Apple, Gouda & Mozzarella Toast

APPLE, GOUDA & MOZZARELLA TOAST

(This are estimated measurements! Easy to adjust according to the # you make)
4 slices whole wheat with grains bread
3 Tblsp butter, melted
6oz fresh mozzarella, cut into slices
1 honey crisp (or Fuji) apple, cut into thin slices
2 (sandwich size) slices of Gouda cheese

• Turn on the broiler, normal heat.
• Baste one side of bread with butter. Place on a cookie sheet, butter side up. Broil bread until lightly toasted and brown (less than 1 min).
• Turn bread over, baste with more butter. Place 2 slices of mozzarella cheese on each piece. Broil until cheese is slightly melted (about 30 seconds).
• Lay slices of apple on top of mozzarella cheese, and top with 1/2 slice of Gouda cheese. Broil until Gouda cheese is melted (less than 1 min).
• Serve immediately. 

Fondue Fun: 2 Cheese & Honey Fondue

"Fondue Fun"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue
Tomato-and-Herb Fondue
Mixed Salad Greens
Mississippi Mud Fondue

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue

Fondue:
1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tblsp honey

2 cups freshly shredded Jarlsberg cheese

1/2 cup freshly shredded Swiss cheese

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Serve with:

Cubed ciabatta bread, sliced pears, sliced apples

• Bring heavy cream, chicken broth, and honey to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce head to medium-low and simmer. Meanwhile, combine cheeses, flour, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk cheese mixture into simmering brother until melted and smooth. Transfer to fondue pot; keep warm. Serve fondue with desired accompaniments.

Wednesday: Tomato-and-Herb Fondue

Pin-trosity! Pork loin & Apples

Crock-Pot Pork Loin & Apples

I have seen this particular "pin" many many times on Pinterest, and of course I pinned it to try it out. Lets just say, it was not a hit with the family. In fact, if we had a dog, I'm pretty sure the dog wouldn't want it either.

Maybe that was a little extreme. I love being able to taste the favors in my food, and this recipe had none. There was a "lot" of work put into it too--cut the slits, slice the apple, stuff the apple in the pork...cover with cinnamon yada yada yada. I was just really disappointed. It was awfully dry and apple did NOTHING for it. I could taste a little honey and cinnamon around the edges, but that was pushing the limits.

So what would I do differently? Not really sure that much could be done. Seriously.

I took a "pretty" picture before I let it cook....

....but that won't do me any good. I won't post a recipe that I don't approve!

Anyone else try this? Have ANY luck??

Apple Chips (HCG Friendly)

Remember those huge bushels of apples I picked a week or so ago? This was one thing I made with all those darn apples. I had to figure this out, and its a touch-and-go way of cooking. Why? It all depends on how think you slice the apples! Mine were on the "thicker" side, so it took a lot longer to make. So keep an eye on them, and trust your cooking instincts!

APPLE CHIPS

A hand full of apples
optional: cinnamon and sugar

Slice the apples (the thicker, the longer they will have to cook)

Place slices on a single layer on parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet

Sprinkle with sugar (I used stevia, it was great!) and cinnamon

Cook on a very low degree (250 degrees F) for a few hours (mine took more like 5 to 6 hours). Pull them out when they are crisp!

Store in an air-tight container (to keep them crisp)--they should last about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks.

*These are HCG Friendly!*
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German Apple Strusel

I don't like making any kind of dough--including pie crusts...so finding something "in a box" makes me REALLY happy! I found this at the commissary and I couldn't wait to try it out. The box calls for a can of fruit pie filling or you can add fresh fruit. I decided to go with apples...after all, I do have a few bushels left...

GERMAN APPLE STREUSEL

  

6-7 red apples (I used Gala and they were great!!), peeled, cored and chopped
4 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1 egg

Follow the instructions on the box to make the crumb mixture (this uses the butter and egg).

[do first] For the filling: In a big bowl, combine chopped apples with sugar and cinnamon in a big bowl and stir to get them all covered, and let sit while you make the rest.

Press 2/3 of dough on the bottom of a spring-form pan, and a little up the edges. Then pour in the filling and then add the rest of the crumble mixture on the top! Bake in 350 for 1 hour (the box said 40-50 minutes, but it wasn't near long enough for me--keep an eye on the top and cook it until its slightly brown).

So, if you see this box--grab it--trust me on that one. Enjoy!

  

Wordless Wednesday {{linky}}

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Think we have enough apples?

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I'M PARTYING WITH:
Home of Wordless Wednesdays...and many more! 
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~Please follow Cookin' for my Captain via GFC!
~Grab the WW button if you want to...

...and add your "Wordless Wednesdays" up below!

Apple Pastry

Its Apple-picking season, so what does that mean? A LOT of apple recipes! Yaahoo! Here's my first one..I've made it several times over just a matter of days, and discovered the best way to make it. Oh, did I mention that its EASY? No? Ok...ITS EASY!

APPLE PASTRY

3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans of Pillsbury roll-out pastry sheet
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon milk
1 egg

Toss the apples with the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry sheets, one on top of the other, on a lightly floured surface. Lightly use a rolling pin to make them a little bit bigger, staying in the same rectangle shape. Remove it from the counter and place on a large jelly-roll pan.

Place apples in the middle, mounding them up pretty high. Cut the sides and follow instructions here:

I found this on Pinterest!

Make an egg wash mixture: whisk egg and 1/4 cup of water together. Lightly brush over the top of the pastry. Lightly sprinkle a little more granulated sugar over top.

Bake in an oven at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Let cool for about 20 minutes. Mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and drizzle over the top.

This is wonderful served just like this, or make it even BETTER with a scoop of ice-cream! Enjoy!

We sure did!

This recipe is easy to multiply! And you might want to--our disappeared (the first time) in 5 minutes, and in 3 minutes the second time! =D

Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin

GRILLED STUFFED PORK LOIN

Not all pork loins can be stuffed. When choosing a pork loin, look for short and wide shape. That gives more surface area once roast is opened up. Avoid long and thin pork loins, too little room for stuffing.

Filling
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thing crosswise
1 1/2 cups packed dried apples (4 oz)
1/2 cup packed dried cranberries
1 tblsp grated fresh ginger
1 tblsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


Bring all the ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over med-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Push mixture through fine-mesh strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over med-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup cup, about 5 minutes; reserve glaze. Meanwhile, pulse apple mixture in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about 15 1-second pulses. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate while preparing pork.

Pork
1 boneless center-cut pork loin roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)
kosher salt and ground black pepper
vegetable oil for cooking grate

Cut meat into an even 1/2 inch thickness. Start cutting across on bottom, "rolling" meat out until you have an even thickness rectangle. Click HERE for a similar cutting strategy. Season liberally with salt and spread apple filling en even layer, leaving 1/2 inch border. Roll tightly and tie with twine at 1-inch intervals. I used my special  reusable "food loop" ties that I used as a giveaway HERE quite a ways back. They are awesome!

INDIRECT heat grilling
Heat grill on high heat, scrap grate to clean, then rub oil over to prevent sticking. Turn off one side of the grill and place the roast, with fat side up first, on the side without flames. Continue grilling, rotating only once, until instant-read thermometer stuck in the thickest part of roast reads 130 to 135 degrees F. About 55 to 70 minutes. When you flip the roast half way through, brush with the reserved glaze. Brush roast again 5 minutes before removing from heat.

Transfer to cutting board and loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest 15 minutes. Cut into slices and serve immediately!

Carrot Cabbage Slaw

CARROT CABBAGE SLAW

4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
2 medium Golden Delicious apples, chopped
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 to 1/4 ground nutmeg, optional [go more less rather than more--it has a very strong flavor in the slaw]

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, apples, raisins and walnuts.

In a small bowl, combine the honey and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper and nutmeg if desired. Stir into cabbage mixture.

Chill until serving.

Apple & Sage Pork Chops

Its been all about easy and cheap this month. We bought a new car, so I'm trying to prove to my husband that good food can be cheap too! So I've been showing some of my favorite seasoning-in-a-pack, few ingredients meals, slow cooker dishes and so on. And so it will continue for a bit more!

McCormick
APPLE & SAGE PORK CHOPS

Just add the Pork chops, apple juice, apples and onions and you've got it made. This was so incredibly easy, I was amazed. Sure, I had all these seasonings in my pantry, but I didn't need to measure and waste all that time trying to do so. AWESOMENESS. Time is valuable!

Serve with mashed potatoes and a side of veggies

I love all the pretty colors of the spices!

This is defiantly a must-try. So-try it! Did I mention it was only $0.87? Even better!

Finger-licking GOOD!

REFRIDGERATOR FRUIT SALAD

Ok, so growing up, anytime we had "fruit salad" was for special gatherings, so very far and few between. My mom never had a passion for cooking, so meals were quick, hearty and repeated (but good too!). Because of that I can't eat spinach (but that's a different story). So, fruit salad was a combination of fruit, held together by a can of cherry pie filling. Yes, I said cherry pie filling. The gooey, packed with sugar, very unhealthy stuff. So, naturally, through life that's what I thought about fruit salad.

I've steadily grown a passion for cooking myself, and love to experiment and make unique things, as well as perfecting the "classic" family meals. It wasn't until this past Christmas (the one 2 months ago), that this "cherry pie filling" topic came up again.

My wonderful still is more of a "naturalist" than I could ever be, but hates cooking, so everything is healthy, quick and easy. And I'm talking about the definition of "quick" and "easy" and I'll add "delicious."

One afternoon over the holiday, we were putting lunch together and I said to myself "I wish we had some pie filling, I would love some fruit salad." My sister turns on her toes with one eyebrow up, then turns back around and whips up this little concoction of delight. Something so simple. Something so healthy. My mind couldn't wrap around it.

And I've made it that way ever since.

So now you now most of the story (I could go into waaaay more explaining, but decided to sum it up) here is this amazing treat. And everything is right in your fridge. Its that easy.

REFRIGERATOR FRUIT SALAD

Depending on how much you want to make...I usually make it for one "sitting," or basically for 4 people.
2 small apples or 1 large [honey crisp is the best for fruit salad!] diced
2 or 3 small oranges [I usually have cuties on hand because of the kids] pulled apart and sliced in half
1 banana [if this is going to be eaten longer than a couple hours, add bananas right before serving]
Whatever else [fruit that is] you have: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, ect...

This is the best part: What yogurt do you have in your fridge? Its probably you one you like eating in the mornings on a daily bases! I've even used my kids' gogurt one time!
Couple scoops (this is up to you, depending on how much fruit you used) yogurt
This could be from the little cups too! Don't forget!

I make this at LEAST once a week, so I buy a big tub at the store just for the fruit salad. It can be any flavor, but I've found strawberry, black cherry or my favorite, vanilla, works the best for flavor enhancement.This is also very healthy! Get the light & Fit kind and have an evening snack you don't feel guilty over!

Sometimes it just take someone to point out the simplest thing. So now I've pointed it out. Enjoy!

RACK OF PORK STUFFED WITH APPLES AND HERBS

This is a little time-consuming dish. So beware! However, its defiantly worth it. Delicious! This recipe would be great for when company is coming over.

RACK OF PORK STUFFED WITH APPLES AND HERBS

If you can't find a bone-in pork loin, just use a regular loin. (take about 15 min off cooking time)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

STUFFING:
In skillet, heat over med-low heat
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small apples, peeled and diced very small
1 celery stick, chopped finely 
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dash freshly ground pepper
Saute for 6 minutes, until vegtables and apple are soft. Then add
1 clove garlic, minced
cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Add
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (or panko)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
zest of half a lemon
Transfer to bowl and let cool completely.

[I would add about 1/2 cup cranberries to really top off the stuffing!]

While stuffing is cooling, butterfly the pork loin.
Cut four 12-16 inch lengths of twine and set aside.
Lay out pork loin, fast side down, with bones facing to the right. Insert the blade of a very sharp knife along the rib bones and slice down.

DO NOT SLICE ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
Open the meat up a bit and take you knife and continue to slice through the mean, opening it up as it goes.

Season with salt and pepper and lay the stuffing right on top. Roll the pork loin back up and tie between each rib bone with a piece of twine and secure the roast. Trim the loose ends of twine.

Season the outside of the pork loin with salt and pepper.

HERB RUB:
Mix together
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
zest of half a lemon
1 garlic clove, minced or grated

Rub herb mixture all over the pork loin.

Line a baking pan with foil and place grate on top. Place pork roast on the grate and bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.

BASTING LIQUID:
In a small saucepan, over low heat, mix
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil

Baste the pork loin with 1/3 of liquid and loosely cover with foil and lower oven temp to 350. Continue to cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours, basting with the liquid twice more.

[I would cook for an extra 30 minutes or more, it was "done" but still pretty pink by the bone. A little more time would be good]

Remove from oven and transfer to cutting board. Let rest for 10 minutes, covered. Cut twine. Slice between rib bones and serve. Enjoy!