Fast Leftovers

Apple Pie
adapted from Kate Hudkins

Let’s talk about pie crust for a second.  Kate says that she has made homemade pie crust and doesn’t feel it’s worth the effort, and I made this pie for a long time with store-bought dough.  I, however, do feel like it’s worth the effort (and not just because I enjoy eating the dough scraps).  You may recall that I posted a pie crust recipe before, but after some serious soul-searching I’ve come to the conclusion that an all-butter crust really is the way to go (and, no, not just because it’s tastier to snack on).  Maybe pie crust is a highly personal thing.  Whatever your own decision is, though, I’m sure your pie will be delicious.  One final note: don’t be scared by the lemon zest.  I find it’s a nice bright-zingy quality to the pie, but your pie will not suffer if you leave it out.

For the crust:
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 ice water

For the filling:
6-8 apples, McIntosh or Empire tend to be best
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp milk (optional)
sugar for sprinkling (optional)

To make the crust:

1. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until combined.  (You can also do this by hand, but it will take a little longer.)
2. Add the cold, cubed butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is well-incorporated and roughly the size of peas.
3. With the bowl running, slowly add in the ice water until the mixture forms into a ball.  You may not need the whole amount or you may need more.  Keep your eye on it: you want it to come into a ball, but you don’t want the ball to feel wet to the touch.  (Is that clear enough?)
4. Remove the dough from the food processor, and divide half.  Form the halves into balls, flatten them, and put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (I like to put mine in Ziploc bags.)

To make the filling:

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples into roughly 1/4″ thick slices.
2. In a large bowl, combine the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon zest.
3. Optional: let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes.  This draws some of the moisture out of the apples and makes for a less wet pie.

Assemble the pie:

1. Roll each of the dough discs out on a floured surface until they’re roughly 13″ circles.  Place one into a 9″ pie plate and trim the excess from the edges.  You want to leave an overhang of about 3/4″, however.
2. Place the filling in the pie plate.  Chop the tablespoon of butter into 5-8 chunks and scatter around the top of the filling (you’re going to have to trust me, er, Kate on this one).
3. Place the other half of dough on top.  Trim so that the edges are even with the edges of the bottom crust.  Seal the pie either using a fork and pressing down or creating a scalloped edge by pinching the edges all the way around with your fingers.
4. Optional: coat the top of the pie with the tablespoon of milk and sprinkle sugar over top.
5. Bake the pie at 450 for 15 minutes.  Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes.  (Note: if the edges look like they’re getting burnt at any point, you may want to cover them with foil.  It’s also a good idea to bake the pie on a cookie sheet, just in case there are any leaks.)

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Cook the macaroni according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside.
3. In a sauce-pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the flour and stir until combined.  (Don’t be alarmed if the mixture is clumpy; that’s how it’s supposed to look.)  Let the mixture cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the milk slowly, stirring as you add (this will prevent any clumps).  Keep stirring and cooking until the mixture is thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Add the salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder (if using). Then, add about 3/4 of the cheese to the warm milk mixture.  Stir until cheese is completely melted.
6. Combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce in a large, greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly across the top.
7. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.
8. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

A lot has changed since I last posted here, and I have seriously debated whether or not to take the blog back up again.  But it seems I have a group of rabid fans who demand my return–or at least one rabid fan who does (Hi Evan!)–so here I am.

What exactly has changed?  Well, I am no longer someone who says I live in DC, even though I actually live in Northern Virginia.  I now live in Texas, and–even worse (or better?)–I might almost be an actual Texan: I have been to a rodeo, learned to shoot a gun, and almost use the word “y’all” in a conversation.  I have been introduced to the joys of car ownership and have the pleasure of paying for gas and dealing with cracked windshields.  I have not had to walk anywhere in six months.  I have my very own secretary.  And people who were previously envious of Chris’ lifestyle may not be pleased to learn that I am also officially his sugar mama now that he’s back in school.

You might think I’m a totally changed girl, but I can assure you that’s not the case.  I still enjoy talking about working out more than I enjoy actually doing it, and I still think about food.  I still think about it pretty much all the time.  I still plan meals for the week in advance (using a spreadsheet!) and carefully construct my grocery list.  And it’s still the case that if someone tells me they don’t eat breakfast, I will make something for them…and I might even mail it to them from Texas.  But I will not use “y’all” on the card that accompanies it….well, at least not yet.

Biscotti
borrowed from Smitten Kitchen

My friend Tim told me that he recently took up drinking coffee, and he thought biscotti would be the perfect complement to a freshly brewed cup.  When he asked me for a recipe, I told him that I would certainly send him one–along with a box of Heather-made biscotti.  Now that I think about it, I’m not totally convinced that he didn’t just want me to make him biscotti all along.  I’m ok with that, though.  I can just tell myself that I have nation-wide (half nation-wide?) appeal now.

Anyway, these biscotti are everything they should be: delightfully crunchy and toasty and begging to be dipped in a beverage.  And, because they’re so crunchy, they don’t go stale for well over a week–if they even last that long.

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds

1 large egg white

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Mix sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, orange liquer and zest in large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds.
2. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush over top and sides of each dough log.
3. Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool logs completely on sheet on rack, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
4. Transfer logs to work surface; discard parchment paper. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

I know that I have not been the most faithful blogger this week, but I promise you that I have a good excuse.  I have been valiantly battling a vicious seasonal foe: the summer cold.  Unless you harbor some secret wish to be a mucus-receptacle (in which case: ew), no one really enjoys getting a cold.  But colds are kind of expected in the winter.  And–let’s face it–they’re well-suited to winter: there are lots of steaming hot beverages and soups to curl up with, no one things you’re strange for wanting to snuggle under a blanket and watch marathons of TV shows that are of questionable quality (you know you do that, too).

But a cold in the summer is unacceptable.  Congestion is not only annoying when it’s warm out, but it’s also confusing.  “It’s so warm, wonderful, and sunny out,” you tell yourself “why is my nose running? And what’s up with these chills?” Apparently a box of tissues is not the hottest new accessory for lounging by the pool, and–maybe it’s just me–but when I’m sweating I don’t like to have to wonder about whether it’s due to an ailment or just because it’s hot outside.

Anyway, it seems that I have successfully dodged a full-blown cold, which I am very grateful for.  I am not sure what role running in 90+ degree weather has had in sickness prevention, and a reasonable person might attribute my speedy recovery to getting lots of sleep and consuming large quantities of fluids, but I think I’m going go ahead and to attribute it to food (are you honestly surprised?).

Everyone knows that fruit is chockablock (I love that word) of vitamins and all sorts of science-y sounding good-for-you things.  One of those things is antioxidants, and one fruit that supposedly has a disproportionately high antioxidant content is blueberries.  I am going to go out on a limb and assume that consuming blueberries with butter, sugar, and flour doesn’t diminish their health-promoting assets.  In fact, I’m going to assume that the combination enhances those qualities.  And, even though I can produce no concrete science to back up my claims, I know I felt a lot better after eating one of these blueberry breakfast bars.

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Do you remember how obsessed everyone was with Nutri-Grain Bars when they first came out?  These are like Nutri-Grain Bars times a hundred in terms of deliciousness.  Even better, they are really easy and quick to make…oh, and they cure summer colds.  One thing to note: unlike brownies, where I wish every piece could be a middle piece, the edge pieces of this are the best.  If–who am I kidding?–when I make these again, I will split the mixture into smaller pans so that every piece can have the delicious crust.

For the crust and crumb:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the filling:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
3. Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.
4. Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside.  Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crust into an even layer. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool.

Make the filling:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the defrosted blueberries, lemon juice and butter and toss gently until the berries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars:

1. Spread the filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.
2. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.
3. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve (or just eat them all yourself).

I read somewhere a while ago that Fathers Day has the honor of being the day on which the most collect phone calls are made (do people even make collect calls anymore?).  Anyway, I found that fact a little bit sad.  It goes without saying that on Mothers Day, moms deserve cards, flowers, brunch, breakfast in bed, and Hallmark commercials that both warm your heart and make you feel like an second-rate child.  But when his day rolls around, sure you call your dad..but you also make him pay for the call.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like my dad deserves better than that.  And because I’m me, I knew it would be best if that something was food-related.

Some people might say that my dad is a picky eater.  He doesn’t care for tomatoes (or ketchup or marinara or pizza), pie (or any cooked fruit), coconut, nuts (or…gasp! peanut butter), and a number of other things.  And, although I may or may not have told him about how I ate a fish eyeball recently just to see what his reaction would be, I can respect his tastes.  He’s a man who knows what he likes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

In fact, a lot of my dad’s favorites are my favorites, too: pancakes, biscuits (and he knows that tasting the dough is a must), and mashed potatoes.  I think it’s safe to say that he enjoys classic foods: simple dishes where the flavors are really straightforward and–I’ll venture to say–comforting/comfortable.  Unfortunately, although pancakes, biscuits, and mashed potatoes are easy to make, they are not so easy to mail.  (Can you imagine getting a box full of mashed potatoes from the UPS guy?  Would he also bring gravy?)

Luckily, my dad once again proved himself as a man who knows his taste buds.  When I was trying to come up with something to make for him, he admitted that my post about shortbread made him hungry–only it would have been even more tempting if it had been about sugar cookies.  So, here you go, Daddy: here’s a post about sugar cookies to get your stomach grumbling.  Hopefully it will go well with the sugar cookies that I mailed to you.

Sugar Cookies
courtesy of Alton Brown*

Sugar cookies are really, really easy to make, and when they’re homemade they’re really a lot more delicious than store bought.  Although there is certainly nothing wrong with plain sugar cookies, they are even more appealing with a couple of sprinkles or a dash of colored sugar.  However, I learned the hard way that decorating them can be tricky, especially with the chilled dough (nothing sticks to cold dough).  As I was lamenting my dilemma, Chris said that I should maybe invite my five year old cousin over to help me with the decorating.  I finally figured out that about two minutes into the baking (when the dough is nice and warm and soft) you can put sprinkles or colored sugar on the cookies and it sticks perfectly.  But I’m sure my cousin would have done a good job, too.

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove one wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.
6. Cut into desired shape (I just used a cup), place at least 1-inch apart on baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
7. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

*I am a HUGE fan of Alton Brown’s show Good Eats.  If you have never watched it, do it as soon as you can.  He makes it cool to be a food nerd.

Do you remember when I told you that the only things Chris and I argue about are who decides what we eat and how much I like being tickled?  Well, I wasn’t entirely truthful.  There is something else we argue about, and the argument has been going strong for at least four years now, with each of us confident in the righteousness of our position.  Thankfully–although many relationships have been broken up for trivial reasons (like, um, on every episode of Seinfeld)–I have not heard of anyone parting ways because they disagreed about pasta shapes.

Don’t get me wrong: we both agree on pasta.  We both agree that pasta is wonderful and delicious whether it is coated with marinara, slick with pesto, or baked in a cheese sauce.  We both agree that it can be a stand alone dish with meat, vegetables, and cheese mixed in, or it can be a simple but lovely side dish.  We also both agree that mushrooms are almost always an appropriate addition to any pasta dish.  It’s the shape of the pasta that trips us up.

There are some people out there who think that the shape of the pasta has a big impact on the dish, and each noodle has its own specific strengths and weaknesses.  Long noodles are good for swirling and slurping (not that you should do that in polite company).  Short noodles are easier for stabbing.  Ridged or corkscrew noodles do a better job of clinging to the sauce.  Large shells and manicotti noodles are ideal for stuffing, and so on.  These people might even go on to argue that each noodle tastes slightly different: shape contributes to thickness, which in turn contributes to mouthfeel, and mouthfeel may be seen as a component of taste.  I am unapologetically one of these people.

Chris thinks that all pasta tastes the same.

I keep threatening to make lasagna with angel hair noodles or macaroni and cheese with lasagna noodles to see if he’ll change his tune, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to ruin the integrity of a classic dish–even if it’s for a good cause.  In some instances, however, I will relent.  For example, Chris loves alfredo sauce, but he is not a fan of fettucine (because it takes too long to cook–not because of the way it tastes).  So I compromised and made him spaghetti alfredo rather than the classic.  We both can agree, however, that the mushrooms are a great addition to this dish.

Any-Kind-of-Pasta-You-Like Alfredo
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

This sauce is really easy and really delicious.  I mean, obviously it’s delicious: it’s just butter, cream, and cheese.  My one complaint is that–because of the parmesan–it can be a little on the salty side.  You can easily get around this by adding other components to the pasta dish (such as vegetables) or serving the pasta with a salad, steamed vegetable, or even just some bread.

1/2 lb of your favorite pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup grated parmesan (fresh really is best here)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups cubed chicken (optional)
3/4 cup of sauteed mushrooms (optional)
3/4 cup peas (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain, reserving some of the pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and cream over medium low heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm and slightly thickened.  Season with pepper and nutmeg.
3. Place 1/2 cup of the parmesan in a large bowl and pour the heated butter and cream mixture over top.  Stir until the cheese is melted into the liquid.
4. Add the drained pasta to the bowl and toss.  Add the remaining parmesan and toss again until everything comes together.  If the sauce seems a little thicker than you would like, add some of the reserved pasta water.
5. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and peas, and toss everything together once more.
6. Serve immediately.