Thanksgiving in May and Strawberry Apple Pie

Whew, last week was horrible. I didn't cook, I didn't blog, I didn't even watch TV. I did homework. Massive amounts of homework. However, the silver lining is that last night I completed the last assignment of my Associates degree. Yay me!

So now that done, and I can get back to more important things...like tomorrow night's dinner. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday (I think its cause I'm a foodie), and I really can't stand to eat Thanksgiving dinner only once a year. So during the summer at some point (I'm actually a little early this year) I get a craving for cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce and make Thanksgiving dinner early.

The difference between this Thanksgiving and my November one is that I try to do something a little different. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, and although I try to mix it up a little bit (particularly the desserts) I typically stick to the basics, because that's what I like. So for my middle of the year dinner, I try to do something a little different. I haven't decided what that will be yet, but I wanted to share with yall last year's dinner, because it was truly fantastic.

Stuffed and roasted Cornish Hen with steamed snap beans, whipped sweet potatoes (yes I piped them...be proud), and cranberry relish. Yum!

So the weekend after Thanksgiving 2010 we decided to switch to eating organic. For the most part we eat a pescetarian diet, which is vegetarian but it includes fish. We'll eat other types of meat, but it has to meet certain standards, such as being vegetarian fed, sustainably farmed, no added hormones or genetic modifications, organic, no preservatives, etc. Watch Food, Inc. You'll understand.

And that's exactly what the chicken I got for tomorrow's Thanksgiving in May dinner is. Yes, I know, non-traditional. But hey, neither is Cornish Hen and that was amazing. Either way, this will be the first time I've made chicken since November of last year. I know, crazy. Its not that I can't find or afford the meat that meets our standards - its just not been something we've missed. But tomorrow the chicken will fly again...figuratively. Technically it will be baked under a pile of dressing and served alongside mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. I had vowed to never again eat canned cranberry sauce, but I'm limited on time and couldn't find fresh cranberries anyways (just wait till November and I'll share that recipe).

For today however, I wanted to share the recipe for my absolute all-time most popular Thanksgiving pie. I've been debating posting this, just because its a specialty of mine, as is my pie crust (which you'll have to wait for, lol). I made eight of these pies this past Thanksgiving, and more of them for Christmas. Now that the berries are in season its an ideal time to break out the pastry cutter and make you a...

Strawberry Apple Pie

Ingredients
6 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced with a Pampered Chef "Peeler, Corer, Slicer" tool (yes, this is my secret for the perfect apples in apple pie)
1lb fresh strawberries, sliced
1c sugar
5tsp instant tapioca
1tsp cinnamon
9" double pie crust
1 egg (for egg wash)


Preparation
Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl, mix first five ingredients. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to pull juices out of fruit. Roll out bottom crust, and line bottom of 9" pie pan. The crust with an egg wash before filling with fruit. Cover with top crust (I like to lattice my top crust, but a whole crust is fine too, just make sure you put a few slits in it). Brush top crust with more egg whites, or my personal favorite, use about 1/3 stick of butter, and then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 50 minutes.

Happy Baking!

I suppose there's a first for everything, but I can't believe it...

...I have found a cream-cheese based recipe that I don't like. I'm shocked... the concept sounded so good. It all started with a free tub of Philadelphia Cooking Creme...

I'm not one to buy something just so that I can get another item for free, however I was already buying the two bags of Kraft Naturals Shredded Cheese that was the required purchase for the free item, so I figured why not? I picked up the Cooking Creme in Original Flavor (which I'm glad, because the reviews I read about the Italian are horrid), and last night I decided to make it into a cream sauce to put over spinach fettuccine with shrimp and crab meat. So I added my half n half and milk to the Cooking Creme and stirred until smooth on a low heat. Some of the other reviews I had read complained of a gritty texture to the Cooking Creme after it was heated, but I figured that they had possibly heated it at too high of a temperature and I believe I was correct. It melted into a smooth cream sauce easily. The texture was perfect. I added Italian seasonings, a little salt, and some Italian shredded cheese. Again, texture was perfect. It even tasted pretty good. Not what I had in mind, but good nonetheless. I threw in my shrimp and lump crab meat, and gave it a stir. It was even good at that point. Actually, a lot better than I expected at that point, due to the bad reviews of it (although to be fair, the bad reviews I found were for the Italian flavored variety).

Then I put it over noodles. That's when my opinion changed. It wasn't that it was bad. It just wasn't what I wanted. I was looking for more of an Alfredo flavor, hence the cheese being added to the sauce, and that just wasn't it. It would have probably been fine if I had used it for a shrimp and crab dip, and just left it like that. But as soon as I poured the sauce over noodles, my opinion of it changed. And I was amazed - I have finally found a place where cream cheese flavor doesn't belong - and that is in Alfredo sauce. Ugh.

So to make it all better I think I'm going to have to make some real Alfredo soon. The recipe I use is less of an "official recipe" and more of a "lets throw things together" recipe, but I usually use...

3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1 33oz carton of Central Market Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (usually a low sodium variety)
1 - 1.5c heavy cream
1 bag of Kraft Naturals 5 Cheese Italian Blend shredded cheese
garlic powder
onion powder
Italian seasonings

I make a roux out of the butter and flour, just enough to thicken the chicken broth. I realize that traditional recipes are mostly cheese and heavy cream - and they are deathly fattening. I actually find that using the chicken broth adds a certain depth of flavor while making it lower in calories and fat, and the low sodium variety is perfectly fine because the cheese adds enough saltiness to the sauce. Thicken the broth slightly (till it starts to bubble and coats the back of a spoon), and add your cream. Add all of your cheese at once, and stir constantly till incorporated and smooth. Add more cream (or milk if you want to cut the calories) if necessary, and then finish off with your seasonings to taste. Use over roasted chicken and spinach, shrimp and broccoli, or with just fettuccine noodles if you want to forgo the extras. Its also a great sauce for dipping bread in, if you want to half the recipe and serve as an appetizer. Here's a picture over roasted chicken and wilted spinach:

(A tip: to wilt spinach, simply rinse your leaves under cool water, and then transfer while wet into a saucepan or pot. On medium heat, gently toss the spinach until it just begins to "wilt.")


Happy Cooking!

My torrid love affair with cream cheese...

So there is no way I can have a blog about the goings-on in my kitchen and not discuss this comical addiction to the creamy happiness that is Philly. If I could put cream cheese on everything I probably would. I'd also probably weigh 300 pounds, but I'd be happy. This cream cheese obsession is entertaining to many, and the cause of a lot of recipe requests, which I am more than happy to share. I will say the same thing I always say - its not the recipe, its the chef. Like, 90% of my success in the kitchen is due to technique, which isn't something I can convey on a recipe card. Hmm, maybe blogging about it will work...we'll see. However, some secrets are best kept in my kitchen; if a magician doesn't have to tell, why should I? Lol.

I will be nice and share one of my favorite recipes that involve cream cheese - Cheesecake Brownies. They're so easy to make that I don't even feel the need to post pictures of the process (which I will have to do for some of my future recipes).

Step 1: Take any box of brownie mix...wait, let me pause...

YES, I sometimes use a brownie mix. Shh, its a secret. It has just gotten to the point where I know I can make them from scratch - you know I can make them from scratch - and I don't feel like I have to go all out to prove it every time I want to whip up a batch of brownies. AND...sometimes I'm just that lazy. My favorite mixes are the Ghirardelli line of brownie mixes. Any of them are great, just pick one. I usually have to use two boxes in a 13x9 pan for best results.

Okay, so back to Step 1: Take any box of brownie mix, and mix according to directions. Grease your pan (I love love LOVE to use Baker's Secret spray, a combination of oil and flour...perfect results) and pour about 3/4 of the batter into the pan.

Step 2: Using one 8oz block of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4c sugar, and 1/2tsp of vanilla, make your "Cheesecake" batter. Beat ingredients in small bowl on medium speed (careful not to over beat) until smooth. TIPS: The cream cheese is easiest to beat smoothly when close to room temp. Also, if using a 13x9 pan (because you doubled your Ghirardelli brownies because you think I'm smart) also double this recipe.

Step 3: Dollop your Cheesecake mixture over the pan of brownie batter. Using a butter knife (or a steak or chef's knife if you're feeling edgy) swirl the Cheesecake mixture a little, until fairly evenly distributed. Pour the rest of the brownie batter over this concoction, and use your knife again to swirl and make pretty designs. Bake as directed. Cool. Fridge the leftovers (yes, cream cheese is a dairy product - you might want to stick it in the fridge).

And voila! You have easy, yummy, creamy cheesy brownies to take to your next book club, kid's soccer game, quick dessert, or to sit on the couch and watch sappy movies all night while feeling bad about yourself because you're eating a whole pan of brownies alone. Actually, if that were my kitchen, the brownies would have never made it to the oven. Straight out of the bowl works just fine to watch The Notebook...


Happy Baking!

Amish Friendship Bread

The subject of friendship came to me this evening when I realized that one who I considered a dear friend back in the day has now become one who only calls or talks to me when something is needed. I never hear from this friend just to go hang out or go to lunch or whatever, but only when they need a service or something from me. It didn't used to be this way...what happened? Its actually kind of annoying...

Okay, that was my little tirade.

At any rate, that reminded me about Amish Friendship Bread and the many questions I get about it. How many bags starters can you make? What happens if I forget to "squish" my bag? What day is 'Day 1'? Where can I find another starter?

I'm going to start with the last question first, because that's one that I probably hear the most. I listen to sad bakers who let their starter go bad or just got bored of it and tossed it, but miss that happy little loaf of wonderful bread and want to start the cycle again but don't know where to get another one, as all of their friends got bored about the same time. There are websites offering to mail you a starter for various fees. But why would you bother with all of that when the 'magical, elusive starter' can be made in like twelve minutes in your kitchen (and ten of those minutes are waiting for the yeast to activate)?

The magical starter recipe is five ingredients long...and three of those are the ones you already put in on Day 6:

1pkg active yeast (not the quick rise kind)
1/4c lukewarm water
1c sugar
1c flour
1c milk

In a small bowl (non-metal, yes it matters) mix water and yeast and allow ten minutes to "activate." Pour into bowl with the other ingredients, stir, and transfer to gallon sized Ziploc. Voila!! Day 1 is accomplished. Which answers that other question..."Day 1" is simply the first day the starter goes into the bag. No mystery there.

Next comes the squishing part. In most recipes, the directions will tell you to squish your bag one to several times a day to mix the ingredients. Sure. Why not. Squish away. Really, you could let that bag sit there for five days, squish it, and then add the additional ingredients for that day (or "Day 6" in some recipes, whatever), and it would be perfectly fine. However, I would advise releasing the gas that is produced by feeding yeast. You'll notice that your bag starts to expand...yeah, you might want to let that air out, otherwise you may end up with a burst bag. Hasn't happened to me yet, just a warning.

Another question I get is how to tell if the starter has gone bad. Here's a hint: if it turns pink, orange, or has a very icky smell, its gone bad. Other than that, no big deal.

The last big question I get is how many starters is the recipe supposed to make. Apparently some recipes call for removing 3 cups of starter, and others 4. I go with 3, and here's why: There's barely over 4 cups of starter by Day 10. If you remove four cups to make four new starters, you've got this tiny little puddle left in your bowl. A little science lesson - the amount of flour in the final recipe is going to take a lot more yeast than that to rise. Which brings me to another point...

I secretly don't think that the starter actually does anything. Gasp! Blasphemy! I know, I'm sorry. But between the baking powder, baking soda, and eggs required for the recipe, there are more than enough leavening agents in the mixture to produce a perfectly normal loaf of bread. The starter might contribute flavor (which again, would be lessened if you take out 4 cups of starter) to the bread, however I personally think the whole thing is about tradition, fun, and friendship. That's just a theory though.

So there you have it. That's my two cents - more like ten cents, that was a long post - on Amish Friendship Bread. Below is the recipe that I use for my basic loaf. In the future I'll have to write a post about all of the variations I like to use (some of them I've invented, others I've borrowed) because this post is too long already. Please feel free to comment with any additional questions, and I'll be more than happy to answer. Happy baking!


Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)

Day 2 - squish

Day 3 - squish

Day 4 - squish

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - squish

Day 7 - squish

Day 8 - squish

Day 9 - squish

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 3 containers, with 1 cup each for two of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans (or one bundt pan) with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour or so (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread (unless you used the bundt pan, obviously).