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Manic Kitchen Maniac Part I (apples)

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Some days I can cook lots and lots of things in one day, if I set some time aside that is.  Yesterday was one of them.  We had been given a huge bag of apples from my son’s preschool teacher (her trees were dropping them faster than she could collect them) so I decided to make apple pie.  And apple sauce.  And cinnamon rolls earlier from a white dough I’d started the day before plus one loaf of spelt-white bread and a little boule from the left-over white dough.  And then I thought, why stop?  Since I’d already roasted a butternut squash the night before, and didn’t make them then, I  decided to make raviolis to bring to a friend’s… plus it was nicer than sorting and folding the laundry piled up on my bed.  

The cinnamon rolls I made from a Mark Bittman recipe using the bread dough that I often make; but I think next time I’ll use a different dough, either making it flakier or chewier.  It just wasn’t right, or all that wonderful, so that’s a fail on my part, but the kids still liked them.  Not many kids wouldn’t— they were warm, sweet and cinnamon-y.   But to get them out of the way in my little kitchen of the other baking and cooking, I threw them in the oven, which I reheated for bread and pie.  Oops.  The photo is post reheat. 

Since I had the Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything cookbook out, I used it for my pie crust and as a basis for the ravioli filling. So after cinnamon rolls were made and bread was sitting on my island getting in its last rise, I started on the pie crust.  The recipe was fairly easy using my food processor, although I must have put my dough into the freezer longer than the time suggested in his recipe since it was too hard from to work with easily (rolling) and it just added time and frustration.  Luckily I wasn’t doing my PMS induced Mommy Dearest impression, that was a day earlier, I was much easier going in— except for the fact that I was in a cooking frenzy, it was still a happy go-lucky frenzy.  When I was finished mixing the crust dough I put the bread into the oven and started on making the pie filling.  I have been making apple pies for several years and use my own recipe (but I’m sure it’s just like many others). 

Apple Pie Filling

  • 6-8 apples depending on size (using Macintosh-type use 8, Granny Smiths 6)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
  • pinch of ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice (plus more in water for keeping apples from browning)
  • 1 Tbsp butter cut into small pieces

So that the apples will keep their lovely color after I peel them I put them in a bowl of cold water with some lemon juice squeezed in and the piece from which it came.  After peeling the apples, I cut them in half and scoop out the core with a melon-baller and cut out the ends in a triangle cut. I find it retains the most apple and creates even sized wedges for the pie.  Once apples are peeled and cut, in a separate bowl mix the spices, sugar and flour.  Toss apples with spice mixture, add lemon juice then pour into the crust.  Add small pieces of butter around the top of pie filling. Add top crust, pinch closed (brush bottom crust with water to help seal) and score to release hot air.

I baked this one at 350 for 15 minutes then increased temp to 450 for 20 minutes then back down to 350 for last 20 minutes only because I had forgotten to start it off at higher temp until 15 minutes in!  You can bake it at 450 first then lower it for rest of time. 

While pie was in the oven and bread was on counter cooling (I’d taken them out just minutes before pie went it) I made the apple sauce.  My mother-in-law taught me how to make it and it’s the best I’ve ever had.  I cut about 12 apples into chunks, leaving out core and ends but leaving on the peel, and placed in a large sauce pan.  Add 2 tbsp water, 1/4 cup of brown sugar/white sugar and  1 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Mix well then cover.  Heat over med-high heat for about 7 minutes, stir and reduce to med-low heat.  Stirring often, cook apples until they’ve reduced in size and are mushy, about 20-25 minutes.  Place a food mill over a bowl, pour cooked apples into mill and grind them through.  Ready to eat!

Now at this point I was hemming and hawing over laundry or continue cooking, but since I had the food mill out and I really wanted to attempt making them (plus some encouragement from friends over facebook), I stuck with cooking and made the ravioli. 

To be continued…

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Eintopf! Or I found something my middle one loves!

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Oh it’s such a wonderful sound to hear yippees and exclamations of delight from my middle son when he sees his dinner.  Those of you who’ve read my blog regularly would know that this is a rare occurrence, it’s often the opposite reaction.  But yesterday I made a dinner that he’d requested the week before, and one that I never knew he liked that much until last night when he saw the bowl of steaming stew.  I made a family recipe, one that my mother learned while living in Switzerland from my German father’s mother.  We’ve always called it Eintopf, which means “one pot” and my Oma also called it “Wirsingkohl” for the type of cabbage (Savoy) that is in it. To me it is the ultimate comfort food, to my husband it took him a few times to like it. 

My kids love it.  I think what food you grow up with can influence you later on in life.  Some people who say their mother (or father) was a terrible cook but remember fondly a dish she made and can get nostalgic about it even if it wasn’t the best they’ve ever had— they may still prefer it done the way Mom made it. 

For instance, I like marmite and vegemite, I grew up eating it from a young age, whereas most American’s would think the savory spread gross.  My kids also like marmite (preferred over vegemite) because I’ve been giving it to them since they were able to eat toast.  I think this is true with many foods especially vegetables but it’s not necessarily a done deal.  My husband too likes marmite as did my father, both of whom didn’t eat it until they were adults.  I guess I’m trying to say that it’s never to late to try to introduce new foods.  Our tastes can change and we may be more open to new foods at various times and under particular circumstances.  I think not forcing the issue helps get children, even older ones, to try new things.  Again, cook what you know (healthy things, please), introduce family recipes, things you’ve enjoyed or something with a story— and eat with them.  Show them.  Don’t force it and you may be surprised when the pickiest one, shouts with joy over something you’ve made. 

Eintopf (One Pot Beef Stew)

·        1-2 lbs stew beef (chuck), trimmed and cut into cubes

·        1 large onion

·        1 large Savoy cabbage, rinsed and shredded

·        5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces

·        2 Tbsp caraway seeds

·        2 cups beef stock (or beef bouillon)

·        salt and pepper to taste

·        1 cup flour

·        3 Tbsp olive oil

·        2 bay leaves

My mother always made this in a pressure cooker, but I make mine in a slow cooker.  Both need to sauté onions and brown the beef first, but once that’s done just add everything to slow cooker.  Pressure cooker and stove is cooked in stages.

In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper.  Add beef and coat all sides then set aside.  In sauté pan, cook onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil then add to slow cooker.  Brown floured meat in 1 Tbsp olive oil- might need to do in lots of 2 or 3 so as to not overcrowd the pan.  Once browned on all sides, add to slow cooker. Add stock, caraway seeds, potatoes then cabbage on top (cabbage doesn’t need to be in liquid).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8.  Meet should be tender and fall apart with a fork.  Serve in bowls with a spoon.

Honestly it is one of our family favorites.  Eyes light up and smiles abound when this is served.  I hope you all have one dish that elicits such a response.  It makes me happy that I can make them something that is healthy and they all like.

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When you do have time

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The weather has turned, the leaves are changing color and falling.  Sundays are often our days that my husband or I make a more elaborate or time consuming meal in the cooler months as the summers are picnics at the town green or back yard barbecues.  Though we often go to church in the morning and cub scouts on some Sunday afternoons, there isn’t the same daily rush.  There’s no school, no work (well, unfortunately not lately for my husband), no homework, usually no client meetings, just violin practice.  This is one of my favorite fall/winter dinners:  a whole roasted chicken with root vegetables.  It takes quite some time to prep— peeling, cutting, chopping, but really the final result is heaven at home.  The boys love it but might not eat each and every vegetable.  They seem to like more and more the more often we have it. 

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

  • One whole chicken
  • 10-12 baby potatoes either whole or cut in half (depending on size), leave skin on
  • 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
  • 5 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
  • 5 small purple topped turnips, peeled and cut in half (I couldn’t get any, but usually use them)
  • 2-3 sweet potatoes, quartered, leave skin on
  • handful of whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • half large onion sliced
  • handful of pearl onions or shallots
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (strip from stems first)
  • Olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2-3 celery stalks with leaves

Preheat oven to 425F.  Rinse and pat dry chicken.  In large bowl coat chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and half the chopped thyme.  Stuff cavity with celery and onion ends, trim to fit. Place onion slices in the center of a roasting pan in a single layer.  Place chicken on top.  In bowl take several groups of vegetables and coat with olive oil, remaining thyme, salt and pepper.  Place around chicken. 

Roast for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350F.  Roast for at least and hour.  (If the vegetables are crowding the chicken you can roast some on a separate cookie sheet on the rack beneath the chicken. It’s also nice to separate the vegetables from chicken pan about 20 minutes before done, so they get slightly crispy. So they roast evenly, I like to turn vegetables every 20 minutes or so, but that’s optional— once is good. )  It’s done when temperature of thigh is 165F. If it just under it should be ok as it will cook a little more when you take it out to rest.  When chicken is ready, place on cutting board for 10 minutes to rest before carving.  I don’t make a gravy or sauce since I find it’s so tasty on it’s own it’s unnecessary.  Stuffing the cavity will help breast retain juiciness. 

 

This is a win-win dish for the whole family.  Comforting home cooked meal on a chilly evening.  Savor the time you have with the kids.  One good thing— though it takes some time to prepare and more time to cook, it’s easy to clean up and you have some time while it’s in the oven to play.

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Time for cooking? Yes, if you have a slow cooker.

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Honestly and truly I thought I would have had more time on my hands when the kids went back to school, but I can’t seem to keep up some days!  I don’t know what I was thinking! After getting three kids fed breakfast, helping them get dressed and two eldest on the school bus then the youngest three days a week to preschool, I run around doing errands, checking in on client portfolios and requests, and hope to get some housework done especially the never ending laundry, pick up one from preschool, help two with homework and drive to/fro after school activities… but what about dinner!?!  On the weekends there’s cub scouts, soccer, church, and a husband who’s worked every Sunday for the past month— he already works on Saturdays (just has one day off a week).  Oh, I also need to finish hours at the farm for my work-share and am volunteering for a PTA event and local library art show.  And the classroom volunteering hasn’t begun yet.  I am just a bit stressed at times and have had no time for writing. I need to say no every so often, but I honestly like to help out. 

I think I will be freer once PTA event and art show are over.  Then we’ll be into the holidays.  I did make a big change with our schedules and took my middle son out of a great magnet school in another town.  It was too much.  He was out of the house at 7:30 am but didn’t start school until 8:55 and then got home at 4:20.  He’s only 6.  And I had to drive him to a bus stop even though the bus went past our house.  We are already a part of the local school community which the other two are in.  My son also asked daily to return to his old school.  I will regret having him miss the wonderful opportunity of immersion Spanish, great international teaching and diverse atmosphere.  But it was best to take him out.  Our local school is great too. 

So, I am now taking this time to write before I run off to the farm and then hopefully get some housework done.   We haven’t exactly had slow cooker-weather, but I have used mine because it has been a huge help to retain my sanity.  I actually have tonight’s dinner started in my slow cooker (crock pot) right now.  The other day I made a killer chicken chili using it and had them eat early and ready for bed before I had to go to Open House at school.  I also put the brown rice in the rice cooker and used the timer so it was ready at 5.

The funny thing is that I just got my crock pot two years ago and barely used it for the first.  Now, I’ve figured it out— I think it takes a while to know what’s possible and how things turn out, to feel confident enough to use it often.

 

I was originally going to make the chicken gumbo I’ve wanted to make for weeks, but again, I had so many tomatoes, I changed dinner on the spot.  I made this recipe based on a friend’s chicken chili.  She makes a really delicious one with cinnamon in it.  I didn’t use her recipe, but adapted how I normally make beef or turkey chili to include cinnamon. So good and easy to make with the slow cooker. 

Chicken Chili

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, boned and skinned
  • 6-8 tomatoes (sm/med), skinned
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 red pepper (sweet), diced
  • 1 med onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1- 1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder (depending on tolerance)
  • tsp cumin
  • tsp cinnamon
  • tsp dried oregano
  • olive oil
  • salt/pepper
  • 3 cans of beans (kidney, black, pinto, etc)
  • 1 okra, sliced (optional— I was going to make gumbo that night)

 Mix 1 Tbsp chili powder with cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Cut chicken into small pieces and coat with spice mixture.  Set in refrigerator while prepping onions, garlic, pepper, okra.  Blanch the tomatoes to remove skin and put in slow cooker.  I use my hands to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces, you can use a knife.  Sauté onions in olive oil for 2 minutes over med-high heat, then add garlic, pepper and okra.  (I added okra later as an afterthought).  Sauté until lightly cooked but careful not to brown garlic.  Add to slow cooker.  Add about 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper.  In same sauté pan, brown chicken with little more olive oil over med-high heat.  Spices need to open over the higher heat of pan.  Once browned all over, add to slow cooker.  Stir in beans and oregano.  Cover and cook on low for at least 3 1/2 hours.  Check seasoning about an hour through (if possible) and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Or adjust before serving.

It rocks!  The kids loved it.  My middle son whose most sensitive to spices added more rice to his dish and drank lots of milk.  It was fabulous for left-overs too!

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@ Grilled Cheese: Its so great to hear of a nanny supporting the parents efforts to keep their children healthy. You are onto something when you say that if these foods didn’t kill the parents they won’t kill their kids; but the portions and amount of chemicals are so very different now then they were thirty years ago. We won’t know what it is to eat these chemicals, fake foods and pesticides until our children, the guinea pigs, are adults. I like your comment.

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