Apple Sauce

Happy Hanukkah. Learn here how to make apple sauce to serve with your latkes.

4 Apple (frugal me chose the least expensive variety)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (either white or brown)
1 tspn cinnamon
1 vanilla bean

In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Comments: My next apple sauce trial will be to a baking recipe.

Chocolate Crust Cheesecake Minis

Decoration ideas: sprinkle broken pieces of  candy cane,
mini chocolate chips or sugar syrup raspberries

Everything's better in cupcake form. That's why I've set out to try nearly all of Martha Stuarts favorite cupcakes and picked out my favorite one. Original recipe included apricot jam. See below my simplified version without the jam.


Ingredients (yields 18, total time 1 hour)

1 cup crumbled chocolate-wafer cookies (about 18 cookies)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 pound cream cheese, softened (leave out for 3 hours before hand or microwave prior)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
pinch of salt


Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Mix cookies and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Stir in butter. Press 1 tablespoon of mixture in bottom of each cup. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

2) Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then vanilla. With mixer running, add eggs slowly, scraping down side of bowl. Add sour cream and salt. make sure to get rid of all lumps so batter is smooth. Pour batter into double muffin cups, filling almost to the tops.

3) Bake until sides are set but centers are wobbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Wrap tins tightly with plastic only when cooled to room temperature, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Let It Sprout

 Growing alfafa sprouts is super easy. 

Day 1 Sunday - soak seeds overnight

Day 5 Thursday - ready to eat

       

Eggs In The Basket

          

Italian Goulash

4 big servings.   25 mins prep.   2.5 hours total.

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb of lean ground beef (94/6)
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
3-4 baby bell peppers, diced recipe calls for red & orange. I used regular red & green pepper as a substitute.
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced canned or fresh
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
3 cups of Roasted Tomato, Onion & Garlic Marinara i.e a whole container
12 oz elbow macaroni, cooked per instructions 12 oz = 3 cups <- too much. Try 2.5 or 2 cups next time.
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Asiago, grated

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a small Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms then cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef, bell pepper, chopped garlic then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper; cook for 4-5 minutes making sure to crumble the ground beef as it cooks. Drain any excess grease from the pan then add the marinara sauce, stir until mixed thoroughly. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 hours so flavors combine.

Cook the elbow macaroni per instructions (make sure to season the water with salt) then drain completely. Combine the macaroni with the sauce, add the fresh basil and mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes so the sauce has time to flavor the noodles. Top with Asiago cheese if desired and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.