There are so many things I love. I love my crockpot. I love my husband. I love my friends. But I really, really love autumn. I love the flavors and scents and foods and the chill in the air. It's all so wonderful, isn't it?

I made this for breakfast a few weeks ago when I was suddenly (but happily) home from school because we were closed for 2 days. I was able to sleep in, make a real breakfast, and work in my pjs for half the morning. Yeehaw! Wasn't that the life? This pancake was the perfect thing to kick off our morning, but it wasn't perfect. I'll elaborate down below.

Apple Pancake
(Adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

3 tsp. butter, softened
3-4 whole baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced no more than 1/4 in. thick
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
3 T. all-purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
3 T. milk

Heat oven to 400 F. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in sugar and cinnamon, mix well, and add apple slices. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are well coated and softened.

In a large bowl, mix egg whites until stiff. Meanwhile in another bowl, mix vanilla, almond extract, flour, egg yolks, and milk until well combined. When egg whites are stiff, gently fold mixture into egg whites.

Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan, and pour in apple slices. Pour batter over apple slices and gently smooth out the batter with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. Cake bottom should be lightly browned and slightly puffed up. Remove from oven, and gently loosen cake from the pan. Let cool for a few minutes. When pan is easier to handle, place a plate over cake pan and invert pan onto plate. Cut into slices and serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, or ice cream.

Notes:

• The apples were my favorite part. The cake batter itself was a little to light and bland for me. I think it was the egg whites. Next time, I'll try and make a normal pancake and see if that helps. No matter what, the batter needs to be stiff enough to hold up to the pancake, but a little sweeter for my tastes. Maybe a little sugar is all it needs, or just mixing the eggs whole instead of separating the whites from the yolks.
• This smells heavenly while it's baking. It's a pancake that's definitely worth the wait.

Have I mentioned that I love my crockpot? Because I really do. It's one of my favorite small appliances, and I look forward to using it all the time. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes and things I can make with it. Anytime I go to a bookstore, I make a beeline for the food and cooking section so I can peruse their selection of crockpot cookbooks. And this blog? I'm a little mad that I didn't think of the idea first, but Stephanie was a much better sport at it than I would ever be, so it works out. I've been reading her blog for a long time now and I've lifted a few recipes from her blog, and each one has been an adventure! This is a new favorite for me, and it was a hit with my husband, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law. The sauce is so wonderful and really tenderized the heck out of my roast! Make this for people you love, like your mom, or dad, or sister, or baby, or favorite blogging friends. :-)

Pomegranite Beef
(Adapted from The Crockpot Lady & Karina)

2.5 lb. beef roast (I used a boneless chuck roast)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chunked
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. unsweetened pomegranite juice
14 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes, drained
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/8 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Season beef lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large pot or pan over medium heat and brown the beef on all sides, 5 minutes total. Remove to a platter to cool slightly.

Add a few dashes of olive oil to coat the inside of your crockpot. Return beef to crockpot, and top with onions, garlic, juice, tomatoes, vinegar, and maple syrup. Stir to combine, and add cranberries, raisins, herbs, and cinnamon. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it one more big stir, and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I served this with roasted red potatoes and a simple green salad. The sauce is great and it's basically all the sweetness you need.
• I chose to use a cheaper cut of beef because 1.) I'm cheap, and 2.) it's not really necessary to buy something so expensive because the sauce will really tenderize the roast.
• The beef was great, but the onions were my favorite because they absorbed all the juice and were so sweet and savory. What a great combination!

It's a well-known fact that I pretty much love everything that has anything to do with fall, and naturally that includes pumpkin. I use it as often as I can in my cooking, but pumpkin is one of those foods that Graham can be picky about so I don't use it as often as I'd like. These pancakes can satisfy the both of us--they're spicy enough for him, and pumpkiny enough for me. They're the perfect treat to enjoy this Thanksgiving morning, provided you're not hosting Thanksgiving dinner!

Pumpkin Pancakes
(Adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

2 c. plus 2 T. cake flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. water
2 T. vegetable oil
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Mix well. In a mixer bowl, combine buttermilk, pumpkin, water, oil, and egg. Mix well until egg is just combined. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well until all combined.

Pour batter onto a greased griddle or into a heated pan. Cook until bottom is heated and cooked through, then flip over and continue cooking. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Notes:

• I liked these, and Graham liked them more than he thought he would, but they were really thick and cakey. I don't know that the cake flour was a wise decision because I couldn't get the batter thin enough. Next time I'll use all-purpose or just one cup of flour. These were nice, but way too thick for my tastes, and the batter just wouldn't thin out.
• I added the extra spices, and I'm glad I did. The hint of cinnamon and nutmeg was perfect to wake me up in the morning.
• A little more sugar might also do the trick for these, since they weren't very sweet. Maybe a 1/4 c. brown sugar? I'm not terribly adept at baking and pancakes, so anyone else with more experience is a better judge of how to fix these.
• The taste isn't horrible, it was just the consistency. If these were a little thinner, I'd be a happy camper!

I know it's late....it's been a busy week, man! We've had house guests, and while we're waiting to close on our house, my kitchen mojo has been all kinds of whacked up. Now that I'm off work for the remainder of the week I've got a little more time to play and get caught up on my blog updates!

Menu for the Week: November 22nd--28th, 2009

Sunday: Pomegranite Beef with roasted red potatoes
Monday: Lemon-Pepper Salmon with potato packets
Tuesday: Brown Sugar chicken w/ baked potatoes
Wednesday: Coriander-Pepper Pork Chops with hot crash potatoes
Thursday: Thanksgiving!
Friday: Pizza Sammies
Saturday: TBD

Well, this past week was a bit of a bust. We're STILL waiting to close on our house, and still no word on when that will happen, so we're packing lightly and putting away non-essentials, but the kitchen is still stocked to high heaven, so there's no shortage of meals coming from my oven.

Because this past week was so crazy and up and down, I didn't really have time to blog the recipes I tried, and I didn't really have the energy to get them done, even if I'd had the time. Hopefully this week is a little better for me/us, and I can get back to posting some of my recipes.

Menu for the Week:

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Italian Beef sandwiches
Tuesday: Baked Mac & Cheese (Graham's at a meeting)
Wednesday: Chicken & Rice casserole
Thursday: Lemon-Pepper salmon with potato packets and salmon
Friday: "Candy Chicken" and baked potatoes
Saturday: Pomegranite beef with roasted red potatoes and salad

With just a few more weeks before The Holidays come at us full force, I'm taking it easy in the kitchen and just enjoying my baking and cooking. The next few weeks will probably be busy ones for us, so in the interest of saving my time and my sanity, I'm going to be cooking up some old favorites and breaking open a new world of one-pot meals. I'm a viking like that.

I've got a busy week with parent-teacher conferences (joy of joys), so Friday is up in the air and Thursday is looming as well (more on that later). So this week I'm taking it easy because I can. So there.

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Tuesday: Beef Stew
Wednesday: Baked Chicken & potatoes
Thursday: Spicy Valentine's Day Pasta
Friday: TBD
Saturday: Chili

I love a good marinara sauce. I like to make my own rather than buying the jars because it's so easy, the leftovers always reheat well, and if I'm smart and plan ahead, I can store it in the fridge or freezer and use it just as I would a jar of store-bought marinara sauce. That being said, the jars of prepared sauce can be super handy to have around and certain brands are really tasty. But I'm a do-it-yourselfer, and I really enjoy preparing my own marinara.

This is a basic recipe, and depending on the day I'll change it up and add or change elements of the sauce. However, this one is a winner and it's pretty easy to customize to your tastes and it's easy to double for crowds, too.

Marinara al Frazzoo
(Frazzoo's recipe)

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/4 c. wine
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato paste
Salt & pepper
Pinch of sugar
Oregano: 1 T. dried or 1 tsp. fresh
Basil: 1 T. dried or a hand full of leaves, chiffonaded

Heat olive oil in a saucepan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute around 10 minutes until soft, fragrant, and translucent. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes--watch carefully so it doesn't burn. When garlic is soft, add tomatos and tomato paste to the pot and mix well. Add the red wine to the pot and deglaze (scrape up the brown bits of deliciousness).

Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add a touch of sugar, stir well, and add your herbs. Stir to combine everything, and taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add more salt, pepper, oregano, whatever if necessary, and serve over your favorite pasta.

Notes:

• Sometimes I fry up some pancetta and add that to the sauce, but it's hard to come by around here. Red pepper flakes are a good addition to this sauce, too.
• I use red or white wine, depending on what I have. Either works well in this sauce.

I'm always a little late to jump on the food blog bandwagon with recipes. This one was really popular about 6 months ago and I was intrigued but never got around to making it. Earlier this week I knew we'd have a busy Wednesday--we each had work meetings--so it was naturally the perfect time to bust out my crockpot.

This is great and comes together super fast. All you do is mix everything together and stir well, then set your crockpot and go to work or do your laundry or haul your recycling to the bins in the park. This recipe is a mix of a few different recipes I've seen online. Most call for Cream of Something soup and I wasn't sure how we'd like the creamy mixture, so I left it out and it was a decision I was glad I made. We both liked this, and it will be going on rotation in our house.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken
(Frazzoo original)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 jars chunky salsa (pick your own heat)
1 14 oz. jar of black beans, drained
2 c. frozen corn

Optional:
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 pepper, diced
1 c. sour cream

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place in crockpot and add salsa, beans, and corn. (Now is the time to add the optional ingredients if you're using them.) Stir it all together and cook on low 6-9 hours, or high for 4-5. Serve with rice.

Notes:

• I used the taco seasoning and diced up a red AND green pepper to add to the dish. I'm a rebel, baby. I didn't use the sour cream because once again, Graham tries to avoid anything "creamy". However, you can always top this with a dollop of cream and live it up.
• I felt that this was actually pretty low-fat. The chicken is lean, and if you use lower fat ingredients, you're golden.
• With serving, you have 2 options. You can shred the chicken and serve as tacos, or you can do what I did since I was ready to EAT after coming home from my meeting: just serve it up right on your plate and munch on the extra salsa/corn/bean mixture with fried up tortilla chips.
• Chicken thighs are also a good alternative (and they're cheaper!) but they don't dry out as quickly as chicken breasts do, so you can get away with one jar of salsa.
• I used a jar and a half because I had a half jar sitting in my fridge. Some recipes suggested adding water to help keep the chicken moist, but the salsa did a dang good job of that.
• I used all mild ingredients and this was *still* too spicy for my husband. However, I thought this was great and if I was going to make it for me and some girlfriends, I'd up the spice content and go for "medium" at least.

I really love butternut squash soup. I'd never even heard of it until I worked a year in a boarding school and the cook made it for dinner one night. From then on I was hooked, and we had some absolutely phenomenal butternut squash soup on our honeymoon in Galena. I've been itching to make it for a while and I decided that this week was perfect...and naturally, it was 60 degrees today. Ah, nature.

This soup was really great, and it'd be perfect for a chilly fall night. It's warm and filling and exactly what I was looking for. I looked around online and compared various recipes and decided that creating my own would be way more fun.

Butternut Squash Soup
(Angie original)

1 whole butternut squash, medium sized
1 c. water
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. butter
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced thin
2 c. vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 T. maple syrup
Salt and pepper
Slivered almonds, toasted
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 350 F. Chop the squash in half--firmly plant the sucker bulb-side down onto a cutting board and give it a hefty "Hi-yah!" to chop it in half. Scoop out the seeds and membrane and place the squash halves face down on a baking sheet. Poor in a cup of water and roast halves in oven for 30 minutes, or until they're fork tender.

When squash is tender, remove from oven and set aside. Allow halves to cool until they're comfortable to touch and hold for a few moments. Scoop out the flesh and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large pot, about 2 minutes. Add leeks and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add squash to pot, followed by broth and bay leaf. Mix together and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Add maple syrup to pot, stir well, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Taste for seasonings and add a dash more salt or pepper if necessary. Pour contents of pot into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and puree soup until smooth. Stir in fresh parsley and top almonds.

Notes:

• This was really nice and velvety. I loved the texture and how warm and buttery it was.
• A dash of salt and pepper is really all you need, any more and the salt cuts in on the natural sweetness of the squash.
• I'd like to try different blends of seasonings to compliment the squash, so I'll have to do some experimenting. Thankfully when they're in season, a butternut squash is only about 78 cents at my local produce market!
• If you don't have an immersion blender and have to pour your soup into a blender, I'd suggest pouring it back into the pot and heating it through. I tasted my soup shortly after I threw it in the blender, and it had definitely cooled down. If you DO have an immersion blender, just keep the heat on low until it's pureed to your desired consistency.
  

A long time ago, I picked up some chicken thighs at the grocery store because they were on sale. I had no clue what to do with them, so I spent some time researching online and found this recipe from Emeril Lagasse. It is one of our favorites and last week I realized I hadn't made it in a long time, so I chose to whip it up before Graham flew away for the rest of the week. I've actually blogged this before but never took a picture, so here it is!

It comes together quickly and is incredibly flavorful. It's very impressive, and it's one I keep handy to make when someone special is coming for dinner.

Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs
(Adapted from Emeril)

4-6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves smashed
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. white wine
1 lb. angel hair pasta
3 T. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
3 T. butter

Heat oven to 350 F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Lightly dredge the chicken in flour and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot add the chicken and brown well on both sides, around six minutes total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, scraping up any brown bits from the chicken until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, a pinch salt, and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute. Add lemon juice, chicken stock, wine, and browned chicken thighs to the pan. Bring mixture to a healthy simmer.

Once mixture has reached a simmer, cover tightly. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes more, or until cooked through and tender.

While the chicken is baking, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and remove to a bowl. Add parsley and butter and toss well to coat.

Serve chicken over pasta and drizzle with cooking liquid. Top with additional parsley and enjoy!

Notes:

• This time I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. I definitely prefer the bone in, skin on variety, but you use what's available, ya know?
• These little guys are full of flavor, and they make for an impressive presentation. They go great with pasta or jasmine rice.
• Because these cook so quickly, you can whip up a salad and work on your pasta while these are in the oven, or you can entertain your guests while these are baking and you look like a superstar host!