Four days later, I'm still looking for ways to use up the abundance of apples we brought home from the farm. And then, my dear friend L reminded me that I have a little baby. And in a few months, he'll be eating solids. Riiiiiight.....APPLESAUCE. Big duh.
Now, at first, I was a little apprehensive to do this. I know it seems a bit of a double-standard to write a blog about healthy and local eating and then buy all of my son's baby food. However, all of that cooking and processing and freezing and so on seemed way out of my reach unless I wanted to have less sleep and lose my mind. However, even though I think there are some really great and creative baby food companies/foods out there for purchase, COME ON, paying for applesauce? squash? BANANAS?!?! The question became, how do I do it.
Williams-Sonoma has a very cool device called the Beaba BabyCook baby food maker. And for only $149.95, plus an additional $200 or so in accessories, you can steam, chop, and freeze your baby food the Williams-Sonoma way. Nope. Not gonna happen. Babies R Us had a similar but only mildly less expensive version, the Baby Brezza, which also came with ridiculously over-priced accessories. I was just about to give up when, after turning the aisle in Babies R Us, I came across this little number. The Babies R Us brand electric baby food processor. It's only $26.99 and the freezer containers (16 to a box) are only $10. It's all BPA free, and the only real difference between this and the others is that I have to cook the food first and pour it into the jars myself.
It was ABSURDLY easy. After I sterilized the parts and freezer containers, it took five minutes to peel and cut the apples, ten minutes to cook them, ten seconds to process them, and fifteen seconds to pour the applesauce into the little containers. After they cooled, I popped the lids down and into the freezer they went.
Here's the recipe. Oh, and if you are interested in more recipes for babies, I'm going to set up links on the side JUST for baby food recipes so you can find them all in one place!
You need:
8 apples, peeled and quartered
water
Place the apples in a 2 qt. or larger pot. Place 1" of water into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the apples are boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and then process. Pour into jars or freezer containers. Fridge safe for up to a week, freezer safe for up to 8 months.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Apple Raisin Bars
After a morning of apple picking (and children who seem unable to comprehend the words "NO, we do NOT need any more apples!), we arrived home with an overly impressive bounty of apples. My friend D has come to the rescue with this recipe from Family Circle magazine. These are unbelievably delicious. Now I only need to make 75 more batches and I may come close to using half of the apples we picked!
You need:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. apples, diced
3/4 c. raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a 13x9 inch pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients. Stir in apples and raisins. Spread evenly in the pan and cook for 35 min.
You need:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. apples, diced
3/4 c. raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a 13x9 inch pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients. Stir in apples and raisins. Spread evenly in the pan and cook for 35 min.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Easy Pizza - Two Ways
We love pizza. However, I often get major heartburn when we order out, so I tend to get adventurous and make my own. Wegmans published a bunch of pizza recipes in this month's Menu magazine. Here is my take on two of them that we tried over the last two weeks.
1. Salami and Roasted Pepper Pizza
You need:
Your favorite pizza shell/dough
1/2 c. pizza sauce
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 lb. genoa salami, sliced thin
1/4 c. roasted pepper strips (I use the jarred red and yellow)
Top the pizza with the sauce and toppings. Cook at 500 degrees for 15 min.
2. Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza
You need:
Your favorite pizza shell/dough
1/2 c. pizza sauce
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced or torn
1 c. fresh arugula
olive oil
salt and pepper
Top the pizza with the sauce and cheese. Cook at 500 degrees for 15 min. While it's cooking, drizzle the arugula with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. After removing the pizza from the oven, top with the arugula mix.
1. Salami and Roasted Pepper Pizza
You need:
Your favorite pizza shell/dough
1/2 c. pizza sauce
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 lb. genoa salami, sliced thin
1/4 c. roasted pepper strips (I use the jarred red and yellow)
Top the pizza with the sauce and toppings. Cook at 500 degrees for 15 min.
2. Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza
You need:
Your favorite pizza shell/dough
1/2 c. pizza sauce
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced or torn
1 c. fresh arugula
olive oil
salt and pepper
Top the pizza with the sauce and cheese. Cook at 500 degrees for 15 min. While it's cooking, drizzle the arugula with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. After removing the pizza from the oven, top with the arugula mix.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip "Lactation" Cookies
If ever there was a post that might turn off some readers, I'm sure it's this one. However, these cookies, recommended by my friend K, are REALLY good. Unlike traditional chocolate chip cookies which can be a bit cakey, these are really chewy and flat. They spread quite a bit when baking, so be sure to leave plenty of room between them on the tray when baking. If you're a nursing mom, the flaxseed and brewer's yeast are sure to help your healthy milk supply. If you're simply a lover of cookies, the added nutritional benefits will only make you feel like you can eat more of them because they are "healthy" cookies. ;-)
You need:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well. Add eggs and mix well. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mix. Stir in oats and chips. Scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.
You need:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well. Add eggs and mix well. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mix. Stir in oats and chips. Scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Baked Potatoes with Sausage and Arugula Sauce
A loves any recipe that includes sausage, but I've found that my sausage recipes are lacking in the creativity department. However, when I saw this recipe on Giada at Home last week, I knew that this would be something that she would love and would be easy to make as well. I was right. The longest part of this recipe was baking the potatoes, but the rest was wicked fast and easy. And...it's absolutely delicious!!
You need:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or chopped
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
1 1/2 cups tomato-basil sauce
3 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 baked russet potatoes, 8 to 10 ounces each
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the sausage and break up the meat. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sauce and arugula. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the arugula has wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture forms a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut a slit in the top of each baked potato and gently squeeze the ends to form an opening in the top. Spoon the sausage sauce into each potato. Garnish with parsley.
You need:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or chopped
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
1 1/2 cups tomato-basil sauce
3 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 baked russet potatoes, 8 to 10 ounces each
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the sausage and break up the meat. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sauce and arugula. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the arugula has wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture forms a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut a slit in the top of each baked potato and gently squeeze the ends to form an opening in the top. Spoon the sausage sauce into each potato. Garnish with parsley.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Fusilli with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper
A and I are both suckers for a creamy sauce, but all too often the only options out there are Alfredo-type sauces, which are a little too rich for our tastes. This sauce, made with fresh spinach and mascarpone cheese (a sweet little indulgence) does just the trick. We found this recipe while watching re-runs of Giada at Home on a rainy Labor Day!
You need:
1 lb. fusilli pasta
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
5 oz. baby spinach
Fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c. pecorino romano cheese, grated
1 c. mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite. Reserve 3/4 c. pasta water and then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes) and then discard. Add the spinach and 2 tsp. pepper and cook for 1 minute, or until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat, add the pasta, the romano cheese, and 2 tsp. salt and pepper. Stir until combined. In a small bowl, mix the pasta water and the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Pour over the pasta and toss until coated. Enjoy!
You need:
1 lb. fusilli pasta
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
5 oz. baby spinach
Fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c. pecorino romano cheese, grated
1 c. mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite. Reserve 3/4 c. pasta water and then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes) and then discard. Add the spinach and 2 tsp. pepper and cook for 1 minute, or until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat, add the pasta, the romano cheese, and 2 tsp. salt and pepper. Stir until combined. In a small bowl, mix the pasta water and the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Pour over the pasta and toss until coated. Enjoy!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Conventional Macaroni and Cheese
We're in the midst of getting A ready for school tomorrow, so I wanted dinner to be something easy to prepare and that she would eat well to gather strength for the long day tomorrow! The old stand-by? Conventional Macaroni and Cheese. I don't make it often, since all of us here prefer my Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce, but it takes longer to prepare and I don't always have the right ingredients on hand. I ALWAYS have elbows, milk, cheese, and bread crumbs. Most people do, and it tastes a heck of a lot better than something out of a box. Note: To make the creamiest sauce with less clumping, bring your milk, cheese, and butter to room temperature before cooking.
There's a lot of "white" in this sauce, so it pairs well with spinach for those of you looking to add more color to each meal.
You need:
1lb. elbow macaroni
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
3 tsp. salt (plus extra to salt the pasta water before cooking the elbows)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
6 c. whole milk
3 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. Cook macaroni until almost tender but still firm, as it will continue to cook when baking. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, bread crumbs, oil, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook for 3 minutes. The mixture will clump together, so don't fear you've done something wrong here. Still stirring, add the milk SLOWLY, and cook for 7 minutes more. Add the cheese and remaining salt, and cook for 5 minutes more until thick and creamy. Add the macaroni and combine. Transfer to your casserole dish, top with bread crumb mixture, and bake for 25 minutes.
There's a lot of "white" in this sauce, so it pairs well with spinach for those of you looking to add more color to each meal.
You need:
1lb. elbow macaroni
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
3 tsp. salt (plus extra to salt the pasta water before cooking the elbows)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
6 c. whole milk
3 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. Cook macaroni until almost tender but still firm, as it will continue to cook when baking. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, bread crumbs, oil, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook for 3 minutes. The mixture will clump together, so don't fear you've done something wrong here. Still stirring, add the milk SLOWLY, and cook for 7 minutes more. Add the cheese and remaining salt, and cook for 5 minutes more until thick and creamy. Add the macaroni and combine. Transfer to your casserole dish, top with bread crumb mixture, and bake for 25 minutes.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Rustic Vegetable and Polenta Soup
As quickly as summer came, it is slowly leaving us. The leaves are getting crisp at the side of the road and soon they will change colors - the most magnificent colors that only those of us in the northeast can appreciate. Sentimentality has taken over. On Tuesday, I will walk A to the bus and head back into the house. For the first time since 1982, I will not be going to school in September. I have always had a first day of school - elementary school, high school, college, graduate school, and the last eleven years as a teacher.
It seems strange to be missing the first day. My colleagues will have set up their classrooms, and they'll laugh and complain from the hallways of the high threes like always, but I won't be there to join in, and I'm already missing J and K (and the year hasn't even technically began). My homeroom will enter, but another teacher will be there to distribute schedules, agendas, and school picture forms. They are seniors this year. I've watched them grow from silly to serious, and it's a little sad to think I won't be there to see them through their last year. And another teacher will be decorating my boards, moving into my desk, and arranging the seats. Will she know to buy candy for holidays, light candles to make the room more homey, or to never, ever turn on all of the florescent lights?
A strange post for a cooking blog? Probably. But as a result of all of this nostalgia, I'm making soup. A delicious autumnal soup from Giada De Laurentis. I'm using heirloom tomatoes from A's garden to make it even more special. It takes no more than a half an hour to prepare. And it makes enough for a couple of meals. Maybe I'll even eat it for lunch on Tuesday, hours after I've headed back into the house after the bus has driven away, made another cup of coffee, and snuggled with C, the little gift from God that we've been blessed with this year who has reminded me to slow down, take a break, and enjoy the gift of life and love.
You need:
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, diced
4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. instant polenta
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
Heat olive oil in a medium or large soup pot. Add carrots, onions, and salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add parsley, thyme, garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the polenta and cook for 8 minutes. Add the butter, stir, and serve. Season with, if desired, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
It seems strange to be missing the first day. My colleagues will have set up their classrooms, and they'll laugh and complain from the hallways of the high threes like always, but I won't be there to join in, and I'm already missing J and K (and the year hasn't even technically began). My homeroom will enter, but another teacher will be there to distribute schedules, agendas, and school picture forms. They are seniors this year. I've watched them grow from silly to serious, and it's a little sad to think I won't be there to see them through their last year. And another teacher will be decorating my boards, moving into my desk, and arranging the seats. Will she know to buy candy for holidays, light candles to make the room more homey, or to never, ever turn on all of the florescent lights?
A strange post for a cooking blog? Probably. But as a result of all of this nostalgia, I'm making soup. A delicious autumnal soup from Giada De Laurentis. I'm using heirloom tomatoes from A's garden to make it even more special. It takes no more than a half an hour to prepare. And it makes enough for a couple of meals. Maybe I'll even eat it for lunch on Tuesday, hours after I've headed back into the house after the bus has driven away, made another cup of coffee, and snuggled with C, the little gift from God that we've been blessed with this year who has reminded me to slow down, take a break, and enjoy the gift of life and love.
You need:
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, diced
4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. instant polenta
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
Heat olive oil in a medium or large soup pot. Add carrots, onions, and salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add parsley, thyme, garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the polenta and cook for 8 minutes. Add the butter, stir, and serve. Season with, if desired, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
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