Green Spaces
We've had some frosty days, some very windy days, some snowy days, and some that combined all of those. The frosty days are my favorites, so pretty, they make everything sparkle. The trees look as though they were dipped in glitter, while the snow looks as though diamonds were scattered over the ground.
The days that combine snow with wind induce a frenzy of cooking and baking. Having the oven on helps heat the house, and with the baking, it smells heavenly. We're lucky to live in an age where we can turn on the radio or tv to mask the sound of the wind howling. My dad once remarked that pioneer women were extra tough to endure listening the the constant wind out here on the plains without losing their sanity.
In my efforts to retain my sanity, I did some more baking while listening to YouTube. I will save this apple crisp recipe for the next time we entertain a crowd (a rare event). The recipe is aptly named.
Giant Apple Crisp
• 10 C apples, peeled, cored, sliced
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 Tbl flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 C oats
• 2 C flour
• 2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 C cubed cold butter
Oven at 375. Combine the first 4 ingredients, mixing to coat all the apple slices. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all the rest of the dry ingredients then add in the butter. Mix by hand, working in the butter, until the mix is all pea-sized. Spread 3 C of the dry mix into a buttered 9x13" pan, pressing down until flattened evenly. Pour the apple mix on top, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining dry mix on top. Bake uncovered 35-45 minutes, or until the apples are cooked through and soft.
I did not peel the apples, having made that rustic apple/pear crisp recently, and found apples didn't need peeled for that. And I cut mine into chunks, rather than slicing, so I baked for the full 45 minutes, and maybe a even a bit longer. I cut the butter in using a pastry blender to begin with, but it was cubed into very small bits first. But you can use your hands if you wish.
This next recipe will get made fairly often, going into regular rotation with the chocolate chip and soft molasses (ginger) cookies Dennis favors. They were a big hit at our coffee time after church last week. I spread the frosting on thickly, using a knife, instead of piping, which would have been prettier and looked more like a cinnamon roll.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
• 1 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbl vanilla
• 3 C flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in vanilla. Add the rest to make a firm dough. Chill 30 minutes. Oven at 375. Use 1 Tbl dough per cookie, rolling in balls and flattening to 1/3-1/2" thick. Bake 7-9 minutes, until the bottoms are just slightly golden. Cool on a rack.
Frosting for cinnamon roll cookies
• 4 oz cream cheese, soft
• 1/2 C butter, soft
• 2 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 Tbl milk OR cream
• More cinnamon for sprinkling
Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and beat smooth. Add vanilla and milk as needed for the right consistency. Beat light and fluffy. Pipe onto cooled cookies in a spiral pattern, sprinkle with cinnamon. Store, covered, 3 days, or freeze on a cookie sheet before stacking.
I also made up a soup recipe early last week. I had a lot of the smaller tomatoes I'd harvested that were getting soft and overripe. I gathered them, along with a couple onions, and my last (small and turning orange) acorn squash. After washing the tomatoes, I cut out the stem end and put them in a 9x13" pan I'd sprayed with no-stick. The squash was cut in half (use a large butcher knife, get it started, then use a hammer to cut the squash, being extra careful you keep your other hand well away from the sharp point of the knife - voice of painful experience here), deseeded, and buttered in the cavity on and the cut edges. It went, cut side down, in the center of the tomatoes. Two onions were peeled and quartered, and added along with a large sliced carrot. I put a few sprigs of fresh rosemary on top, then drizzled it all with olive oil. I lightly salted and heavily peppered the whole mess, then roasted at 400 for about 40-45 minutes, stirring once. The tomatoes got a little charred. After it cooled enough, I scooped out the squash with a spoon, discarded the rosemary stems, and puréed it in two batches. I added some milk to part (freezing the rest in smaller containers for later) for a very delicious tomato soup.
I need to do this again to use up the rest of my tomatoes. I still have a few of the orange squash that resemble pumpkins but aren't, to use. Next month I'll be back to eating blah tomatoes from the grocers. And I'll have to purchase onions since my stash will be depleted. So I'm already dreaming of next summer and what I'll be growing in my garden.
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