Dried Spiced Apples

What better way to welcome the Fall season into your home than filling the house with the wonderful aroma of drying spiced apples? It is super easy, the outcome is delicious, and there are several ways to do it. My recipe is for the sauce that goes on the apples before you dry them. I found a website with drying directions and several ways to do it if you, like me, are new to dehydrating. You don't need a dehydrator for this! Click here to go to the site.

Spice Mix:

1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of ground ginger (optional)
1 Tbsp honey
juice from one small lemon
juice from 1/2 an orange

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Then add your sliced apples and toss to coat them with sauce. I used the gigantic Honey Crisp apples that were on sale at Fry's, and just like the name, they were very sweet and crisp. Once the apples are coated evenly with sauce, they are ready for drying. I used a dehydrator for the drying process. I put them in at around 7pm and they were done by 2pm the next day. It is tricky to tell when they are just right because they will still be bendy and chewy if you taste them while they are still warm. To test their doneness, take a slice out of the dehydrator and let it cool for about 5-10 minutes and if it is crispy like a chip, it is done! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Warning! They don't keep for very long..... because you cant stop eating them!! :D

Greek Style Pizza

Sometimes it is fun to venture out into unfamiliar territory and explore different ways of life. Some people accomplish this with religion, some by moving to a different place, and some people travel. Me, I like to cook, and I think some might take it for granted just how EASY it can be! :D
I got the idea for this recipe from a pizza I ate at Picazzo Pizza years ago. It is quite easy and very delicious. If you are tired of a life of take out pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and mac'n'cheese, this is a good place to start your food adventures. I hope you have as much fun going GREEK as I have been having!

Two whole flat breads (I found mine at the bakery from a Walmart Marketside, and it was surprisingly good)
1/3 c. olive oil
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 c. baby spinach leaves, shredded
1-2 roma tomatoes, cut in slices and halved
freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese
1/2 c. kalamata olives
1/3 cup goat or feta cheese, crumbled

Place the flat breads on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350. Combine the italian seasoning with the oil and then brush the oil mixture over the flat breads. You may have some oil left over.  Sprinkle lightly, or generously with the romano or parmesan. Then add by layer the spinach leaves, tomatoes, olives, and goat or feta cheese. Drizzle the left over oil over the top of the pizza. Bake the pizzas for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly crisp, but still somewhat soft and fluffy. Do not burn. Then kali orexi! (enjoy your meal!)

Note: it may not be a bad idea to toss the spinach lightly in olive oil before adding to the the pizza, mine dried out around the edges during baking, but it was still yummy!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies

Smoothies are one of my favorite treats. They are definitely my favorite way to get my fruit serving. Yes, there is sugar (blah blah blah) but what better way to get your vitamins while getting a treat at the same time!? This treat is like cheating the system!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk (or milk substitute; almond milk tastes pretty good in this recipe)
1 banana
3-4 Tbsp sugar (less if your milk substitute is sweetened (I used my homemade vanilla sugar for more flavor))
3 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
dash of cinnamon
3 cups ice

Put all of the ingredients in a blender that can handle ice like nobody's business (we have a Vita-Mix and it is a beast). Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and the ice is very fine. Wah-lah! A delicious smoothie that you didn't have to spend 5 dollars on and you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.  It makes about 2-3 servings.

Tip: This smoothie freezes very well. If you want to save it for later, put it in the freezer immediately. Or if you have a popsicle mold, poor the mixture into it and let it freeze over night. Now you have several treats for later!

Sausage Soup

So I have had a few requests for this recipe. It is much like the last soup recipe, but with some differences. There are many, many varieties of soup you can make with this soup base. All of the ingredients listed are measured in approximation. Feel free to add more of, or less of according to your own tastes. I came up with this one, again, by what I had available to me last Sunday afternoon.

Ingregients:
1 lb of ground sausages, turkey or pork, the hot flavor
4-5 small red potatoes, or 2-3 large, diced
3-4 carrots, sliced
1/2-1 white or yellow onion, diced
1/4 head of cabbage
1/2 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1-2 Tbsp basil
A dash of rosemary
A dash of thyme
A dash of sage
Dash of oregano
salt and pepper to taste
As always, I like to turn up the spice a bit with crushed peppers
2 scalllions, chopped
1 cup frozen french green beans (I cut them in half first)
1 can of corn
1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream
thickening agent (I used the flour and water method, 3Tbsp flour)

Fill a gallon size pot about half full of water and put on the stove on high. While its heating up you can add the potatoes, carrots, half of the chopped onion, cabbage, and all of the spices and herbs and bouillon. While that is coming to a boil, brown the sausage in a separate pan with the rest of the onion.  Once the soup has come to a boil and the veggies are tender, add everything else including the browned sausage and bring it back to a boil. Once the soup is thickened, serve!

Cabbage Soup with Sausage and Leeks!

Well, the title pretty much says it all. It was one of those lets-see-what-I've-got-in-the-refridgerator nights. It ended up turning out quite delicious if I do say so myself. Leonard even loved it. One of these days Ill start taking pictures of these concotions.

1 pkg spicey pork sausage
1 onion, diced
1/2 Tbsp basil
1/2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek
1 half head of cabbage
*thickening agent (I used corn starch, though I think I prefer flour)
1-2 c. milk
1 can of corn
salt
pepper
crushed pepper

Brown the sausage with half of the onion. Meanwhile, fill up your favorite soup cooking pot about half full of water and let it come to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, toss in the rest of the onion, the basil, parsley, thyme, and garlic. Slice the leak into about qaurter inch pieces and shred the cabbage to your desire and toss it all into the water. Once the veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness add your thickening agent. When the soup has thickened up add the milk, corn, and sausage and bring back to a boil. When the soup is thoroughly heated and to the thickness you want it, take it off the burner and serve!

*if anyone does not undersand what a thickening agent is or how to use it, I would be happy to explain it.

Easy and Delicious Party Appetizer: Cheese and Tomato Crackers

This is a recipe I came up with when Leonard brought home a huge box of tomatoes from work. I just used what I had on hand, though if you want to fancy it up you could use bruschetta instead of saltines.

1/2 T. basil
1/2 T. italian seasoning
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch onion powder
1/4 c. olive oil
saltine crackers
a few roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
mozzarella cheese cut into thin squares (just smaller than the cracker)

Combine basil, italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil in a bowl. Mix. Add the sliced tomatoes to the mixture, gently stiring them in to coat them with the mixture. If you feel that seasonings are too thick in the oil then add more olive oil. Set the bowl aside. On a baking sheet, place the saltine crackers, salted side up, about an inch apart. Then place one piece of cheese on each square. Then add one slice of the seasoned tomatoes over the cheese. If some of the tomatoes dont have enough seasoning, just spoon some more over it. Place in the oven at 350 and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. I like to let it brown just a little bit. Then serve to your guests on a cute little platter! :)

Note: you may want to use parchment paper. The cheese WILL stick to the bottom of the pan. I havent tried using parchment paper, so I just turn my spatula over and use it as a scraper.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, raw, diced
2 Tbsp butter
2 celery stocks finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 Tbsp chicken soup base
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper (optional; I love to have a little spice in my dishes)
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. jasmine rice

Place butter, celery, and onions in a baking dish and place in the oven while it preheats to 350 until the butter is melted (I like to let the onion and celery soften just a bit; dont let the contents burn!). In a large bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients. Its best to put the raw chicken in last so that you can taste the mixture to see if you would like to add more salt. Pour the mixture into the baking dish with the celery and onions, stir, cover with foil, and bake for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and the rice is tender. For more flavor you can add grated chedder over the top when it is done and bake with the foil off for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

makes about 6 servings as a side dish

My Famous Avocado-Corn Salsa

4 green onions, roughly chopped

2 serrano chiles, roughly chopped

3 small cloves of garic, roughly copped

1 or 2 healthy handfuls of cilantro (I love this stuff! J)

1 Tbsp ground cumin

2 or 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 ripe (but not squishy) avocados, chopped to bite sized pieces

1 can sweet yellow corn

2 cans diced tomatoes

          or 6-10 fresh roma tomatoes (canned ones are just quicker and convenient)

salt

Place the serranos, cilantro, green onion, garlic, and lemon juice into the blender or food processor. Blend it until it resembles a course mixture, you may have to scrape the sides a few times. Add one can diced tomatoes and pulse it a few times. Don’t pulse too much or you will have a spicy tomato sauce instead of chunky slasa. Dump mixture into a bowl. Add the last can of tomatoes to the blender and pulse a few times. Add to mixture. Add cumin, avocado, and corn and stir together. Salt to taste. (it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a pinch of sugar. This helps tame the tomato flavor.) Sometimes I also add a can of black beans. This is the best salsa EVER.