Easy and Delicious Apple and Plum Cobbler

 

 Heat oven to 350 degrees

 

1/2 cup butter, 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup milk, 2 medium apples peeled, 2-3 medium plums no need to peel, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Melt butter in baking pan in oven.  Whisk together dry ingredients and milk. Pour over butter in pan, then add slices of apple and plums. Sprinkle with cinnamon

Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely browned. Top with ice cream or spiced mascarpone!

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Beet & Goat Cheese Terrine Salad

 

1-1/2 lb fresh beets, or as I used, 4 already cooked beets from the produce section of the grocery store, zest of 1 lemon, 12 oz fresh goat cheese, 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives, ¼ cup honey, salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Get out your muffin tin. By the way this will make about 6 beet goat cheese terrines. Slice your beets thin, but not too thin! I actually slice my beets over a paper towel to absorb all the juices.

Place a single beet slice in the bottom of each cup. Line sides of each cup with beet slices, bedding to fit into the edge if needed, so that each cup is entirely lined with beets. Spoon goat cheese filling into each and top with beet slices to cover goat cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours.

To serve, gently pull out each terrine and put over a bed of your favorite lettuce.

Top with walnuts, cranberry bits, or anything else that makes you happy! Enjoy!

Tattooed Potatoes

Oh, this is so easy, but so impressive as a side on a dinner plate.

Put the oven to 375 degrees

Get a 9 X 11 roasting dish (I used a glass one), and cover the bottom in a little olive oil, say 1/8th cup.

Then slice fingerling potatoes, or regular sized potatoes length-wise and press your favorite herbs into the white side of the potato.  I used 1 leaf of sage and 1 sprig of Italian flat parsley on each potato. Make a flower out of your herbs or with a sprig of rosemary, a tree!

Now, put the potato, herb side down, and into dish and roast for 40 minutes or longer.  The herb side of the potato should be perfectly browned and a fork should be able to pierce potato easily to know it is done.

Enjoy!

Oh, this is so easy, but so impressive as a side on a dinner plate.

Put the oven to 375 degrees

Get a 9 X 11 roasting dish (I used a glass one), and cover the bottom in a little olive oil, say 1/8th cup.

Then slice fingerling potatoes, or regular sized potatoes length-wise and press your favorite herbs into the white side of the potato.  I used 1 leaf of sage and 1 sprig of Italian flat parsley on each potato. Make a flower out of your herbs or with a sprig of rosemary, a tree!

Now, put the potato, herb side down, and into dish and roast for 40 minutes or longer.  The herb side of the potato should be perfectly browned and a fork should be able to pierce potato easily to know it is done.

Enjoy!

Brined Pan Fried Pork Chops with Fresh Herbs and Dijon White Wine Sauce

Brine for Porkchops:  I put all of my porkchops in a Tupperware and covered with 1.5 litres of “seasoned water” which was ¼ cup Kosher salt, 4 tbsp. brown sugar or as I did, Splenda brown sugar sweetener, 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp. dried mustard and marinated for 3 hours.

Cooking Your Porkchops

1 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 4 1 1/4-inch-thick center-cut rib or loin pork chops, bone in, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, ¼ cup chopped green onions or shallots, ½ cup dry white wine, ¾ cup chicken, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or more to taste), 1 tbsp. chopped parsley, 1 tbsp. chopped sage, 1 tbsp. rosemary (optional, or choose your fav herbs).

Melt butter in the oil in a large deep skillet over high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper and add them, browning well, about 2 or 3 minutes a side, reducing the heat slightly if chops brown too quickly. 

Remove chops to a platter and pour off most of the fat. Add green onions or shallots and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping brown bits off the bottom. Stir in the stock and return chops to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and cook until chops are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the chops to a warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Raise the heat and boil pan juices to reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add cream and boil 2 minutes more, until sauce reduces a bit and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in mustard and the parsley, if using. Taste and add more mustard if desired. Immediately spoon sauce over the chops and serve.

 

Beer Bread

Here is the easiest loaf of bread you'll ever make!  And to boot it is seriously good.  I left my regular beer bread recipe at home (as I'm on holidays) and sometimes add lots of herbs and cheese to it.  Here is a basic beer bread recipe.  Crunchy on the top and like all bread, soft in the center.  It will take you 2 minutes to put together, then 1 hour to bake. Enjoy!

Oven 375 degrees

3 cups flour, 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 can/bottle beer, 1/4 cup melted butter.  This bread made one nice loaf.  Preheat your oven and oil up your bread pan.

Mix all of the ingredients together just until everything is blended and plop into the pan.  The dough will be sticky, but just press dough in pan until it is all even.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour and enjoy!  P.S.  The aroma is divine!