This helps them stay moist. The microwave also works well. I heated them up in the oven as described in the recipe and they were kind of dry. I usually adjust the recipe and make 2 1/2 lbs of turkey meat so that we have lots to freeze.
Cinnamon Apple Cake:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=520875
Turkey Meatballs:
Since I can't figure out how to post pdfs to this blog, I will type out the recipe for you.
1 lb turkey
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Put all the ingredients together and use your clean hands to incorporate everything together. Roll between palms into meatballs of whatever size you prefer. I do mine about 1 inch. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Gently brown meatballs for about 2 minutes. Transfer to cookie sheet with sides, it's okay if the meatballs are touching. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. When they come out of the oven you can eat them immediately. Also, you can transfer to another cookies sheet, this time don't let them touch, cool to room temperature and then freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag. The best way to thaw them out is by throwing them in pasta sauce for 20 minutes on the stovetop.
This recipe appeared in the September 2008 issue of Cooking Light on page 18.
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