French Toast with Cinnamon Apple

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 apple, cored and sliced
• cinnamon
• sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 slices of wheat bread

Directions:

1) Melt the butter.
2) Cook the apple over medium heat for a minute or two.








3) Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook until it is soft. Then remove.
4) Mix the eggs and the milk.
5) Dip the bread into the egg and milk mixture (both sides).
6) Add to the same pan that the apples were in and cook until crispy, then flip.
7) Cook until crispy on the other side.

Creamed Spinach

Not the prettyist thing I've ever made, but delicious because it's cheese and spinach. Be great for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1 bag of spinach, washed
• 1/4 stick of butter
• 2 TBSP flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tube of Kraft Parmesan cheese (or the equivalent)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a pot (not a pan).
2) Add the garlic, and let cook for about 30 seconds, before it browns.
3) Add the onion until it softens.






4) Add the spinach and put the cover on the pot for about 3 minutes.
5) Remove the contents of the pot and place into a strainer or colander.
6) Add the butter until it melts.





7) Add the flour to make a roux.









8) Add the spinach mixture so the roux covers it.









9) Add the milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Blueberry Muffins

Made using the blueberries from the Boston Organics box, and the flour cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP butter, melted
• 1 cup milk, room temp
• 1 cup creme fraiche, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups blueberries

Directions:
1) Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350F/175C.
2) Butter a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
3) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolk until thoroughly mixed.
5) Slowly whisk in sugar, butter, milk, creme fraiche and vanilla until combined.
6) Pour the butter-sguar mixture into the flour mixture and fold gently until just combined.
7) Fold in blueberries, it will be lumpy.
8) Spoon the batter into muffin tin until it is almost over flowing.
9) Bake for 30-40 minutes until browning beings on the top (unless you are using a mini muffin pan, then keep an eye on them, it is about 20 minutes though).
10) Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.

Grilled Cheese with Tomatoes and Garlic Mushroom Kale

 I wanted to try kale again, since I didn't get much of it in the Spanish Tortilla with Kale and had never had it at another time. I also saw grilled cheese with tomato in a store earlier so I made that as well to go with it.

Ingredients:

• Grilled Cheese
• butter
• 2 pieces of bread
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar jack
• 2 slices of tomato
• Garlic Mushroom Kale
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 cup kale, stems removed and chopped

Directions:

1) Place a pan on medium heat and add some butter.
2) Assemble the grilled cheese and place it in the pan.
3) Heat the oil in another pan and add the garlic.
4) Once it starts simmering, add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
5) Turn over the grilled cheese.





6) Add the kale to the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, or until wilted.
7) Both should be done.

Orange Cheesecake with Candied Orange

Oranges came in the box from Boston Organics and cheesecake was requested for me to make. Recipe for the cake was taken from here, with the rum suggestion used, and the recipe for the candied oranges was taken from here.

Ingredients:

• Crust:
• 2 cups graham crackers (1/2 box)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 TBSP butter, melted
• Cake:
• 24 oz cream cheese (don't use reduced fat or low fat...it's cake), room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• juice from 1/2 an orange
• 3 TBSP orange zest (I got enough from the same 1/2 I was going to juice)
• 1 TBSP vanilla
• 3 TBSP white rum (I used Bacardi)
• Topping
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 oranges cut into thin slices

 Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 325F/160C
2) Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely crushed.
3) Add sugar and melted butter and mix until combined.






4) Pat into the bottom of pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.
5) Let cool.
6) Lower the oven to 300F/150C







7) Beat cream cheese, flour and sugar until smooth.
8) Add eggs, vanilla, orange juice, orange zest and rum and mix until combined.







9) Pour into the crust and bake for 80 minutes or until the middle is set. Keep an eye on it due to the rum.







10) Let sit for 30 minutes.
11) Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan (either take off the spring form part or slide a knife around the sides).
12) Let sit for another 30 minutes.





13) Combine the water and sugar in a pot or pan with large sides and bring to a boil.








14) Add the oranges and let boil for 5 minutes on each side.




 



15) Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, turning over again if necessary.







16) Remove from heat and let cool on wax/parchment paper
17) Add the candied orange slices to the cheesecake and place in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

 

 my crust did not hold up too well, so I put some on top of the cheesecake which was great!

 This is the texture you want in a cheesecake

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder

 In the final use of the Boston Organics box this week, I used up the corn and some of the onion. The recipe was taken from here (a Boston Organics recipe!) and changed a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red potatoes, chopped
• 1 TBSP salt
• 3 TBSP butter, softened
• 4 ears corn, shucked
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• dash of ground red pepper
• 3 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 TBSP thyme
• 1/2 TBSP black pepper

Directions:

1) Place potatoes and 2 tsp salt in a saucepan and cover the potatoes with water.
2) Bring to a boil.
3) Cook for 2 minutes.
4) Remove from heat and let sit in the water for 5 minutes.
5) Preheat a grill pan to medium and put cooking spray on it.
6) Drain the water out.
7) Melt 1 TBSP butter and spread it over the corn.

8) Place corn and potatoes on the grill pan.











9) Grill for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
10) Cool the corn a bit, then cut the kernels from the cobs.











11) Place 1 cup of the kernels in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth (it won't get too smooth, at least it didn't for me...).
12) Melt remaining 2 TBSP butter in a saucepan.






13) Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. I used a spatula to stir, so I could scrap the sides.







14) Add 1 tsp salt and red pepper to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.









15) Stir in potatoes, corn kernels, pureed corn, milk, half and half, and thyme and bring to a simmer.







16) Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
17) Add black pepper.