Tag: Foodie Girl

Permission to eat dessert first?

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

My mom makes the BEST PIE CRUST known to man or woman.  And usually while spending the summers in Michigan, she makes several to leave behind in my freezer.  But time got away from us and it didn’t happen this year.  While I’ve made them successfully, using her recipe, it’s been 30+ years since the rolling pin and I have made contact.  With all the other from-scratch cooking this week coupled with my fear of failure for an epic meal such as Thanksgiving, I sought out several yummy new non-pie recipes.

Spence will tell anyone (whether they ask or not) that he doesn’t eat sweets.  And to a degree, that was true for many years – pecan pie was his birthday “cake” or Haagen Daz Rum Raisin Ice Cream were his sweet go-tos.  But slowly, over our 24 years together, he’s been seduced by my tiramisu, Kahlua cake, apple crisp etc. and I notice he’s discovered his sweet tooth.

Through the resources of Pinterest, I went searching for some holiday-ish sounding desserts and found Pumpkin Pie Bars and Gooey Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.

They’ve just left the oven, the house smells insanely good and I haven’t had breakfast – just tea.  Since it’s just us and dinner is hours away, would it be wrong to try one of each bars?  Right? I knew it – everyone agrees, I can feel your support.   Thank you! And Happy Thanksgiving.

Both of these recipes can be found on my Pinterest Board called Desserts and Sweets!

Apple Crisp

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Serves 4-6
For the topping:
1 stick very soft butter
1 c flour
1 c light brown sugar
1 t salt
For the base:
7-8 c sliced or chopped apples – recommend 2 types, I like McIntosh and Empire
1/4 c cinnamon
1/4 c sugar
2 T butter
Combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the dry ingredients into the butter for the topping, until well mixed and crumbly. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. In a deep souffle dish (or casserole) you will be layering the apples – a cup or two of apples, followed by sprinkling a tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat – more apples, more cinnamon sugar. Use all the cinnamon sugar. This will seem like a lot of apples but as it cooks down, the volume will drop by half. Put the topping over the apple mixture, covering completely, pressing down if necessary. Take the two tablespoons of butter and cut into several pieces – place on top of the topping.

Before baking (and this is a full size souffle dish even though it looks like an individual crock)
Before baking (and this is a full size souffle dish -even though it looks like an individual crock)

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until browned and crisp. Cool for one hour and serve.

After baking
After baking

Note from Chef Laura: I make this all the time from memory. I posted a picture on my blog titled Oh Yum. I was immediately asked for the recipe. So today, I made myself write down what I was doing while doing it and voila! A recipe. That said, use more apples if you wish, I recommend good cooking apples. And if I’m honest, I may have downplayed the cinnamon. I grew up with a mom who doubled the cinnamon in every recipe she ever prepared and you could safely do that here. It’s great alone or served warm with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream.

Most Delicious Ever Carrot Cake

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

I’ve taken my favorite go-to carrot cake recipe and modified it after our trip to Sedona.  At a little gem in Oak Creek Canyon called the Indian Gardens Oak Creek Market we had arguably the most decadent, scrumptious carrot cake muffins in a courtyard garden where you could enjoy a cup of soup, sandwich, glass of wine or bottle of beer with a treat from their bakery.  It was so amazing in fact that after our accidental discovery we purposely went there as we left Sedona.  This time I noted every nuance that made them so delicious.  This is something I frequently do; my journey through life is fueled by my passion for food.  And I’m darn successful at identifying, then re-creating the food that inspired me.  So, now I’m sharing my recipe with you.  Enjoy!

1 1/2 c canola oil
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs, well-beaten
3 c grated carrots
1/2 c diced pineapple
1/2 c coconut
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
2 t allspice
1 c walnuts – toasted (this is important)
1 t vanilla extract

Cream together oil and sugar.  Fold in eggs, followed by carrots, pineapple and coconut.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Blend dry mixture into carrot mixture, blending well.  Once blended, add the nuts and vanilla.   Grease and sugar two 8 x 8 pans.   Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Cool before frosting.

FROSTING

1/2 c melted butter
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 c sifted powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Whip butter and cream cheese with sugar.  Add vanilla, mix well at high speed until smooth.  Spread on cake. Top with 1/2 c coarse chopped, toasted walnuts.

Serves 24 (or less if you cut big pieces). Chef Laura’s note: I use two 8×8 pans since the uncut cake stays moister longer.  You could do cupcakes, bake in two loaf pans or a 10×14 pan, just tweak the time baked.  Also, you can use pecans if you prefer them to walnuts, just toast them first, trust me!

Most Delicious Ever Carrot Cake
Most Delicious Ever Carrot Cake

Ode to a Sandwich

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Ode to a Sandwich

So you know how you have food memories so profound, just revisiting them in your mind makes you salivate?  This happens to me – a lot. Last night after we hit Spence’s home town of Buffalo New York, there was no question – I’d be having a Roast Beef on Weck sandwich.  I know of nowhere else in the world to get it. The secret is two-fold – the fresh Kummelweck Roll, topped with salt and caraway seeds, then piled high with lean, thinly sliced beef (my choice – very rare). Adding only horseradish to the sandwich, I devoured it before realizing that I didn’t take one split-second to photograph it – and I’m real big on photographing food.  However, given my ravenous hunger, I’ve forgiven myself and thank Google for providing access to an image to share lest anyone think I’m making this up.

Roast Beef on Weck

Oh Yum!

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

My made-from-scratch Apple Crisp with delicious Empire and McIntosh Michigan Apples. Put the little cup of fresh herbs from my garden in the picture for added interest and then realized “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”.

A little nod to Simon and Garfunkel.

img_2515-e1414766514888

If you’d like to try my famous Apple Crisp recipe, click here:

https://spencesgirl.com/2014/11/21/apple-crisp/ ‎

Michigan Apples

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Michigan Apples

I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life.  And I LOVE MICHIGAN!!  I love the change in seasons and I find myself falling in love with this autumn of 2014.  The colors have been as stunning as I can remember.  Only in recent days have we begun to see leaves shredding down at an accelerated rate.  I’m just giving a shout out to Michigan Apples as I have just taken my third apple crisp (in a week’s time), out of my oven.  We grow (Michiganders being the “we”) superb apples here!  I’ve been making double the crumble topping and then baking off a fresh crock o’ apple crisp every couple of days.  My mom always said, “pie should be eaten in the first two days”.  Words to live by and the same applies to apple crisp in case this needs to be clarified.  So there’s my ode to Michigan Apples.