Flaky. Sweet. A little tart. Oh, so good.

Somehow, I imagine that to most people apple turnovers are a dessert – a tasty, homey, delicious dessert. But me? I like quiche for breakfast and easily give in to requests for breakfast for dinner. So, these turnovers weren’t dessert. They weren’t a special afternoon snack. They were … breakfast on Saturday.

Hey, sometimes, you just have to have fun with food. These were definitely fun. The kids loved the crispy, puffed edges and grabbed forks to devour the soft apple interior. It took every ounce of self-control not to let the kids (and perhaps me too) devour the last turnover.

Making these was a cinch using my trusty food processor. After peeling and coring my apples, I used the grating plate in my food processor to shred the apples into perfect little strips. It took all of maybe 30 seconds … easy, easy, easy. As a busy mom, I totally value time savers like that. Really. But, if you are without a food processor, don’t worry — you can still make these. Just use a box grater instead and manually shred the apples. It won’t be that bad. However if you have a food processor tucked away, then dig it out and use it for this. It makes it so simple.

Next, those beautiful apple shreds are tossed with cinnamon, brown sugar and just a bit of salt. Those bits of flavors complement the tart Granny Smith apples, giving a great sweet-tart depth.  Coincidentally, I stirred the apples and seasonings together with my favorite spatula, a sturdy silicone spatula that I bought at Williams-Sonoma four years ago.  It’s still as good as new … just goes to show how buying quality cooking pieces can be a great long-term investment in your kitchen (but that is a whole different blog post).

Next, the apple filling is divided evenly among the centers of the rolled out squares of puff pastry, which are then folded diagonally and pressed to seal. It sounds way more intense then it is, really. It comes together so fast.

Now, when I say rolled out puff pastry, I don’t just mean removed from the frozen package and unfolded. I mean actually roll it out with a rolling pin. The dough, which is warmed to room temperature, thins out easily with a few swipes of the rolling pin. Then it goes a long way. The dough will puff either way, but by rolling it out, you end up with a not-too-thick, not-too-thin dough that crisps and rises perfectly. Unrolled, it could puff too much and be too thick for little mouths to eat. Just sayin’.

Almost ready to bake now … The turnovers are transferred to a baking sheet and the edges are pressed with a fork. That gives them that pretty ribbed appearance. The tops are dusted with course sugar (optionally, you can use course sugar mixed with a little cinnamon). The ribbing acts as a great catch for the sugar too.  Then, the baking sheet is slid into the oven and a half-hour or so later out comes the wonderful, puffy, crispy turnovers.

Then, all that is left to do is to devour them.

Apple Turnovers
serves 4

1 sheet puff pastry
2 Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the puff pastry into four quarters. Dust a cutting board with flour. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out each square of puff pastry until about doubled in size. Divide the apple mixture evenly among the four squares, spooning into the center. Fold the dough over diagonally and press the edges to seal. Transfer to the baking sheet. Using a fork, press the edges again to seal.

If desired, brush lightly with water and sprinkle with course sugar or a course sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Cook for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.

It’s no secret that I absolutely love Brussels sprouts. When grown and cooked right, they are slightly sweet and a little nutty. Divine. In case you are wondering what I mean by grown right, Brussels sprouts should stay on the stalk until two frosts have passed. It’s the frosts that let them develop that slightly sweet flavor.

Now, roasted Brussels sprouts? Awesome. The roasting brings out a wonderful nuttiness. But usually, roasting can take the better part of an hour to cook with certain methods. That’s just too long for me. Call me impatient, but I value time-saving measures.

That’s exactly why I started cooking them on the stove. But I had a thought … if I spread the sprouts out on a baking sheet instead of crowding them in a small casserole, then they cook faster. So I did, and they were perfect. The nuttiness came through without having to wait forever for them.

Seasoning matters when you make anything. These are tossed with just a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. It’s simple, easy and perfect. The flavors complement the sprouts without overwhelming them.

I devoured them. Will devoured them. Yes, my four-year-old loves Brussels sprouts too. He even tried to convince me to save a few for later for him. I told him we would just make them again. Very soon.

With Thanksgiving approaching rapidly, these would also make a great easy side dish to go with the traditional trimmings.

Quick and Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
serves 4

1 container Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Remove the ends of the Brussels sprouts and any bruised outer leaves. Halve the sprouts and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Pour the Brussels sprouts onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Be careful not to crowd them.

Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring once, about halfway through.

On busy workdays, I am a huge fan of quick and easy dinners. A sandwich like this totally fits the bill. Sure, you have to cook the turkey and pancetta, but it only takes minutes and then you are seated and eating. It doesn’t get much better in terms of time.

Now, honestly, Shawn isn’t that fond of sandwiches for dinner. But with the flavor combination here — and the fact that it really does fill you — he is willing to make an exception. The kids? They adore it.

The sandwich balances the creamy fontina cheese, salty pancetta and slightly sweet turkey … it’s an awesome combination. If you are like me and crave veggies, add a little lettuce and tomato to the pocket too. According to Shawn, the one thing that could make this better would be to serve it on a soft, freshly baked roll. I like the pita, personally.

Do you do sandwiches for dinner?

Turkey, Fontina and Pancetta Pita
serves 4

1 tbsp butter
1 lb turkey cutlets
Hungarian sweet paprika
Kosher salt
freshly ground better
1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta (available in the grocer’s deli)
2 round pitas, sliced in half
4 1-ounce slices of fontina cheese

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Rinse the turkey cutlets under cool water and then sprinkle liberally with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides. Place the cutlets in the skillet. Cook, flipping once, until completely cooked through (about 8-10 minutes total).

In a second large skillet, brown the pancetta slices on both sides until crisp (they will crisp more upon standing). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Now, build the sandwiches. Fill each pita with one turkey cutlet, 1/4 of the crisp pancetta and 1 1-ounce slice of fontina. Serve immediately.

Today is a special day. It’s Sarah’s Cucina Bella’s birthday!

It was four years ago today that I sat down at my computer, opened a Blogger account and started writing Cucina Bella. Back then, I didn’t think much about how long I would be writing this blog for. Perhaps it would be weeks, perhaps months–but I never imagined that it would be four virtually nonstop years. And now, I can’t imagine stopping.

That first day, I agonized. First, it was over what to name my space. I wanted to find just the right name, something that fit me and my style, my personality and my cooking. Finally, I decided on Cucina Bella … it sounded rustic, but trustworthy. And, since my kitchen was the first space in our house that we completed, it seemed perfect.

Then there was the matter of the first post. It was one of the most frightening writing experiences ever. I’ve always been a bit of a worrier, playing out thousands of scenarios in my head before anything even happens. This was so different. My thoughts were just on fire. What if I did it wrong? What if I made an error? What if it was just awful?? I wrote and rewrote, hesitating at every word. Was it enough? Was it right? Was I proud of it? But the worst was the actual hitting of the publish button. After years in the publishing industry, I was used to having layers of editors and paginators between me and the published word … but with blogging, there are no layers. There is just you. And to me, that was scary.

I didn’t even tell anyone I was blogging for at least a month … and then it was literally years before my family found out and started to read it. I think I really wanted to find my footing in this really uncertain world. And I did.

So much has changed since those first entries. My infant son, who was just a few months old, is now a four-year-old boy. I landed an amazing publishing job, had a daughter and decided to go back to freelancing. I’ve landed other fabulous jobs since then.

And on a grander scale, food blogging has changed a lot since 2005. Back then, there were far less food blogs out there. It was a smaller community, where many people knew each other. These days, there are just too many to know every food blogger. I am constantly discovering great new ones. Aren’t you?

Oh, four years. Thank you all for reading! I hope you keep coming back for many years to come.

After the jump, check out my recipe for Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Mash–perfect for any night of the week and totally kid-friendly.

Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Mash
serves 4

This acorn squash is sweet and rich. Best of all, it’s super easy. My son eats as much as he can get out of the shell — so that’s a testament to how kid-friendly this is. Serve it in the squash shell, and it looks pretty impressive too.

2 acorn squash
4 pats of butter, divided
4 tsp maple syrup, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside. Place the squash cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the squash over. Place 1 pat of butter and 1 tsp of maple syrup in each hollow. Return to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.

Remove the squash from the oven. Use a fork to scrape the flesh from the shell gently. Mash together with the liquid in the center. Serve inside the shell.

The sky turned a brilliant blue today … better than anything Crayola could imagine. And the temperatures were downright warm — along the lines of what we expect from early October, but certainly not November. It was just one of those gloriously beautiful Sundays.

A day like today should be spent outdoors, enjoying the weather and the land. So, the kids and I packed into the car and headed to Blue Jay Orchards in Bethel, Conn., for some apple picking. Honestly, I didn’t know that you could pick apples in November, but you can.

When we arrived, picking was in a different part of the orchard than I’ve picked in before. No matter, we paid for our bag and got to picking. There were only a handful of people there, so we had the place virtually to ourselves. I left go of Will and Paige’s hands and let them just walk around … free. They still stayed pretty closeby, but it was nice not to worry. Soon, Will and Paige both got down to business eating apples while I snapped braeburns, fuijis and granny smith’s off the branches.

I can’t say that picking conditions were perfect — this late in the season, there are many apples to discard do to inedible imperfections. But what was lost in efficiency was made up for in relaxation. I can’t say enough about the joys of picking in such peaceful solitude. I found similar enjoyment when we went blueberry picking at a new place this summer.

If you are in the area, you still have time to pick too. According to Blue Jay, picking will continue until mid-November, so there are at least a few more days to get out there and enjoy this requisite fall pastime … Gosh, I wish next weekend would be as nice as this one was.

Got chips?

It was mid-summer when I started dreaming up this cranberry concoction. While my family and I were contemplating whether the elevated temperatures really warranted turning on the air conditioner, I was also starting to fantasize about how I could take some traditional Thanksgiving tastes – like cranberry sauce – and give them a new life.

And this? This ain’t your grandmother’s cranberry sauce. Oh no, it’s totally different.

This Cranberry Salsa is made from ripe cranberries that I bought roadside on Cape Cod. It’s sweet and spicy, a perfect contrast to salty tortilla chips. It should also be amazing on a turkey sandwich … you know, the day after Thanksgiving. It’s something that you take one bite of and instantly want more. And perhaps the best part? It takes no time to make.

To make it hot, I used a habenero pepper, which gave it a hearty bite. If you like really hot, include the pepper seeds in the salsa. For a milder salsa, use a milder pepper like a jalapeno.

This might not be the sauce you thought you wanted for Thanksgiving. But it’s amazing — use it as an appetizer or alongside the turkey. The leftovers will be ideal for turkey and cheese quesadillas, nachos, alongside omelets …

But, that’s if you have any leftover to eat. It’s just so amazing.

For the recipe, head over to SheKnows where I wrote about three alternatives to cranberry sauce, including this one.

Until last week, I had never carved a pumpkin myself. There was this one time in high school where I insisted on having a carved pumpkin … but aside from a tiny knife jab or two, I didn’t do the actual carving. But on Halloween, I carved two pumpkins and my husband carved another two. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see them lined up and lit on our front steps … heck, I may or may not be still lighting them since I love them so.

Pumpkins are fun. They are also very tasty (and nutritious! Don’t forget nutritious!). Just look at all the pumpkin recipes I have written about lately. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Pumpkin Cupcakes, Pumpkin Coconut Muffins … yum.

But the flesh of the pumpkin isn’t the only wonderful, edible, tasty part … the seeds are also amazing — especially when they are roasted. Between the kids and I, we polished off a whole batch of these in just days. Honestly, a few pumpkins are on my farmers’ market list for this weekend. I am hoping to puree and freeze the flesh and roast more seeds.

Chances are, the seeds won’t last long.

As far as snacks go, this is one that I can feel good about serving to the kids. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, they have a good amount of protein, iron and even anti-inflammatory benefits. For men, they may even help with prostate health.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
8 servings/2 cups

2 cups raw, whole pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds, removing as much of the pumpkin flesh debris as you can. Lay the seeds out on paper towel to get the excess water off. It’s okay if you don’t get it all.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the pumpkin seeds out and drizzle with butter. Use a spatula to mix well around the sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix again.

Bake for 40-55 minutes until the seeds are lightly browned. Stir every 5-10 minutes after 40 minutes for even browning.

Before it does though, I wanted to tell you about a great organization that brings a little something extra to the lives of people who are down on their luck. While it might not fill a clear-cut need, I think something that brings a smile to faces fills an absolute need of delivering a little happiness … a little feeling of being special … to people who really need it.

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Lydia Walshin of The Perfect Pantry at the BlogHer Boston conference. She is a food writer and founder of Drop In & Decorate, a Rhode Island-based, tax-exempt nonprofit organization. This organization provides support for cooking decorating events held around the country and abroad, with the cookies produced being donated. This year, the nonprofit has support from some major companies who are making it easier than ever to just drop in.

What’s it all about? Here’s the basics, direct from Lydia:

The idea behind Drop In & Decorate is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your worship group or book group to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community. It’s a simple idea in a complicated world, and  something anyone can do.

If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate® event, Pillsbury and Wilton would like to help. Pillsbury has donated 50 VIP coupons, worth $3.00 each, off any Pillsbury product — including sugar cookie mix, icing and flour — to be distributed, first come, first served, while supply lasts, to anyone who plans to host a Drop In & Decorate event (max. 5 coupons per person). And we’ll include a Comfort Grip cookie cutter, donated by Wilton, while our supply lasts.

Write to lydia AT ninecooks DOT com for more info on how to get your free coupons and cookie cutters.

It’s such a simple thing: to bake and decorate cookies. But it can mean so much. If you are looking for something charitable to do as a family, group or school this holiday season, check into Drop In & Decorate.

But this year is different. This year I vowed to be the mom who does. And so far, I am doing pretty well at it.

Sure, I might have packed these treat bags up while the kids ate lunch a mere 30 minutes before school today. But I still did it. And I was really happy with the results. Inside are some simple kid toys.

Most of all though, I loved the treat bags themselves. As I’ve mentioned, I adore Halloween … haunted houses, scary movies, the macabre. I love it all. So the creepy house on these cellophane bags? I just couldn’t resist. Total love.

So, tomorrow, Will will dress up as an adorable pirate and Paige as a pretty princess. Me? I’m going as a snazzy wicked witch. I cannot wait …

Do you dress up for Halloween? What will you (and your kids!) be this year?

“Mommy, what’s this?” Will asked me when he sat down to dinner and saw two spooky ghosts on his plate. I could see him thinking hard as he studied the white apparitions.  “Are they ghosts?”

Yes, indeed, they were ghosts.

I fashioned these ghosts from mozzerella cheese sliced from a block and slices kalamata olives. When I originally made these, I fastened the eyes with a dab of cream cheese, but I skipped that step this time. It’s nice to have everything stuck together, but it isn’t always necessary.

What I love most about these adorable ghosts? The flavors. Salty, brined olives are a fantastic contrast to the smooth, creamy cheese.  Cute is great, but cute and tasty is even better. Seriously. Will must have thought so too, because he gobbled them right up.

I love Halloween.

Check out the directions for this and another freakish (and yummy!) Halloween treat on my latest post at the Mott’s More to the Core blog.