Apples are one of my favorite things about fall. I like them in desserts, but I also like them in savory dishes. I thought I would share some of my favorites:

Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Pork Tenderloin with Sauerkraut and Apples

Parsnips and Apples

Apple Crisp

Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Apple

Fried Apples

Apple Cake

I’m not the only one who has lots of apple recipes. Here are some from my friend Melanie at Frugal Kiwi:

Apple Pie Moonshine

Autumn Honey Apple Barley Breakfast

Oven Crisp Apple Chips

and another blogger pal Kristin Gough at My Kids Eat Squid:

Savory Apple Pizza

And if you don’t feel like baking, you can buy apple pie flavored ice cream! I didn’t know such a thing existed until Perry’s Ice Cream sent me a free sample (Perry’s reached out to me as a Buffalo-area food blogger and asked me to sample some of their flavors without obligation or requirement that I write or post anything. They did not pay me or do anything other than send me samples). My son loved this ice cream and if you’ve got a craving, but don’t feel like baking an entire pie, it’s a nice substitute!

Apples are one of my favorite things about fall. I like them in desserts, but I also like them in savory dishes. I thought I would share some of my favorites: Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Apples Pork Tenderloin with Sauerkraut and Apples Parsnips and Apples Apple Crisp Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Apple Fried … Read more →

Week two of the CSA share brought even more food. Tons of lettuce, more kale and bok choy and fresh peas, which I was very excited about! We also bought a quart of strawberries (not included in our CSA share price). One item in our share was garlic scapes, which are the top shoots that grow out of a garlic bulb. I’d never tried them before. I decided to get out some of the chicken leg quarters from our chicken share and whip up a dish with them. This dish is VERY simple and easy to put together but has a ton of flavor. I had 4 chicken leg quarter which I put in a pan and seasoned with salt and pepper. In the food processor, I put 16 garlic scapes and chopped them up. I added a tablespoon of olive oil and half a cup of sour cream (I wanted to use yogurt, but I was out). I added salt and pepper and a little paprika. That’s it. I rubbed it all over the chicken and baked at 400 for about 45 minutes until the chicken was cooked through. The scapes have a garlic flavor but they are not as strong as garlic bulbs and were milder and sweeter. We really enjoyed this dish! I served it with some steamed rice.

I also steamed last week’s broccoletti and just put some butter on it. We ate the peas and berries raw (my favorite way!).

Week two of the CSA share brought even more food. Tons of lettuce, more kale and bok choy and fresh peas, which I was very excited about! We also bought a quart of strawberries (not included in our CSA share price). One item in our share was garlic scapes, which are the top shoots that … Read more →

My publisher is offering a 99 cent ebook filled with my parchment paper recipes for Thanksgiving. Imagine cooking Thanksgiving and having no pots and pans to wash afterwards! It’s available only through Nov. 19.

My publisher is offering a 99 cent ebook filled with my parchment paper recipes for Thanksgiving. Imagine cooking Thanksgiving and having no pots and pans to wash afterwards! It’s available only through Nov. 19.  

We eat a lot of asparagus here since my dad has an asparagus bed. Soon there will bags of it being sent over here. While I love it, I’m always looking for new ways to make it. This recipe is so easy and really tasty:

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

1/4 cup light bleu cheese dressing

salt and pepper

That’s it. Place the asparagus on the parchment, drizzle the dressing over it and season it with salt and pepper. Fold up the parchment and bake for 20 minutes at 400.

We eat a lot of asparagus here since my dad has an asparagus bed. Soon there will bags of it being sent over here. While I love it, I’m always looking for new ways to make it. This recipe is so easy and really tasty: 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed 1/4 cup light bleu cheese dressing … Read more →

Have you ever bought an ingredient for a recipe then been simply unable to locate it anywhere in your house? That’s what happened to me with this. I needed mini size cupcake liners or candy wrappers for this recipe. I bought them. I brought them home. They sat on the kitchen table for a few days. Then I put them in the pantry. Then I moved them to a shelf in the pantry so that I would be able to easily find them. Then, when I went to make this, they were just gone. We looked everywhere. So I had to improvise, and I used full size cupcake liners.

This project is from February Living and was chosen by Sassy Suppers. All you do is melt bittersweet chocolate (which I do in the microwave) and then brush into the inside of the cups. Let it dry and do it again. Simple, right?

It actually was pretty simple. The only hard part was getting the paper to peel off. I had to call in Mr. MarthaAndMe for that. He popped them in the freezer for a minute then was able to get it to peel off.

You can add anything you want to the cups – fruit, mousse, ice cream, etc. Martha suggested peanut butter but I didn’t want to eat that much peanut butter. So I did fruit and ice cream. This is super cute and would really be a great way to serve dessert for a dinner party.

Have you ever bought an ingredient for a recipe then been simply unable to locate it anywhere in your house? That’s what happened to me with this. I needed mini size cupcake liners or candy wrappers for this recipe. I bought them. I brought them home. They sat on the kitchen table for a few … Read more →

The first article I ever wrote about food,  12 years ago, was about making take out food at home and potato skins was one of the recipes. At the time we were living in a rural area, I’d just had my second baby and we were pretty much dead broke since I’d left my law practice to stay home. I spent a lot of time looking for ways to save money.

I’ve always had a thing for the potato skins at TGI Fridays. I get them whenever we go there (which isn’t very often!). Because eating out wasn’t on the agenda much back then (or now for that matter), I learned to make my own.

Bake 4 Idaho potatoes in the oven until done (don’t use the microwave – they have to be baked in the oven). Scoop out most of the potato, leaving a thin layer (when I made it this time, I used the insides to make baked potato soup). Spray the inside and outside of the skins with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil) and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for until they are crispy but not getting too brown (about half an hour). Take out of the oven and sprinkle shredded cheddar or American cheese (or any cheese you like) and sprinkle some cooked, chopped bacon (I used 3 pieces this time). Sprinkle with salt. Put back in the oven until the cheese melts. Mix some chopped chives or scallions into sour cream and serve to dip in (I always make about 1 cup for this amount of skins).

These are a special treat in our house – not something we have often, but when we do, everyone loves them. You could jazz this up with some jalapenos, salsa, chopped ham, French onion dip, or different kinds of cheese. It also makes a great party snack (think: Super Bowl).

The first article I ever wrote about food,  12 years ago, was about making take out food at home and potato skins was one of the recipes. At the time we were living in a rural area, I’d just had my second baby and we were pretty much dead broke since I’d left my law … Read more →

Chili with no tomatoes and no beans? Really? Yup. That’s what the real deal chili recipe is, the project chosen for today’s Martha Mondays by Steak and Potato Kinda Gurl.

I seriously contemplated dumping some tomatoes or kidney beans into this because I was worried it wasn’t going to be any good. It has paprika, cayenne, cumin, and oregano in it (no chilis you’ll notice). But after I got it going, I tasted it and it was pretty good. Plus DudeMartha is not a fan of tomatoes or beans and when I described it to him he was excited. So we went with it. It was good. I put cheese and sour cream on mine. DudeMartha added Tabasco. Mr. MarthaAndMe had just cheese. They gave it the thumbs up. I thought it was good, but it’s not the kind of thing I get nutty over.  How did everyone else make out?

Chili with no tomatoes and no beans? Really? Yup. That’s what the real deal chili recipe is, the project chosen for today’s Martha Mondays by Steak and Potato Kinda Gurl. I seriously contemplated dumping some tomatoes or kidney beans into this because I was worried it wasn’t going to be any good. It has paprika, … Read more →

I am a sucker for crispy potatoes. I admit I didn’t really give the roast chicken recipes in Jan Living much of a second glance until Sarah Carey came on the show and made them. The potatoes in the Crispy Skinned Chicken recipe hooked me. I was also interested to try putting butter and cornstarch on the chicken skin.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes because that’s what I had and I also didn’t have fresh rosemary. It turned out really well. This is an open-kitchen-window recipe though – any time I cook chicken at a high temp like this it smokes up the house. The chicken cooked nicely and was quite crisp (so I will use this method again). The potatoes fell apart a bit when I tossed them in the pan and I did have to put them back in the oven once the chicken was out to get them a little browner, but they were good.

I used dried rosemary, so that may be the problem, but I just kind of wanted the whole thing to have a little more flavor overall. Other than that, it was excellent!

I am a sucker for crispy potatoes. I admit I didn’t really give the roast chicken recipes in Jan Living much of a second glance until Sarah Carey came on the show and made them. The potatoes in the Crispy Skinned Chicken recipe hooked me. I was also interested to try putting butter and cornstarch … Read more →

I’m still trying to get back on schedule after the holidays. The daily grind, exercising more, and trying to get back to healthy eating is always a challenge at this time of year! However, I still have holiday foods hanging around. For a recent party, I made a spinach artichoke dip. It was delicious, but there was lots left. I don’t think it will freeze well due to the cheese and cream, so I decided to have one last hurrah with it before dumping it. I used it as a sauce for chicken. This is the easiest recipe in the entire world. Put one chicken breast on parchment. Spread 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup spinach artichoke dip on top. Fold it up, bake for 20 min at 400 and enjoy. Spinach artichoke dip is readily available pre-made in the freezer section of the grocery store, or you might have brought some home as leftovers from your favorite restaurant (I did that recently too).

I’m still trying to get back on schedule after the holidays. The daily grind, exercising more, and trying to get back to healthy eating is always a challenge at this time of year! However, I still have holiday foods hanging around. For a recent party, I made a spinach artichoke dip. It was delicious, but … Read more →

One of things that is hardest to manage over the holidays is breakfast. If you have guests, or if you just want something other than a bagel or a bowl of cereal, there just isn’t a lot of time to whip things up in the midst of the madness. I’ve come up with a great solution – the omelet biscuit. Using canned biscuits, eggs and whatever filling makes you happy, these muffin tin liner treats offer a hearty, delicious breakfast with almost no clean up. What could be better?

1 can of regular (not jumbo biscuits)
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli that’s been cooked
cheddar cheese

Fill your muffin tin with 10 foil lined muffin tin cups. Spray them with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400. Take one biscuit at a time and smush it so it gets flatter (making it round like you would with a tiny piece of pizza dough). You want it big enough to cover the bottom and some of the sides of the muffin liner, but it does not need to come up to the top – it’s ok if your eggs go over the top of the biscuit. Mix up eggs with milk and herbs and spices. Place two florets of broccoli in each tin and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over top. Bake for 15 minutes.

It’s that easy. You can substitute spinach for the broccoli or swap out the cheese with another type. Change out the herbs with anything you have. You could ditch the veggies and add bacon. You could also swap out a couple of the eggs for plain egg whites and add a little extra milk. You can use skim milk, whole milk, cream, or whatever you have in the fridge. It’s a very versatile recipe. You could even use squares of puff pastry in place of the biscuits if you have some leftover. These are great hot or at room temp, so you can easily make them ahead and let them sit out for people to grab.

One of things that is hardest to manage over the holidays is breakfast. If you have guests, or if you just want something other than a bagel or a bowl of cereal, there just isn’t a lot of time to whip things up in the midst of the madness. I’ve come up with a great … Read more →