Posts from October 2014

Old Fashioned Bourbon-Vanilla Apple Crisp

October 21, 2014

I would take apple crisp over apple pie any day. I might be a bit biased as I grew up on the stuff but in my mind the crunchy oat topping is the perfect match for sweetly spiced apples. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it just can’t be beat. Leave off the ice cream and you can almost get away with eating it for breakfast! Almost.

This recipe is based off the one my mom gave me (thanks mom!), spiked with bourbon and a touch of vanilla. Because you can’t go wrong with bourbon. Extra points for picking your own apples but totally not necessary. If you make at least one apple dessert a year I highly recommend investing in an apple peeler/corer/slicer, they are magic!

Ingredients

Serves 6

5 medium sized apples (I used Empire)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

6 tablespoons chilled butter

Lightly grease an 8×8″ baking dish or 9″ pie dish. Peel, core and slice apples thinly. Toss with lemon juice, bourbon and vanilla and pour into the baking dish. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Cut the chilled butter into the flour and oat mixture until it forms a crumb approximately the size of small peas. Top the apples with the oat mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

They need to change the saying to “easy as crisp”. Simple to make and really easy to eat! Enjoy.

Draper Girls Country Farm

October 15, 2014

The last weekend in September we loaded up the car and headed out to the gorge in search of u-pick apples, landing at the charming Draper Girls Country Farm outside of Hood River. We weren’t the only people with this grand idea – seemed like half of Portland was there on that glorious sunny day. It was a little too sunny which seems like a funny thing to complain about but it was pushing 85, not exactly my fall apple picking fantasy. We persevered and managed to pick two buckets of apples , one honeycrisp for snacking and one a mix for baking. We were so hot and tired after we forgot to visit the baby animals, sob! Next time…

I’ve been busy cooking up apple recipes and will be sharing them shortly! One miiiiiight include bourbon and is quite possibly the best dessert I have ever tasted.

38 Weeks

October 13, 2014

I am a terrible procrastinator. Throughout my school years I always waited until the night before to complete my essays and projects, I guess I am just one of those people who works better under pressure. So in typical Megan form I waited until the last possible minute to have some maternity photos taken. I think I was also waiting for my bump to really pop out, I have a long torso so I feel like I didn’t look convincingly pregnant until those last couple weeks.

My friend Anja came over with honey pie from Sweedeedee (thanks buddy, you know the way to a pregnant ladies heart) and we spent some time photographing my enormous belly. I was just a little over 38 weeks pregnant at the time these were taken. So glad we got them when we did because I had Greta just a few days later at exactly 39 weeks!

Photography by Anja Verdugo

Chile Verde

October 2, 2014

October might be my favorite month for cooking. There’s still an abundance of vegetables and fruits at the farmers market and the dip in temperature means it’s time for slow cooking, roasting, glazing and caramelizing. There are few things better than coming home from a long day to a house filled with the scent of a thoughtfully prepared meal. This recipe for tender pork and chile stew gives you that with minimal prep; it’s easily assembled in the morning and waiting to warm your belly when you get home.

The most complicated part of this recipe is roasting the chiles but you can easily just throw them on the barbecue when you’re grilling up dinner the night before (that’s what I did). Even better, just open a can of roasted chiles. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Martha. This was one of those recipes that I found myself saying “I can’t believe how good this is” the whole time I was eating it…and again the next night and the night after. It is at once comforting and bright and is going to be on heavy rotation in this house once the cold settles in. Easy and impressive, my favorite.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

4 pound boneless pork shoulder

1 small white onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

2 cups tomatillos, husks removed and quartered

2 roasted hatch chiles or one 4 oz can diced chiles

4 cloves garlic

2 cups chicken stock

5 small to medium golden potatoes, cubed

salt and pepper to taste

Cut pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes and quickly sear in a hot skillet coated with olive oil. Add onions and cook until pork has browned on all edges, about 5-10 minutes. Layer the pork and onion mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle the bay leaves, cumin and oregano on top. In a vitamix or food processor combine the tomatillos, chiles, garlic and chicken stock and blend until smooth. Pour over the pork mixture and top with potatoes. Set the cooker to low for 8 hours and get on with your day. When it’s time to eat give it a stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with warm tortillas and top with avocado, a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Bardeaux

About Me

Archives