Apple Dumplings

Folks-

This year when we made our annual pilgrimage to Gizdich Ranch for the apple harvest, we discovered they now have apple dumplings in the pie shop. We got one for Aaron, and after trying a bite, we decided to try making them.

I found a recipe over at Allrecipes, and adapted it for our use.

This recipe requires a pie crust, and I recommend my mom's Fool Proof Pie Crust for it.

Here's my version of Apple Dumplings!

Ingredients:

1 14oz pie crust recipe or store bought, rolled out and cut into 6-8 equal squares

3-4 baking apples, Granny Smith or similar, peeled, cored, and cut in half

8 tablespoons (1/2 cup, or 1 stick) softened butter, divided

3/4 cup brown sugar (any darkness, your choice, or mix together 2/3 cup sugar and 1-2 tablespoons honey or maple sugar)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

3 cups water (2 cups unfiltered apple juice and 1 cup water tested well)

2 cups white sugar (reduce to 1 to 1 1/4 cup if using apple juice)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and butter a large baking pan or casserole dish.

Mix together 6 tbsp of the butter, brown sugar, and spices. Divide the mixture into 6-8 equal amounts and stuff it into the apple halves where the core was. Place a stuffed apple half into a square of pie crust core down, dust the apple with cinnamon, gather the corners of the pie crust and stretch over the apple and pinch them together to seal. Place the encrusted apples into the buttered baking dish. 

Combine the water and apple juice (if using), sugar, and last two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and heat while stirring until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the temperature to low and continue to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Carefully pour the syrup over the dumplings. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake until the dumplings are golden brown on top, about 45-65 minutes.

Pork Chop Rub

It was hot yesterday, in the 100 degree range. Weather like that demands grilling outside, if for no other reason than to keep the house a bit cooler. I knew I didn't have anything to grill, and as I started to think about what I was going to buy, I felt that I needed to fix something I usually don't. Pork chops spring to mind, and when I got to the store, I found they were less than $1.30/lb. That was less than half of the price for any kind of beef.

I didn't want to just grill them plain, so I started to look up recipes online. I found this rub at heygrillhey.com, and tried it. Here's my modification.

Ingredients

3 Tbs brown sugar

3 Tsp kosher salt

1-1/2 Tsp cracked pepper

1-1/2 Tsp paprika

3/4 Tsp ground mustard

1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients. Prepare a grill for cooking and allow to heat to 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the rub into 4 pork chops and rub into the meat. Sear on each side 2-3 minutes, then move to indirect heat for 5-8 minutes until an internal temperature of 145 degrees is reached. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving to preserve internal moisture.

Enchilada Sauce

I always figured it would be difficult to make a good red sauce for enchiladas.

I was so very wrong.

I looked it up recently to find out how to make it, and discovered that I had almost everything in my pantry. In fact, I could have made the sauce without a trip to the store if I wanted a basic version. I did need corn tortillas to make the enchiladas, so I had to make the trip anyway, so I picked up some good chicken stock for it.

Otherwise, this is just a slightly modified version of the recipe on gimmesomeoven.com.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Grape Seed, Olive, or Avocado Oil 

2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 Cup Chili Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Cocoa Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

2 Cups Chicken Stock

1/4 - 1/2 Teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cocoa powder, and oregano and cook for 1 more minute, whisking constantly. Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to combine until no lumps remain.  Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer (the sauce should continue lightly bubbling) for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Give the sauce a taste and season with salt, as needed.  (I typically add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, but the saltiness of the sauce can vary depending on the brand of stock that you use.) Use immediately.

Note: You can mix together the dry ingredients and store them for up to several months in a Ziploc bag or another airtight container for later use, then just fix it more or less as above.

Fried Chicken Strips

Folks-
Guess what? It's time for Fried Chicken Recipe III! This one is based on my last one, modified (you knew that was coming!) and tested on my family. This time they may not let me further modify it.
I served it this evening with mashed potatoes, gravy made from the oil from the chicken, fresh biscuits, and steamed asparagus spears. It was possibly the best meal I have ever made featuring chicken!
Here's my recipe:
Edly Fried Chicken Strips

1-Cup All-purpose Flour 
1/2-Cup Italian Bread Crumbs 
1/2-Cup Corn Flour or Masa
1-Tsp Salt
1-1/2-Tsp Italian Seasonings
1-Tsp Celery Salt
1-Tsp Black Pepper
1-Tsp Dried Mustard
4-Tsp Paprika
2-Tsp Garlic Salt
1-Tsp Ground Ginger
3-Tsp White Pepper
1-Tsp Turmeric
1/2-Tsp Chili Powder
1/2-Tsp Garlic Powder
1-Tsp Chicken Bouillon 
1/2-Tsp Baking Soda
2-Eggs
1/2-Cup Buttermilk
2-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 2.5 to 3.5 lbs)
Enough cooking oil to fill a large frying pan 1/2" deep

Put all dry ingredients into a gallon sized Ziploc or similar bag and shake it to mix them together. Wash chicken breasts and cut into strips about  2 CM wide (1/2 inch). Beat eggs and mix with the buttermilk. Throw chicken strips, a few at a time, into the Ziploc bag and toss them in the powder to coat them.  Dip the chicken strips into the egg and buttermilk mixture, and throw them back into the Ziploc bag a few at a time and shake it to coat them. Place them on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator to cool for 1 to 2 hours (No joke. Don't skip this step or the coating won't stick.)
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before frying. Heat about 1/2 inch (1-2cm) of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat to 350-380 degrees (use a thermometer). Put several strips into the oil. Fry until medium brown, about 4-5 minutes on the first side, flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (not on a plate with paper towels!) This keeps the chicken coating crispy. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Ed's Coffee Spices

Folks-
For years I've been adding this combination of spices to coffee grounds before brewing. I find that they turn a rather average coffee into something special. You only need about 1 t for a full pot of drip coffee. I personally use one of the cheaper name brands of coffee with this spice blend, whatever is on sale at the supermarket. Here's the recipe!

2 Parts Ground Cinnamon
1 Part Ground Nutmeg
1 Part "Other Ground Spice" (Cardamon, Allspice, Nutmeg, Ginger have all tested well.)

That's it! For one or two cups of coffee, I just put it in a shaker and shake it over the grounds a couple of times. For a full pot I use from 1 t to 1 T and add it straight to the grounds.

Enjoy!

-Edly