How Bout Dem Apples

We have an apple problem.

Well, not really, since both apple trees that are invading (welcomely!) our back yard are owned by two different neighbors. But when the wind blows, the apples fall. Let me show you:

Unfortunately the birds and raccoons and opossums and such get to most of them before we do, but the ones we get to salvage are SO tasty. However, even if every member of this household, including the pets, ate an apple a day, we couldn't keep up with the apples that fall over the fence. So I had to cook.
Here was my critieria: I want to be able to eat a lot of it, and not blow my diet. I want it to be sweet. I want to eat it for breakfast. BOOM: Slow cooker spiced apple sauce. Win.

Slow Cooker Spiced Cider Apple Sauce
0 WW PP+ woot woot


Ingredients

• 5-7 apples depending on size, washed, cored, and sliced with skins still on
• lemon wedge
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole all spice thingies
• 1/4 c. spiced cider

Instructions

• Place all apples in the slow cooker - fill it to the brim!
• Squeeze lemon over the top and rub around to keep top apples from going brown too fast
• Add in cinnamon in both forms, allspice, cloves, and pour over cider
• HOT TIP: remember how many all spices and cloves you put in so when you dig em out later you know how many to look for!! If you've watched enough Top Chef or Chopped, you now what a di-sas-ter it is to let someone bite in to a clove or all spice thingy.
• Cover for 8 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat
• Let cool and dig out cloves, all spice, and cinnamon stick
• Keep in the fridge for a week or so!

I have eaten this twice in less than 14 hours now. Once with oatmeal - I didn't even need to sweeten my oats! And once plain, warmed up, as dessert. It would be great as a spread on toast, or with a cheese pairing (i.e. bleu or camembert or something stinky and soft). It was great alone, too! Hot or cold, it's delicious. And I know where it was grown and what went in to it. Isn't it weird how applesauce in a jar is so light in color when this applesauce is so dark brown? That's not all just because of the cinnamon, people. Strannngggeeee.

Go steal some apples from your neighbors and make yourself a crock pot full of applesauce.

Fro Yo Fail

Or not...

So I got an ice cream maker for my bday - yay! So excited to make fro yo and sorbet and okay, ice cream. But with non fat milk. Mostly.

Anyway, I gave her a whirl this weekend, but it was a partial fail. Only partial because it became frozen eventually, but a fail because it did not work out as planned. I know where I went wrong. I made a 1.5 batch without considering the size of the ice cream maker, so I totally overloaded it, and I only froze the base for 12 hours instead of the recommended 1-2 days.  Anyway, the recipe, once it finally did freeze overnight, was AMAZING. I don't know why they don't make this in stores.... It was a lot like tart fro yo, but more citrusy.

Vanilla Citrus Nonfat Fro Yo
1/2 c = 4 WW PP+


Ingredients

• 2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 cups vanilla nonfat yogurt
• 1 c white sugar
• Juice of 4 lemons, 2 limes, 1 orange - the goal is 1 cup
• 1 tbsp zest from said fruits

Instructions

• In a sauce pan, combine sugar and juice
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until all sugar is dissolved
• Cool for several hours
• When ready to make ice cream, mix fruit syrup, yogurt and zest in a large mixing bowl until well combined
• Put in ice cream maker for 30 minutes
• Stick in freezer for another 30 minutes to set for scoopability
• Serve! 

great with berries and sponge cake...

I can't wait to keep experimenting! I want to try lower sugar recipes, or some with alternative sweetening like agave. Any ice cream maker tips are welcome!

Stuffed Shells Two Ways

Saturday was family dinner night and to stick with my cookbook mission, I made a recipe inspired by, guess who, Ray Ray! The menu was stuffed shells two ways. Truly, I just wanted to do a butternut squash sauce, but I figured I could please the crowed with an easy italian sausage marinara sauce, too. Though these took for-ev-er to make for a group of ten, they were super delicious. It's like a neater lasagna. Which makes me think this butternut squash sauce would make a ridiculously good lasagna... Hmmm...

Thanks for inspiration Ray Ray! I also took a cue from Gourmet for the butternut squash sauce. But I changed that up, too. I'm not one for following instructions.

There are three components to this - the shells, the sausage marinara, and the butternut squash sauce.

One: The Shells


Ingredients

• One box of shells
• 2 cups fat free ricotta
• 2/3 c. shredded parmesan
• 1/3 c. grated romano
• 1 egg
• 1/2 bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg to taste
• 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients.
• Set in the fridge for about one hour before you start stuffing shells so that the spices have some time to soak in to the cheese
• Cook shells according to box instructions -  you want them just short of al dente since you will be finishing them in the oven. Nobody likes mushy pasta.
• When the pasta is done cooking, drain and dump on to a baking sheet to cool.
• Once they are cool enough to handle, stuff each shell with 2 tbsp of ricotta mixture
• Arrange in a 9x13 baking dish and wait patiently for sauce
• Pour sauce over shells - be generous - and make sure to get the edges so pasta doesn't dry out
• Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly

nutmeg looks like brains!

Sausage Marinara

Ingredients

• One package of your favorite italian sausage - I like hot turkey, but sweet or any other meat tastes great too
• Two 28 oz. cans marinara sauce from trader joes. No corner cutting, people. :)
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 1 c. red wine - 3/4 c for drinking while cooking, 1/4 c. for actual cooking

Instructions

•  In a large, deep frying pan, brown sausage 
• Dump in marinara sauce, reduce heat to simmer
• Add in italian seasoning and red wine
• Simmer and stir occasionally for 10 minutes
• Great on pasta, lasagna, stuffed shells, with italian sandwiches, over eggs, over garlic bread, etc.

 I was too busy stuffing shells to take pics, but picture yumminess in your head.

Butternut Squash Sage Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb butternut squash, roughly chopped and finely diced by food processor
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp fresh chopped sage
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped italian parsley
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil over medium high heat
• Saute onions until soft and starting to get brown
• Dump in squash, and water, cover and reduce heat to medium
• Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until squash is fully cooked
• Either using a blender or batches in a food processor, puree 3/4 of the squash onion mixture. If you don't want texture, puree it all. I like texture.
• Reduce heat to low, stir in herbs, parm, and pepper to taste
• SOOOOOOO good.

fuzzy.

 I am going to go eat another round of these shells for leftovers now :)