Friday is Pieday!

2 weeks ago Me and my husband and my husband's family FINALLY went apple picking. I say finally because it felt like we had been planning to go forever. So we drove to Masker's Orchards, about 1 hour and 30 minutes away from NYC.
It was Kevin's, my husband, first time apple picking, so that was a lot of fun. You paid 24.95 per bag of apples so Kevin shoved all our apples into one bag:

Our "one bag" of apples

We had tons of apples. But I had a list of yummy apple things to make! I made tons of applesauce. One morning for breakfast, I made some apple pie pancakes. Those were especially good. That recipe will be up in a little bit.

This entry is to show you I mess up too. I made an apple pie the next Friday we got back from apple picking. I never intended to post it here, so that's why I only took 2 pictures. I had a real tough time rolling out the pie dough. I don't have any good surfaces to roll it out on. I ordered a pastry mat from Pampered Chef, but it has not arrived yet.

So, here is the ugliest pie ever LOL:

It didn't turn out as great as I would have like, but it could not have tasted better! It was delicious and the pie crust was flaky too! Sometimes, the ugliest food turn out to be the most delicious.

Squash Season!

When I lived at home, every once in a while, my mom would buy acorn squash and make these really good roasted squash things. They were very yummy. Acorn squash was on sale last week, so I decided to revisit my mom's delicious squash.

So I started by cutting off a little piece of the bottom so it would sit up. Now, make sure you be careful and had a sharp knife, It was hard to cut through this thing! After cutting a small slice off the bottom, not too big. You don't want to open the hollow part in the center of the squash. I cut off the top next, making sure I could scoop out the seeds.

Then, I scooped out the seeds. I don't know if you can toast and eat the seeds of an acorn squash, but we never did so I just threw them away. I had the oven preheating at 375 degrees.

Then I smeared 2 Tbsp of butter all around the inside of the squash. Then I sprinkled about 2 Tbsp of light brown sugar on top of the butter. Then I put it on a baking sheet and into the oven for 1 hour.

This acorn squash was so good! I was scraping the skin of the squash to get all of it I could! Next time I might use a fork and poke holes all around the inside to see if that get a little more flavor to all of the flesh. This was a warm and delicious fall meal! It was also quite easy.

Oh I did lots of yummy fall stuff this weekend! We went apple picking! I made the ugliest apple pie you've ever seen. I never planned on posting the apple pie from the start, but when I saw it was so ugly, I took a picture to show you before and after it went into the oven. That will be the next post.

Birthday Cheesecake!

Cheesecake is one of the first baked goods I tried to make on my own. It was a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Thinking back on it, the recipe was quite ambitious for a very unexperienced baker. I was in high school and had barely made anything more than a boxed cake mix. But, I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. And, since my mom wasn't going to make it for me, I had to do it.
Much to my mom's, and my, surprise, it turned out really, really good. I made two cheesecakes for my sister's baby shower, an apple toffee cheesecake and an espresso one. They also turned very good. I'm just really good at making cheesecake.
My husband loves cheesecake. More specifically, he loves Junior's Cheesecake. Junior's cheesecake is really good. Really good. If you have the money, it would be well worth it to buy one and have it shipped to you, but they're expensive.
Kevin's birthday was the 15th of October. He decided he wanted a Junior's cheesecake for his birthday cake. I asked him what kind and that I would go on Thursday and pick it up for him. He said that he'll pick it up on Thursday night while he is at work. He works in an upper level of Grand Central and there is a Junior's in their food court. He calls me on Thursday and tells me that you have to order a cheesecake at least 24 hours in advance. Oops. No problem, I'll make you one, honey.
There is a very uncertain pause on the other end of the phone. Then I realize I have never made my husband a cheesecake. In the 2 years we have been married, He's gotten no cheesecake from me. I try to reassure him, I'm really good at it, I promise. Reluctantly he agrees, but he sounds very very unsure of my cheesecake making abilities. I think I had talked myself up to much in the past, that he didn't think I was as good as I said I was.
"It will be better than Junior's!" That might have been shooting a little too far...
So I looked through my "Better Homes and Garden's New Baking Book" for my cheesecake recipe. This cook book, er, baking book is so wonderful. My mom actually bought it for me the Christmas I made that first cheesecake.

First, I made the crust. I was excited to get to use my Kitchen-Aid mixer and food processor on the same dish. I know I am a cooking dork. I put 24 graham cracker squares (not rectangles) in the processor with 1/3 cup of walnuts and let her rip. I chopped them till they were finely ground. Then I slowly poured in the melted butter. I took the mix and dumped it into a 9 in. round cake pan. Now, I don't have a spring-form pan, so if you're planning on taking out of the pan to put on display this is not a good idea. But, since we were just going to his mom's house to sing and have cake and ice cream, this was fine. I pressed the crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides, a measuring cup helped smooth it out very nice.
Next, I made the filling. You should let the 3 packages of cream cheese come to room temperature, they make it easier to mix with the other ingredients. I like to let the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and lemon peel mix together at a high speed for about 10 minutes. I think it makes the cake lighter and a bit fluffier.

Then I mixed in the 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk. Don't over-beat your batter once you add the eggs. If you over-beat, it will add too much air and cause the cake to puff up and fall, making cracks. My cheesecake got cracks around the edges, I think because I filled the pan too full.
Then I poured the filling into the crust and put it into a 375 degree preheated oven. I am just noticing in these directions that it does say to put it in a shallow baking pan in the oven, but nothing about filling the pan halfway with water. I have never put my cheesecakes in a water bath. The always turn out good for me, but do what you like.

I baked it for about 40 minutes and let it cool for 15 minutes. I covered it in foil and when we got to Kevin's mom's house we put it in the freezer for an hour then put it in the fridge till time to sing Happy Birthday.
This cheesecake was so good. It was rich and fluffy.  I love graham cracker crust and this was exceptional. The walnuts added to the taste of the crust. Kevin even said it was better than Junior's cheesecake!!


He wanted cherries on it, and I was going to make that, too. But, the grocery store had no fresh or frozen cherries. So, we went with bought cherry pie filling.

Happy Birthday, Kevin!!

Here is the recipe I used:

• 1 3/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (24 squares)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup milk

For crust, combine crushed crackers, walnuts, and cinnamon. Stir in butter. If desired reserve 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and about 2 inches up sides on an ungreased 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.

For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and lemon peel with an electric mixer until combined. Add the eggs and egg yolk all at once, beating on low speed until combined. Stir in milk.

Pour filling into crust-lined pan. If desired, sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Place in shallow baking pan in oven. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch pan. 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch pan, or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.

Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan; cool 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool one hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Like I said, I don't have a spring form pan, so I just used a 9-inch cake pan and didn't do the loosen sides and stuff part of the last step.

What's been going on...

Sorry for the lack of updates! I have some really good sausage and peppers recipe coming. And, my really good birthday cheesecake I made for Kevin's birthday.

Yesterday we also went apple picking! So, we have TONS of apples. I'm going to make some pie, for sure. I might go make something now, thinking about it...

My camera was left in our car which is at the garage. It's a little bit of a walk and I'm having a bit of trouble walking upright recently. So the recipes & pictures are coming soon!

Arroz con pollo revisited a.k.a. spicier!

About a week ago, I made this Arroz con Pollo. We had more chicken thighs and I really wanted some more of the rice. So, I made it again.
This time, I made it spicier. Kevin and I love spicy food! I think I have convinced my mom & dad to try this recipe, but my mom doesn't like spice as much as I do. MOM & DAD NEED TO STICK WITH THE ORIGINAL RECIPE!

Here is what I changed:

• As I seasoned the chicken before browning, I added small dashes of cayenne pepperto the salt, pepper, and cumin. 
• While I was cooking the spices, I added 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes. Of course, if you like spice  but not that much spice, you can add less.

That isn't a lot of changes, but the end product was spicier. We really like our spice!

Enjoy!

Steak, cheese, peppers, & onions! Oh yum!

So, I was watching 30 minute meals the other day and Rachel Ray made a steak, cheese, and pepper sandwich thing that looked so good. Kevin and I were on out way home from his sister's house and stopped at the store to pick up something to eat for dinner that night. We were both hungry and I knew nothing was thawed out and ready to go at home. So when we stopped, I told him I could make some steak sandwiches and he looked quite excited about that idea.

The london broil was on sale, so I used that instead of flat iron. And we couldn't find provolone cheese, so I used monterey jack cheese. We used big hamburger buns instead of ciabatta bread. This sandwich tasted so good. It would've been tasty no matter what we used.

Here is her original recipe. They only have it in video format. It's not written out anywhere which is kind of annoying.

I started out with the peppers and onions. Make sure your burner is low because you have to cook these slow so they caramelize. I got a bit impatient at the end and turned my burner up, which is why they got a bit dark. Kevin doesn't like onions so I had to keep mine separate. It would have been a lot easier if they were combined and I could move them all around the pan. But, even the really crispy ones tasted good.

While those were cooking, I started on the cheese sauce. Cheese sauce for a sandwich sounded so good to me. I melted the butter and added the flour.  I let that cook for a bit to cook the floury taste out. Then I added my milk. I let it come to a boil and thicken. When it was thick, I added the whole package of shredded monterey jack. Normally, I would've shredded my own block of cheese, but the shredded cheese was half the price of a whole block.

I like my steak cooked medium. Medium rare and rare steak gross me out. So what if that's the best way to eat meat, how good can it be if I'm puking in the bathroom 30 seconds later? When I cook steak at home, it usually ends up well done, no pink in it at all. I'm okay with that. I'd rather have it cooked than still mooing at me. I really wanted this cooked with a little pink inside, and I got it, but only on the ends of the london broil. I seasoned it with just salt and pepper, but I should have put some sort of grill seasoning on it. It was still really good, but some garlic powder, dried onions, onion powder, just a little extra would have been much better. I just cooked it in a frying pan for about 15-20 minutes on both sides. I was going to use our grill pan, but it was dirty and we were too hungry to take the time to clean it. It's cast iron, so cleaning it is a little bit of a process. Then I let it rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes. I sliced it as thin as I could. It started out nice and thin, but the slices got thicker towards the middle. Oops.

While the second side of the steak was cooking, I put the buns on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 350 degrees till they were brown on the edges. I brushed a little olive oil on them before putting them in the oven.





Then it was time to assemble and eat. I was super hungry by now. First, I laid the open bun on the plate, then added some steak slices. Then I ladled on a good amount of the monterey jack cheese sauce. Next came some peppers and onions. I put the bun lid on the sandwich and sat down to enjoy. It was very good and definitely worth the wait.

Recipe:

5 cubanelle peppers
1 medium onion
8 oz. shredded cheese provolone, monterey jack, or any other white cheese
2 to 3 lbs. of your choice of steak
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
sandwich bread

Cut up peppers, removing veins and seeds. Cut onion, cutting very thin. Turn heat on low. Put some olive oil in pan and about 1 tbsp of butter. When butter melt and oil is hot, add peppers and onions. Cook until browned and soft.
Melt 2 tbsp. of butter. When melted, add 2 tbsp. of flour. Mix together well and let mixture cook for a minute. Whisk in 2 cup os milk. Let milk come to a boil and thicken slightly. Whisk in shredded cheese. Let cheese melt and sauce become thick. Reduce heat to very low until time to use sauce.
Season one side of steak with salt & pepper. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Put steak in skillet, seasoned side down. Season other side with salt & pepper. For medium-done, put it on for about 15-20 minutes on each side.
Toast bread in the oven at 350 degrees or in a toaster.
Let meat sit for 15 minutes. Slice meat against the grain as thin as you can.
lay bread out and put slices of meat on. Put cheese sauce on next, then peppers & onions. Top with other bread and enjoy!

Chicken Wiings

Like I have said before, I'm not really a fan of meat on the bone for some reason. Chicken on the bone is my least favorite. But, I do love me some chicken wings. I also happen to make them pretty well.

We usually end up getting a family pack of wings to cook. Kevin also loves chicken wings. When you open th chicken, make sure you look over your chicken to see if there is any feathers or stuff to clean and pull off the wing, that part is kinda yuck.

The seasoning for this recipe is really easy. For me, simplicity usually makes food taste better. Dishes start tasting weird when I add more "stuff". I just use salt and lemon pepper. I don't measure the spices, I just add enough to make the wings well coated.

I preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I like cooking my chicken at a really high temperature first and then finishing it at a lower temperature. This makes the skin nice and crispy. I put the chicken in the 450 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Then I turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for another 30 minutes. Then i add on the barbecue sauce. I have yet to master making my own sauce. I want to make my own, and I will, soon. But, since I haven't, my favorite store bought sauce is Bulls-eye. They have a Texas style described as, "Smoky mesquite with the sting of hot peppers". That just sounded too good to pass up. You can of course use your favorite BBQ sauce.

So after 30 minutes I poured half the bottle over 2/3 of the wings. Kevin said he'd had barbecue chicken earlier and didn't want sauce on his (he later said he should have had me put sauce on all the wings because the sauce was so good. He really does need to start listening to me). I put them back in the oven at the same temperature for a final 30 minutes.

It sounds really simple, but it is very good.

Recipe:

5.34 lbs. chicken wings

about 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning

2 tbsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle half of lemon pepper and salt on the wings after opening. Place the chicken wings in a dish, seasoned side down, big enough to lay each wing almost flat. Cover with rest of seasoning. Put wings in oven for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Leave chicken in for another 30 minutes. Take out wings and cover in barbecue sauce. Put back in oven for another 30 minutes. Take out of oven!

I haven't a clue.

Sorry no recipes for a bit, I did a lot of cooking this weekend but have been very busy. Pictures and recipes will be up shortly. For now I am trying to figure out which cooking class to take next. I take classes at the Institute of Culinary Education, I.C.E., and can't decide. I'm not even sure if I want to take a cooking class or a baking class. The Food Media classes look very interesting as well. I just don't know what to do! Any ideas?