Apple Pie for Mom

 Apple Pie for Mom

1/2 C granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 teaspoon 
1/4 C packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces) 
1/4 t salt 
1 T lemon juice 
1/2 t grated lemon zest 
1/8 t ground cinnamon 
2 1/2 lbs tart apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 
2 1/2 lbs sweet apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 recipe Monette's Pie Crust, form into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate minimum 1 hour
1 egg white, beaten lightly

 Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, zest, and cinnamon in large bowl; add apples and toss to combine. Transfer apples to a large pot (do not wash bowl) and cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. (Apples and juices should gently simmer during cooking.) Transfer apples and juices to rimmed baking sheet and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. While apples cool, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place empty rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 425.

Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. (If dough becomes soft and/or sticky, return to refrigerator until firm.) Remove parchment from one side of dough and flip onto 9-inch pie plate; peel off second layer of parchment. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll second disk of dough between 2 large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate, leaving dough between parchment sheets, until firm, about 30 minutes.

 Set large colander over now-empty bowl; transfer cooled apples to colander. Shake colander to drain off as much juice as possible (cooked apples should measure about 8 cups); discard juice. Transfer apples to dough-lined pie plate; sprinkle with lemon juice.

Remove parchment from one side of remaining dough and flip dough onto apples; peel off second piece of parchment. Pinch edges of top and bottom dough rounds firmly together. Cut four 2-inch slits in top of dough (or make a design). Brush surface with beaten egg white and sprinkle evenly with remaining teaspoon sugar.

Set pie on preheated baking sheet; bake until crust is golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool at least 1 1/2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

** A few years ago, I asked my Mom, "If your Mom was alive and she offered to make you anything for your birthday, what would you say?"  She answered apple pie.  So I ventured to make my first apple pie.  It wasn't anything special, but it tasted good.  Last year she requested Pecan Wedges.  So this year, I wanted to give the apple pie another try.  This is it, the deep dish apple pie of all apple pies! So fresh, tart, sweet, salty and HUGE!  Amazing with Breyers natural vanilla ice cream!
**I made it a day ahead and warmed up individual slices upon request.  It actually felt a bit healthy because of how many apples were in there.  One note: I think I'll add a touch more sugar to the apples next time.
**I used my mandolin for slicing the apples and it was super fast!
**Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ricotta Cheese & Magic Sauce

Ricotta Cheese

4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add ingredients to a 4-quart pot.  Attach a thermometer to the side of the pot (making sure that it doesn't touch the bottom of the pan).  Bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching.  (Do not stir once the temperature reaches 170, it will become grainy.)  

Meanwhile, line a sieve or fine mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a deep bowl or pot.

Once curds begin to separate from the whey (liquid temperature will be between 175 and 200 degrees), remove from heat.  Gently spoon or ladle the curds into the cheesecloth-lined strainer.  You may need to gently gather the cheesecloth at the top to help the curds drain.   

Let curds sit in cheesecloth to drain liquid 15 to 30 minutes.  Keep in mind the ricotta will thicken in the fridge, so don't drain it too much, or it will end up dry. 

Magic Sauce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 medium cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste
1 well-crumbles bay leaf
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon + fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Gently warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet or pan, until it is just hot.  When hot remove from heat.

While the oil is heating, lightly pound the rosemary, thyme, and oregano in a mortar and pestle.  Stir the paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt into the oil.  Then add the bruised herbs and lemon juice.

You can use this now, but know the oil just gets better as it ages over a few days.  Keep it in a refrigerator for up to a week/ten days-ish.  It thickens up when cold, so if you need it in a liquid state, place it in the sun or a warm place for a few minutes.

**Both recipes and the idea for the sandwich, once again, come from Breanna. Both the ricotta and the magic sauce can be used in so many different ways, but here, toasted french bread was topped with ricotta, roasted asparagus, a fried egg and magic sauce.  So delish!

Creamy Yam Soup

Creamy Yam Soup

1 T olive oil
1 C diced onion
8 C yams, peeled and diced
8 C vegetable or chicken broth
8 oz cream cheese
4 C yams, peeled and diced (optional - my preference)

In a large pot, heat oil and cook until onions are translucent.  Add yams and broth.  Bring to a boil and cook until yams are very tender, approximately 20 minutes.  Turn off heat.  With an immersion blender or potato masher, smash yams to give the soup a nice thicker texture.  You can blend until smooth or leave a bit chunky. Stir in cream cheese until dissolved.  Can be served at this point or you can......Turn heat back on.  Add 4 C optional yams and cook until yams are tender (an additional 10 minutes or so) for a nice thick soup with yummy yam bites.

*Can't believe how sweet this soup is, I love it!  It is even great with no cream cheese or just half a block.

Breanna's Granola

Breanna's Granola - adapted

3 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1 C shredded coconut
3/4 C chopped almonds
3/4 C chopped pecans
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
4 T butter
1/3 C honey
1 t vanilla
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
 
In a large bowl stir together oats, coconut, almonds, pecans, cinnamon, and salt.  In a small saucepan melt butter with honey over low heat, stirring.  Add vanilla and pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined.
 
On a large baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer.  Bake, stirring every 5 minutes to keep from sticking or burning, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.  (Do not overcook; the granola will crisp more when cooled.)  Cool granola on the pan.  Granola may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

*The only thing I do differently, is Breanna likes walnuts...she adds 1/2 C of each kind of nut. Check out her original blog post here.
*I usually just like to go to her blog for the recipe, but it has become a big enough favorite that it needs to be on this blog too! Thanks Bre, you're the best! 
*Awesome kept in the freezer and so amazing on parfaits....I buy Greek yogurt from costco and mix in honey or truvia or agave nectar and vanilla (vanilla bean for special occasions). Add any fruit, so yummy! That's what the picture was set up for....."Everybody loves a parfait!" -Donkey on Shrek

Roasted Garlic White Bean Hummus

 Roasted Garlic White Bean Hummus

1 whole head of garlic
3 T olive oil (maybe more to change for consistency preference)
1 can white or  cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (15 Oz.)
1 whole small lemon, juiced
½ t cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the head of garlic in half horizontally to expose the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake 30-40 minutes or until fragrant and cloves are golden in color. Then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Into the bowl of a food processor, pour in beans, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Squeeze both halves of the roasted garlic head into the food processor. The roasted cloves should pop right out. Turn machine on and drizzle in 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, processing until desired consistency has been reached. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking-more salt, more cumin, more lemon juice, etc.
Spoon onto serving platter. Top with another drizzle of olive oil, pine nuts and parsley, if desired. Serve with pita bread, vegetables or crackers. Also delicious on a sandwich or wrap.

*From laurenslatest.com ...check it out for beautiful pics of the process.
**This is so light, fresh and yummy! I always make a double batch for a gathering (The gingerbread house ladies love it!)....just beware, you'll smell a little garlicy the next day! :)

My Muesli

My Muesli

1 C oats
2/3 C Uncle Sam Cereal (wheat berry flakes)
1/3 C Quinoa Flakes (also a cereal)
4 T wheat germ
4 T ground flaxseed
1/4 C chia seeds
1/3 C golden raisins

Combine all ingredients and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat with yogurt or as a hot or cold cereal.

** 1/4 C serving is 141 calories, 4g fat, 5g fiber and 5g protein.
**When I lived in England, I loved muesli....Alpen Muesli to be exact.  You can buy it here now and it's delicious, but not particularly healthy.  So I made up my own version with less sugar and a little more umph!  I eat it mixed in greek yogurt and then topped with a little vanilla soy milk and fruit. I add the soy milk because it get's quite thick.  Traditionally, Europeans mix it with their yogurt or milk the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. I like it both ways, but usually I don't think about it the night before.
**You could add anything you want to muesli...nuts, dates, dried fruit...no limit.  I change mine up all the time, but this is my base!

Magleby Feijoada

Magleby Feijoada

1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
3 C dried black beans
1 T olive oil
1 large minced white onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 bunch of parsely finely chopped
1-2 lbs of ham, cubed
2-3 t salt
1 t pepper

Soak beans over night.  Discard water after soaking. If you are short on time, place beans in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit for an hour. Discard water.  Combine beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 2 t salt in pressure cooker pot. Add enough water to cover beans 3 inches. Cook for about 45 minutes in pressure cooker. Turn off heat and let pressure return to normal just by cooling down, or if in a hurry, release steam.  While beans are cooking, saute onion, garlic, parsley in a pan on a low flame. Cook until onions are translucent. Add ham and turn off heat.  When beans are done, remove ham hock and discard, add the onion and ham mixture to the beans.  Cook 20-30 more minutes or until you have your desired consistency.  Add pepper and more salt if desired.  If you add the salt before it is cooked down, the salt flavor intensifies and it might end up too salty.  Serve over rice or quinoa.

**Hans served his mission in Brasil and often craves Feijoada (Brasilian black bean stew).  Knowing what my kids like, I have kind of come up with my own combo.....it may not be Brasilian, but it tastes so good and everyone loves it!
**I truly hesitated putting this picture up, I know it looks so gross, but it really is delish and perfectly satisfying on a cold night!