.roasted pork tenderloin with apple-fennel garnish.

I admit that I am a friend of pork. Bacon, pork shoulder, pork tenderloin, chops... I'm not picky! This recipe was inspired by an episode of Top Chef or one of those shows. It was a couple years ago because this isn't the first time I've made this dish.

Not only is it easy to prepare, it's delicious and something you can impress your guests with.

Here's what you need:

1 - 4lb pork tenderloin
1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced (no need to peel!)
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper, and celery seed
1 bottle hard apple cider


Season your tenderloin with salt, pepper, and celery seed. Heat a little oil in a dutch oven. Pan sear all sides of the tenderloin to lock in moisture. When all sides are browned, top with the apple slices, onion, bay leaf, and pour the hard cider over the top. Cover and pop in a 350* oven and roast for about an hour. You want to pull this out when your thermometer reads 145* because pork tenderloin has very little fat so you don't want to overbake, otherwise you're left with really dry meat.

Remove the pork from the dutch oven and set aside to rest (cover with foil). While it's resting, make the sauce. Dump all the cooked apples and onion into a seive and strain the liquid (make sure you set the seive on a bowl so you save it because we need that liquid for the sauce.

Remove the bay leaf and put everything in the blender. Add a little bit of the liquid to the blender to help smooth out the sauce. Taste and re-season with a little salt, if needed.

Now before you actually pulled the roast out of the oven, you want to make the apple-fennel garnish.

Cut one granny smith apple into matchsticks. Thinly slice one fennel bulb. Heat a saute pan and melt 2-3 Tbsp butter. When hot, add the apples and fennel and saute quickly. Season with salt and pepper. (I sprinkled a dash of celery seed in here, too)

Make sure you saute close to the end of the roasting time, or do it while the tenderloin rests (that's what I did).

To assemble, spoon some of the sauce onto the plate. Put a slice of tenderloin on top and spoon some garnish on top. To make it extra fancy, put a little fennel frond on top.

Apple Fennel Slaw

While visiting my family in Seattle, we had many dinners and bbqs. Two days after our arrival, we went to Music in the Park and the plan was for us to bring a dish or two to share. I've been wanting to try fennel slaw for some time now. In fact, I had been planning on doing a big 4th of July segment here on my blog with summer/bbq type recipes, but it never happened.

We'll put the past behind us and move forward, shall we?

So for Music in the Park, I made peach cobbler, a roasted beet salad, and this... apple fennel slaw. I know it sounds like a strange combination but holy cow it was SO good. I encouraged my skeptical family members to try the slaw and they loved it, even though they took that first bite with much trepidation. (Suzanne would never steer you wrong!!!!!!)

Not only is this salad delicious and refreshing, it's very very quick to make. Here's how it's done.

In a large bowl, put:

2 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
2 granny smith apples, cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, grated

In another bowl, put:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
a shake of garlic powder
a shake of celery seed
2 Tbsp rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
the juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
and 1 Tbsp sugar

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and taste. It should be slightly sweet so if it's not, add a little more sugar to balance the acidity of the vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing on top of the slaw and mix together well. If you want to get fancy with it, garnish the top with some of the fennel frond. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

The perfect side dish for a summer bbq! Enjoy!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ-Z_fQXybIkZGcydmZqcW1fMTYxZ2g2bjdrazk&hl=en

.caramel apples.

My daughter, Paige has been bugging me for awhile now to make caramel apples and I thought today would be a great day to do this as a family. This caramel recipe is one I've made for years. It's from a cookbook I bought back before I even met my husband (we're talking 1992 folks. lol) and I have posted quite a few recipes from it here on the blog. The cookbook is by Land O Lakes called Treasury of Country Recipes. Love it.

We're big fans of apple and caramel here but I wanted to up the wow factor by making these like those mammoth numbers you find in candy/chocolate stores by adding chopped peanuts, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, and crushed oreo cookies. Seriously.. say it with me. "WOW!"

First we need to make the caramel.


In a large saucepan put 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 2 cups sugar.


Add 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk.


Add 1 cup light corn syrup. [NOTE: A tip when you measure this. Spray the inside of your measuring cup with pam spray and it will slide right on out. This tip works just as well with molasses and honey too.]

Put the pot on low heat on the stove.


This is what the caramel will look like after an hour. A little frothy on top and it will be bubbling slightly.

Candy is not something that can be rushed. This caramel takes almost 2 hours to make. You want to bring this to 248* F (120* C). Don't go past that temp otherwise your caramel will be too far into the hard ball stage.

When it finally reaches temp, remove from the burner and put in bowl of ice water. We need to cool this down a little (to 175*) before we dip the apples. Add 1 tsp vanilla.


While the caramel is cooking, prep your toppings. I crushed oreo cookies, chopped up some unsalted peanuts, opened a bag of mini chocolate chips, and toasted some coconut. Put each topping in their own bowl and set aside.





You're also going to need to melt some chocolate. I used a bag of 60% cocoa Ghiradelli chocolate chips. Put in a double boiler and melt on very low heat. Stir until completely smooth. Remove from heat.

Now if you've ever made caramel apples in the past, did the caramel slide right off the apple? The reason for this is because commercial growers put a wax coat on the apples to give them a nice shine, and also to keep them fresh longer and keep bugs off. So, what we need to do is remove the wax.

Bring some water to boil and dunk the apples in for just a minute. Put them in an ice bath and dry well. I also take a mesh scrubber that I clean my fruit and veggies with to scuff the skin. This will give the caramel something to grab onto.


Once you have cleaned the apples, remove the stems and shove craft sticks into the midde.

Something else I like to do but didn't have time to do today was put these in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This gets them nice and cold so the caramel sets almost immediately and keeps a lot from sliding off.


Dip the apples in the caramel, tilting the pot if necessary to get full coverage.

We had some pretty big apples and so I needed to help Paige out to get the tops coated.


Place the coated apples on a silpat or waxed paper. Put in the fridge or freezer to set.


We need to add another coat of caramel. So after the first coat has set, dip again. Now it's time for the fun stuff!!!


Sprinkle whatever toppings you like on your apple. Tilt here and there so you get the sides.

Return the apples to the fridge to set again. After a few minutes, pull from the fridge and drizzle with some melted chocolate. and sprinkle even MORE toppings on! Oh yahhhh!


Here is the monster caramel apple after it's all done. Pop the baby in the fridge or freezer again to set the chocolate.

Once it's firm, carefully pull from the waxed paper and enjoy!

.dutch apple cheesecake.

If you haven't noticed, my blog is taking a slight transformation. One problem I've been running into is the new alignment has messed up some of my older entries - pictures are smooshed together and words are difficult to read. If you encounter one of these problems, please email me. I've gotten pretty far back, but still need to do the rest so anything from January to April hasn't been touched but I will get to it within the next couple days.

More changes will take place, but do not be alarmed. I'm only doing it to give my blog a more streamline look. I appreciate your comments so keep them coming! Let me know what you think. :)

Alright.. now on to the good stuff. I feel like I've been making a lot of apple things lately but it's only because it's so "fall-ish" and apple is one of my favorites. This cheesecake is really a showstopper because it has pieces of cinnamon apples folded into the batter and has a buttery crumb topping. It's sure to be a hit at any of your holiday gatherings this year.



Peel, core and chop 2 granny smith apples. You could probably use any firm baking apple you want. I prefer granny smith. Go with what you like!


Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet.


Add the apples and stir to coat with the butter. Start sauteeing over medium high heat.


Add 1/4 cup brown sugar.


Add a pinch of kosher salt.


And add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Stir everything to coat and cook until the brown sugar begins to caramelize on the apples. Don't let the apples cook too long because you don't want them turning to mush when it bakes in the oven.


Set aside and allow to cool. Now let's make the crust.


You want to use this kind of graham crackers. Make sure they say cinnnnamoonnnnn. Repeat after me. "Cinnnnamonnnnnn."


Take out one pack and put in a ziploc. Crush with a rolling pin or your choice of crushing machinery.


Add 1/2 cup oatmeal. I used quick oats but you can use regular as well.


Add 2 Tbsp sugar.


Pour in 4 Tbsp melted butter.

Smoosh everything together until all the graham crackers and oatmeal are coated with butter.


Pour all the contents of the ziploc into the springform pan. Use the back of the measuring cup and press into the bottom.


See? Nice and packed.


In a mixing bowl, put 4 - 8oz packages cream cheese and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter. Use a whisk attachment and beat until smooth.


Add 1 cup sugar Mix on high until fluffy.


Add 3 eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.


Add 3 Tbsp flour.


Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix well.



Fold in 1 cup sour cream.


Dump in the cinnamon apples and fold into the batter.


Pour into pan and smooth out.

Now at this point, the batteries on my camera decided to DIE ON ME so you'll just have to picture the image in your own head.

Wrap the base of the pan with heavy duty foil. You want to make sure water doesn't seep into the pan while it bakes.

Set the pan on a cookie sheet or some kind of pan with sides. Add water and put in a 325* oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When the middle is setting, it's time to add the topping!


Put 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Mix together.


Cut in 1/2 cup butter.


Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Nuts are optional so if you don't want them, don't add them.


Open the oven and without taking the cheesecake out of the oven, spread the topping all over the top.

Raise the temp to 350* and bake another hour to hour and half. The topping should be nice and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp. Cover the top with foil and put in the fridge and chill completely, if not overnight.

To get nice slices of cheesecake, heat a butcher knife until hot water. Dry the knife and slice. Serve with a little caramel sauce and some whipped cream.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_114c9sph7gp

.apple streusel spice bread.

In 2005, around the fall holidays, I was trying to think of ways to make a little side cash. I had been teaching piano and voice for years, but having moved here to Georgia, I was looking for some change. I thought about what I could do and remembered when I was growing up, we would make pies and breads to sell to neighbors and friends. I had a lightbulb moment and said to myself, "Hey I could do that!"

So I started working on my baking menu and one of the breads I created was an apple streusel spice bread. My first baking holiday (Thanksgiving) I sold $300.00 worth of bread and pie. I quadrupled that for the month of December. I was baking almost non-stop!

This bread was made daily at the bakery and was loved by many. I have even had some calls since closing the bakery asking if I could make them a loaf. It's that good. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!


In a large bowl, put 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp allspice. Mix.


In another bowl, put 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/3 cup melted butter (do not omit this), 2 Tbsp milk, and 2 eggs. Whisk.


Peel, core, and chop 1 granny smith apple. You can use 2 if you want more apple. I think this is a good balance though.


Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry.


Mix with a fork until the wet are incorporated. Don't overwork. If the batter seems a little too runny, add a little more flour. If the batter seems too thick, add a little more milk.



Add the apple and fold in.


Pour the batter into a greased bread pan.


In a small bowl, put 1/2 cup flour, and 3 Tbsp brown sugar. Mix together.


Cut in 3-4 Tbsp butter. You want the topping nice and crumbly. If you want to add some chopped nuts, do so at this time.


Dump the streusel topping on top of the bread.

Put in a 425* preheated oven.

After 10 minutes, lower the temperature of the oven to 350*. The heat of the oven will force hot air through the batter, giving it lift, and then lowering it will ensure it's baked all the way through.

Continue to bake for another 50 or so minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Pull from the oven. It will be nice and golden on top.


Carefully tip the bread out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. You will lose some of the streusel topping -- sorry. :)

Serve warm with or without butter.

Enjoy!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_113fj4pn3g6