apples – The Prose of an Electrate Mind

November 18, 2011November 14, 2011

[Foodie Friday] Apple and Pear Porks

On Saturday I sat in my favorite place and wrote a recipe for that night’s dinner. I’ve made pork with apples before, but I’ve never written down a recipe. So I decided to finally write a recipe based off of what I do and what I like. This time, I added pears to the mix because I’ve seen some really lovely pears at the store these days. It’s fun and festive. Unfortunately, I was so caught up in cooking and chatting that I forgot to take pictures. I assure you it’s beautiful and delicious, though.

Apple and Peark Pork Chops

4 pork chops
2 pears chopped
2 apples chopped
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
salt & pepper to taste

Caramelize the apples, pears, and onions in the butter. Add the sugar and spices, stirring together quickly. Scoop the apples, pears, and onions into a bowl, then sear the pork. Add the sauce back into the pan. Cook until done. Serve with lightly sweetened carrots and any other side(s) of your choosing. We chose macaroni and cheese and soft pretzels.

August 19, 2011August 19, 2011

#FoodieFriday Oatmeal

For a quick, simple, healthy breakfast, you only need three ingredients: oatmeal, pumpkin, and vanilla almond milk (or any other milk — dairy or otherwise). Mix 1/4 cup of quick-cooking oats, 1/2 cup of almond milk, and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle in cinnamon if desired. Microwave for 2 minutes. Let it sit to cool for a minute or more. The oatmeal will thicken, and you’ll have a nice healthy breakfast. Pair it with a piece of fruit if you’d like.

If you’re not feeling like pumpkin oatmeal, you could also have apple cinnamon oatmeal. Instead of adding 2 tablespoons of pumpkin, you could add in half of a chopped apple. Mix 1/4 cup of quick-cooking oats, 1/2 cup of almond milk, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute in the microwave. Add the chopped apple and microwave for 1 and a half minutes more. Let it cool for a minute or more. Ta-da! Apple cinnamon oatmeal. Eat it with the other half of the apple.

Share any other variations you like with me. And of course, you could substitute quick-cooking oats with whatever you’ve got on hand. It’ll take a little longer to cook, you’ll probably want to cook it on the stove, but I know the results will still be healthy and delicious.

October 8, 2010

Foodie Friday: Annie’s Eats Review

About a month ago a friend of mine shared a link to Annie’s Eats. I think it was a chocolate peanut butter cake or something along those lines. Anyway, the food photography is right up there with Smitten Kitchen and The Parsley Thief — basically the same enjoyable experience I expect when I’m looking for delicious, glorious pictures of food. Last week she posted a recipe for caramel apple cinnamon rolls. Let me tell you about my relationship with cinnamon rolls…

Growing up, I never really liked cinnamon rolls. It could very well be that most people dump entirely too much sugar into the icing, thereby rendering the final product a sickeningly sweet, unappetizing mess. Pillsbury, Cinnabon — nope, neither suited my tastes. It wasn’t until four years ago that I came around to the sweet confections that have so much potential. I blame it on pregnancy hormones. I was probably 4 months along with my daughter, and the doctor’s office was across the street from the mall. Being that I take the bus everywhere, I had to go through the mall and across the street to get there. I happened to be walking past Cinnabon that particular day, and they had free samples. I’m a sucker for free samples, and I don’t even care what you’re hawking. I’ve discovered some pretty great things through free samples. Anyway, I must have gotten the least iced piece of cinnamon roll they had on that tray, and it was life changing — absolutely life changing! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to buy stock in Cinnabon or load up on Pillsbury’s cinnamon rolls. However, I did warm up to the idea of making cinnamon rolls from scratch. A few months ago, Brian requested that I make this “clone of a Cinnabon” recipe he found, so I obliged with the hopes of creating an icing that fits my sweet-but-not-too-sweet criteria. I mean, who wants to feel like they just instantly gave themselves cavities? It was a success, even if the rolls still had that weird aftertaste that I can’t quite place.

Fast forward to last week. It’s autumn, and I associate this season with crisp air, colorful leaves, pumpkins, and apples. I think of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger permeating the air. I think of delicious childhood treats. Caramel, apples, and cinnamon all in the same recipe? Sign me up for that! So Monday night I had all the ingredients and a not-so-sleepy baby keeping me awake, and I prepared each separate part. I refrigerated everything overnight to bake on Tuesday morning. It’s been conveniently cool and crisp overnight, so it was the perfect way to start the day. Obviously, I tailored the icing recipe to suit my tastes, but it can’t be helped. I think I might try a different variety of apple next time simply because I’m not big on Granny Smith apples, but overall the end result was delicious. I didn’t bother with pictures — Annie’s got some great images of her own that will absolutely get you interested in baking them, too.