The Charmed Kitchen

Apple Bread

I have been working hard to go through all the apples I picked on Monday. Haven’t made much of a dent yet, but then I haven’t started canning. I did make an apple bread I really like. It is not too sweet and studded with raisins and nuts. I actually used a combination of raisins, dried cranberries and pecans. It is a lovely option for breakfast and a nice gift. Freezes great- not there are ever any leftovers over here.

Apple Bread

1/3 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

2 t. grated lemon or orange peel

1t. cinnamon

2 eggs

3 T. milk

1 t. lemon juice

1 t. each baking powder and salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. peeled shredded apples, about 2 large apples

1 c. raisins

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Cream together butter, sugar, peel and cinnamon. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in milk and lemon juice. Stir in dry ingredients then fold in apples, raisins and nuts. Bake in a greased 9-inch loaf pan in a preheated 350 -degree oven for 1 hour. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Cool 15-20 minutes before removing from pan. Yield: 1 loaf.

Spirited Applesauce

I love applesauce, which is a good thing since I picked over 600 apples yesterday. Still, regular applesauce can get boring. I am still thinking about  those 600 apples. By adding just a few ingredients you can make plain old applesauce not so plain. This recipe is great with roasted meats or as a dipping sauce. I used dark rum but you can use another alcohol, if you like.

Spirited Applesauce

½ c. butter

 2 c. chunky-style applesauce

¼ c. sugar

½ c. rum dark preferred

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. ground cardamom

¼ t. ground nutmeg

pinch of cloves

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over low heat , stirring frequently until thickened. Makes about 2 cups. Use as a glaze on pork, lamb or poultry. Serve on the side as you would cranberry sauce. Can be served warm or cold. Also good with breakfast sausages or as a dipping sauce.

Herb and Spice Crusted Pork Roast

I knew I would be having applesauce with this pork roast. I wanted to make a rub that would go with the pork and compliment the applesauce as well.  This is what I came up with. It worked out great. Nice blend of flavors and perfect with the spirited applesauce I used as a side dish.

Herb and Spice Crusted Pork Roast

The Rub:

2 T. coarse sea salt

1 T. paprika

1 T. dried parsley

1-2 cloves minced garlic

2 t. fresh grated ginger

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. fresh ground pepper

Combine all the rub ingredients.

1 pork roast- I used a 3 1/2 pound pork sirloin roast- bone-in.

Spread the rub over the roast, pressing in to help it stick. Place pork roast in a roasting pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2- 2 1/2 hours. Serves 4.

This rub would also be nice on poultry.

The rub ingredients

Cover roast with the rub mixture

Right out of the oven

Applesauce Cake

This is a great recipe. It’s fast to make as well as moist and tasty. I decided to post it after a friend told me she had made a ton of applesauce but only one of her sons really liked it.  She wanted a recipe to use applesauce besides just eating it plain. I think her whole family will enjoy this cake. While I used butter in the recipe you could swap out the butter with coconut oil or shortening for a vegan dessert. This one is for you, Pat.

Applesauce Cake

2 c. unsweetened applesauce

½ c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 c. flour

1 T. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 t. each cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg

¼ t. cloves

1 c. raisins or chopped nuts

Heat together applesauce and butter until butter melts. Cool down a bit. Preheat oven 375 and grease 9×13-inch pan. Stir all ingredients together bake 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

I remember my Mother making Waldorf Salad when I was a kid. It was always a favorite of mine. Normally it was a Fall treat when apples were in season. I had some extra chicken and wanted to make something easy for lunch so I looked at things I had on hand and decided to make a Waldorf Salad but add the chicken to it. It was a really wonderful combination. I could also see making this with leftover turkey.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

2 c. diced cooked chicken

2 apples, cored and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. mayo, or more to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. toasted pecans

Combine all ingredients, except the pecans and chill. Add pecans just before serving.

Onion Relish

One of my favorite appetizers is caramelized onions. Slow cooked to bring out all the sweetness they can be served with crusty breads, cheeses, smoked meats or crackers. I sometimes spread them on French bread and top with cheese then bake until toasty.They cook down a lot so make plenty. I add them to pasta dishes and soups, too. You can also freeze leftovers.

Onion Relish

2 lbs. Onions, chopped

3 T. oil

1 t. salt

2 T. brown sugar

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

Dash red hot pepper sauce

Paprika

Sauté onions in oil with salt over low heat for 35-45 minutes. Onions should begin to caramelize and brown without burning. Add remaining ingredients and cook slowly another 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if needed and serve warm with crusty bread, crackers or smoked meats.

Mushroom Spread

It seems this time of year everyone is looking for more appetizer ideas. This is a great one. Mushrooms chopped fine and cooked down into a spread. Great with crusty breads or crackers and full of rich flavor. I usually end up making a double batch right away. Partly because mushrooms cook down a lot and also because everyone eats it up quickly.

Mushroom Spread

½ lb. mushrooms, trimmed, washed and chopped

2 T. butter or oil

1 medium onion, chopped

½ t. salt

Fresh ground pepper

Dash of nutmeg

1 t. lemon juice

2 t. flour

½ c. sour cream or strained yogurt

½-1 t. dill weed

Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter or oil for 4 minutes. Add seasonings, lemon juice and flour and cook 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream or yogurt and dill. Serve with pumpernickel bread, crackers or in mini cream puff shells. 

Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes

I had some cherry pie filling left over from making Danish and wanted to use it up. I also needed a dessert for dinner with a friend. I came up with these. This is a great recipe for a number of reasons. To start with it’s cheesecake, which is always a good thing. This is also a really quick recipe and simple to make. It also just makes 6 little cheesecakes. Perfect for when you don’t need a lot of something. You can just make extra batches when more is needed. Also fun for when you are craving cheesecake but don’t have the time to make a large one.

Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes

6 vanilla wafers

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

chocolate syrup or sauce

cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in 6 muffin tins and place a vanilla wafer in each one. Set aside. In medium mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg until just mixed. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.  Bake for 15- 20 minutes. Cheesecakes will puff up and then deflates a little when cooled. Once cooled top each cheesecake with a little chocolate syrup and a spoonful of cherry pie filling. Chill. Makes 6. Serves 2-3.

Place vanilla wafers in lined muffin tins

Fill with prepared batter

Bake until filling is just set

Top with chocolate syrup or sauce

Finish with cherry pie filling

Cherry Chocolate Blintzes

We made the Cherry Danish in class the other day and had some leftover cherry pie filling. I didn’t want to waste it. I also had some flour tortillas so I combined the 2 for what I think is a pretty nice dessert. Easy to make, too. First I softened the tortillas in milk for about 10 minutes. This makes them more pliable- like a slightly thicker crepe. I wanted to dress them up a little so I melted some semi-sweet (bittersweet) chocolate with a little half-and-half.  Two parts chocolate to one part of the half-and-half. I melted them in the microwave for half a minute or so then stirred until they were smooth. I put the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle and put a nice swirl of it in the center of a tortilla. Then I added a couple of spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling. I folded up the sides a little and then folded it over- like making an egg roll.  Then I melted some butter in a pan and cooked them over medium heat until golden on both sides. I put a drizzle of the chocolate on a plate, dusted the blintz with powdered sugar and placed it on top of the chocolate. Simple and kind of elegant, too. Would be nice served with whipped cream or ice cream.

Put some melted chocolate in the center of the tortilla

Add cherry pie filling

Fold into a bundle

Brown in butter

Drizzle plate with chocolate sauce before placing blintz on top

Ready to serve

Easy Cherry Danish

If you are a baker you might balk at calling these Danish. They are not the traditional Danish we are used to. They are tasty, though, and easy to make. My Mom used to make a batch whenever she had unexpected guests. Ready in no time. I used cherry pie filling in these but you can use other fruit fillings or even make cheese Danish.

Easy Danish

 2 c. biscuit mix, like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix- I make my own.

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. butter

2/3 c. milk

assorted preserves or pie fillings or even sweetened cream cheese or ricotta for cheese Danish

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

milk

Combine biscuit mix and sugar. Cut in butter. Stir in milk. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet. Indent middle using spoon. Leave 2-3 inches in between as they grow. Spoon preserves, or pie filling, into indents. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine confectioner’s sugar with enough milk to make a runny glaze. Drizzle over cooled Danish. Makes 12.

Freshly drizzled with glaze