Apple Tart

I know it's not September yet, but as soon as school begins I start to think about what I can make out of apples. My husband is nutty for apple pie. This tart is similar to a one crust pie but much easier to make.
Cook's Notes- You can substitute the apples for peaches, nectarines or plums. You will need about 4-5 large peaches or nectarines or 6 plums.

serves 6-8

1 store bought pie crust
4 large green apples peeled, cored and sliced into thick pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 425. Using a vegetable peeler, take the peel off the apples. Take out the core with a melon baller. Cut the apple halves into thick slices about 3 per half. Place slices into a large bowl with the lemon that you have cut and squeezed the juice into the water. Take the pie dough out of its package. Lay out on a lightly floured board and gently roll out by an extra 1/2 inch. Invert a 9 inch plate and lay it on top of the dough. Using a small paring knife cut away the extra dough. Place the dough into the frig while you complete the next step. Pour the sugar into a 10 inch skillet. Place it over medium heat and cook it gently until the sugar melts and turns a light brown color(be careful the melted sugar is very hot). Drain the apples, turn the heat off of the sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar. Place the apples into the sugar in the skillet. Lay the chilled dough over the apples and sugar. Place into the middle of the oven and turn the heat down to 375. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the dough from the edge of the pan. Carefully invert onto a platter. Serve warm or room temp with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Lemon Pudding

My mom didn't often make desserts for us but when she did it was usually pudding or jello. I have to admit I'm spoiled and will not make instant pudding. I think it tastes grainy. Pudding from scratch is extremely easy to make and takes very little time. Waiting for it to cool takes longer.

Serves 8
3 cups milk
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1 cup lemon juice
1-1 1/2 cups sugar(the amount depends on how tart your lemons are)
6 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, off the heat, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and 1/2 cup of milk. When smooth, add the rest of the milk and cream. Place over medium/high heat and whisk continually until mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Once thickened, remove from the heat. Whisk in the lemon juice. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Whisk again. Pour mixture into a medium bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the top of the pudding. This will keep a skin from forming on top. Place in the frig until cool. Scoop out into serving dishes. Top with whipped cream if desired.

One Pot Chicken and Rice

I spent most of last week working late and have not had much time to make meals. I'm making a one pot meal today with enough leftovers to last into early next week. I like giving myself a built in buffer in case something unexpected pops up and I can't get into the kitchen and this recipe fills the bill. This meal has some Italian flavors. Cooking everything together in one pot allows all the ingredients to flavor the rice but makes clean up a breeze.

Serves 4

4 large pieces of bone in, skin on chicken(leg quarters or breasts on the bone are good choices)
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 small onion diced
10 ozs of spinach or Swiss chard
3 medium carrots peeled and diced
8 oz of sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups basmati or jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

Heat a large dutch oven over medium/high heat. Pour in enough oil to coat the bottom. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the dutch oven. Brown the chicken on both sides for about 12 minutes and remove to a plate. Drain off the oil and add fresh oil to the pan. Return to the heat and add the mushrooms. Cook without stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and add the onions, carrots and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium, season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes and add the spinach or chard. If using the chard, cut into small pieces before adding to the pot. Add the wine to the pot and cook until the spinach just begins to wilt. Add the rice, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock. Add the lemon zest and thyme. Adjust the salt and pepper by adding more if needed. Arrange the chicken on top of the rice and veggies, skin side up. Bring the pot to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat to medium/low. When the liquid drops to a slow simmer, put the cover on the pot and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit covered for 5 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges.

Baked Eggs in Tomatoes

It's only the 2nd day of 1st grade and I feel like I've been drug through the wringer. Dinner tonight is as easy as I can make it.
I like to serve these with warm bread from my store's bakery and my turkey sausages.

Serves 4

4 large tomatoes
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons diced fresh chives or green onions
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray. In a small bowl beat the eggs with the salt and pepper, set aside. Cut the top off of the tomatoes and with a spoon, gently scoop out the inside of each tomato. Place the empty tomatoes into the pie plate. Evenly place the chives and the cheese in the bottom of each tomato. Pour the beaten eggs into each tomato shell, dividing the mixture evenly. Place into the oven. Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Baked Spaghetti

I'm back in the classroom full time starting tomorrow. I like to plan my weeknight meals on the weekend, make a list of what I need and then shop on Sunday. I dread having to stop by the store on the way home to pick up items needed to make a meal. By the time I get home, dinner is at least an hour later than usual. This recipe provides a good use for leftover sauce like my Marinara. If you don't have any extra sauce lying around, you can substitute your favorite jarred version.

Cook's Notes- If you would like to make a vegetarian version. Swap out sliced mushrooms for the turkey sausage. Brown them and continue on with the recipe.

Serves 6

1 pound of spaghetti(I use either the Ronzoni Garden Delight brand or a good mulitgrain pasta)
4-5 cups of marinara sauce
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 large ball of fresh mozarella cubed
6 leaves of fresh basil chopped
5 turkey sausage links
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepot on high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the saucepot. Break apart and brown. Add the sauce and basil and heat through. Turn the sauce down to simmer. Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling salted water for 5 minutes(it will still be crunchy in the center). Drain and return to the pot. Remove the sauce from the heat and pour it over the pasta. Add the parmesan cheese to the pasta and sauce, stir to combine. Pour into prepared casserole. Sprinkle the mozarella over the pasta. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned around the edges and the pasta is bubbly.

Macaroni and Cheese

When I'm in the mood for comfort food, Mac and Cheese is often the first thing I think of. I like my mac and cheese to be very saucy so I make a large amount to combine with the cooked pasta. The next day you will notice that the sauce will have been mostly absorbed into the pasta. There is no way that I know of to keep the pasta from absorbing the sauce that is just the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. We took our oldest back to school yesterday and even though we didn't hit the door until 6:30, I had a craving for Mac and Cheese that just had to be dealt with. I added cooked bacon to top before putting it into the oven and it was really good.

Serves 6-8

1 pound of cooked pasta(I like shells)
4 cups milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz goat cheese
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
several dashes Tabassco
1 package of bacon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepot melt the butter. Add the four and whisk it into the butter until combined, leave it on the heat for about 2 minutes continuing to stir. Add half of the milk and whisk until the four is dissolved into the milk and there are no lumps. Add the rest of the milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium/ low heat until the milk mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and add the goat cheese. Whisk until melted. Add the cheddar and whisk until melted. Finish the sauce with several dashes of Tabassco. Combine the cheese sauce with the cooked pasta and pour into the casserole dish. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium/high heat until it just begins to crisp. Drain off all the fat. Sprinkle over the top of the mac and cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

The Casserole

I returned to work full time this week which has left me little time to prep meals. Today I returned to an old standby, The Casserole! Traditionally, casseroles have been heavy on the fat and calories. But they are difficult to cut out completely because they can be made ahead and can be on the table in an hour or less. They are also a comfort food must.
Tonight I made my Greek casserole, which I originally posted in April'11 but didn't make at the time of posting so there was no picture. The picture is below this posting. It is lighter on the fat and calories but heavy on the flavor and comfort food appeal.