Frankenstorm Is on The Way!

I was trying to write a blog post but I'm distracted with the local news and Weather Channel talking about Sandy hitting the East Coast.

It seems that Grampy can't pull himself away from the HOT topic.

I know, I'll share grampy's must have food items in the event of a power outage. Who wouldn't want to be without these 'delicious, can't live without, I'm starving don't we have any. . .?', dare I say foods:

• Popcorn
• Ice Cream - must have 2 flavors
• chocolate chip cookies
• Mounds candy (can't wait for Halloween?)

Mind you, water or any other nutritional food like peanut butter and tuna fish was never mentioned. I hope for grampy's sake if there is a power outage it is short lived. I don't know how long he will be able to survive on the fiber and all that sugar. He'll be making my head spin!

Let's make the best of the storm and have a little fun. Even if you are not in the path of Frankenstorm Sandy, share what is on your must have food list when a storm threatens loss of power and we are stuck in the house for 24 hours or more -- and there is no TECH STUFF to distract the faint of heart.

Be prepared and stay safe!

Cabbage Apple Slaw

It's football season and I'm looking for side dishes to add to the buffet table. The crowd gets feisty if they don't get 'fast foods'.

Yeah, like I'm gonna' give 'em fast food . . . although this recipe can be considered fast food since it takes less than 20 minutes to make -- or even less time if you use packaged shredded cabbage.

Not only is this a 'fast food' but you can add spices and flavors to fit your crowd. Make it spicy or even sweeter than the recipe calls for. Or leave out the sweet and make it tangy -- it's up to you.

This is a vegetarian side dish and it can be gluten free if you use gluten free condiments. Add this dish to any Sunday football buffet or tailgate party. You can make it a day in advance which can definitely be a help when you have a lot of things to do on game day.

Cabbage Apple Slaw
Ingredients

• 1 or 2 Granny Smith Apple peeled & shredded or julienned (or choose your favorite style)
  
• 2 pkgs. shredded cabbage or 1 large fresh cabbage shredded
Dressing Ingredients
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 TBLS. Agave Nectar
• 1 1/2 TBLS. lemon juice
• 1 -2 TBLS. apple cider vinegar
• 2 TBLS. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 TBLS. chopped fresh dill
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a separate bowl add the dressing ingredients and mix well until blended. Taste and add any additional ingredients you would like according to taste.
2. Julienne or shred the apples and cabbage if you are not buying the package of shredded cabbage. Add the shredded items to the bowl with the dressing and gently toss until the dressing is well with the cabbage and apple.
3. Add the parsley and/or dill and gently stir until well mixed.
4. You can make this a day in advance and keep covered in the fridge. Stir well when ready to serve.

TIPS:

• I added a squeeze of lemon to the sliced apples to keep them from turning brown.
• This recipe makes a large bowl of slaw, approximately 10 cups. I used only one small head of red cabbage (which is what grampy brought home) and 1 large apple and it made about 5 cups.

I've shared this with:

Wordless Wednesday Pumpkin

In the Pumpkin Patch!!!!

More Wordless Wednesday Photos Here



Winelady Cooks

It's Never Too Early For Holiday Planning

This week, actually it was last week while I was visiting my dad, I noticed that every store I was in had holiday decorations on display in full force.

I don't mean to be the bearer of such trivial nonsense, but if you are over-scheduled and never sure what day it is (like me), there are about 10 short weeks until Christmas.

There are many who do not celebrate holidays but may still be entertaining friends and family for one reason or another. Planning ahead can be a great time-saver so I like to have the basics already in my pantry and ready for the unexpected.

This week I'm starting with cheese planning. Of course, we all have our favorites though sometimes the occasion may call for offering additional varieties.

It is helpful to know the different types of cheese when pairing it with wine so I listed a few popular cheeses that are locally available in most markets.

• soft cheeses, usually creamy and have a soft rind -- such as camembert, brie, tallegio, robiola
• aged hard cheeses, usually sharp and/or salty -- cheddar, gruyere, parmesan
• pungent cheeses, usually salty -- blue cheese, gorgonzola, stilton
• fresh cheeses, usually mild or tangy -- such as ricotta, mozzarella, goat cheese, feta and burrata.

To find a wine to go with the cheese selections can be daunting. Most often we choose to eat our favorite cheeses and the same goes for drinking our favorite wine. This works for those who enjoy their favorites. Believe me I know this is true since grampy never complains if he's drinking his favorite wine.

For the basic rule on pairing wines with our food it's a good idea to start with choosing the wine and cheese/food from the same region. If you enjoy a strong parmesan cheese try an Italian Chianti or a Sangiovese, which is also the name of the grape used for making Chianti, as a starting point.

Another basic wine and cheese pairing rule is to choose a red wine with higher tannins (Cabernet Sauvignon) to go with hard cheese like cheddar. For soft cheeses like brie a white wine with more acidity (Chardonnay) can be a good place to start.

Saltier cheeses such as blue or gorgonzola will be well paired with a sweeter style wine such as a Port. Wine experts consider this is a classic pairing . For additional white wine pairings with salty cheeses try a Sauterne, a sweet Riesling or Moscato d'Asti.

This can be more confusing than it needs to be if you are new to wine pairings so don't let it get to you if you want to try pairing a wine with cheese. To keep it really simple just choose the cheeses you enjoy and if you want help with choosing a wine you can ask the salesperson in the wine shop to guide you.

Remember, "It's really just a matter of taste!"

I Heart Faces: Friendship {Photo Challenge}

I follow I Heart Faces and a couple of other photography blogs to learn as much as I can on how to take better pictures.

When I read about this month's I Heart Faces friendship theme I thought I would join in the fun.

We met our new friend during one of our summer outings. Isn't he a handsome dude!!!?? and he's a good listener.

If you enjoy photography and would like to join in stop by I Heart Faces each week for new challenges.

Quinoa Patties

I came across this recipe for quinoa patties in the spring, just before my schedule was overtaken with summer activities.

The recipe was easy enough, not too many ingredients and there was flexibility to add whatever ingredients and flavors you might like.  Now, that's my kind of recipe!

I had been on a quest to find a veggie burger type recipe but I didn't want to use beans as a binder and I didn't want to add corn. I like beans, just not ground into a pulp, and I try to avoid using corn, except when I'm craving fritters. Picky, I know!

The consistency of the mixture is on the soft/crumbly side so it took a little bit of additional flour, bread crumbs and patting to keep the patties together. It wasn't a big deal, though it did add a few extra minutes to the process but it was definitely worth it.

Make these when you have an additional 15 minutes so you don't get frustrated and you will be glad you did. I made extra and froze them which made the process worth my time and effort. I fried the patties in a non-stick pan with a little grapeseed oil and they came out perfect and crunchy.

This is a healthy side dish, or make them as sliders -- a great option for the vegetarians. I fried my patties but you can bake them in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and turn over bake for another 5 minutes.

Quinoa Patties

(Recipe adapted from www.101cookbooks.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa (cooked according to directions)
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach* (cleaned and dry)
• 1 small shallot chopped (or scallion, onion)
• 1 small clove garlic chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin (optional)
• 2 TBLS. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup panko crumbs (plus additional for coating patties)
• 2 TBLS. grapeseed oil (or canola oil)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl add the cooked and cooled quinoa and the remaining ingredients.
2. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. The mixture should hold together. If not add a little more flour or bread crumbs. Set aside and let sit for a few minutes for the crumbs to absorb some of the moisture.
3. In a small flat plate add additional panko crumbs for coating.
   
4. Heat grapeseed oil or canola oil in a saute pan.
5. Make small patties and pat each side with the additional panko crumbs.
6. Place in pre-heated pan, cook until brown and carefully turn over to brown the other side.
7. Place on paper towel and continue until all patties are cooked.

TIP: *You can use whatever vegetables you like. Chop the vegetable into small pieces, or use a grater.  If using chopped carrots or corn, steam them for a minute or two to soften before adding to the mixture.

If you wanted to make a non-vegetarian version you can add 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese to the mixture.

Serve as a side dish with Greek yogurt as a dipping sauce. Or add sliced tomato and lettuce for the sliders.


I've shared this with:

Full Plate Thursday
Foodtastic Friday BOO!
Bizzy Bakes Recipe Box #20


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Salted Caramel Apple Pie {Crazy Cooking Challenge}

Salted Caramel Apple Pie is my submission for the Crazy Cooking Challenge this month.

It's the perfect fall dessert. I had so much fun making this pie. I branched out of my comfort zone and made homemade salted caramel sauce and a spelt flour pie crust.

The caramel sauce just added another level of flavor to an otherwise simple but still classic dessert and I've been trying to use spelt flour in my baking whenever I can so I made a spelt flour pie crust.

I have to be honest - I'm not a from scratch pie crust maker. Way back even before I had kids I attempted to make a homemade pie. It took me hours and I had flour all over the kitchen and never was able to get the crust to come together. I was traumatized and never again tried to make a pie crust until now.

Experience can take you where you've never been before. If I knew how easy it was to make a pie crust I would have never waited until now.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients

Pie Crust
• 2 cups spelt flour
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 3-5 TBLS. ice water
Apple Pie Ingredients
• 4-6 peeled granny smith apples (or your favorite style)
• 2-4 TBLS. cinnamon
• zest from a small lemon
• 2 TBLS. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 TBLS butter
• 1 TBLS tapioca or flour
• 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

Cooking Directions

1. For the pie crust -- sift the flour and salt into a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
2. Keep the butter well chilled until ready to mix the dough. Add the cold butter in pieces to the sifted flour and blend with your fingers until you have reached the consistency of course sand.
3. Add in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and blend just until the flour is no longer crumbly but holds together.
4. Roll into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
For The Pie
5. Peel the apples and slice them into a large bowl.
6. Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt to the sliced apples and stir well to combine. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

7. Cut the dough in half and roll out each half for a top and bottom crust.
8. Place one half of the rolled out crust into the pie plate. Next stir in the tapioca or flour to the apples then add the chilled apples to the pan.
9. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce across the top of the apples and cover the apples with the second piece of dough.
10. Bake for 25 minutes covered with foil. After the 25 minutes, remove the foil, coat the pie crust with an egg wash and continue to bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes.
11. Let pie cool. Serve warm, or chilled.

Salted Caramel Sauce

I've been wanting to make homemade caramel sauce from scratch but have not had the opportunity to try it until now.

I wanted to share what I learned along the way so I apologize for this long post but I think you will find it helpful if this will be your first attempt to make caramel sauce.

Since I never worked with cooked sugar I needed to do research. For me it's the more you know, the better the experience.

I found lots of recipes and videos which were all very helpful. Most of the recipes were very similar though the techniques were a little different.

After 3 tries, I think I found the right balance. I have to say this is really easy but I do think there is a learning curve -- the sugar can burn in a matter of seconds.

As you can see in above photo the sugar started to turn amber in the middle photo. In the photo on the left the sugar turned amber. I waited 5 seconds too long to remove the pan from the burner. I didn't realize this until I finished the recipe and tasted the sauce. It tasted just a bit over-cooked burnt.

I was taking the photo when I was adding the cream to the amber colored sugar so I wasn't able to whisk the cream into the sugar. When I finally put the pan back on the heat the sugar crystals started to harden and they didn't dissolve enough which left the caramel sauce a little grainy.

On the third try the caramel sauce turned out just right. It takes a little technique, or in my case a try or two three to figure it out. After viewing a few videos and reading hundreds of the reviews listed after some of the recipes here is what I found to be helpful.

TIPS:

• Candy Thermometer: Many recipes call for using a candy thermometer. I used one on my first try but my oversized thermometer didn't work. This recipe uses a small amount of sugar and the tip of the thermometer just skimmed the top of the melted sugar. So unless you have a smaller sized candy thermometer you can make this recipe without it.
• Stirring vs. Shaking: Most of the recipes said to stir the sugar. I found a couple of videos that instructed to NOT stir but to occasionally shake the pot to evenly distribute the hot sugar which helps to prevent the sugar from burning.
• Ingredients: Most of the recipes called for varying amounts of water and cream to sugar ratio. I found that on each try the sauce resulted in varying degrees of thickness. I decided to reduce the amounts of water and cream. I was able to get the desired thickness on the last try.
• Timing: All the recipes I viewed said that cooking the sugar would take 5 to 8 minutes. For this particular recipe it is very important to realize that everyone's stovetop burners have varying levels of BTU's or heat output. The HOT TIP on timing for this recipe is pay attention to the color of the sugar while cooking. The time will definitely be shorter or longer based on your stove.
• The recipe below takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Steps 1 to 3 will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on your stove. Steps 4 to 6 will only take a few minutes. Just keep stirring on low heat to be sure all the sugar crystals have dissolved (approx. 2-5 minutes depending on how much the sugar crystalized at the cream stage).

Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 TBLS. light (not dark) corn syrup (0 grams High Fructose Corn Syrup)
• 4 TBLS butter
• 1-2 TBLS. Sea Salt, Grey Salt or table salt (optional)
  

Cooking Directions

1. Add sugar and water to medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Shake and rotate pan until the sugar and water have blended. Shake every 25-30 seconds or two until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Continue to cook over medium/low heat while the sugar cooks. Shake the pan occasionally to distribute the hot sugar evenly in the pan to prevent burning.
3. You will notice the sugar changing color from clear to amber color.

4. When sugar is amber color immediately remove from heat and slowly add the cream. Whisk briskly while adding cream to prevent boil-over.
5. Immediately put pan back on the heat and whisk in 1 TBLS. of butter at a time.
6. Keep whisking the mixture until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
7. Add 1 TBLS. salt and stir.
8. Pour the mixture into a jar or pitcher and let cool. It will take quite a while to cool down and begin to thicken.
9. When the caramel sauce has cooled, taste for desired level of saltiness. If you prefer more salt you can add it and microwave it for a few seconds to get the salt incorporated into the sauce.

This recipe yields just about 1 cup of caramel sauce. It will keep refrigerated for approximately 2 weeks. Pour over ice cream, apple pie, or use as a dip for apple slices.

Once you feel comfortable making homemade salted caramel sauce you can make it often and give it as gifts. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season when you want to bring a hostess gift - just put in mason jars, tie with ribbon and voila! Happy Holiday!

Red Cabbage

In keeping with my Oktoberfest theme this month I'm making red cabbage. It's another German inspired side dish that is a favorite in our family.

It's easy enough to prepare and it goes with pork, chicken and, grampy even likes it with burgers, go figure :).

You can pick up a fresh red cabbage in the farmers market or the supermarket. The rest of the ingredients are right in your pantry -- apples, cider vinegar, sugar, cloves, and salt and pepper.

Red Cabbage

Ingredients

• 2 TBLS. butter
• 5 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup sliced apples
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 3 TBLS. water
• 1/4 cup white sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1/4 tsp. cloves (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a 5 quart pot add the butter, cabbage, apples, and sugar. Give a quick stir then add in the vinegar and water and cloves.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat and simmer cooking until the cabbage is tender. This will take approximately 1 to 2 hours depending on how thick you slice the cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve either warm or chilled.

TIP: I've been cutting down on using white sugar which prompted me to substitute coconut sugar in this recipe. I was amazed at the results, it was delicious.

If you want to cut back on using white sugar, you will hardly notice a difference. The apples also add quite a bit of sweetness as well.

Prost!

I've shared this with:

If You Don't Like Red Wine . . .

The cooler temperatures that the early fall brings are finally here to energize us. This renewed energy gives us a jump start on planning for our holiday gatherings.

With time on our side it gives us a chance to find a few new recipes and try new wines you would like to serve for your holiday celebrations.

Here is some information on light red wines from the southernmost wine region in Burgundy, France -- the hilly Beaujolais region.

The main red grape grown in the Beaujolais region is gamay which is the only grape used in Beaujolais wine.

This is a wine with little to no tannins which make it an easy drinking wine especially for those who are 'not sure I like red wine'.

There are three styles of Beaujolais wine:

1. Beaujolais Nouveau is the wine that is released while it is very young and must be drunk within three to six months of its release. This is labeled as Beaujolais Nouveau.
2. Beaujolais Villages has its own AOC designation. Two very popular Beaujolais Village area wines are from the Mâcon Village or Saint-Véranis. These wines usually have Beaujolais-Villages printed somewhere on the label.
3. The AOC designation also covers an area where 10 small vineyards produce a higher quality Beaujolais wine known as Cru which are considered some of the best wines produced from the Beaujolais region.  The Cru wines are made in three styles (light body, medium body, and the fuller body wines which can be aged for a few years.
   
   The Cru styles are labeled with the name of the Village where the grapes were grown and harvested and may have the word 'Cru' on the label as well.

• Brouilly, Régnié, and Chiroubles are the three lighter style Crus.
• Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, and Saint-Amour are medium bodied style Crus that can be saved to within 4 years after harvest.
• Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon, and Moulin-à-Vent are full-bodied Crus and can be saved from four to ten years after their harvest.

Check your local wine shop and ask which Beaujolais varieties they carry. If you don't know which to try just let the salesperson know what style wine you prefer and he/she will be happy to recommend a Beaujolais style to compliment your tastes.