easy apple crisp

8 large apples, peeled, cored ,thinly sliced (i like to use a couple different varieties)
1/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons butter,cut in pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar

mix first 3 ingredients and place in a buttered casserole

blend butter, flour and sugar for crumb topping ( i pulse in a food processor). squeeze and crumble for larger chunks of crumbs and place on top of apples

place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until apples are bubbling and top is lightly browned

                                            allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream


ENJOY!

wild rice salad

a really great choice for the gluten free crowd and it is a favorite of our family. it keeps well after it is made so it can be made a day ahead.  serves 10-12   great leftover!

tomato salad and wild rice salad

wild rice salad

1 cup wild rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups boiling water

2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality olive oil

1 large bunch arugula, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup feta cheese ,crumbled
1/2 pine nuts, toasted

rinse the wild rice in cold water and place in the boiling water. simmer till done which will be approximately 40 minutes.
cook the white rice in the chicken stock according to the instructions on the rice package
mix the cooked rice and add the lemon juice and olive oil
allow rice to cool
add remaining ingredients and chill.

easy tomato salad
cut up desired amount of tomatoes( i used plum tomatoes in the picture). add a couple cloves of chopped garlic, good quality olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar (i use white), a few sliced basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste. have some good bread on hand to dip in the juice! do not refrigerate. it should be made ahead for the most flavor. sit it on the counter and give it an occasional stir
enjoy!

gallery@second

a first for me and it is very exciting

8 of my paintings took a ride to harrisburg, pa and just in time for the art walk, which is today.they are in the  'gallery at second'.
http://www.facebook.com/GalleryAtSecond
if you are in the vicinity, take in the 'art walk'.

thanks to the 'love of my life' for helping to get the watercolors ready. he is the official  mat cutter and he makes the frames

lemon pesto at sue's request

everyone that grows basil has a pesto recipe. i make the 'regular' one but here is one with less calories and it is great with fish. one of my favorite summer and fall meals is lemon pesto and sliced tomatoes. i always make enough so that there is some for the  freezer. in the winter, it is 'green gold', an expression i learned from my dear friend nick

lemon pesto (1 cup per 1 pound of pasta)

3 cups basil leaves, packed down
6-8 cloves of fresh garlic (no substitutions on the garlic )
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cups toasted pine nuts, see note below

if you have a food processor, drop the garlic in as the processor is running. if not, you will have to put it through a garlic press or mince it fine.
place all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and pulverize!! thank goodness for our modern kitchen tools.

toasting pine nuts is an option. i do it in my cast iron skillet but they can be done in a toaster oven, oven, ect.  i think that toasting them brings out more flavor. watch them closely as they burn if you turn away. this i know  ;(

cook the pasta and just before it is done, take 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water and pour it in your serving bowl . mix with the pesto. stir and add the pasta and mix. serve a little extra cheese and pine nuts on the side.  enjoy!

a dish to pass

i have belonged to the same monthly bridge group for 43 years. we start off the season by sharing a meal to catch up after our summer hiatus. each brings a 'dish to pass' and we have a feast. my contribution was:

shrimp and pasta salad

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de veined ( the already cooked ones will work)
1 pound pasta, ( i used mini fusilli but anything will do)
1 pound petite peas
4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 cup my club sauce (unless you have canned the recipe on this blog, you will have to substitute. use commercial chili sauce or the oriental sweet chili. start with 1/4 cup and add more after tasting. my sauce has a real bite to it so you might want to add red pepper or my personal favorite...tony chachere's creole seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

cook the pasta till it is just underdone, drain and rinse in very cold water, drain well
add lemon juice and olive oil and let it soak in while you mince the celery
add the celery,shrimp and then the dressing and chili sauce and mix well
place the frozen peas in a colander and rinse with hot water till they turn bright green. drain well and add to the mix

refrigerate for several hours. this can even be made a day ahead. if the salad looks dry, add more ranch dressing

enjoy!!

labor day

it is labor day and for all of us in the northeast it is a time of change. the leaves are just starting to turn and a few are loosing their leaves.the hummingbirds are really hitting the feeders to prepare for their long journey south.  i am putting on my gardening hat and stating that it is time to give lots of attention to the house plants that summered outdoors.

house plants: time to bring them inside

time to bring them back inside before the days grow shorter and while the windows are still open . they need to adjust to the lower light. ideally they should be moved to lesser light outside but i never do that. labor day always seem to creep up on me.

 it is time to re pot, prune, and clean them. check carefully for bugs, scale, mealybug, aphids, etc. give them a shower, scrub the pots.  if they need treatment, head to your local gardening store and get the least toxic product that you can find and remember: the label is the law when using them. more is not better. i use the product 'safer soap' and pour it through the soil of the plants that were on the ground. i don't want to bring any little critters in with the plants.

it is also time to lessen the fertilizer. i never fertilize most indoor plants between november and march. the exception is short day bloomers like cactus, poinsettias but more on those plants later.