Apple Cake

Apple Cake

4 large apples

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup orange juice

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan.

2. Peel and slice the apples. Mix the cinnamon and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs; add the oil, 2 cups of sugar, the orange juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat a low speed just until mixed.

5. Spoon one third of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with half of the apples and half of the cinnamon sugar. Cover with another third of the batter. Add the rest of the apples and cinnamon sugar. Top with the remaining batter.

6. Bake for 1 ¼ hours or until the cake shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Seared Pimentón -Crusted Tuna with Chickpea Artichoke Salad

Yellow rice goes well with this dish.

Rating: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon good-quality Spanish paprika (pimentón)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) tuna fillets
Chickpea Artichoke Salad

1. Whisk together olive oil and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Coat tuna with oil mixture, and sear in hot (slightly smoking) cast-iron skillet for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes* per side or until rare to medium-rare. Serve over Chickpea Artichoke Salad.

*Note: The tuna fillets in the original recipe must have been sliced much thinner than the ones we usually get. We find it takes 3-5 minutes per side, according to your taste.

Chickpea Artichoke Salad

Note: In this photo, we substituted grape tomatoes for the artichokes (either to add color or because we didn’t have any artichokes on hand).

1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 (15.5-ounce) can cooked chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian or flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; cover mixture, and chill.

These recipes were originally published in the March 2005 issue of Cottage Living magazine.

Shrimp Risotto with Fresh Herb Butter

This tasty dish also looks very pretty plated.

Rating: 4
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature, divided
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup arborio rice (or medium-grain white rice)
3/4 cup Riesling or other white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl.

2. Add 1 tablespoon butter to same pan. Add onion, and cook until nearly translucent. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine. Stir until wine is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer until rice is tender and risotto is creamy, stirring often, about 18 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, blend remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon basil, and tarragon in small bowl. Season herb butter to taste with salt and pepper. Snap asparagus stalks to remove bottom portions. Cut remaining upper portions into 1-inch pieces. Steam in microwave 3-4 minutes, or until almost tender. Remove peas from freezer to let thaw.

4. Mix asparagus, peas, shrimp, any accumulated juices, and 1 tablespoon basil into risotto. Simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into shallow bowls. Swirl some herb butter into top of each. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Cajun Fried Dill Pickles

A Southern Delicacy

My aunt sent me a ton of recipes. This one was really easy (if a little messy) and a definite crowd-pleaser for my displaced Southern cohorts.

Rating: 4
Servings: Varies

1 egg
8 ounces milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5-6 drops of hot sauce
2 cups, 1 tablespoon flour (divided)
Salt
Pepper
Dill pickle slices*
Vegetable oil

1. Heat oil in frying pan at medium heat.

2. Mix egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon flour in bowl.

3. Mix salt, pepper (to taste), and 2 cups flour in bowl.

4. Dip pickles in egg wash, then flour, then egg, then flour, then drop in hot oil and fry until golden. Remove with slotted metal spoon and drain on paper-towel lined plate.

Serve immediately.

* We tried two kinds of pickles, hamburger slices and kosher dill slices. I liked the kosher better because they were a little thicker and seemed a bit saltier, but this is likely all personal preference.

Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

This recipe is adapted from Cottage Living magazine. This is a pretty simple recipe, and it never fails to impress guests. Great presentation. Saucy Sally prefers it with strawberries replacing the raspberries.

Rating: 4
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Prep: 20 minutes
Freeze: 3 hours
Stand: 15 minutes

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh raspberries, washed and drained
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups fresh whipping cream

1. Insert cupcake liners into 12 muffin cups; set aside.

2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and butter in a medium bowl. Spoon about 1 tablespoon mixture into each liner, pressing down firmly with fingers to form crust.

3. Reserve 12 raspberries for garnish. Place remaining raspberries in food processor; pulse 10 seconds or until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup for filling. Press remaining puree through a fine, wire-mesh sieve over a small glass bowl, using back of a spoon to squeeze out juice. Discard pulp and seeds. Cover and chill raspberry juice.

4. Pour whipping cream into a chilled bowl, and use clean beaters to beat at medium-high speed with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until soft peaks form.

5. Beat cream cheese at low speed with electric mixer until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk, and reserved 1/2 cup pureed raspberries, beating until just combined. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped cream. (Save remaining cup of whipped cream for garnish.)

6. Top each crust with about 1/3 cup of mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze 3 hours or until firm.

7. Remove cakes from freezer; peel away cupcake liners, and place cakes on serving plates. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. To serve, dollop remaining whipped cream evenly onto each cake. Drizzle with reserved raspberry juice, and top with reserved raspberries. Store ungarnished, covered with plastic wrap, in freezer up to 2 weeks.

Farmer's Market Vegetable, Beef, and Brown Rice Salad

This recipe is one of our favorites. Saucy Sally and I make it fairly regularly. Some notes: We often forget to marinate in advance. It's not that much of a problem with this recipe. If you put the rice on to cook when you start prepping the veggies and move on from there, you should have plenty of time to get everything done (including letting the meat stand for 10 minutes) at about the same time.

Also, since we're normally having this as a week night meal and eating the additional two servings for leftovers, we've learned to only assemble half of the salad, so we don't have to heat the tomatoes and chick peas up for lunch the next day.

Rating: 4
Servings: 4
Total time: 40 minutes

Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp honey
4 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 lb beef top round steak (or flank steak), cut 3/4 inch thick 1 tsp olive oil
2 cups asparagus cut in 2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 cup diced, seeded tomatoes
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef steak and 1/4 cup marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight. Reserve remaining marinade in refrigerator for dressing.

2. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 2-3 inches from heat. Broil 12-13 minutes for medium-rare doneness, turning once. Remove; keep warm. (Let beef stand for 10 minutes before slicing or serving to enhance flavor.)

3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add asparagus and squash; cook and stir 7-8 minutes or until tender. Toss with rice, tomatoes, beans, basil, salt, and reserved marinade in large bowl.

4. Carve steak into thin slices. Serve over rice salad.

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Sauce and Vegetable Saute

Technically, those tomatoes and artichoke hearts should be mixed together, but Saucy Sally had an inkling that we wouldn't care for the artichokes. (She was right, of course.)

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30-40 minutes
Definitely okay for guests (if we could ever afford it!)
(Note: While the lamb chops get a 4, the vegetable saute gets a 2.)

Saucy Sally and I loved the flavor of this tender meat and the gravy it created. I was definitely a fan of the pistachio sauce. Unfortunately, the vegetables weren't up to par. The tomatoes would've been better roasted, and canned artichoke hearts taste, well, canned. Saucy Sally said she'd forget about the vegetable saute next time and serve the lamb with a baked potato and a green vegetable, which sounds good to me.

1/2 c shelled pistachios
3/4 c coarsely chopped fresh parsley
8 loin lamb chops, each 1 inch thick (about 2 lbs)*
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, & quartered

1. Make sauce: In a blender, purée pistachios with ¼ cup water until smooth (add a splash more water if necessary); season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Season lamb with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Cook until medium-rare, about five minutes per side (temperature of 145˚).** Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with foil. Reserve skillet (and any fat left in it).

3. Add tomatoes, artichokes, and ¼ cup water to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently, until tomatoes begin to soften, 6-8 minutes. Mix in remaining ½ c parsley. Serve.

* Being that we're not quite there with the dinero and lamb is expensive, we opted for one lamb chop each.
** The original recipe, from the May 2007 issue of Everday Food, didn’t offer temperatures, which led us to finding this handy site.

Fajita Rub

Saucy Sally got this rub from this recipe. She made extra, and we keep it in the cabinet.

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chile powder
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp cayenne*
1 1/2 tsp salt


* Saucy Sally is kind of a spice wimp. She says she probably puts in 1/4 tsp cayenne (and even then she'll still tear up a little).

Roasted Pork Loin with Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

Colorful and tasty. We would definitely serve this meal to guests.

Servings: 4 (Plus leftovers for Roasted Pork Club)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Good for Guests


This meal was fan-freakin'-tastic. Every single bite was an explosion of flavor. We served the two dishes detailed below with a simple tomato and basil salad* (pictured above), mainly because we happened to have some tomatoes we needed to use. Saucy Sally thinks the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad would be good with a small amount of yellow rice. The second time we served this meal, we opted for corn on the cob as our second side. Delicious.

2 lbs center-cut boneless pork loin
4 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil, divided
2 tsp fajita rub
Coarse salt & ground pepper
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
¼ tsp red-pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice (from one lime), plus wedges for serving
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 450°, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Place pork on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub with fajita rub. Roast on upper rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meet registers 145°, 35 to 40 minutes.
2. About 15 minutes after pork has begun roasting, place sweet potatoes on another rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Roast on lower rack until tender, tossing once during cooking, 25-35 minutes.
3. Remove pork loin from oven, and cover loosely with aluminum foil; let rest about 10 minutes. (Slice off 1/3 of meat and refrigerate for the Roasted Pork Club with Lemon Basil Mayonnaise.)
4. In a large bowl, whisk lime juice with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes and beans; mix gently to combine.
5. Thinly slice pork, and serve with salad and lime wedges.

* I believe Saucy Sally mixed small sliced tomatoes and fresh basil with olive oil and white wine vinegar to create this dazzling little dish.