Sour Cream Apple Pie w/Mix in the Pan Pie Crust

So good it'll make you slap your momma! Seriously, this is one good pie. It's rich, and fruity, and the crust was flaky and perfect. Run, don't walk, to make it;)

Had a few apples and some leftover sour cream, so thought this was worth a go. I'd also seen a recipe for mix in the pan pie crust, so thought that was also worth trying, in place of the frozen yuck I have in the freezer. (The crust turned out so much better that I may need to toss the frozen stuff.)

Pie Crust

1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1/2 c canola oil
2 tbspn milk

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in pie pan. Slowly add milk and oil. Mix well with a fork and pat out to fit pan. Bake at 350 until brown, usually about ten minutes.

Topping

3 tbspn unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 2 tbspn sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbspn flour

Filling

1 1/3 c sour cream
2/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
3 tbspn all-purpose flour
4 or 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

To make the topping, in a bowl blend the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until the mixture is combined well. Cover and chill the topping.

To make the filling, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples and stir the filling and apples together.

Spoon the filling into the chilled shell and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a pre-heated 350-degree oven, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (You might need to put a bit of tinfoil on top of the pie during the last 15 minutes to prevent the top from burning.) Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely.

Cantaloupe Shake

I got a large 1/2 cantaloupe yesterday for $1 at Central Market, so decided to make a cantaloupe shake, mmmmm....

1/2 cantaloupe
Milk
A few ice cubes
Honey, to taste

Mix it up in the blender. Drink before it separates. Very refreshing! Serves 2 very thirsty people, or 4 persons otherwise. This can be a breakfast meal.

Fish in Tahini Sauce W/Roast Lemons

I only use my tahini for hummos, which I don't make that often, so I was pleased to see another recipe I could use it in. My trip to Central Market for veg isn't til next week, so I'm having to forego the onions in this one, at least this time around.

white fish fillets
salt, olive oil
3 lemons
1 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 cup water
2 large onions, thinly sliced
cilantro for serving

Preheat the oven to 200C. Rub fish with salt. Juice 2 of the lemons and slice the 3rd lemon. Combine tahini with the lemon juice and stir until the mixture is thick and lightened in color. Stir in the water to form a thin sauce. Lightly oil a baking dish and place the lemon slices in it. Place the fish over the lemon slices and rub with a little oil. Place the fish in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onions in some oil until softened. Add the onions to the tahini sauce. After the twenty minutes, remove the fish from the oven, it should be thick and opaque. Pour the tahini sauce over the fish, scattering the onions on top (optional: reserve a little extra tahini to drizzle on before serving). Return the fish to the oven and bake another 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and is bubbling all over. Let cool before serving, with cilantro as garnish.

Chickpea Salad

Trying to go veggie at least once a week, and also trying to use up leftover veg before I head to Central Market tomorrow, so this will be dinner tonight.

Lettuce
Carrots, sliced
Tomatoes, chopped
Broccoli
Chickpeas
Kalamata olives
Capers (optional, will be on hubs half, not mine, as too salty)
Ground pepper
Dried oregano
Rice Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Sesame oil

(Last three ingredients to be mixed for dressing)

Ham & Mushroom Crustless Quiche

1/2 onion, diced
1/2 c mushrooms
ham, cooked
4 large eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
ground pepper, to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
herbs to taste (fresh dill and/or parsley, for example)
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other type of cheese)

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan (or a 9-inch pie plate). Saute onion and mushrooms with a bit of butter. Whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt & pepper. Whisk in milk, then stir in mushroom mixture and ham. Pour quiche into prepared pan. Top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes (30-35 minutes in a pie plate), or until center is set and the outside edge is golden brown.
**Can also add in other veg (for example, asparagus or broccoli)

Less Boring Potatoes

Firstly, credit where credit is due. Slightly modified due to lack of or choice regarding ingrdients, but still good and simple enough. I love any kind of potato salad, and this fits in as a good side.

Potatoes, cooked & diced
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 tbspn capers
Spring onions, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbspn red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. In large bowl, mix potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss to coat, and roast until golden and crusty, about 30 minutes, in 200C oven.
2. In the meantime, combine in bowl the capers, green onions, mustard, vinegar, paprika, a bit of salt and pepper, and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
3. When the potatoes are ready, add them to the bowl, toss gently to coat, and fold in the parsley. Taste for seasoning. Let cool to slightly warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Stout Cake w/Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

I found just the thing to make for St. Paddy's Day, although I changed it up with Youngs Double Chocolate Stout (very lovely in it's own right) in place of the Guiness. And since I doubt I will be able to find shamrock sprinkles here in Oz without ordering them from USA Foods, some green food colouring made it's way into the frosting.

1 c unsalted butter
1 c stout
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c all purpose flour (or self-raising flour and no baking soda or salt)
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 c sour cream

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, remove from heat and let cool a bit. Mix in the stout and cocoa powder. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Mix the stout mixture into the egg mixture. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Pour the batter into one or two greased and parchment lined circular cake pan(s). Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean; about 20-30 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 c confectioners sugar
3 tbspn Bailey’s Irish cream (or other brand, or some vanilla if you don't want to use Bailey's)
green food colouring or sprinkles to top!

Mix everything together. Frost cake when cooled.

Polpettone

Polpettone is described as 'the giant meatball' as well as an Italian meatloaf. It is basically a meatloaf with meatball seasoning added, sometimes cooked in the sauce before being baked, and filled with salami, cheese and hard-boiled eggs. I saw a few recipes, but made up my own, based upon my meatloaf recipe and meatball seasonings.

1 kg beef mince
4 slices salami
3 hard boiled eggs
shredded cheese (I used colby as that is what I had, although I'd prefer mozzarella)
basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, to taste (I used dried but will be using fresh in the future when I start my herb garden, and may add rosemary as well, but didn't have any)
packet french onion soup mix
bbq sauce

Mix beef mince with seasonings (including onion soup mix), in a large bowl. (You can add breadcrumbs and an egg if you have less meat, or simply prefer it this way. Some ground pepper probably wouldn't go amiss either, but you definitely don't need salt.) Spread meat flat on counter or wax paper and place slices of salami, overlapping, in the middle. Top salami with some shredded cheese. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and place on top of cheese, then roll up the meatloaf. Cover meatloaf in a decent layer of bbq sauce, then bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, on 180C.

Baked Oatmeal

Been wanting to try a baked oatmeal for some time now, as I figure I could make it in bulk, then eat it for the next few days---easy brekky. I slightly modified this recipe.

1 c large flake oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
2 T maple syrup
1 T dessicated unsweetened coconut
1 c milk
2/3 c juice
2 T chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 170C. In a large bowl, combine everything. Using oil or margarine, grease up a casserole dish and then dump in oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

Old-Time Beef Stew

This is one of my favs that my mom makes, and it is pretty much straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which come to think of it, I have to, so I didn't need to get her to email it to me...oops;)

2 pounds diced beef
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
1 or 2 bay leaves
Ground sea salt & pepper
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp paprika
Dash ground allspice or cloves
6 carrots, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
1 pound small white onions (optional)

Flour, salt & pepper diced beef. Saute onion il oil. Thoroughly brown meat in 2 tablespoons hot shortening or oil. Add 2 cups hot water and rest of ingredients, minus veg. Cover, simmer 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove bay leaves and garlic. Add vegetables. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serves 6 to 8.

Personal Note: Mom likes to mix up some biscuits and drop on top of stew for the last 10 mins or so to serve along with the stew.