Keith’s Famous Guacamole

January 1st, 2009

This guacamole is famous from wall-to-wall — in my house!   Rachel used to hate avocados (and guacamole) but ever since I started making her my “Famous” guacamole she has (…read more and get the recipe)

Lemon Coriander Cookies

June 23rd, 2008

Elise and Garrett posted a recipe for making Orange Poppy Seed Cookies and I thought they sounded good and was about to make them when I read the end of the post.  Garrett mentioned that a “novel option” was to switch out the poppy seeds for some ground coriander and replace the orange with lemon.  I did just that!  The result was a happy mouth.  They weren’t as “savory” as I thought they might be, but they were good nonetheless. (…read more and get the recipe)

(Sugar-Free*) Applesauce!

October 17th, 2007

I love applesauce. I can only remember my Mom making it once, but my Grandma’s applesauce was the MOST delicious applesauce you have ever had! I loved the sweet and juicy apple chunks that she had, it didn’t remind me of the store bought kind — and that was a great thing! A year ago, during apple season, I decided I was going to try my own. I could not believe how simple it was to make, not to mention how delicious it was. My mother-in-law let me borrow an apple/potato peeler (a handy little machine) and I was off to work. It turned out great and I made quite a few batches over the months.

Once apple season ended (no more cheap apples) I sort of forgot about it, UNTIL NOW! Cheap apples are back. I got some fresh apples for 65 cents a pound at a fruit stand nearby this weekend so I could make applesauce. Sometimes I find “baking apples” (the bruised and beaten ones) over at Hazelnut Hill for 25 cents a pound during the season (I also can’t resist their chocolate covered hazelnuts!). For my next batch I hope to get over there and buy some cheaper apples.

Now, I don’t remember exactly what kind of apples I bought (shame on me) but you can just ask the clerk which apples might be best for applesauce (gala, granny smith all work though) . Here’s my recipe:

• 6-8 apples
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1 Lemon

1. You can do one of two things to get started: Peel the apples, or leave the peels on. (If you leave the peals on, later you will HAVE to put them through a food processor. I don’t recommend it, unless you like the peels and don’t want larger apple chunks. I forgot that detail today and left the peels on for fun.)
2. Next, cut the apples into quarters, then trim out the core and seeds.
3. Then place the apples in a pot and turn the stove on to medium-low.
4. Place the lemon zest and juice in the pot and mix it in.
5. Cover the pot and let it sit, come back and stir every 10 minutes or so. You’ll start to notice it turning more and more into applesauce after 20-30 minutes. You can be the judge based on thickness and number of apple-pieces to tell when its done.
6. Now, add the cinnamon or, if you’re not a fan, leave it out or use less.
7. If you don’t like my sugar free version, feel free to add sugar here too. I don’t think I need it after all the pumpkin cupcakes!
8. This step is optional, but if you want to (or if you left the skins on) here you can process the pan. Since I left the skins on mine this time I pulsed mine a few times just to get the skins to bite-sized pieces.

That’s it! I just finished eating (and loving) a warm bowl of applesauce and am looking forward to my next batch already!

In the mean time, I have a lot of books to read. I went to the library today and checked out a bunch of books on food and cooking.

* These probably have a ton of natural sugar from the apples.