Over the years, I have experimented a lot with cranberry sauces. I’ve been looking for the right recipe that is different, but delightful. This is it.

This cranberry sauce is about as easy as it can get. The addition of apple adds a nice (and slightly sweet) twist that really takes the sauce to a different level. Try it paired with turkey and other holiday concoctions.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 apple (sweet and firm variety such as Fuji), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the cranberries and apples. Return mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once in a while.

Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Then refrigerate until serving.

Happy birthday, Weekend Herb Blogging! Weekend Herb Blogging is celebrating its second birthday this weekend. Creator Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen has challenged bloggers to incorporate an herb and a veggie into a dish for this weekend’s roundup. I have to admit, mine doesn’t quite fit the bill though, since tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable. Nonetheless, this was yummy enough to send anyway.

Growing season here in the Northeast is on its final legs. Pretty soon, we’ll be fending off frost warnings and storm watches. Eeek. But I am an enjoy it while you can sort of girl, so I am. My parents still have a few deliciously ripe tomatoes on their vines, so I am using them as fast as I can get them. I wouldn’t want to let those bright orbs of sweet goodness go to waste!

(Coincidentally, tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is known to help ward off cancer. Cooked tomatoes are the best source of lycopene.)

This pasta is a quick but hearty meal. I suggest using Barilla pasta, because its my favorite, but you can substitute another brand if you prefer. You’ll need 4 servings of cooked pasta when all is said and done. If you wanted to make this appropriate for a low-carb lifestyle, omit the sugar and stir in a bay leaf with the oregano. Remove before serving.

Apples, apples, apples. My apple supply from my recent picking binge is finally dwindling. PHEW! I am hoping to get a bit more out of it this week and then all the apple cooking in my house will be over for the winter.

Ever wonder what apples are good for specific purposes? Here’s a primer:

Sauces (like applesauce):

• Braeburn
• Cortland
• Empire
• Granny Smith
• Gravenstein
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jersey Rose
• Jonagold
• Jonathan
• Rome Beauty
• Staymen

Pie:

• Cortland
• Gravenstein
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Macoun
• Melrose
• Matsu
• Paula Red
• Rome Beauty
• Staymen

Other Baking:

• Cortland
• Granny Smith
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Niagara
• Rome Beauty
• Wine Sap

Juice/Cider:

• Granny Smith
• Gala
• Gravenstein
• Jonathan

As I have mentioned before, apples are also very good for you. They have good amounts of vitamin C and calcium . . . so it certainly doesn’t hurt to munch on one unadulterated onces in a while.

These apples are good for eating:

• Braeburn
• Burgundy
• Cortland
• Empire
• Gala
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Macoun
• Macintosh
• Matsu
• Niagara
• Paula Red
• Red Delicious

There are many more varieties than this, of course, so these aren’t all-inclusive lists.

For this pie, I used a mix of Ida Red, Jonagold, and Staymen (with perhaps an Empire or two thrown in). I like to mix up the flavors when I am baking and tend to prefer a higher sweet to tart ratio. But that’s just me.

I have to admit, although this is my recipe, I was a bit surprised that I called for eight cups of sliced apples for one pie. It certainly sounds like a lot. But, fortunately, when I doubled the recipe and made two pies, it was the perfect amount. Just FYI – be sure to use a deep dish pie crust like Oronoque Orchards.

1 good quality pie crust (I like Oronoque Orchards)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of salt
8 cups peeled and sliced apples (about 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 tbsp vanilla

Crumb topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup firm butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples.

Pour apple combination into the pie crust, making them slightly higher in the center than on the sides. Sprinkle vanilla over the top of the pie.

Place pie in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar for the crumb topping. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly.

Remove pie from the oven and sprinkle crumb topping over the apples. Place pie back in the oven and cook for an additional 30-35 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm…with vanilla bean ice cream.
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This in-season post is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. WHB is turning 2! this month and Kalyn is celebrating. This week’s WHB is being hosted by Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. Check Haalo’s site tomorrow for a roundup of great recipes.

I made two apple cakes last night and totally forgot to take a picture, with the exception of this one. These are the cake remnants (didn’t grease the pan well enough … oops) and ice cream. Mmmm. So good. And the scent that it fills the house with? Pure heaven.

Fall has descended on us here in the northeast. One minute we were lamenting our summer-like days and the next we were digging through closets for sweaters. It’s such a relief to not have the hum of air conditioners be the soundtrack for my life anymore. In fact, with any luck, the air conditioners will have been removed and stored for the winter by the time I get home from work today (thank you Shawn!).

Meanwhile, I think I bought WAY more apples than I thought I did. I have made a batch of applesauce that’s canned and stored until we want it. Another batch, that has just a touch of honey and cinnamon was made last night for enjoying this week. I’ve also made two apple cakes — one is already in the freezer, awaiting its trip to the FoodSaver. And my countertop still overflows with apples. Tonight I will whip up two apple pies – one to eat and one to store. And I think Shawn might transform some of the apples into fresh apple juice today. Mmmm. But I am not sure that will even put a dent in the pounds and pounds and pounds of apples that I lugged back from the orchard this weekend.

So what else should I do with these apples? Suggestions please!

Did you know that the old adage “An apple a day will keep the doctor away,” isn’t just a saying? Apples are low in calories but contain good amounts of calcium and vitamin C – be sure to eat the skin though, as that’s were most of the nutrition lies.

Anyway, apple cake. This recipe is a cinch to double (just use two cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until cake tester — you know, a toothpick or a knife — comes out clean). A note on the batter: it’s going to be thick so you’ll probably have to spoon it into the pan(s). And be sure to grease well.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups sliced and peeled apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8″ round cake pan.

Stir together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Add egg and continue to beat. Slowly mix in dry ingrediant mix, followed by vanilla. Finally, stir in apple slices.

Pour into greased cake pan and level gently. Place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove cake from pan and cool on a rack

TO SERVE: drizzle with caramel or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I promised my applesauce recipe, didn’t I? Well here it goes. Love this applesauce. It is supremely tasty and is a little thicker than applesauces from the jar so it sticks better when eating with chops or potato pancakes or whatever.

And you gotta love that this was made with local apples that we picked ourselves at Blue Jay Orchards in Bethel, Conn., this weekend. Yay for local eating! And psst! If you go to Blue Jay, be sure to stop in the store and pick up some of their addicting cider donuts. MMmmmmmmm.

1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
12 medium apples (I used a mix of Ida Red and Empire)

In a large and heavy pot, combine the water, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir until well combined.

Next, prepare the apples. Peal, core and cut them into chunks. Mix each chopped apple into the pot as you finish cutting to prevent browning.

When all the apples are cut and mixed into the pot, turn on the stove to medium heat. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until apples are soft. Remove from heat.

Use a potato masher (the kind with a flat bottom) to mash the apples into the juices. Store as desired. These can be refrigerated for a few days, frozen or canned.

To Can: Spoon the applesauce into five hot, scalded 1/2 pint containers leaving 1/2 inch of headroom. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes and then let cool on a rack or heat-proof plate before storing.

Have I mentioned that it’s apple season here in the northeast? Of course I have . . . And apple season is off to a great start. The apples are plentiful both in the fields and in my home (we’ve done lots of picking this week!).

Can you guess what Will did after we dropped my sister off and ran a few quick errands on the way to pick up my friend? And yes, it was a good thing. He actually got a decent nap in the car, believe it or not.

Some nights, I just want something fresh and flavorful that cooks in no time. This is one of my favorite dishes for that. I don’t usually specify a pasta or a brand, but this variety is very tasty and works well with the other flavors. Plus the timing is perfect. It takes about 10 minutes to cook the pasta and that is how long it takes to prepare the ingredients. Then it takes less than 10 minutes beyond that to complete. How simple is that?

These are more local tomatoes. In fact, I know the growers, their growing methods, what they use to ward off pests, etc. It’s nice to know your food. I’ve done a ton with tomatoes this month and have a few more tricks up my sleeve. But tune in this weekend and you can see what I did with my very local chard.

Don’t forget that September is Eat Local Challenge month. My goal for the Eat Local Challenge is to preserve as much food as I can for winter. So far I have made and frozen a big batch of marinara and a tasty batch of gazpacho.

What’s next? That depends what’s at the farmers market this weekend! I also have been only eating local produce this month. That’s been easy, since everything I want is in season anyway. (And just FYI, the blueberry oatmeal cake I made and froze was with local blueberries as well – I had saved them from our blueberry picking trip.)I am hoping to go apple picking with a friend soon and there is a laundry list of things I want to make from apples just waiting to be ticked off one by one.

But now, onto the pasta.

1 bag Barilla three cheese tortellini (the smaller one)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium tomatoes (I used a red and orange one this time)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasonings
salt and pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan

On the stove, boil a medium pot of salted water. When it’s boiling, add the tortellini and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, dice the tomatoes, mince the garlic and pull out the Italian seasonings and salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and set aside. Put the pan back on the stove.

Add the olive oil to the pan and let heat for about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Let cook for 1 minute. Add the Italian seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until tomatoes break down into a juicier sauce.

Stir in the pasta and remove from the heat. Add the cheeses and stir well. Let sit one minute before serving.

Serve with a green salad and a loaf of bread.

This might be cake, but this isn’t your dessert cake. This is a cake that is most appropriate for breakfast. And boy, is it yummy. Use either fresh or frozen berries, season permitting. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers.

I’m still writing up all of my tomato adventures here, but there is another fruit making it’s way into my repertoire now. APPLES! I bought my first gallon of apple cider last night (first of the season, that is) and I am already dreaming of all the wonderful apple-y creations I will whip up.

There will be fun desserts like Apple Cake (see photo above) and French Apple Pie, as well as staples like fresh apple sauce, apple juice and well, plain apples. Plus, there is the yummy cranberry apple chutney that I will make and store for Thanksgiving.

Plus I have my eye on a few new recipes too . . . but more on those once I make them. Until then, just share in my excitement that it’s apple season!

And psst! Apples are really good for you too – low in calories, high in fiber and a good helping of vitamin C. Yay!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! When I bought the 10 pounds of seconds tomatoes last weekend, I was worried that my ultimate goal of transforming them into a succulent sauce was, well, a bit lofty. But, fortunately, the plan worked like a charm and I was able to use my small batch process on a much larger scale.

There are many, many ways to make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. Some like to blanch the tomatoes for easy skin removal. Others remove the seeds as well. Some people do neither. I particularly like the flavor the tomatoes take on when roasted and the ease of cooking too. Plus, the skins practically jump right off.

I highly recommend lightly salting this. It will impart a more tomato-y flavor that can be adapted into other sauces (I am already dreaming of a spicy veggie filled sauce and Shawn has used one portion for a delectable meat sauce too).

Oh, and don’t be fooled by the two-day process. It isn’t as time consuming as it sounds. Really. I mean it.

Roasted Tomato Sauce
yields 16-18 cups of sauce

about 10 lbs tomatoes (can be seconds)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 extra large sweet onion, diced
1 bulb garlic, cloves removed and crushed
1 cup dried Italian seasonings
4 cans tomato paste, mixed with equivalent amount of water
salt, to taste
1 tbsp sugar

Day One: Roast the tomatoes.

Wash tomatoes and place them side by side in a baking pan (deep is better, though a foil lined jelly roll pan can work too).

Broil on high for 15 minutes on each side.

Spoon juices into a bowl or pan and set aside. Remove tomatoes and let cool (covered) for a few hours. Once tomatoes are cool, slip them out of their skins, remove stems and blemishes, and crush half of them. The other half, remove the skims and stems only. Place all the tomatoes into a large pot or covered bowl. Strain reserved juices (plus any juices from the bowl you cooled the tomatoes in) into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Refrigerate overnight.

Day two: Make the sauce

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. When hot, add the onions and garlic, stirring frequently. Cook until onions are translucent – 5-8 minutes.

Remove from heat and spoon mixture into a food processor. Process into a paste.

In a large stock pot, combine the roasted tomatoes, the onion mixture and the Italian seasonings. Stir well.

Whisk together tomato paste and water. Add to the stockpot.

Set stove on medium-low and bring the sauce to a rolling boil (be sure it’s either covered with the lid ajar or that you are using a splatter guard. What a mess!). Stir frequently while boiling for 30 minutes.

Add salt (not too much though, you can always re-salt in small batches later) and sugar. Stir well.

Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove from heat.

Let cool to lukewarm before storing. Freeze in tightly covered containers.

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Psst! September is an Eat Local Challenge month! How better than to prepare for a winter of eating local by making fresh tomato sauce with local tomatoes?