Golden Delicious Apple Raspberry Crisp

Yesterday's comment section got a little, um... feisty. I just want to say that I love the lovers and I love the haters. I hope we can all love each other. Because what the world needs now is love, sweet love. And apple crisp, preferably with a brown sugar oaty topping, and maybe a few raspberries sprinkled in.

You're in luck, because today is Tuesdays with Dorie, and I've got some apple crisp to share that fits your parameters exactly. Isn't that a lucky coincidence? Now there will be peace. Ohm.

I used my own recipe here even though Dorie's apple crisp was the TWD assignment. I love the recipe that I already have and I must make it at least once a year. It's fast. It's easy. It's cheap. It's divine. It's yours, tonight if you'll give it a try.

Money Saving Tips: Use any baking apple that you can find on sale. Granny Smith or Honey crisp would work well here. Use fresh or frozen raspberries, or cranberries if you've got them. You could also leave them out. Watch for butter to go dirt cheap over the next few weeks as stores try to lure in Thanksgiving shoppers. This would be a great alternative to pie for Thanksgiving, especially since you wouldn't have to make a crust.

Some pics: Mix the fruit in the dish.

Top it with streusel and it's ready to go. It's good. Oh yeah, it's good.

Golden Delicious and Raspberry Apple Crisp

Estimated Cost: $6.00

2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, sliced (about 4 large apples)

3/4 cup raspberries (I used frozen)

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

Butter a 9 inch square baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put apples, raspberries and sugar right into the prepared baking dish and stir them around. In a separate medium bowl, combine oats, flour, brown and cinnamon. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Bake until mixture is bubbly and topping is browned, about 40 minutes.

One last thing before you go. It's time for me to again humbly ask you to vote for my French's recipe. I've made it to the semi finals, along with 20 other recipes. 5 of us will make the cut and be invited to the spring Cook-Off in NYC and be eligible for a shot at the $25,000 prize. But I need your help. Just click here and vote for lucky number seven, that's me. You can vote every day until November 25th. Thank you so much, good and kind readers.

Next Up:

Best Ever Tortilla Soup

Just Three Things....

So much to tell you. And I don't even have your phone number, so here goes. Is it too soon to tell you that I love you? It is? All right, I'll try and hold it in for a little while longer.

First of all, thank you, dear readers for your DS advice. We're still undecided, but for now I can sleep at night knowing that West could possibly buy a DS and not necessarily be headed straight for juvy. Whatever we decide, we're proud of our creative and ambitious young man. It's good for him to know what success feels like.

Second, the Five Browns. I would even love just one Brown, but the five of them together is like Christmas morning at Daddy Warbuck's house. Incredible just doesn't do them justice. I told you I was going to break down and buy tickets for the charges, but you know what? They sold out! So now I have angst. Watch the five of them play the Flight of the Bumblebee and see why.

And last but not least, I really do heart you all. Remember how I was begging for votes for the French's recipe contest? Well, you did it! I'm an officially one of the 20 semi finalists. Thank you, dear readers. I still need help though. Purdy please with sugar on top, could you click here and vote for my recipe? French's will pick five semi finalists-the recipe with the most votes plus four others. I would hope to get invited on the merits of my recipe, but it never hurts to have some support, either. The picture of my cheery cherry chicken recipe should be uploaded tomorrow. Here's the link. Mine is lucky number seven. If you like another recipe, please vote for that one too. Two of my favorite cooking contest friends are semi finalists, too-Numbers 3 and 10.

And now, with that I will go take a crack at my to-do list, which includes planning a lecture on women's rights, flossing my teeth, and reading Robert Frost to the charges, who would probably rather be reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Much love,

XOXO,

Prudy

PS Up Next

Golden Delicious Apple Crisp

Food, Fun, and Family in Italy

Last year, on this very day, I was here.

Italy. The mother country. And I was with my best peeps. My Dad generously planned a trip for all of my 10 siblings and spouses through Europe. I missed the charges terribly, but I was in Italy, for pete's sake, so I tried not to weep....often. Especially since I was having the time of my life. I plan to make it up to the charges by taking them to Europe, just as soon as I become fabulously wealthy. Still waiting. It might be a long time.

But back to Italy. The first day just happened to be my little brother Roy's birthday. Roy is two years younger than me, is a succesful businessman and has a lovely home, a beautiful wife and five smart children. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and respected wherever he goes. It's all true. But to those of us who know him well, he's a doggone snarky little pest. Once he glued my sister's make-up to the counter, just for fun. He also hid a mannequin under the covers of an unsuspecting sister's bed. And once when I was taking a nap by the pool, he put a pot over my head and rang it with a ladle. He would do it again, if he was ever lucky enough to catch me napping. Despite his inner peskiness, on the surface he is rather shy, which sometimes gives people the mistaken idea that he is saintly. Don't be lured in, or you could be the next victim.

And I know a secret about Roy. He hates to have happy birthday sung to him. He squirms and blushes with a brittle smile plastered on his face. That's precisely why I LOVE to sing Happy Birthday to him. You can't imagine how eager I was to spend Roy's birthday with the whole gang. That evening, we gathered at an amazing restaurant (Ambasciata d'Abruzzo) and ate our way through roasted eggplant, prosciutto, fresh ricotta cheese, pasta, and more. After dinner, the head waiter brought out a blackberry jam tart for Roy. Finally the big moment had arrived. As we sang Happy Birthday, Roy put on his painfully pleasant smile. We all giggled and enjoyed his discomfort. Roy was a good sport, but he was clearly glad to get this birthday business over with. But then, just as the song was ending, some Scandinavian revelers from another party caught wind of our singing. They were soused, completely drunk and having a gay old time. They came over and surrounded Roy, singing and dancing, with their arms draped around him. The men toussled his hair and the women kissed him on the cheeks with their warm garlic and alcohol breath. Roy was in beet-red agony, but he kept his frozen smile. And I sat in the corner doubled over, with tears streaming down my cheek, unable to even snap a photograph.

Ha, Ha, Ha Roy. And Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Roy. Happy Birthday to you. And many, many more.

And here's my favorite sausage and tomato pasta sauce to share a little bit of Italy with all of my dear readers. And when you make it, please think of my brother Roy and wish him a happy birthday in your heart. A very loud and cheery happy birthday, just to make him blush.

Italian Tomato and Sausage sauce

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for about 6 cups

1 lb. Italian sausage, (a combo of hot and sweet is best)

1 large onion, minced

3 cloves minced garlic

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley, optional

In a large pot, cook sausage over medium heat breaking up with back of spoon, until almost cooked through. Add onion to pan and cook for five minutes longer, or until onion is softened and sausage is cooked. Stir in tomatoes, flakes, and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least twenty minutes, and up to an hour. (It's even better if you make it a day or two ahead.) Remove from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with pasta and lots of parm, of course.

Next Up:

Golden Delicious Apple Crisp

The Richest Six Year Old in Town

This little charge of mine is getting ready for Christmas. His preparation begins on December 26th, after he's sized up his loot. Like most little six year old boys, he's excessively wild for toys. He studies toy catalogues like they were newly discovered texts of ancient scripture. They are sacred and holy to him. We only buy toys for Christmas and birthdays, so there's a lot of space in between for dreaming about toys!toys!toys! But what if he had his own money to spend? What kind of toy buying spree would follow?

He has it! 1000 bucks, figuratively in the pocket of his gymboree jeans. West won the Scholastic Push Up and Create contest a few weeks ago. Here's the wrapper he designed for a Nestle push up popsicle. Isn't it cute, in a very six-year little-boy old sort of way? The contest allowed entries from kids ages six to twelve. The other kids are accomplished artists, but my little boy had big dreaming on his side. Here's his winning entry.

In addition to winning $1000 dollars-and don't worry, the lion's share is going straight to his college fund- he also gets to donate $2500 to a local public school, and have his winning wrapper features on Push-Up popsicles next year.

Here are the other winning entries.

You can check out the finalists right here. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the grand prize winners.)

Here's my question for you wise and wonderful readers. West wants to buy himself a DS. I want to hear from you readers that have kids with DSes in the home. Would we be sliding down a slippery slope with no possibility of return? Will West be hiding in the bathroom all day, playing his DS? Will he forget about his desire to kick balls and throw rocks outside, preferring instead to become a video game head? Chime in and advise, oh wise and wonderful readers.

For the moment, I've got a happy little fella on my hands. It's good to remember that dreams really can come true. Even when you are six.

Classic Mac and Cheese

In case you are wondering what to serve for a late lunch on a November weekend, this is it. You may be thinking that it is only Wednesday, but if you are like me it is the thought of the weekend that keeps my blood thumping through the week. I have a special reason to look forward to the weekend;this Friday night, The Quiet Man and I have tickets to the Five Browns in concert. Have you heard of them? Five Julliard trained siblings pound out piano pieces together. I've been following their story in print for the last couple of years, so I was delighted to find that they'd be coming to this gorgeous outdoor theatre. Practically in my own backyard! But I must confess that I wish the charges were coming too. What could be more inspiring for their own piano practice? If only see where all those tedious scales could be leading to. Fame! Fortune! Sibling Unity! (I'd take two out of three. Or even one. Or one half. ) I may just bite the bullet and buy two extra tickets, in the name of educational aspirations.
But I'm here to tell you about macaroni and cheese, not macaroni and music. I love this version, adapted from Joy of Cooking. As far as mac and cheese goes, it's a medium in terms of decadence. It's no saint, with it's butter and cheddar cheese, but I've seen far more evil versions. (I saw one version that called for 6 tablespoons of butter per serving-criminy!) And besides, I was going to recommend that you serve it with that healthful apple salad that I posted yesterday. Just leave the cheddar off the salad, so it doesn't steal the cheesy spotlight. Have a Yankee Doodle Dandy of a week, and call it macaroni for the weeekend.
Money Saving Tips: This one's good and cheap, so make it when you find a good deal on good quality cheddar. My very favorite is Tillamook. The next time you cook pasta, don't throw out the water. Cook up an extra 1/2 lb. of elbow macaroni and make mac and cheese a couple of days later.
Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Estimated Cost: $6.00 for six servings
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (I used low fat)
2 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided use
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
generous pinch of cayenne
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked until just tender, drained
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (you can put two pieces of toast in blender)
1 tablespoon melted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. (Use a large saucepan so that you have room to add the pasta in later.) Add onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in flour and whisk until blended and smooth. Off the heat, slowly whisk in milk. Return to heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Simmer for 1 minute, or until sauce is thickened. Off the heat, stir in cayenne, mustard and 2 cups cheese. Stir in pasta and mix until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Put half of the pasta in the dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Add remaining pasta and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. In a small bowl, combine crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or just until the crumbs are browned and the dish is bubbly.
Next Up: Japanese Lemon Chicken

Apple, Pecan and Cheddar Spinach Salad with Sweet Maple Dressing

Today is Tuesdays with Dorie, my weekly baking club day. It is outrageous to see a leaf of spinach here on Tuesdays, or anything green-unless it is tinted frosting. Instead, you should see butter, sugar, and flour emerging from the oven in a variety of tempting creations. But I confess that I never have the heart for extra sugar in the days following Halloween. Bear with me.
This is my sugar free-est week of the year. For some reason, the sweet magic ends on Halloween night for me, and it's a very good thing, since I'm hoping to never weigh 682 pounds. Up until October 31st, I raid the cupboard of all our tricks and treats. The charges always catch me-those darn crinkly wrappers!-and then I have to share. Quiet Man finds the open bags and digs in too, filling his pockets on the way to work. I'm forced to buy more candy (my favorite kinds, of course)...then we eat that too. Please don't tell my new dentist. But then when Halloween is over, the sugar monster can be kept at bay. Yesterday West and Sailor actually chose apples out of their treat bags OVER the candy. It isn't because they are virtuous and self-denying; we're all maddeningly sick of candy. And in case you are wondering, it's still safe to get an apple for Halloween in Smalltown, USA.

And speaking of apples, here's my latest and greatest favorite salad showcasing Fall's most winsome fruit. I've shared variations on this salad before, but I think this is the best version. It's decidedly American in flavor, with creamy cheddar, crunchy pecans, and crisp apples, in a sweet maple dressing. If you're off candy, give this salad a go. If you aren't off candy, give it a go anyway. I think it would make a very nice appetizer to a Reese's peanut butter cup. Just not this week.

Money Saving Tips: If you don't have pure maple syrup, sub in a little pancake syrup. Compare the price of bagged spinach with the loose and buy for a bargain. Any apple you've got on hand will work well-even a baking apple -since it will be coated in sweet dressing. It's a great idea to double or triple the dressing and use it all week long.

Spinach and Apple Salad

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for four servings

1/4 cup light flavored olive oil, or vegetable oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

about 6 cups baby spinach

2 small crisp apples (I like Gala and Golden Delicious)

2 ounces cheddar, diced

1/4 cup paper thin onion slices

In a small bowl whisk oil, cider, vinegar, sugar, and syrup. (I love to throw mine in the blender and let it get nice and thick.) Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Combine salad ingredients at the last possible minute. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Next Up:

Classic Cheddar Mac and Cheese

The morning after...

Time to put away the spider webs, the gravestones, and the grinning jack o'lanterns. It's November now, just like that. But first......

It was a very merry party last night in our neighborhood. At the last minute, the Quiet Man and I decided to dress up just like the charges. Seeing double...
Our neighborhood hosted a pre trick or treating party. That's my pop working the grill, with Quiet Man as back-up. And my dear neighbors working the popcorn machine with their cutie pie pirate grandson. The teenagers were whipping up the cotton candy. Because there isn't quite enough sugar in Halloween candy for this boy of mine. Go get um' tiger.Here's some neighborhood tweens in their spooky duds. Are those days really coming for my charges?

This little girl does not belong to me, but she's so precious that I followed her around snapping pictures and scaring the daylights out of her. If you're a two year old Dorothy , the last thing you want is an oversized witch trailing you. That's our scarecrow, Abercrombie, on the lawn with some of Sailor's neighborhood pals. We make a new Abercrombie every year. Abercrombie, Abercrombie, Abercrombie. There could never be a better name for a scarecrow. I love you, Abercrombie. See you next year.

When it was time to trick or treat, this fiercesome Captain Hook nephew of mine was too scared. He spotted a grim reaper prowling the neighborhood and decided he was better off in a locked house. He just barely got over his fear of The Great and Terrible Frog, from the Frog and Toad musical that we saw in the spring. But I did get to take my Little Bo Peep niece Annabelle around. (Annabelle borrowed the Bo Peep costume I made Sailor four years ago.) I love to Trick or Treat. I feel more closely connected to my neighborhood and community and the kids learn how to be polite and gracious AND they get candy. What could be better?

My favorite trick or treat house has a giant decorated tree in the front yard. The sweet little lady of the house makes white chocolate mint ghost pops every year. (She gives them to grown-ups, too.) The ghost pops never make it home.

Here's the loot and the happy trick or treaters, ready to call it a night.

Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween. Enjoy your extra hour today! I think I already wasted mine, lying in bed, thinking about what to be for Halloween next year.

Next Up:

Spinach and Apple Salad with Cheddar and Pecans with Maple Dressing