The Big Apple Pancake

This recipe has several variations; however, this one is my favorite, I love apples and maybe that's why.  This is a nice breakfast to serve when you have guests, or to your family on special occasions, or on those winter mornings when everyone has slept in.  You can grate some cheese on top during the last few minutes of baking if you're feeling a little guilty, or add a dollop of yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream, or lemon curd on top or sprinkle it with powdered sugar, or a mixture of cinnamon sugar or if you want it sweeter prior to serving, or you can serve it plain hot right out of the oven.  The recipe does sound more complicated to make than it is, so I encourage you to try it and have some fun for breakfast, an early lunch, or dinner.

2 large or 3 medium apples, preferable tart like Granny Smith
4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs

Heat oven to 400.  Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut slices into 1/2's or 1/3's; you should end up with about 3 cups of chopped apples.

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and ginger and set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces and place them in a deep cast iron skillet or an 8 x 8 baking dish in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the butter is melted.  Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, carefully place the apples over the brown sugar, sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture over the apples and place the pan back into the oven to caramelize the apples and sugar.


Whisk the flour and the remaining tablespoon of sugar, salt, and nutmeg.  Gradually add the milk, while whisking constantly with a large wire whisk to beat out any lumps.  When flour mixture is smooth, add the vanilla then the eggs one at a time; incorporating each egg into the mixture.  Beat for 2 minutes by hand until the mixture is foamy.  Let the batter rest for 5 minutes, by now the sugar should be bubbling around the apples.

Take the pan out of the oven and pour the batter over the apples.  Bake for 20 more minutes or until the center is set and the sides are lightly browned.  The pancake will puff up dramatically then fall after a few minutes of being out of the oven.

You can top the pancake with your choice of toppings or serve.  Enjoy!   : )   Noni

Homemade Applesauce~nothing but apples and spice, Baby!

I make homemade applesauce almost every week that apples are in season, and I freeze some so that I have it year round.  I would like to have an exact recipe for those of you that "need" to have precise recipes to follow, however, I do not have a precise recipe.  I encourage you to accept that you cannot in any way mess this up, please trust me on this!!!!  I use a variety of apples sometimes I mix the varieties, sometimes I use the variety that is most prevalent at the Farmer's market that week.  I do like to throw in some Granny Smith because I like to have some tart apples mixed in with the sweeter apples, like gala and pink ladies.  Some weeks; depending on time and energy I make large or small batches, so the number of apples I use may vary.  I like to peel my apples, however, you do not have to do so.  I use different spices; depending on my mood, you can use many or none depending on your taste.  As you can image; your options are endless!

6 to 20    apples; peeled, cored, sliced, and cut in inch sized pieces
1 to 2      teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 to 1   teaspoon ginger
1/2 to 1   teaspoon cloves
1/2 to 1   teaspoon allspice

Place apples in stock pot and cook over medium heat until the apples begin to sizzle, reduce to low and simmer until apples become soft, stirring occasionally.  Add spices and simmer another 10 to 20 minutes.  Using a potato masher gently mash apples, leaving some chunks and remove from heat.

A local "u-tuber" showed that she freezes her applesauce and uses a fork to "scrape" some of the applesauce off to sweeten her yogurt as a desert topping.  I mix my applesauce with my yogurt in the morning as part of my breakfast.  The applesauce will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator (if it will last that long!).  I use the applesauce in baking, as many recipes call for applesauce in place of sweetener and oil.  I serve it as a desert when I don't have anything baked (which is rare, but it does happen).  Applesauce is a versatile staple to have.  I hope you enjoy this simple recipe.    : )   -MK  

Tandoori Grilled Chicken Thighs

This is a dish that you want to plan ahead of time, as the chicken needs to marinate for at least 8 hours.  I love most of the flavors of Indian cuisine, and have been learning, well attempting to learn, to cook different cuisines the past few years.  East Indian foods have several of my favorite ingredients; chicken, lentils, yogurt (need I say it? yes, I use my homemade, because the "tang" just adds something special to this dish), and some of the nicest spices around the world.  The flavor of this chicken dish is no exception.  I serve it with lentils cooked in a vegetable stock with some green onions and greens thrown in, and sweet potatoes on the the side topped with butter and maple syrup.

16          chicken thighs (I use boneless and skinless, however, either way is okay)
6 to 12   ounces plain yogurt
1            teaspoon Kosher salt
1            teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2         teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2            tablespoons freshly ground ginger
3            cloves garlic, minced
4            teaspoons paprika
2            teaspoons ground cumin
2            teaspoons cinnamon
2            teaspoons coriander
2            teaspoons garam masala

In a medium bowl stir together all the ingredients (except the chicken) until well blended. Rinse the chicken well under running cold water and pat dry with paper towels.  Put the chicken into a zip lock plastic bag and pour the mixture over the chicken, press the air out of the bag and seal.  Turn the bag over several times to ensure all the chicken is coated with the yogurt mixture, place in a dish in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 8 hours.  Throughout the time the chicken is marinating, turn the bag over to coat the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off any excess marinade with a paper towel.  Spray the chicken with oil and grill on each side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown.  Place a wire rack on a pan, remove the chicken from the grill and place on the wire rack, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the juices run clear.  Serve with whatever side dishes you choose to prepare and enjoy your meal.  BTW, this chicken is really good to eat cold the next day for lunch, or just a quick snack.  Enjoy      : )      Noni

Peach Yogurt Cake

I know..........WHAT??????  First of all, let me start by saying that I don't live in Georgia, but if I did, it would be all about peaches and pecans!!!!  This cake is all about peaches and only a little about pecans.  : )  Let's talk about peaches.  I live in Northern California and shop for my fruits and nuts at my favorite local Sunday farmers market; it's the best, the growers come from at least a 50 mile radius and the crops are incredible!!!!  The peaches are rarely ripened, (how could they be???) they have to travel and they would be ruined by the time they arrived at market in the early morning after being picked the day before.  So even though I have been craving peaches all week; I know I will come home, put them in a paper bag, in a cool dark place for a few days while they ripen.  I will check them in maybe two days and possibly find one that I can eat and the rest will need a few more days to ripen!  I will take the ripened one out of the bag, hold it up to my nose and take in it's fresh sweet aroma, wash it gently in cool water, pat it dry, slice it thinly into a bowl, make some fresh whipping cream with vanilla and agave, and name it "breakfast". Two days later I check the bag, and "Lo and Behold!" at least 2 or 3 peaches have "bad" spots on them and they have over-ripened and now I must quickly decide what I'm to do with the remainder of the peaches.  Let's see.......hum......cobbler, crisp, freeze, tarts, pie, crumble, or ???????  So today I found this recipe for this cake and I thought why not, I have.....you guessed it, my homemade yogurt in the refrigerator, so why not combine the two.  And yes, I completely changed it up, from the flour, sugar, spices, well most of it, here's what I came up with and it was lovely.....  I was pleasantly surprised and delighted that the yogurt made the cake so light and fluffy, who knew?!!!  You could make a "drizzle" for the top of this cake and serve it warm, serve it with whipped cream, or frozen yogurt, or ice cream, or warm it for breakfast.   I mistakenly left in on the counter overnight and it was fine the next morning so it appears to not need refrigeration. Enjoy     : )


3        cups roughly chopped peaches
11/2   cups full fat yogurt
1/2     cup olive oil
1/3     cup honey
3        eggs
1/1/2  teaspoon vanilla
21/2   cups flour
21/2   teaspoons baking soda
1/2     teaspoon salt
1/2     teaspoon ginger
1/4     teaspoon cloves
1/4     teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray or oil.
Mix together the yogurt, oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.  In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, add to the yogurt mixture and mix until no large lumps remain.  Fold in peaches.  Pour into prepared pan, bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.  Check cake at 40 minutes, if top is brown, cover with foil to prevent further browning.  Remove from oven and place on rack to cool, let cool at least 30 minutes before removing from pan (unspring at 20 minutes).  I cut up and dry roasted pecans on stove top to sprinkle on top of each piece of cake before serving.

Pumpkin Custard for Pie Filling

I tried using organic pumpkin filling from a can, and no matter what "they" say, there is a HUGE difference!!! So I will buy fresh organic pumpkin from the local farmer's market, cut it, deseed (is that a word?) it, wash it, oven roast it, peel it, and puree it, any day for the delicious flavor it has.  I tried my darnedest to remember how much of each of these ingredients I used to make this "custard" so here goes, and again, you can add, deduct, and change this up to make it suit you...... Please keep in mind that I don't like my pumpkin pie very sweet, probably because I grew up in the south on sweet potato pie which is a whole different thing (more on that later), so you may decide to make it sweeter, or may decide to use white or brown sugar, I also have mine with whipping cream on top, again not too sweet, and sweetened with maple syrup.  : )

3      cups fresh pumpkin puree
3/4   cup heavy whipping cream
2      large eggs
1      tablespoon honey
1      scant tablespoon molasses
2      teaspoons vanilla
2      teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Add ingredients to food processor and puree until well combined, taste to determine if sweet enough or spicy enough, adjust accordingly.  Fill prepared shell (see recipe below).  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, cool on wire rack.

Pie Crust

This is a simple and easy pie crust recipe from one of my favorite and witty chefs; Chef John.  I used this recipe for a pumpkin pie today using only 1/2 of the recipe since the recipe is for a double crust.  I used a mixture of whole grain flours:  whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, amaranth flour, almond flour, and spelt flour.  You can experiment with different flours and learn that some absorb more liquid than others and some have nuttier or earthier flavors than others; however, for me it can be a pleasant surprise when I discover a wonderful combination that becomes a "go to" recipe.

21/2      cups flour
1           cup unsalted butter - chilled, cut into tablespoon sized pieces
1/2        teaspoon salt
7           tablespoons ice water
1           tablespoon cider vinegar

Combine flour, salt, and butter in food processor.  Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 1-second pulses.
Stir the ice water and vinegar in a small bowl.
Pour half the water and vinegar mixture into the flour mixture.  Pulse to combine, about 3 1-second pulses.  Pour in remaining water and vinegar mixture.  Pulse until mixture just starts to come together, about 8 1-second pulses.
Turn dough out onto a wooden floured surface, pat into round shape and divide into half, form each half into a disc; about 5 inches in width.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 20 to 30 minutes

Note:  If you use salted butter you can omit the salt from the dry ingredients.  I roll my dough out about 2 inches larger than my pie dish so that I can form a "fluted" crust.

Pizza Sauce

Are you feeling the theme here?  After the pizza dinner last night and having all those cut up left over morsels in the refrigerator just taking up valuable space......what else could I do except make something with all the "stuff"?????  So I thought about if I were to keep the pizza to a five ingredient simple pizza why not have a bunch of ingredients in a sauce?Then you could just add a meat and cheese and it could be really simple for those impromptu meals.  So here is what I came up with.

2      large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1/2   leek finely chopped green top as well
2      cloves of garlic minced
1      tablespoon chives finely chopped
1/8   cup red pepper
1/4   cup olives, green and black; from Whole Foods olive bar
1      teaspoon pepper flakes
1      teaspoon fresh lime thyme, finely chopped
1      teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1      teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1      teaspoon ground sea salt
1      teaspoon ground pepper
1      teaspoon ground roasted garlic
1/2   teaspoon blue agave
1      teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Put in a sauce pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour.  Strain using a sieve; it will store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.  I froze the juice to use as a stock to cook with my beans or grains.