Cranberry chutney

Although I originally made Cranberry Chutney to go with a warm brie appetizer, we've found that we like it a lot as an accompaniment to poultry dishes instead of the milder Cranberry Sauce I usually make.  It's nice to have options!

Rose hips

Ok, the thing about rose hips is that you can buy a huge bag of them, already prepared and cleaned, for around $10 to $12.  So why go to all the trouble to harvest your own?  Because it's fun!  Plus, I didn't really know if I even wanted a huge bag of them since I'd couldn't remember what they tasted like.

Well, harvesting them is kind of fun.  Turns out that I'm not so crazy about them that I'd plant more roses just for the crop, but I just might buy that huge bag...

Clean the rose hips and slice off the tufts

Let them dry naturally, or help them along in a warm oven

Break them open with a mortar and pestle and let the seeds and silver hairs filter out

Cranberry and pomegranate sauce

I came across a recipe for Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce in the November issue of Hannaford's Fresh magazine, and decided to swap out our usual this year.  Well, one of the usuals, since we alternate between a very good traditional Cranberry sauce, a slightly sweeter Cranberry apple sauce, and a piquant Cranberry chutney.  Well, now we've got another to throw into the mix!  I did vary the recipe somewhat, and if you'd like to check out the original, it can be found at the top link.


Cranberry and  Pomegranate Sauce

12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 c 100% pure pomegranate juice
1/3 c orange juice
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 c pomegranate seeds

In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries through the zest and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer low until most of the cranberries have popped, stirring from time to time.  Remove from heat and mash some of the berries if desired.  Let cool completely, and then stir in the pomegranate seeds.
 

Bumper crop of apples this year

Maybe it was worth putting up with the rainy spring and scorching summer.  This is just a small sampling of our apples this year.  Our applesauce and apple butter stock is going to be refilled!

Grilled tuna with watermelon-feta salad

As watermelon season ends, grab the chance to include one last ripe slice or two into your meal.  The tuna was grilled to medium rare, and then I proceeded to butcher it while slicing.  It tasted great, but I'd like to do a better cutting job next time...

The recipe for both can be found in Hannaford's Fresh magazine.

Chicken with plum-cherry sauce

Quick, quick!  While there are still a few fresh cherries on the shelves...

If it's too late, please consider making this anyway, and use canned cherries packed in water...NOT in syrup!  You can really use any stone fruits for this dish, but I love the color that plums give it.  The recipe for Chicken with Plum-Cherry Sauce can be found in Hannaford's Fresh magazine.

Time for one more summer salad?

Before the berries all disappear from the shelves, I thought we'd have one more beautiful summer salad.  I used my quick and easy method for cooking a boneless chicken breast, which got added after it cooled and was chopped.  The rest is pretty self-explanatory: baby romaine and arugula, English cukes, snap peas, strawberries, and blueberries.  For the dressing, I used my favorite slightly sweet and tangy dressing:

1 T maple syrup
2 T red-wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper

Watermelon and feta cheese salad

I've shared this recipe for Watermelon Tabbouleh before, but it bears repeating before this summer's crop of watermelons is finished!  Instead of making tabbouleh, I left out the grains and served the rest of the main ingredients over a plate of chopped butter lettuce.

Cloudberry and crowberry jams

I have never heard of cloudberries or crowberries before our trip to Alaska.  At the Anchorage Market and Festival, I met Alan Kurczynski, owner of Flavors of Alaska.  Alan harvests most of the berries himself and makes all the jams, jellies, and toppings that he sells at the Market and through other select locations.  He says that he finds it hard to keep up with the local and tourist demand, so he has no website at this time.  I must say that this is purely tragic!

 Crowberries

Cloudberries

Rainier cherries

While in Anchorage Alaska, we were able to buy Rainier cherries at a local market.  They are available for a very short season, shipped in, in Massachusetts, but are never so big and sweet as when you buy them closer to the source!

Waldorf-inspired salad

I came across an oversized salad suggestion in Hannaford's Fresh magazine for a Waldorf type of salad.  It was too big for us, and still used mayonnaise, which I just cannot eat.  So I changed it quite a bit and have shared it below.  Still, they gave me the basic plan, so they deserve the credit.  See their version at the link above!

Waldorf-Inspired Salad

1/2 c Greek yogurt
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 t garlic powder
pinch salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
Milk, added just to thin dressing if desired
1 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1/3 c chopped celery
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/4 c dried cranberries
1 Gala apple, skin on, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, skin on, chopped
Chopped or baby romaine lettuce

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, adding milk if needed.

In a large bowl, mix the grapes through the apples.  Toss with romaine lettuce and dressing.

Pear salad with arugula and prosciutto

Before the best pears have disappeared, don't forget to make this wonderful Pear and Arugula Salad! 

Don't forget about apple pie...

How could you possibly forget about apples?  There are so many wonderful apple dessert recipes, and here is one of my favorites for a special occasion.  Like any Monday, any day with football, any day that has a "y" in it...

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Here are some more great apple desserts:

"Regular" apple pie

Apple cake

Apple dumplings

Apple tarts

Applesauce and apple butter

Crumb topping for fruit pies

Amish apple cream pie

Another mango chicken...stir fry?

Well, not exactly stir fry!  I shared the recipe back in August for Mango Chicken Stir Fry, and I planned to make it again, but by mistake I picked up bone-in chicken thighs!  No worries.

I used the wok and gave the thighs a quick sizzle to brown them up a bit.  Then I turned the heat down and let them simmer in a bit of broth until they were cooked through.  Add the rest of the ingredients and proceed as usual! 

Mango chicken stir fry

 
I found a recipe for Mango Pork and Asparagus Stir Fry, but I didn't have pork or asparagus.  What I had was chicken thighs and mixed baby cooking greens.  Well, why not?  It was delicious.  Just make the appropriate substitutions to suit your own refrigerator...

Sweet peach salad

Sweet and heat together!  It's a hard-to-beat combination.

Sweet Peach Salad

3 - 4 c spring mix or herb mix of greens
3 - 4 peaches, sliced thin
2 small jalapeños, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
2 T fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 - 4 T fresh basil, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c lime juice
1 1/2 T coriander
3 T sugar

Make the dressing first.  Bring all ingredients to a boil until sugar dissolves.  Set aside and let it cool.  To make the salad, mix the sliced peaches, jalapeños, shallot, and mint with the dressing.  Let them soak for about 30 minutes.  Arrange the greens and basil in a serving bowl.  Remove the fruit mixture from the dressing with a slotted spoon and toss with the greens.  Drizzle over remaining dressing. 


Image: USDA

Figs wrapped in bacon

Ok, the ultimate in decadence for an appetizer!  Try to get Black Mission figs, fresh.  Even if you think they're kind of boring, once they've cooked down for awhile with the bacon, you get that wonderful sweet and salt thing going on.  I just wrapped each fig in 1/2 slice of bacon and stuck it with a toothpick.  Roast at 450 for 30 to 40 minutes, pouring off the grease as needed.

Apple pie for π Day

π π π  Happy Pi Day!!  π π π

So many recipes for apple pie, so little time to try them all!  With the exception of the insipid frozen apple pies that you can buy in the freezer section, I've never met an apple pie I didn't like.  All that aside, I have been working on and modifying my own favorite recipe for years.  Back in 2002, Ina Garten shared a recipe that became my staple for quite some time.  That is, until Alton Brown came along a convinced me to modify it somewhat again. 

So here is my current version.  It is not their faults, either of them, if you're not nuts about my pie ;-)

And for your entertainment on this glorious Pi Day, don't miss the video I posted last year!

Apple Pie

Approximately 5 - 6 apples, in this mixture:
2 Granny Smith, 2 Braeburn, 1 Honeycrisp, 1 Golden Delicious

1 lemon, zested
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice

Double piecrust

Prepare your pie dough and refrigerate it until ready to roll.

Peel, halve, and core the apples.  Cut each half into 6 equal slices.  Combine the apples with the other ingredients in a large bowl and set aside to drain a bit.  Roll out the bottom crust and ease it into a deep dish.  Fill the pie with the apples, placing them carefully in a spiraling pattern rather than just dumping them in.  Pour drained juices and spice mixture over the top.  Top with the second crust and crimp the edges.  Slash the top or use a steam release bird.  Bake on a baking sheet at 400 for around an hour or a bit more.  Cover the edges of the crust if it browns too much.  The juices should be bubbling out when the pie is done.

Spiced kumquats

I look forward to kumquat season each year!  They are only in our local market for a very short while, so I was thrilled when I found this very old recipe that was reprinted in Hannaford's Fresh magazine.  I made them exactly as shown, but I packaged and stored them in the freezer instead of in jars.

Just so you know, the online recipe calls for 2 "bags" of kumquats...the printed magazine says 2 pounds.  These are great with poultry, fish, or pork...pretty much anything that calls for a sweet-spicy sauce on the side.

Pomegranates

I don't care how messy these things are...I just love them!