or the breakfast bread of garden champions.
I like a challenge. So this week I took on a food that my hubby is not very fond of in an attempt to change his mind - zucchini bread. He was persuaded to try it by the aroma that filled the house when he got home and the taste test certainly did not disappoint. I win! *resounding applause fills the house*
Now, I was never a fan of zucchini bread growing up but it was more on principle since it was threaded with unnerving flecks of green that I did not believe had any place in bread. I have since made my peace with the presence of the offending vegetable and decided that it was time to convince others to do the same. This recipe has a nice hint of the earthiness of zucchini without it being overwhelming, if you really want the zucchini flavor you may want to increase the volume in this recipe but I haven't tested the bake times and texture with that adjustment so you do so at your own risk... The brown sugar really provides a nice richness to the bread and a hint of molasses undertone that really adds to the aromatic appeal while it is baking. You can add any number or type of mix-ins to the base recipe if you like nuts or other type of flavored "chips" aside from semi sweet chocolate, just try not to make it too crowded or the ingredients will start to battle each other (and nobody wants to be a part of an ingredient throw down, everyone loses in the end and the kitchen is just a disaster). This is excellent as either breakfast or dessert, I highly recommend warming it a bit when enjoyed after it has cooled and been stored as it restores it to its fresh out of the oven glory nicely. Check it out:
Flour - 3 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 2 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla - 3 tsp
Egg Beaters - 3/4 cup
Vegetable Oil - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/4 Cups
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Zucchini - 2 cups grated (about 2 medium sized)
Optional per loaf, to "build it up":
Mini Chocolate Chips - 1/3 cup
Dried Cherries - 1/2 cup
Hardware: 2 loaf pans, greased and floured
Preheat oven to 325 F
1. Mix in a large bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg.
2. Make a well in the center and beat the following together within that well: egg beaters, vanilla, vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar.
3. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl together until well blended. Stir in the grated zucchini. I like to separate the batter at this point and make two different variations. I pour half the batter into the first pan and then add the optional cherries and chocolate chips into the remaining batter before pouring it into the second pan.
4. Bake for 50-60 min, until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Place on cooling rack for 20 min to set. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (if it isn't devoured sooner).
7.17.2012
Slow and Comforting Vegetable Soup
or how I survived the loss of our fridge, a freezer and pantry based soup
So, balancing our new little angel and our temporary financial constraints of me being off work for FMLA to care for her has been challenging. Add into that the time it took me to heal, the time it took to develop a new routine, and a few unexpected events and you have a recipe for a seriously delayed return to my beloved cooking blog. Fortunately I have been cooking, so once things sort themselves out a bit more I do actually have recipes to share. Today's recipe comes to you straight from our most recent unexpected event - the untimely demise of our fridge's control panel. We have been without our full size fridge and freezer for five days now and let me tell you, it has certainly made me creative in using up what we have on hand.
This recipe quite honestly surprised me, I had my doubts up until I had a bowlful in front of me. It started with a turkey I made yesterday that had been residing in our freezer before the catastrophic event. Said turkey yielded a tasty stock overnight in the slow cooker. The 101 F day outside today kept me away from the stove, so it made perfect sense to carry on in the slow cooker for dinner tonight as well. I raided the remaining freezer vegetables we had in our small back up freezer outside (I had to clear out more room for breast milk storage for our little one), then I raided the pantry. What I came up with is not really a standard vegetable soup mix, but it definitely did the trick. And nothing perks up a frustrating day like an easy comfort food dinner. The key to the broth balance in this soup is the starch from the cannelloni beans and tortellini, it adds a nice touch to the light tomato base that is started by the stock and crushed tomatoes. You can of course mix up the vegetables based on what you like or have on hand, but I suggest sticking with the starch providers for optimal results. Check it out:
13 oz (1/2 of a large can) crushed tomatoes
2 quarts turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen green beans
1/2 can drained cannelloni beans
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Italian Spice Blend
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 cups dried four cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese
Hardware: slow cooker (crockpot)
1. Pour the first five ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well to combine.
2. Add in all of the seasonings and onion then stir again. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. When there is an hour left in the cook time, stir in the tortellini. Cover and cook for the remaining hour.
4. Stir well and serve topped with a bit of shredded or shaved parmesan cheese.
So, balancing our new little angel and our temporary financial constraints of me being off work for FMLA to care for her has been challenging. Add into that the time it took me to heal, the time it took to develop a new routine, and a few unexpected events and you have a recipe for a seriously delayed return to my beloved cooking blog. Fortunately I have been cooking, so once things sort themselves out a bit more I do actually have recipes to share. Today's recipe comes to you straight from our most recent unexpected event - the untimely demise of our fridge's control panel. We have been without our full size fridge and freezer for five days now and let me tell you, it has certainly made me creative in using up what we have on hand.
This recipe quite honestly surprised me, I had my doubts up until I had a bowlful in front of me. It started with a turkey I made yesterday that had been residing in our freezer before the catastrophic event. Said turkey yielded a tasty stock overnight in the slow cooker. The 101 F day outside today kept me away from the stove, so it made perfect sense to carry on in the slow cooker for dinner tonight as well. I raided the remaining freezer vegetables we had in our small back up freezer outside (I had to clear out more room for breast milk storage for our little one), then I raided the pantry. What I came up with is not really a standard vegetable soup mix, but it definitely did the trick. And nothing perks up a frustrating day like an easy comfort food dinner. The key to the broth balance in this soup is the starch from the cannelloni beans and tortellini, it adds a nice touch to the light tomato base that is started by the stock and crushed tomatoes. You can of course mix up the vegetables based on what you like or have on hand, but I suggest sticking with the starch providers for optimal results. Check it out:
13 oz (1/2 of a large can) crushed tomatoes
2 quarts turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen green beans
1/2 can drained cannelloni beans
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Italian Spice Blend
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 cups dried four cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese
Hardware: slow cooker (crockpot)
1. Pour the first five ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well to combine.
2. Add in all of the seasonings and onion then stir again. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. When there is an hour left in the cook time, stir in the tortellini. Cover and cook for the remaining hour.
4. Stir well and serve topped with a bit of shredded or shaved parmesan cheese.
6.11.2012
Get back..
Get back to where you once belonged...
Well, here I am! Applause is not necessary, but much appreciated. It has been a while, I know, but hopefully I am back on track. A little over a month ago our little "bun in the oven" arrived and changed our lives forever. Now that things are finding their place in our new "norm" I hope to be a bit more present in the blogging world again and to have a few new recipes to share with you all. As soon as the adorable little benevolent dictator permits, I will be happy to be experimenting once more and sharing the successes with you all. Until then, take care of you and yours, you will be hearing from me again soon!
Well, here I am! Applause is not necessary, but much appreciated. It has been a while, I know, but hopefully I am back on track. A little over a month ago our little "bun in the oven" arrived and changed our lives forever. Now that things are finding their place in our new "norm" I hope to be a bit more present in the blogging world again and to have a few new recipes to share with you all. As soon as the adorable little benevolent dictator permits, I will be happy to be experimenting once more and sharing the successes with you all. Until then, take care of you and yours, you will be hearing from me again soon!
3.30.2012
Garden Pasta Salad
or a base to build on, a pasta salad for daily use.
I apologize for the short post today, but it turns out that these last 5-6 weeks of pregnancy do a number on me both physically and mentally. I thought I would at least take a moment to share one of my favorite vegetarian lunches of recent weeks - a base for pasta salad. This one is kind of nice because it doesn't make an over abundance of food like you would need for a party, it makes enough for dinner and maybe a lunch or two depending on how many you are serving and if it is a side or main dish.
The ingredients here are what I have used most recently, but the great thing about this is that it can work with just about any veggies you have in the fridge (though you may need to steam or blanch them first). That is why I call this a "garden" pasta salad, that and because I really like the flavors of the multicolored garden rotini with it since it brings its own base flavor to the party. I personally like the salt factor of the green olives but if that turns you off just switch to black olives or omit it entirely. Check it out, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do:
4 servings
Pasta - 1 cup (garden rotini)
Mayonnaise, reduced fat or olive oil - 1/2 cup
Sour Cream, reduced fat - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cider Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Green Olives - 1/4 cup
Paprika - ½ tsp
mustard - stone ground - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Pepper - to taste
cherry tomatoes - halved - 1 cup
cucumbers - diced - 1 cup
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese and pasta, folding in carefully until the salad is evenly covered with the dressing.
3. Store in refrigerator or cooler until served.
I apologize for the short post today, but it turns out that these last 5-6 weeks of pregnancy do a number on me both physically and mentally. I thought I would at least take a moment to share one of my favorite vegetarian lunches of recent weeks - a base for pasta salad. This one is kind of nice because it doesn't make an over abundance of food like you would need for a party, it makes enough for dinner and maybe a lunch or two depending on how many you are serving and if it is a side or main dish.
The ingredients here are what I have used most recently, but the great thing about this is that it can work with just about any veggies you have in the fridge (though you may need to steam or blanch them first). That is why I call this a "garden" pasta salad, that and because I really like the flavors of the multicolored garden rotini with it since it brings its own base flavor to the party. I personally like the salt factor of the green olives but if that turns you off just switch to black olives or omit it entirely. Check it out, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do:
4 servings
Pasta - 1 cup (garden rotini)
Mayonnaise, reduced fat or olive oil - 1/2 cup
Sour Cream, reduced fat - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cider Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Green Olives - 1/4 cup
Paprika - ½ tsp
mustard - stone ground - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Pepper - to taste
cherry tomatoes - halved - 1 cup
cucumbers - diced - 1 cup
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese and pasta, folding in carefully until the salad is evenly covered with the dressing.
3. Store in refrigerator or cooler until served.
3.17.2012
Simply Pressured Corned Beef Brisket
or Americanized Irish Food is a breeze
I don't get all rowdy in celebration of St Patrick's Day, but I do enjoy making a good Irish-American meal as my mom did when we were growing up. In the past I have sought out Irish bacon to make a form of this dish that is truer to its origins but unfortunately this year I seem to lack both the time and the energy to complete the task. So I am returning to the tried and true corned beef and cabbage that I grew up enjoying, the benefits of the nostalgia factor are incredible even if the authenticity of the dish is not.
I believe that part of the reason some people are turned off by corned beef is that it takes an endless amount of time to cook and the results are something that is more foreign than familiar in flavor and texture. Part of this can be resolved by changing the cooking method. I am not a huge fan of the boiled or slow cooker methods, while it does soften it up some it doesn't quite infuse the flavor enough and I just don't like waiting that long, so I take the pressure cooker approach. It is fast, easy, and delicious! There's no need to save this for once a year when it can easily become a standard weekend meal. I can devour an entire 2 lb brisket myself so I usually opt for the slightly larger size even though it takes a little longer. Check it out:
Corned Beef Brisket (2-5 lbs)
Seasoning packet (comes with the brisket)*
Water
Hardware: Pressure cooker
1. Remove the brisket from the package and set aside the spice pack. Rinse the brisket under running water to reduce the salt factor.
2. Place the brisket in the pot of the pressure cooker and sprinkle the spices over top. Add enough water to cover the brisket.
3. Secure the lid and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines. Cook for 40-50 min for 2-3 lbs brisket, 60-70 min for 4-5 lb brisket.
4. Turn the heat off and allow to release pressure naturally per manufacturer guidelines, the kitchen will smell delicious at this point, hang in there the wait is worth it.
5. Remove the brisket from the pot and trim off the top layer of fat. I like to reserve the liquid from the pot (after skimming the fat off and filtering out the spices) to make reuben soup with the corned beef stock that results. Slice across the grain and serve alongside boiled potatoes and steamed cabbage.
* if there is no spice packet, alternative suggestions for seasoning include: pickling spice blends or a combination of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns. You can also supplement the packet with some of these spices if desired.
I don't get all rowdy in celebration of St Patrick's Day, but I do enjoy making a good Irish-American meal as my mom did when we were growing up. In the past I have sought out Irish bacon to make a form of this dish that is truer to its origins but unfortunately this year I seem to lack both the time and the energy to complete the task. So I am returning to the tried and true corned beef and cabbage that I grew up enjoying, the benefits of the nostalgia factor are incredible even if the authenticity of the dish is not.
I believe that part of the reason some people are turned off by corned beef is that it takes an endless amount of time to cook and the results are something that is more foreign than familiar in flavor and texture. Part of this can be resolved by changing the cooking method. I am not a huge fan of the boiled or slow cooker methods, while it does soften it up some it doesn't quite infuse the flavor enough and I just don't like waiting that long, so I take the pressure cooker approach. It is fast, easy, and delicious! There's no need to save this for once a year when it can easily become a standard weekend meal. I can devour an entire 2 lb brisket myself so I usually opt for the slightly larger size even though it takes a little longer. Check it out:
Corned Beef Brisket (2-5 lbs)
Seasoning packet (comes with the brisket)*
Water
Hardware: Pressure cooker
1. Remove the brisket from the package and set aside the spice pack. Rinse the brisket under running water to reduce the salt factor.
2. Place the brisket in the pot of the pressure cooker and sprinkle the spices over top. Add enough water to cover the brisket.
3. Secure the lid and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines. Cook for 40-50 min for 2-3 lbs brisket, 60-70 min for 4-5 lb brisket.
4. Turn the heat off and allow to release pressure naturally per manufacturer guidelines, the kitchen will smell delicious at this point, hang in there the wait is worth it.
5. Remove the brisket from the pot and trim off the top layer of fat. I like to reserve the liquid from the pot (after skimming the fat off and filtering out the spices) to make reuben soup with the corned beef stock that results. Slice across the grain and serve alongside boiled potatoes and steamed cabbage.
* if there is no spice packet, alternative suggestions for seasoning include: pickling spice blends or a combination of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns. You can also supplement the packet with some of these spices if desired.
3.15.2012
Baked Oatmeal Cups
or how I contaminated a previously healthy breakfast
A good, easy breakfast or mid morning snack can be hard to find. It is easy to get lost in sea of pre-made options from the frozen foods section or burn yourself out on peanut butter toast. And if you are in a state of pregnancy, such as myself, or just in the apparently rather healthy habit of eating 6 small meals a day in place of 3 large ones having something homemade that you can reach for at a whim is essential. Now I am sucker for freezer meal options and cooking once to satisfy a multitude of meals so anything that results in a moderate bulk of food is right up my alley, so I went in search of breakfast options that reheat well and can last 3-4 days in the fridge before turning on you and attacking when you open the door. There is a multitude of homemade breakfast sandwich options out there in freezer cooking world, but I haven't come to terms with the concept of freezing and reheating cooked eggs at home yet so those were out. And there are a lot of bulk slow cooker breakfast casseroles out there, but they aren't all that great reheated in my opinion (sadly, I have tried). So I went more towards a carb focused approach.
I found a fair amount of recipes out there for baked oatmeal and that seemed like something that was just crying out to be reheated since oatmeal is a pretty hearty substance to begin with so I thought that would be a great place to start. Most of the recipes called for a single large baking dish method, not the best for my grab and go concept, so I continued to look around. I found some single serving options on healthy eating blogs and settled on the one by Sugar Free Mom, diabetic friendly and focused on creating a healthier you. That's all well and good, but since me and oatmeal are not long time friends I needed to sweeten up the deal. I started by halving the recipe, then I added a bit more applesauce (I used homemade because I had it on hand), added a touch more milk, and infused it with refined sugar. Frozen cherries were my filling of choice for a bit more sweetness, albeit natural this time. The baking time is a bit longer, but that is probably from the extra liquids I used. I was really happy with the texture at the end, though this is definitely a spoon or fork dish and not one I would recommend picking up with your hands.
Here is my, much less healthy, take on the personal sized baked oatmeal recipe from Sugar Free Mom:
1 egg
1 cup applesauce
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ⅓ cups low fat milk (1-2%)
1 small banana smashed, or ½ of a large banana smashed
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup sugar (or 2 tbsp depending on preference, I like it sweet)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
24-36 frozen cherries
salt
cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips for topping
Hardware: cupcake/muffin pan, cupcake liners
Makes 10-12 cupcake sized servings
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium bowl mix the egg, vanilla, applesauce, mashed banana and sugar until well blended.
2. Next add in the salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well with wet ingredients.
3. Stir in the oats until well blended and then pour in milk and combine.
4. Place 10-12 cupcake liners in the muffin pan.
5. Pour some of the mixture into the liners, filling each a little less then half way. Add 2-3 frozen cherries per cup, pressing down so they are partly submerged, and then add more of the mixture to cover.
6. Sprinkle the tops with a cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips (because it was just a little too close to looking healthy, and it is a nice touch of flavor).
7. Bake 35-40 minutes or until they look set. Cool and enjoy, refrigerate, or freeze individuality and then combine them in gallon freezer bags.
I like them reheated as is, just remove the cupcake liners first. But if you mash up the muffins and add a couple tablespoons of cream or milk you can have a thick oatmeal texture for some variety.
Ready for reheating at work:
A good, easy breakfast or mid morning snack can be hard to find. It is easy to get lost in sea of pre-made options from the frozen foods section or burn yourself out on peanut butter toast. And if you are in a state of pregnancy, such as myself, or just in the apparently rather healthy habit of eating 6 small meals a day in place of 3 large ones having something homemade that you can reach for at a whim is essential. Now I am sucker for freezer meal options and cooking once to satisfy a multitude of meals so anything that results in a moderate bulk of food is right up my alley, so I went in search of breakfast options that reheat well and can last 3-4 days in the fridge before turning on you and attacking when you open the door. There is a multitude of homemade breakfast sandwich options out there in freezer cooking world, but I haven't come to terms with the concept of freezing and reheating cooked eggs at home yet so those were out. And there are a lot of bulk slow cooker breakfast casseroles out there, but they aren't all that great reheated in my opinion (sadly, I have tried). So I went more towards a carb focused approach.
I found a fair amount of recipes out there for baked oatmeal and that seemed like something that was just crying out to be reheated since oatmeal is a pretty hearty substance to begin with so I thought that would be a great place to start. Most of the recipes called for a single large baking dish method, not the best for my grab and go concept, so I continued to look around. I found some single serving options on healthy eating blogs and settled on the one by Sugar Free Mom, diabetic friendly and focused on creating a healthier you. That's all well and good, but since me and oatmeal are not long time friends I needed to sweeten up the deal. I started by halving the recipe, then I added a bit more applesauce (I used homemade because I had it on hand), added a touch more milk, and infused it with refined sugar. Frozen cherries were my filling of choice for a bit more sweetness, albeit natural this time. The baking time is a bit longer, but that is probably from the extra liquids I used. I was really happy with the texture at the end, though this is definitely a spoon or fork dish and not one I would recommend picking up with your hands.
Here is my, much less healthy, take on the personal sized baked oatmeal recipe from Sugar Free Mom:
1 cup applesauce
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ⅓ cups low fat milk (1-2%)
1 small banana smashed, or ½ of a large banana smashed
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup sugar (or 2 tbsp depending on preference, I like it sweet)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
24-36 frozen cherries
salt
cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips for topping
Hardware: cupcake/muffin pan, cupcake liners
Makes 10-12 cupcake sized servings
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium bowl mix the egg, vanilla, applesauce, mashed banana and sugar until well blended.
2. Next add in the salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well with wet ingredients.
3. Stir in the oats until well blended and then pour in milk and combine.
4. Place 10-12 cupcake liners in the muffin pan.
5. Pour some of the mixture into the liners, filling each a little less then half way. Add 2-3 frozen cherries per cup, pressing down so they are partly submerged, and then add more of the mixture to cover.
6. Sprinkle the tops with a cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips (because it was just a little too close to looking healthy, and it is a nice touch of flavor).
7. Bake 35-40 minutes or until they look set. Cool and enjoy, refrigerate, or freeze individuality and then combine them in gallon freezer bags.
I like them reheated as is, just remove the cupcake liners first. But if you mash up the muffins and add a couple tablespoons of cream or milk you can have a thick oatmeal texture for some variety.
Ready for reheating at work:
(not the best photo, but it gives you the idea)
2.29.2012
Pressure Makes it Better Applesauce
or steaming your way to homemade applesauce is a breeze...
I have three great loves in my kitchen that may not make the list in yours - my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, and my home canners (both hot water and pressure versions). I have found on many occasions that to my surprise even the first two of these are not common tools in many of my friends' kitchens. I can understand the canners not making the cut, not everyone is as into home canning and preserving as me, and most did not grow up with the process as I did. But the first two tools have long been essential to food prep in my life, even before I considered the process to be actual "cooking." Now, I find that lately the slow cooker, or crockpot, is getting some new found love as a rising trend and I certainly do my best to encourage it here on my blog when I can, but the pressure cooker is still being largely neglected in the every day culinary world of home kitchens. I, for one, would like to stand on my soap box for a minute or two shouting its praises.. (this would be far more impressive in person so I'll just let you imagine me up there passionately rambling on for another few minutes about its glories)
Ok, now where were we? Right, applesauce. (don't look at me like that, I was going to get around to it eventually...) Applesauce is surprisingly easy to make, though doing it with the stove top method it can take somewhat of a time commitment. The results are delicious, trust me on this, but we don't always have that much time to dedicate to it when we have apples ripening on the counter top. So I suggest pulling out that trustworthy old pressure cooker and whipping it up in 30 min or less round trip. A big time saver here, aside from the obvious cook time, is that you do not need to peel the apples - the pressure cooking process breaks them down enough to blend them into the mix. This gives the resulting applesauce a lovely rosy hue. If you do not like that particular color for your sauce you are welcome to peel the apples in advance, but I find it to be a nice change.
12 lg to med apples
¾ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
Hardware: pressure cooker
1. Core the apples and cut into large slices
2. Add the apples to pressure cooker with the water. Cover securely and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines.
3. Leave the apples to cook for 5 min then turn off heat and allow to cool down naturally
4. Use a stick (i.e. immersion) blender to puree the apples, they will mash easily with a potato masher but the blender dissolves the peels better.
5. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and spices until dissolved. Adjust to taste.
If you are interested in delving into the world of pressure cookers even further, I highly recommend checking out Hip Pressure Cooking's website. They have a good amount of resources and recipes to help you out along the way.
I have three great loves in my kitchen that may not make the list in yours - my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, and my home canners (both hot water and pressure versions). I have found on many occasions that to my surprise even the first two of these are not common tools in many of my friends' kitchens. I can understand the canners not making the cut, not everyone is as into home canning and preserving as me, and most did not grow up with the process as I did. But the first two tools have long been essential to food prep in my life, even before I considered the process to be actual "cooking." Now, I find that lately the slow cooker, or crockpot, is getting some new found love as a rising trend and I certainly do my best to encourage it here on my blog when I can, but the pressure cooker is still being largely neglected in the every day culinary world of home kitchens. I, for one, would like to stand on my soap box for a minute or two shouting its praises.. (this would be far more impressive in person so I'll just let you imagine me up there passionately rambling on for another few minutes about its glories)
Ok, now where were we? Right, applesauce. (don't look at me like that, I was going to get around to it eventually...) Applesauce is surprisingly easy to make, though doing it with the stove top method it can take somewhat of a time commitment. The results are delicious, trust me on this, but we don't always have that much time to dedicate to it when we have apples ripening on the counter top. So I suggest pulling out that trustworthy old pressure cooker and whipping it up in 30 min or less round trip. A big time saver here, aside from the obvious cook time, is that you do not need to peel the apples - the pressure cooking process breaks them down enough to blend them into the mix. This gives the resulting applesauce a lovely rosy hue. If you do not like that particular color for your sauce you are welcome to peel the apples in advance, but I find it to be a nice change.
¾ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
Hardware: pressure cooker
1. Core the apples and cut into large slices
2. Add the apples to pressure cooker with the water. Cover securely and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines.
3. Leave the apples to cook for 5 min then turn off heat and allow to cool down naturally
4. Use a stick (i.e. immersion) blender to puree the apples, they will mash easily with a potato masher but the blender dissolves the peels better.
5. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and spices until dissolved. Adjust to taste.
If you are interested in delving into the world of pressure cookers even further, I highly recommend checking out Hip Pressure Cooking's website. They have a good amount of resources and recipes to help you out along the way.
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