welcome home?

our (truly fabulous) 10-day gataway is a distant memory after coming home to several days without power...and then both kids tag-teaming with illness. the blog will continue to be quiet until we've got color back on all of our plates! hopefully soon...

cooking ahead

I have an action-packed week ahead, so this week I made a bunch of meals to stock in the freezer. Here are a few of the meals I made, that all freeze perfectly. These are good ones to whip up if you're in the mood to do some cooking ahead too:

My Favorite Beef Meatballs. The night I made them, we ate them simply as is, with a bunch of veggie sides. They are also great on top of spaghetti. I freeze them in heavy duty freezer bags, each one filled with enough for one dinner for the four of us.

Sun-Dried Tomato Beef Stew. I haven't had a chance to type this recipe up, but it is loosely based upon this recipe. I will type mine up and share it the week after next.

And of course, my go-to chicken enchiladas. Or, if you're a visual person you can watch the recipe in action here. The video's here.

Because there is nothing better than ending the day with a homemade dinner...that was already made.

lunchbox ideas

dried cranberries + homemade applesauce (but you can certainly use store bought if you didn't go apple picking and cook with apples for a week straight!) + cream cheese & jam sandwich + carrots and cucumbers + a Chobani Greek yogurt cup

cream cheese and jam on a mini whole wheat bagel + a banana that I thought I'd get all cute with (which he then wouldn't eat b/c he thought the ink was on the actual banana...oh well, so much for being all crafty) + Earth's Best Kidz Pear Raspberry granola bar as a treat + an organic yogurt cup + cut up fruit (leftover from when I made fruit skewers for class school snack that week)

Back-to-Nature Crispy Wheat crackers + lemonade as a treat + a carrot + provolone cheese cut into the shape of ghosts (I didn't give up on being cute apparently...but if you really want to see over the top ideas, check out this link that a friend sent me this week. whoa. crazy, hmm?!) + a slice of homemade apple pie (remember all of those apples?) + Greek yogurt cup

meatballs + Crispy Wheat crackers + chunks of mozzarella cheese + shredded carrots + roasted acorn squash (from dinner...I'm not whipping these things up in the morning, thank you very much) + a ClifKid Fruit Rope as a treat

homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal

If you've made homemade apple sauce, then apple-cinnamon oatmeal is a must try. Nothing like the packaged stuff. This make-ahead breakfast is the perfect start to a crisp, Fall morning.

make-ahead oatmeal + homemade applesauce

Make one big pot of oatmeal at the start of the week and store it in the fridge. This way, breakfast can be made in minutes on busy school mornings.

cider braised cabbage and apples

By now, you know my family went apple picking because there have been apples in just about everything I have made this week. Here's my latest savory apple recipe, which is similar to the Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage I told you about a while back. As with any weeknight meal I'm going to make, this side dish is so easy. Paired it with brats, chicken sausages or pork tenderloin and you have dinner made in a few minutes.

Cider-Braised Cabbage and Apples
(makes 4 side dish servings)

2 medium-size apples, cut into chunks
10 oz package of shredded cabbage (either white or red)
1 cup fresh apple cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar*
salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and apples are softened (but not mushy). This side can be made ahead as it will keep in fridge for several days.

*I really like sauerkraut, so this amount of vinegar is going to give you a very zippy side dish, similar to kraut. Feel free to add less vinegar if you wish to have it less zingy.

homemade applesauce

I've made apple sauce twice this week, which is more than I think I've ever made it. In fact, this might be the first time I've ever whipped it up? Now that I see how easy it is, I might have to make it more often as a healthy snack to have on hand, or as a special addition to our breakfast oatmeal.

Homemade Applesauce

(makes about 1 quart)

8 medium-sized apples, cut into chunks, skins left on*
1 cup apple cider (or water)
sweetener (agave, turbinado, honey, maple syrup...), optional
cinnamon, optional
vanilla, optional

In a saucepan, combine apples, cider, and sweetener, spices and vanilla (if adding). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until apples are soft. I stirred the sauce about every 10 minutes to mash the apples a bit. The longer you cook it, the softer the apples will get. When you reach the desired consistency, remove from heat and let cool. Can be frozen for up to two months.

* I am thankful that my family doesn't mind the texture of skins in our apple sauce (which we also leave quite chunky), because I don't have to peel the apples, making this a super fast snack or side. But, if you are more of an applesauce purist, then go ahead and remove the skins. You'll end up with a much smoother end product, which you can further mash til smooth with a fork, potato masher or food processor.

apple picking!

we went apple picking!

so far, I have posted recipes for apple pie, savory roasted apples...and there will be more to come!

simple roasted acorn squash

A few years back, I shared a simple fall side with you all, roasted acorn squash. That recipe, was a sweeter version of what I made last night.

Simple Roasted Acorn Squash
makes 8-10 servings

2 medium acorn squashes
2-3 Tablespoons of butter
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Wash the squashes (you will be leaving the skin on). Slice the squash in half and remove seeds. Then, slice the squash into 1/2 inch slices and lay them on a rimmed baking sheet. Break butter with your hands (a good job for your kids) and toss small pieces on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, flipping the squash half way through, until tender and lightly browned. Serve warm, or room temperature.

The rippling edge should give it away, but if you aren't sure which squash is which, here's a helpful visual.

savory roasted apple side

After seeing his ideas in the New York Times' magazine, I couldn't wait to try Mark Bittman's ideas for savory apple sides with our bounty from apple picking this weekend. Of course, when I actually went to make the first recipe, I realized that I didn't have all of the ingredients. Still, they were delicious, and super simple.

Savory Apple Side Dish

(My Take on Mark Bittman's Moroccan Spiced Apples)

apples, cut into chunks
olive oil
salt + pepper
onions, chopped (optional)
garlic, minced (optional)
cumin (optional)
chili powder (optional)
cinnamon (optional)
smoked paprika (optional)

Heat oven to 375*. Spread apples on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and spices. (I trust you to know how much of each spice to add, depending upon your family's tastes. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until apples are tender. (Be careful not to overcook or the apples will become mushy. Then again, if you prefer them more like a savory apple sauce, feel free to leave them in the oven for another 10 minutes, or so.)

*It will also work well at 400, if you have one oven and have something else that needs to be roasted at that higher temp. If you roast them at 400, you'll probably only need to do so for about 10-15 minutes.

I gave a hearty serving of these apples, along with roasted acorn squash and cider vinegar-braised onions to a friend. The combination of these flavors and textures was incredible, if I might say so myself!

homemade apple pies

With the bounty of apples from our picking adventure, we made 4 apple pies. I'd never made an apple pie before. Crisps? Plenty. But we winged it on the apple pie front and they came out fabulous. Here is our recipe:

Homemade Apple Pies
(makes four 8" pies)

store bought pie crusts (yes, you read that right)
1 dozen large apples (or more if your apples are smaller), cut into chunks
apple cider
raw honey
agave
maple syrup
cinnamon
nutmeg
allspice

This was not a perfect science, so I've listed the ingredients that went into our pies, but you should tinker with the amounts to get to a taste you like...

Preheat the oven to 425. In a large pot, combine the apples and cider. You want enough liquid so that the apples are simmering in it...but not so much that the filling will be soupy. For a dozen large apples, I eventually added about 2 cups of fresh cider. Start with 1 cup and add more as the liquid boils off. You want to start the apples and cider at a boil, then lower heat so it is at a fast simmer. Add your favorite sweetener (we added a combination of raw honey, agave and maple syrup) and a few hearty shakes of each spice, to get to the taste of your ideal apple pie filling. Stir the apples a few time, just to combine everything and make sure they are cooking evenly, during the 10-12 minutes it takes for the apples to soften some. Ideally, you'll end up with about 1/2 cup of liquid remaining in the filling.

Line pie plates with crust. Fill with warm pie filling. Top with crust (lattice or a full top crust with a small hole cut in the center to let steam escape). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden.

late night cake

I have two fabulously creative friends who inspire me with their talents and seeming ability to juggle it all. They are both way more hip than I can ever hope to be, and I always wonder what they are discovering or dreaming up while I am pouring over recipes. One used to run the most wonderful children's art studio and now has a blog that makes me smile with her beautiful imagery. The other is a dedicated mom by day, and talented graphic designer after the kids go to sleep. She just launched a new little business. I love receiving their card each year, and am thrilled that the rest of us can now send out these special postcards too.

(savory) apple ideas

Is there anything better than an early start to a weekend morning...big cup of coffee and something inspiring in the paper? This morning I tore out Mark Bittman's ideas for apple recipes from the New York Time's Magazine. Here is the article. (If you can't see the link for some reason simply search for "Mark Bittman Recipes: Baked, Sautéed, Fried or Roasted Apples".) I cannot wait to make either Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Apples or Brussels-Sprout-Sage Sauteed Apples. Hadn't thought of using apples in a savory way...