Friday, October 30, 2015

Apple-Dee-Do-Dah!

It's fall.

And it's apple pie time!



Rosie's Apple Pie

Heat oven to 425°.

2 prepared pie crusts


For the apples:
4 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 TB sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients.  Toss to coat evenly.  Set aside.

Place the first pie dough in a deep dish pan and lightly brown it as the oven is heating up.  Arrange apples slices over the crust.  Reserve the juices for the filling mixture.  Slice the second pie dough into strips and lattice-work it over top.

For the filling mixture:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 TB flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TB water
juices from apple slices (lemon, sugar, and cinnamon)

Combine all ingredients.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer, dissolving the sugars, whisking throughout.  Pour evenly over top of pie.

Do NOT make the filling mixture until you have the slightly baked pie with apple slices in it and lattice strips on top.  You want to pour this mixture immediately, so have the pie ready.

I made the mistake of making the mixture ahead of time and it thickened up and became very granular, as in not at all pourable.  If this happens to you, simply add in a tablespoon or two of water and reheat over very low heat, whisking until smooth.

To bake:
 Wrap foil around edges of pie and bake 15 minutes at 425°.  Reduce heat to 350° and bake for another 40 minutes.  Twenty minutes into baking time, dot tops with pats of butter, cover with foil, and finish baking.

Rosie got bored last night
and cut off about 8-10 inches of hair.
And I always wear a pony tail.
I feel better now.
Lighter.
But I'm going back to the pony tail.
It has served me well.

 I had Mr. Hawthorne do the "shit detail,"
as he calls it.
Core, peel, and slice apples.
Drop slices into waiting lemon juice bath.
Toss to coat.

There's a reason for this.
Lemon juice keeps the apple from oxidizing,
or rusting, and turning ugly brown.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar
and maybe 2 teaspoons of cinnamon over top and toss.

 
Prick the bottom
(PRICK THE BOTTOM! That's funny.)
and lightly toast the pie crust.

 Arrange the apples slices.
 
 Throw some half-assed lattice strips over top.

 And pour that brown, buttery goodness all over.

 Oh, my.

If you notice, the edges are slightly browned already,
so ...
 ... I put a crinkling of foil around it.

 Pats of unsalted butter.
Cover.
And bake to brownsugarygoodness.









That's some good pie!




Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Hawthorne Chili And Chips.

Mr. Hawthorne is in charge of the chili.
I'm in charge of the chips.
 I was at Food Lion the other day,
typed my telephone number into the coupon machine,
and instead of getting the usual crap stuff I never use,
I got a $1 coupon for $5 worth of pork product.
And that's how the ground pork 
ended up in my cart and in today's meal.

Mr. Hawthorne made chili today.
I made homemade seasoned tortilla chips
since we had nothing but Tostito crumbles left in the bag.

And now the ugly two-headed chili monster raises its head.
Beans or not?

Sorry, Texas.
But we're going with the beans.

I like all the protein I can get in whatever form.
I'll take beans anytime.

 Mr. Hawthorne's Chili
 1 cup Navy and white northern beans, soaked over night

Refresh water, add beans, bring to boil, cover, and turn off heat.
In about 20-30 minutes,
uncover, bring to boil again, cover, and turn off heat.
Repeat as many times until beans are tender.
Mr. Hawthorne says it took about 3 hours for his beans.
It depends on personal taste.
Rinse beans and set aside.

That's how Mr. H. does his beans.
That's not how Rosie does hers.
When I want beans, I want beans today, not tomorrow,
so I never soak any beans overnight.
I rinse my beans, then stir them into boiling water.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
Rinse off beans and refresh water.
Bring to a boil again and simmer about 30 minutes.
Taste test.
I like my beans al dente.

I think I just figgered out the reason why Mr. Hawthorne does this.
He turns the beans on, sets the timer,
and tells me to turn off the beans when the buzzer goes off,
and retreats to his room to watch a movie.
He ventures out later,
turns the beans on, sets the timer, and gives me instructions,
and goes back to watch another movie.
He is on no time schedule whatsoever.
It's the lazy man's way of cooking beans.

Me?
I watch my beans every now and then
and actually change the water.
And I'm done in an hour. 

About changing the water -
Julia Child says the changing of the water
decreases "intestinal motility"
and Lord knows I don't want anymore intestinal motility
than there already is in the Hawthorne Household.

Ingredients
1 TB bacon grease, leftover from breakfast
 1 lb. ground pork
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
2 TB ketchup
1 package Old El Paso Chili Seasoning
1/2 cup water
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a medium pan, 
sauté the pork in the bacon grease until almost brown.
Pour out any grease.
Add pepper and onion and cook until tender.
Add tomato sauce and ketchup.
(Swish out any sauce left in the can with water and add to pan.)
Add beans and heat through.
Stir in the packet of chili seasoning and the water.
Taste test.
Salt and pepper if needed.
More water, if needed to get the consistency the way you like it.

Serve with Rosie's Seasoned Tortilla Chips.

 Rosie's Seasoned Potato Chips
stack of flour tortillas, cut into wedges
unsalted butter
packet of Sazón Goya seasoning con culantro y achiote 
(Found in Hispanic aisle.)
If you don't happen to have the Goya seasoning on hand,
use a light sprinkling of cumin, oregano, paprika, and cayenne.

Heat oven to 300°.
Place about 3 TB unsalted butter on a large baking sheet
and let melt in oven while it heats up.
Lightly dredge tortilla wedges
 in the melted butter on each side
and place on baking sheet.
Sprinkling with seasoning.

Bake until wedges are crisp and lightly brown - about 30 minutes.


 Gotta have me some cilantro lovin'!
If you wanted to squeeze some lime juice on top,
I would not be averse to that.
Crème fraîche would be good too.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Welcome To Rosie's October Garden.

 Please join Rosie in her October Garden.

  Here's my little stinkhorn mushroom.
I always smell these before I find them.

 Slimy.

 Pink and purple globe amaranth AKA gomphrena 
with Tiffany rose.
 White allysum in the background.

 Pink wood sorrel/oxalis.

 I tripped in this spot last spring
 and dumped a whole packet of coleus seeds out.

ETA:  Let me clarify that.
When I say, "I tripped,"
I meant my foot hit something
 and I tripped on it and fell.
And I spilled the seeds
Nothing hallucinogenic was involved.

There.
I feel so much better.

 Gaillardia or blanket flower.

 My roses have lovely blooms now.




 Datura or Jimson weed.
Datura is a member of the Potato (Solanaceae) Family, 
also called the Deadly Nightshade Family,
and poisonous if ingested.
 Poppy.

Please check back for more of the pretty!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Rosie Is On A Roll.

Rosie is on a roll  -  a cinnamon roll.
I've made a lot of cinnamon rolls in my day, but these rank right up at the top.
And they don't even have nuts in them!

Hope you find time to make these for breakfast this weekend.  You'll be glad you did.
Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 TB unsalted butter
1 packet yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 TB sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 3/4 cups flour, divided
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp oil

Melt butter with milk and cream in a small saucepan over low heat.  Heat until temperature reaches 105°.  Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and sprinkle the yeast on top with a teaspoon of sugar.  Let stand until the yeast "proofs," meaning it gets all foamy and bubbly and happy, usually in about 5 - 10 minutes. The yeast has "proved" it's alive.  Stir in the sugar, salt, and 2 1/4 cups of the flour.  Mix until just combined, 30 seconds.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat on medium high until a smooth batter forms, 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, mixing until dough comes together and forms a sticky, tacky ball, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, adding extra flour if needed.  Wipe mixing bowl clean, coat it with oil, and add dough ball, turning to coat the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about an hour or two.

While the dough is rising, make the filling.

Filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 TB flour
1 TB cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Stir all ingredients together.

Assembly:
Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with butter.
Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick.  Spread filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.  Starting at a long end, roll the dough into a log.  Pinch to seal the seam and place onto lightly floured surface, seam-side down.  Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 15 pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches thick and place in prepared pan, cut-side up.  Loosely cover with plastic wrap and lit sit in a warm place until puffy, about an hour or two.

Since I want this freshly baked for breakfast, I covered the rolls and refrigerated overnight.  Next morning, I took the rolls out and let them come to room temperature.  Heat oven to 375°.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the glaze.

Glaze:
3/4 cup sugar
2 TB light brown sugar
2 TB dark brown sugar
6 TB unsalted butter
5 oz. evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla
pinch kosher salt

In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until butter is melted and sugars have dissolved, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drizzle over top of cinnamon rolls.

And enjoy some of the best cinnamon rolls you've ever had the pleasure to eat.
Another Trust Rosie Moment.

Shaggy dough just out of the processor.

Kneaded dough.

Cover and light rise until doubled.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface...

... and roll it out.

Add the filling and ...
 
 ...  spread evenly.

Now this is funny.
I looked over and there's Junior taking up the sofur.

And here's Beau curled up in Junior's bed.

Roll up the dough.
It helps to wear a shocking pink Piggly Wiggly T-shirt.


And cut into 15 pieces.

I had 3 odd shaped pieces left and decided to sprinkle brown sugar, raisins, and honey over those.

Place in buttered pan.
And let rise again.

That would be Good Neighbor Bobby in the background.

About twenty minutes in a 375° oven.
Pour the glaze over top.
My house smells so cinnamony.


Enjoy!