Corn & Bacon Muffins

Corn? Again?

Yup but this time is has some bacon and honey tossed into it.   You can never go wrong with bacon, it is loved by all!

I was recently asked to make some cupcakes for a 1 year old’s birthday and in the process of researching what cupcakes I was going to make I borrowed the book “500 Cupcakes” from my friend LT.  This little book is FULL of lovely cupcake and muffin recipes.  Too many to count….well 500 of them but you know what I mean.

I don’t know if I can bear to part with this little book, but I have to.  It was a V-day gift from her husband, so I will just have to get one of my own.

While I was scanning the book I found this recipe for corn muffins.  It also had a variation with italian sausage added, but I was all out of italian sausage.  I decided that sausage’s sister bacon would work just as well.  I also decided to substitute half of the sugar with some honey….yummy….honey.

First I cooked 6 strips of thick cut bacon in the oven.  I laid them out on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Let the bacon cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice.  You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet .

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.

Stir together until just combined.  Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray.  Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly.  The mold will fill almost to the top.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Now I don’t know about you but this is the only kind of muffin top I have actually ever wanted, the other kind is evil and unfortunate.  The ironic part is that the “evil” muffin top can be brought on by too many of the “good” muffin tops.  Does that make the “good” muffin tops, ultimately “evil” muffin tops or can that make “evil” muffin tops “good” muffin tops?  No that isn’t possible….is it?

Are you still there?  Did I loose you?

Hello….*tap* *tap*

Sorry I got lost in my own brain there for a moment.  It can be dangerous.

Regardless these muffin tops are good and delicious!  I mean they have bacon in them for heavens sake….hello!

These muffins are more on the cornbread side then cakey side.  They are more southern then northern, if you know what I mean.  You can have these in the morning, warmed up with a pad of butter and a cup of coffee and with fall on our heels, these muffins would be awesome with a bowl of chili.

Print Recipe

Corn & Bacon Muffins (adapted from 500 Cupcakes) (1 dozen muffins)

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4 sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup cooked thick cut bacon, diced (about 6 strips)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay 6 strips of thick cut bacon on a baking sheet with a cooling grid and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crispy. Let cool, pat off any excess grease with a paper towel and dice. You want a heaping 1/2 cup of bacon. Set aside until ready to use.

Leave your oven at 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine all your dry ingredients, flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt, whisk together until well combined.

In the bowl of your electric mixture, using a paddle attachment stir together all your wet ingredients, egg, buttermilk and honey.

Add the corn meal mixture and bacon to the wet mixture.  Stir together until just combined. Try not to over mix.

Grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray. Spoon the batter into each mold, dividing up evenly. The mold will fill almost to the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Canoas de Platanos Maduros (Sweet Plantain Canoes)

Guess what?  I had a canoe for dinner last night!

This is when you say in your head, “What? She had a canoe for dinner last night?” and I say, “Why yes!  Yes I did!”

It’s not the kind of canoe your thinking of.  You cannot sit in this canoe and float in the water.  In fact if you eat enough of these canoes you will probably sink in water, but we won’t discuss that.

Do you remember the Pastelon post or what I called Puerto Rican Lasagna?  This is basically an individual serving variation of that recipe.   This is a great option, especially for 2 person homes.  This way you can get the great taste without having a baking dish of leftovers in your fridge, it’s also a way to make it just a little fancy.  Although I think that leftover pastelon is a good thing to have in the fridge.

These are called Canoas de Platanos Maduros meaning Sweet Plantain Canoes.  Say “canoa” with me…. KA-NO-Aaa…..very good!   Now you know how to say canoe in Spanish.  This will come in handy when you rent that canoe while on vacation in PR.

We start with the filling.  This is a basic recipe of “picadillo” which is used as a filling in many Puerto Rican dishes.

Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.  Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.  Cook beef until brown and the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.

Peel four ripe plantains.  You want to be yellow with black spots.  The one is the back is REALLY ripe, which is ok because they firm up when you fry them.  You just have to be extra careful when you peel it.

Heat a large frying pan or dutch oven with about 2 inches of  vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden and slitely crispy.

Drain on a plate lined with paper towel, set aside and let cool.

When the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain.  Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe.

Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese.

Cheeeeeese!

Meeeeeeeat!

More cheeeeeeese!

Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Incredible awesome deliciousness in a canoe and they are so cute!  The plantains get even sweeter when you fry them and the crispy caramelized edges are to die for!  The savory meat filling is a great compliment to the sweet plantain.  I promise you will love this one.

Serve these babies with a side of “arroz blanco y habichuelas guisadas” (white rice and beans in tomato sauce) and you will be a happy camper.  You will probably have some “picadillo” left over.  No worries you can have it with…..well a side of rice and beans or if you are feeling daring you can make some “alcapurrias” or some “pastelillos de carne“.

You can also just stand over the sink and eat it straight out of the pan…..no judging here.

Buen Provecho!

-Send Help I am Sinking

Print Recipe

Canoas de Platanos Maduros (Sweet Plantain Canoes) (serves 4 with leftover filling)

Filling

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion,minced
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp adobo
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbs vinegar
• 1 envelope sazón
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 green stuffed olives, halved
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

Canoas

• 4 ripe plantains, peeled
• 1/2 cup white shredded cheese (like Monterey Jack or Swiss)
• vegetable oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.

Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.

Cook beef until brown and of the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.

Heat a large frying pan with about 2 inches of  vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes or until golden and slitely crispy. Drain on a plate with paper towel, set aside.

To assemble canoas: when the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain.  Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe.  Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese.  Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Help Me Be the Next Food Blog Star!

A long, long time ago…..well about 2 years ago I started this little food blog and I joined a food blogging community by the name of Foodbuzz.  Shortly after I joined Foodbuzz I became a Featured Publisher and they offered to pay me to put this nifty ad on my site, I said SURE!

Fast forward to a month ago, I got an email announcing that Foodbuzz was going to launch Project Food Blog a project to find the “next food blog star”.   Over a period of 12 weeks there will be 10 challenges to widdle out the “next food blog star” out of almost 2,000 contestant. YIKES!    I decided what the heck, threw my hat into the ring and created my profile for Project Food Blog.  It’s time the bring it!  :D

You may have noticed that I have changed this up a bit on The Noshery.  I had been wanting to spruce things up around here, so this gave me the extra push.  I even stood in front of the mirror and took a new picture of myself holding a spoon and spatula…..really I did, look!

Now this is when you guys come in.

1.  The first challenge is September 12 and I need you all to vote for me by clicking on the vote for me button (coming soon) on The Noshery, as much as possible to help me get through the first round.  The first round drops from 2,000 contested to 400, YIKES! Don’t worry I will be shamelessly posting reminders to Twitter and Facebook, but you may also want to subscribe to The Noshery by email (check out the sidebar) and get updates directly to your inbox.

2.  Then I need you to tell all your friends how freaking awesome The Noshery is and for them to do the same thing, because if you jump off a bridge your friends will too…..in theory.  So re-tweet, like, share, stumbleupon and email like it’s no one’s business.

3.  Then because you all are so awesome and will help me get through the first round, I need you guys to keep coming back to vote for me.

Remember we are only 13 days away from the first challenge, so spread the word! Tell your friend’s, relatives and pets to vote for me and if I win I will make Butter Crunch Toffee for everyone.

THANK YOU!

LOVE YOU! MEAN IT!

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes

I am not a lover of pancakes, except for The Pioneer Woman’s Sour Cream Pancakes.  I don’t hate them, I just don’t love them.  I don’t know what it is, I find that most pancakes are too heavy in the morning and if given the choice between pancakes and french toast, french toast will win every time in my book.  However earlier this week Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet Corn Pancakes popped into my feed subscription and I was intrigued.  Then I thought what if I did a hybrid of sweet corn pancakes and sour cream pancakes, it was one of those “things that make you go hmmmm” (name the band).

I am not usually an experimenter of anything that contains the ingredients baking soda, baking power and/ or flour, but I though I would put my big girl panties on and give it a go.  It could only go one of two ways, horribly wrong or incredibly right….ok there is a third option of “they are ok”, but I like shoot for the stars or to crash and burn.  I am also all about being dramatic.

Strip the kernels from an ear of corn.  Be sure to ask the corn permission first you don’t want to be accused of anything.

Melt butter in a skillet and cook the kernels until they just begin to brown, sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl combine your dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking, soda and salt.   Whisk together to well combined.

In a separate large bowl, beat an egg at the bottom of the bowl, add sour cream, milk and vanilla, whisk until well combined.

Stir in the cooled kernels of corn.  I will try not to get corny, I promise.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

Heat your griddle to 350 degrees or a skillet over medium heat, brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup of batter at a time, 2 inches apart.  Cook the pancakes until they begin to bubble on top and the edges begin to dry.   Flip and cook until the bottom is a golden brown.  Repeat with remaining batter

Because I am all about being dramatic, stack your pancakes as high as you can, top with a fat pad of butter and drizzle with your favorite syrup.

Here is a mini action shot of me pouring syrup over my pancakes.  Please try not to lick the screen, 9 time out of 10 you will just taste dust and that is not good.

These pancakes have expanded my appreciation for pancakes.  They were fluffy, corny and had those awesome crispy edges that I think are required of a good pancake.

My favorite part of these pancakes was the texture that the corn kernels add to the pancake.  They give them a little crunch that pop in your mouth with sweet corny goodness.

It makes me wonder if maybe I should just drizzle maple syrup over my corn on the cob next time.  It’s one of those things that make you go hmmmm…..

Try some more breakfast options.

Peace out!

-Hmmmmmm

Print Recipe

Sour Cream Corn Pancakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 7 to 10 4-inch pancakes

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for brushing pan
• 3/4 cup kernels cut from one large ear sweet fresh corn
• 1/8 teaspoon salt plus additional for seasoning corn
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal, any kind
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out skillet

Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in sour cream, buttermilk, corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.

Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium or set your griddle to 350 degrees. Brush with butter and ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown underneath. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with a pat of salted butter a super drizzle of maple syrup.

Old Window / Modern”ish” Headboard

Do you remember these widows that I got way back at an estate sale for $2 each?  Ok if you don’t remember you can read more about them here.  Originally I thought I would sand and paint them and use them as picture frames for my kitchen.  But then I moved and my kitchen no longer has available wall space for picture.

I thought to myself for a long time what the heck was I going to do with these windows.  Then one day I was checking out a post over at my friend’s blog The Stories from A to Z and it hit me!  The palm of my hand went straight for the center of my forehead *SMACK*! DUH, I can make a headboard for my guest room.

I have been in the process of decorating my guest room and for some reason never thought of the headboard.  I am sure it would have occurred to me eventually, I guess I just wasn’t there yet.

I took a day in a very hot garage with safety glasses on, a face mask and gloves.  I removed the hardware and window panes from the frame, which was not easy and sanded them down.   I sweated like a dog and developed a solid case of B.O. in that hot garage but I got it done!

When working with old widows like this it is important to use a mask because more likely then not the paint probably has some lead in it.

Once the frames were sanded I filled any holes with wood putty and painted it with white spray paint.

I am decorating the room in a sort of modern style, so I had a hard time at first trying to figure out how to decorate the headboard.  I found a blank stencil at Hobby Lobby and designed a pattern on my photoshop.  I used an exacto knife to cut the pattern out the stencil.  I then stenciled it using a roller, on to foam board cut to the size of the window pain.

I did only every other board with stencil and the other I hot glued on white muslin that I found in the scrap bin at JoAnn’s.  I popped the foam board “panes” into the frame and ran hot glue around the edges to secure them in.

TA-DA I have a new sort of modern headboard from old, old widows.

I am waiting to paint the wall before I hang them but, but they are done and I love them.

Come back for more updates on the guest room and future appearances of old chair, vintage fan, 50′s charcoal drawing, redone dresser and IKEA!

New Look: Would You Like a Quick Tour?

If you haven’t noticed The Noshery got a new look.  I have been wanting to do it forever so I am pretty psyched about it, not to mention I absolutely love the new look.  The best and worst part it I did it all by myself.  After a sleepless night and pulling out a few hairs I got it done and it was totally worth it.

Would you like a tour of my new pad?

N0. 1

If you look up you will see  that our little lady got a bit of a make over.  The two things that you will probably notice the most is her FAB new haircut.  Also if you notice she got a little curvier from all those goodies she has been eating.  I believe in being realistic.

No. 2

Wicked new slide show thanks to the folks at SlideDeck.  It has a short excerpt from the post, a cute little picture.

No. 3

Another cool feature of the SlideDeck is that  you can click on the buttons below to view other featured posts.

No. 4

Here are some great networking buttons.  From here you can email me, follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my RSS Feed or become a fan on my Facebook page.

No. 5

If you scroll down a bit you will see some pictures to the right.  Being a Puerto Rican I had to find a way to proudly display plantains and pork.  Click on either of these images and you will see all of my plantain and pork recipes and because we all want something sweet after dinner, if you click on that marshmallow you will get all kinds of sweet treats.

No. 6

If you look all the way down at the bottom you will see a new tool bar, thanks to Wibiya.  This toolbar is pretty cool and interactive.  From here you can search and translate the page if you need too.  You can also see recent post, how many people are actively online and because you love me, you can “like” my facebook page.

Other things you can do is subscribe to my twitter, view random post, view my facebook page and twitter page without leaving The Noshery, share content and subscribe to my RSS FEED, all with one click.

No. 7

The final cool thing and feature on the new tool bar is that you can chat.  If you see a number nest to the Let’s Chat sign it means someone is in the chatroom and a lot of the times it will be me.  So if you see someone is in the chatroom and you have a question, click on it because it might be me ready to answer your question.

We have now come to the end of the tour.

Please exit to the right and watch your step.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Tomato & Butter Sauce

Things around here got a little crazy for a bit with crazy margins, dropping sidebars and font so light in color it might as well have been invisible.  Thanks for putting up with me and my crazyness, you guys rock the house. *Doing crazy 80′s rock hand gesture while teasing hair and gassing myself with Aqua Net*

During this time of madness where I was obsessed with getting things straight, I needed to make dinner simple and quick.  I’ve read about this tomato and butter sauce before somewhere but I couldn’t remember where so I just made it up as I went.  It was an on the fly thing, but sometimes that is when you make your best stuff.

I had a carton of some local cherry tomatoes that I bought at the produce stand just a few days before.  I got them because they were such a great price and they were so cute, I just wanted to pinch their cheeks…..if they had cheeks.  I usually don’t buy fresh tomatoes unless I already have a plan for them, otherwise they are bound to go bad in my fridge.   I decided before it was too late I better put these darling little babies to good use.

You will be in shock, shock I tell you with the taste of this sauce! It is pretty awesome considering it has so few simple ingredients.  You may never go back.

WARNING! The use of butter here is crazy huge, so let’s agree to keep it on the DL (down low) from your cardiologist or anyone with a name ending in M.D.

It would be a good idea if you blanched the tomatoes first and peeled them, but like I said I was tired and sort of skipped that step…..ok not sort of, I did skip it.

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat add 5 tablespoons of butter, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Let it all simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cherry tomatoes start to pop.

Once the tomatoes start to pop, take a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon and crush the tomatoes.  You want to wait for the skin to pop or you could end up with tomato juice squirt all over you.  Add 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile back at the chicken ranch.  Wash about 1 1/2 lbs or 4 pieces of chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.  I am partial to thighs, but legs or breast will work, although you may need to cook the breast longer.  Rub the chicken down with 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Over medium-high heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a fry pan, add 2 crush garlic cloves and chicken.

Don’t forget to check you sauce and stir, u don’t want it to stick.

Don’t mess with the chicken too much.  Let them brown on each side for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until juices run clean, adding more butter 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.

During this time you should put a pot of water to boil, and boil the pasta until al dente.

Transfer the chicken over to the sauce, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  You can add a little bit of the chicken butter too if you want.

What the heck, right?  Go big or go home!

Now as if the butter content wasn’t enough why don’t we top the whole thing off with a few crumbles of goat cheese.  Why?  Because you can!

Pile up your pasta, spoon sauce over pasta, sprinkle goat cheese over top, garnish with some fresh basil and plate the chicks.

Chicks..maaaaan!

Purrrrrr, hello sweet mama! Where have you been all my life?

This sauce is awesomeness, and surprisingly creamy without the goat cheese.  If you add the goat cheese you get some extra creamyness not to mention awesome goat cheeseyness.

Is there a limit to how many “ness’es” one can use in a single post?

Anyway it was great and incredibly flavorful all with simple basic ingredients that you probably already have in your frig.

The spousal figure was in love with this dish, minus the goat cheese.  He has some personal issues with what he calls “fancy” cheese.

Peace Out Girl Scout!

- Chick who hides from anyone with a name ending in M.D.

Print Recipe

Tomato & Butter Sauce

• 25 cherry tomatoes
• 7 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of chicken stock
• 4 chicken thighs, skinless

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat add 5 tablespoons of butter, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Let it all simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cherry tomatoes start to pop.

Once the tomatoes start to pop, take a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon and crush the tomatoes. You want to wait for the skin to pop or you could end up with tomato juice squirt all over you. Add 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime,  wash about 1 1/2 lbs or 4 pieces of chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. I am partial to thighs, but legs or breast will work, although you may need to cook the breast longer. Rub the chicken down with 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a fry pan, add 2 crush garlic cloves and chicken.

Don’t forget to check you sauce and stir, u don’t want it to stick.

Let the chicken brown on each side for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until juices run clean, adding more butter 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.  During this time you should put a pot of water to boil, and boil the pasta until al dente.

Transfer the chicken over to the sauce, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. You can add a little bit of the chicken butter too if you want.

Now as if the butter content wasn’t enough why don’t we top the whole thing off with a few crumbles of goat cheese. Why? Because you can!

Pile up your pasta, spoon sauce over pasta, sprinkle goat cheese over top, garnish with some fresh basil and plate the chicks.

Chicks..maaaaan!

Apple Graham Crisp

About a week ago I got the idea to make an apple crisp with a graham cracker crumble crust.  You really can’t go wrong, bubbly apples and crispy sweet graham cracker topping.  The only problem that I ran into was that the topping was browning  way before the apple filling had set.

The first time I tried this I pulled the crisp out when the topping had browned but the filling was very runny, not cool.  This time I baked the filling for awhile and then added the topping 20 minutes before it was done.  This worked a little better but the topping was still a little too brown, although it tasted freaking awesome.

My conclusion is that the idea is a good one and adding the topping later is a good idea, but I think keeping and eye on it and covering it with foil when it starts to brown would be another option.

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees.  Peel core and slice your apples.  If you have one of these handy gadgets it’s not only easy but fun to do.

In a bowl combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp cornstarch and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to combine well.

Transfer apple mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile add 7 graham crackers to the food processor and process to coarse crumbs, about 3/4 cup of crumbles.  In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, pecans brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl.

Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps.

Sprinkle topping over baked apples and bake and additional 15 – 20 minutes, until apple filling is bubbly.  Cover with foil if topping begins to get too brown.

Ignore the hole to the left, it happens while baking sometimes.

Let the crisp cool for about 10 minutes and serve yourself a heaping helping.

The star here is the crumbly sweet and flavorful crisp topping.  I had to keep myself from planting my butt on the sofa with the whole pie dish and polishing it off.   If I had some vanilla ice cream in the freezer I would have been even happier and fluffier.

Like I said the problem that I ran into here is the topping getting too brown, but it wasn’t burned, it was still incredibly delicious! (insert Lucky Charms tune)  I have not given up, you will probably see an update here in the future resolving my browning issue.

Meaning the browning issues of the crisp…because I don’t brown I “red”.

Print Recipe

Apple Graham Crisp

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, diced

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees. Peel core and slice your apples.

In a bowl combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp cornstarch and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to combine well. Transfer apple mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile add 7 graham crackers to the food processor and process to coarse crumbs, about 3/4 cup of crumbles. In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, pecans brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl.  Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps.

Sprinkle topping over baked apples and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes, until apple filling is bubbly. Cover with foil if topping begins to get too brown.

Let the crisp cool for about 10 minutes and serve yourself a heaping helping.

DIY Stone Sconces

This is a super easy project that anyone can do on the super cheap.  I wanted some nice sconces for my guest bath downstairs.  I looked high and low and couldn’t find anything I wanted and the ones I did like were about $20 a piece….story of my life.  I couldn’t bring myself to spend $40 on 2 sconces for the guest bath.

A few weeks back I was strolling the Dollar Tree trying to see if there was anything that I could fashion into a sconce.  I walked the whole store 3 times and came up empty.  I left the store defeated and empty handed.  Then as I was driving back home an idea hit me like I was smacked in the face with a cold dead fish. Why not a cold dead fish? You don’t like my metaphor?  That is a metaphor right?

Anyway let us continue.  I hit the breaks and turned into the dusty gravel lot of a produce stand, kicking up pebbles and dust, and did a U-turn.  It was like a scene out of Dukes of Hazzard, but I was in a SUV instead of a Dodge Charger and my doors open.

I walked back into the Dollar Tree and grabbed 2 bags of decorative stones, glass tealight candle holders, a pack of glue sticks and some sponge brushes for $6.   Then I made my way over to the hardware store and pick up some small “L” brackets and a small pack of picture handing hardware for $8.

I already has some wood at the house and some dark brown paint.   I was going to cut the wood myself but then Obed forbid it, fearing that my on the cheap DIY would end up with a not so cheap emergency room bill.

We had a wood board that was 1/2 inch thick.  He cut 2 pieces of wood 7 x 5 1/2  and 2 more 3 1/2 x 5 1/2.  I then sanded the rough edges off the wood and painted the front and sides and left them to dry.

Once the paint dried I nailed the picture handing hardware to the back, top part of the larger rectangles.

Then hot glued the small bottom piece onto the back. This is to just hold it in place while you secure the “L” brackets on.

Lay the sconce down on it’s back and glue the stones onto it, trying to fit them together as tightly as possible.  Start from the bottom working up, trying not to go over the sides, but finishing off over the top edge.

Using a hot glue gun, glue the candle holder to the bottom in the center, add a candle and ur done!

Checkout the finish product proudly handing on the wall.

I had some materials left and made two more for the dining room.  So to make four, I estimate it cost me about $20 total.  Not bad…*pat on the back*.

I could get use to this.

I

What you will need:

• 4 pieces of 1/2 inch thick wood cut 7 x 5 1/2
• 4 pieces of 1/2 inch thick wood cut 3 1/2 x 5 1/2
• 2 small bags of decretive stones
• 4 tealight candle holders
• 4 picture hanging hardware
• 8 1 inch x 1 inch “L” brackets
• sandpaper
• glue sticks
• glue gun
• paint
• sponge brush

Awesome Figgy Sandwich

Earlier in the week when I was at Whole Food on the hunt for some green tomatoes I stumbled upon some fresh figs.  I was so excited I practically snatched them out of the hands of the stock boy and quickly followed up with a happy dance.  Both Obed and the stock boy looked at me like I was mental, but I didn’t care, I had figs in hand!   You don’t understand finding fresh figs here in the midwest is not easy and they have such a short season to begin with.  I did my happy dance in the middle of Whole Foods produce with pride.

The fig hasn’t made many appearances on The Noshery because of the fact that they have such a short season and are a little hard to find here, but make no mistake I dig the fig…..HA! that rhymed.

I decided I was going to make myself a wicked awesome figgy sandwich with my figs.

I knew I definitely wanted some caramelized onions with this sandwich.  I love the sweet flavor of caramelized onions and how the ends get a little crispy and chewy.  Caramelizing onions is a bit of an art, you have to be patient and tend to them.  If they brown to quickly and the heat is too high they can burn.

I also did a little balsamic vinegar reduction just to top off all the sweet and salty flavors to come.

Assemble all your ingredients together.  Mmmm this is already looking pretty awesome.

I was extra lucky because I already had some olive oil dough in the fridge and was able to make some fresh focaccia bread, but a store bought focaccia will work just as well.  Also some toasted Italian bread or ciabatta bread would be great.

Top one slice of focaccia with prosciutto slices.

Then add your beautiful fresh figs.  I used calimyra figs but some brown turkeys would work well also.

Now those fabulous caramelized onions….*purrrr*

This is just going to get better because now you add some creamy goat cheese.

Drizzle some of the balsamic vinegar reduction over the goat cheese. Oh mama!

And because every sandwich can use a little green, top it off with some fresh basil.

I don’t know about you but I think this is a pretty smoking hot sandwich.

“How you duen?” *wink, wink*

I bit into this sandwich and I was in heaven.  Salty, sweet and creamy all in one bite.  It got a little messy there for a minute, but it’s all good.  Love can be messy and I was in love with this sandwich.

Awesome Figgy Sandwich

• 1/4 of a large onion
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• kosher salt
• sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• focaccia bread
• 2 slices prosciutto
• 2 – 3 calimyra figs, sliced
• goat cheese
• 4 fresh basil leaves

In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of kosher salt. When the onions begin to brown add a dash of sugar.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a cool plate or bowl to stop the cooking process.

While the onions are caramelizing, put balsamic vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by 1/2 and liquid becomes syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Assemble your sandwich, start with a slice of focaccia, top with prosciutto, figs, onions and goat cheese.  Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the goat cheese, top with fresh basil and another slice of focaccia bread.

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