Rice Porridge with Apples and Raisins

As I write this, it is currently -4°F outside, and the forecast says it's only going to get colder as the night moves into early morning. Even in the house there's a bit of a chill, so as I write I've also got a nice pot of rice porridge cooking on the stove (which should be done just in time for a picture). In this kind of weather, I love a nice warm snack before bed, and the leftovers will make a good addition to breakfast in the morning.

Rice Porridge with Apples and Raisins

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 3" cinnamon stick (alternatively, about a teaspoon ground cinnamon)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced into bite size pieces
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Lightly rinse the rice under running water. In a large saucepan, bring the rice, water, butter, and cinnamon to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer about fifteen minutes - or until the water has been absorbed.

Add the milk to the rice. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, but not fully boiling, while stirring often. As soon as the rice and milk comes to a simmer, turn the heat to low and add in the brown sugar, diced apple, and raisins. Stir gently.

Cover and allow the rice to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the porridge, if you used one. Add in the vanilla, and stir gently.

The porridge can be served warm, or put in the refrigerator and later served cold. I like my porridge warm with either maple syrup, or just a bit of heavy cream and honey drizzled over the top. A spoon of jam or fruit preserves is also nice. Also wonderful with fresh raspberries on top, although for me those are a rare treat at this time of the year.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Molasses Crinkle Cookies  

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
white sugar


Mix the butter, oil, and brown sugar until creamy. Blend in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the baking soda, spices, and salt, blending well. Then slowly mix in the flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about a half an hour, to make it easier to handle. While the dough is chilling fill a shallow dish with some sugar. I used a chunky sugar for the cookies shown above, but regular baking sugar will work as well.

Preheat the over to 350F. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball, and roll that in the sugar until coated. Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet, giving about 2" or so between cookies. Bake for about 12 minutes - the centers of the cookies will still look slightly undercooked, but they'll set up when cooling. This will make for soft, chewy cookies.

Swedish Meatballs

This is a recipe I usually prefer to make in the late winter months, but it's good any time the weather is cooler. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures when I made these yesterday, but I figured I'd share the recipe now, while it's on my mind.

Meatball Ingredients:
2 slices of white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom

Remove the crust from the bread, break it into small chunks, and put it in a large bowl with the milk. Set it aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the butter until melted. On low heat saute the minced garlic just for a few minutes to cook it through a bit. Remove from heat, and set aside. (If you like onion, you can finely chop a small onion and saute that until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.)

By now the bread should have totally absorbed the milk. If not, toss it a bit and let it set for a few more minutes. Once all the milk is absorbed, mash it very well with a fork. Add the garlic, and all other ingredients to the bowl - the egg, egg yolk, beef and pork, and all the spices. Mix until everything is well combined.

Preheat your oven to 300F. Next, over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons butter, and 2 tablespoons oil in the large frying pan. When it's all melted and slightly bubbling, start dropping in meatballs. Use a tablespoon to scoop out some of the meat mixture, roll it into a ball, and place it into the pan. Roll another, place. Don't overcrowd the pan. By the time you've put the last meatball into the pan, the first ones will be ready to flip over. On your first batch keep an eye out to get a feel for the cooking time, you may need to flip sooner. You don't need to cook them all the way through at this point, only brown them.

When the meatballs are browned, place them onto a sheet pan lined with tin foil. Then, start the next batch of meatballs browning. (I had to do three batches.) Once all the meatballs are browned and on the sheet pan, put them into the oven.

You can start to make your gravy while the meatballs are in the oven, but keep an eye on them! You want them to just cook all the way through, which may take more or less time depending on how you browned them. Check them every so often.

For the gravy you'll need:
1/3 cup flour
2 cups of beef stock
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup sour cream
A couple tablespoons of Lingonberry jam. (Don't have that? Substitute raspberry, cranberry or currant jam.)

Heat the stock and broth in a pot, keep it hot over low heat.

Taste the butter in the pan you used to fry the meatballs. If it tastes burnt, discard it and melt 4 tablespoons of new butter. If it tastes fine, use that. Heat it over medium heat until hot. Slowly stir in the flour. Stirring often, let this mixture cook until it's browned a bit - the color will look a bit like coffee with cream, or a creamy hot chocolate.

Mix in the hot stock and broth mixture, a little at a time. The flour mixture will clump up a bit, but that's okay. Keep stirring in the liquid until you've added it all. When it's all mixed in well, it should be a smooth sauce. Let this come to a simmer, lower the heat, and allow the liquid to cook down. You want it to reduce by about half, and become a bit thicker.

When the gravy has reduced and thickened, add in the sour cream, and the jam. I did 4 or 5 tablespoons, but do it to your tastes. Now's the time to add in a bit of salt or pepper, if you feel the gravy needs it. I find that the stock/broth usually has enough salt, but it's up to you of course.

By now the meatballs should have finished cooking. Add those into the gravy, on low heat, and allow everything to heat together for 5 to 10 minutes. Just helps bring everything together. You can serve them as they are, and they make a great appetizer this way. Last night my family ate the meatballs and gravy over some toast, while I personally prefer them over mashed potatoes or even rice. They also make a nice dinner with a vegetable side, such as peas or broccoli. Fresh cranberry sauce, or chunky apples with cinnamon are also nice sides for this meal.

Cute Halloween Cookies

I baked up a bunch of cookies for a Halloween party today. First were some little cookies shaped like candy corn. Here's a link to that recipe. They were easy to make, and people really liked them. Rather than using candy melts, I just used white chocolate with a bit of yellow food coloring. Just a tip, if you want to use white chocolate, be sure to get a bar of chocolate, or white chocolate specifically for melting. Most white chocolate chips won't melt right, as they're meant to hold their shape when heated.

I also made Witches' Boom cookies. I decided on a smaller version, using mini pretzel rods and only about two teaspoons of dough per cookie.

Sweet Cornbread

A simple cornbread recipe, nice for celebrating Lammas, the first harvest.

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 400F. Grease a 9x9 baking pan, and set aside.

Mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the egg, milk, and oil, and mix just until everything comes together. Don't over mix. Pour into the baking pan, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cornbread is a nice golden brown. Instead of baking in a pan, you can also bake in a muffin tin.

This is a simple base recipe which can be played around with. You can try pouring half the batter into the pan, adding a layer of thinly sliced apples, then carefully pouring in the rest of the batter. Or for something more spicy, dice some jalapenos into the mix, or layer them on top of the bread before baking - a layer of cheese also goes nicely with that.

Spring Greens Salad with Honey Orange Dressing

Happy solstice! Summer is here, and it sure decided to come in strong - temperatures almost hitting 100F. Even so, I was able to find a somewhat shady spot on some slightly overgrown stone steps to enjoy a little Litha meal.

Since it's so hot I wanted to make something simple and light, focusing on some of the flavors of this time of year - honey and citrus. I'm especially fond of including citrus flavors, because it helps to link the longest day to the shortest day, another citrus heavy holiday.

Spring Greens Salad with Honey Orange Dressing
4 tbsp light olive oil
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Dried Basil
Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Whisk the orange juice, honey, vinegar, mustard and sesame seeds together until combined. Quickly whisk in the olive oil, and blend until well combined. Add in a good pinch of dried basil, and a pinch of dried nutmeg. A little of each will go a long way for this dressing. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss the dressing with mixed spring greens, or just spinach if you like. A few slices of orange on top are a nice addition.

Autumn Cornbread

I thought I'd squeeze in one more recipe with some classic fall flavors, before December and it's winter treats officially arrive!

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups cornmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup cooked pumpkin puree
2/3 cup milk (might need a little extra)
1 cup apple, peeled cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cornmeal, and spices, mix well. In a separate bowl combine butter, eggs, honey, pumpkin, apple, and milk and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add in the dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Don't over mix the batter. If your batter is too thick, mix in just a tbsp or two more milk. (Depends on the water content of your cooked pumpkin puree.) Gently fold in the nuts and cranberries. Pour into a square baking dish, and bake at 350F for around 40 minutes. Serve warm, great with butter and a bit more honey.

The cornbread can be made without nuts, without the cranberries (or with 1/4 cup extra cranberries if not using nuts), or without both depending on your tastes.

Warm Autumn Cider

This is a favorite recipe of mine that's wonderful for a cold late autumn night, and one that's very simple.

1 cup spiced apple cider
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup mead (ale also works well)

Combine everything in a saucepan, and warm it over medium heat until it's just heated through - don't let it come to a boil.

Indian Pudding

Indian Pudding is a sweet corn meal pudding that is baked at a low temperature for hours. It is a traditional dessert in New England.

2 cups milk
2 cups cream
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup OR dark molasses
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch ground clove
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
Optional: 1/2 cup dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries. 

Heat the milk and cream until almost boiling, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Slowly add in the corn meal, and bring to a boil while stirring briskly.Lower heat, and simmer, while stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat.

Add in all the other ingredients, except the eggs. Stir well.

Temper the eggs by whisking in a very small amount of the hot corn meal mixture, then a little more, and a little more until the eggs are hot - then mix the eggs into the corn meal mixture, stirring very well.

Pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake at 325F for around two hours. Allow to set for 30 minutes before serving. Indian pudding can be topped with sweet cream or whipped cream, maple syrup, or ice cream.

Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

6 medium sweet potatoes
3 large apples
3 tbsp butter
brown sugar
maple syrup
nutmeg
salt

Preheat your oven to 350F. As the oven is preheating, wash the sweet potatoes well and pierce each with a fork several times. Bake on a cookie sheet for about an hour, or until easily pierced with a fork. Set them aside to cool for a bit while preparing the apples.

Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Then peel the sweet potatoes, and cut them into 1/2" rounds. Grease a casserole dish and layer in half the sweet potatoes, half the apples, then the rest of the sweet potatoes, and finally the rest of the apples. Dice the butter into small cubes, and put them around the top layer of the apples.

Drizzle maple syrup over the top of the apples, as much or as little as you like. Sprinkle that with a bit of brown sugar, you probably won't need more than two or three tablespoons, but again as much as you like. Finally a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg over the top.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes (again at 350F). Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Let it cool just a bit, 5 or 10 minutes, then serve.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
12 oz cranberries
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Begin by washing and sorting through the cranberries, removing any bad berries.

Heat the sugars and orange juice in a saucepan until simmering, making sure they're well mixed. Add in the cranberries and zest, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat, and mix in the nutmeg.

Don't over cook the sauce, as that will make it too bitter. You can mash the sauce a bit with a potato masher when it comes off the heat, or leave it as it is - totally depends on what texture you like. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken up as it cools. It can be served as soon as it comes down to room temperature and thickens a bit, or after cooling it can be stored in the refrigerator to chill it before serving.

Spiced Apple Fritters

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of finely diced apples

Sift together the dry ingredients, then blend in the vanilla, milk and egg. Fold in the apples. Drop batter by the spoonful into a half inch hot oil. Fry for about one minute on each side.

The fritters can be topped a number of ways. They can come right out of the oil and be put into a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. They can drain on paper towels a bit and be dipped into powdered sugar while still warm. They can be coated with a glaze made of powdered sugar, and enough milk or apple cider to make a light frosting. Or they can be served with maple syrup. 

Pumpkin and Apple Butter Pie

Pumpkins and apples are both in season at this time of year, and this is a great recipe to use up a bit of that seasonal harvest. Not up to making your own pumpkin puree and apple butter? No problem, both are readily available at many grocery stores! Adding apple butter gives the familiar old pumpkin pie an interesting new twist.

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (about one 15oz can)
*1 cup apple butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup, yum!)
1 5oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp ground star anise
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)
Melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large mixing bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, apple butter, brown sugar and honey - mix well. Then add the two milks, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix until combined. Pour into a unbaked pie shell. Cover the crust with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes (the foil will help keep the crust from burning). Remove the tin foil, lightly brush the crusts with a bit of melted butter. Bake for about 20 more minutes.The pie is done when a knife inserted close to the center comes out clean. Serve with a bit of fresh whipped cream.

*A note on apple butter - depending on how spiced your recipe is, you may want to adjust the spice levels in the pie a bit. If you don't add much spice to the apple butter, add another 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. If your apple butter (or pumpkin puree) is a bit on the watery side, cut back on the whole milk.

Pineapple Habanero Glaze

Summer will be here in just a few days, and it's a perfect time to enjoy sweet tropical fruits with a hot spicy kick!

1 small Habanero pepper, finely diced with seeds discarded (unless you like super fire mouth.)
butter
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup finely diced mango
dash salt and black pepper


In a small saucepan saute the Habanero in just a bit of butter until it's softened. Add in all the liquids, as well as the honey. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the glaze has thickened a bit. Add in the fruits, salt, and pepper. Heat through.

This will yield about a 1/2 cup of glaze. It's delicious on chicken, salmon, or pork. Add the glaze when the meat has about 5 minutes left to cook, so it doesn't burn. Or just use as a sauce on top of the meat after it's cooked.

Feel free to adjust the heat level as needed. A whole pepper may be too spicy for some, and not spicy enough for others.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

June's just begun, but already rhubarb is coming up in the garden, and fresh strawberries are being sold in local markets. It's time to bring out an old favorite...

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
1 9" unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, (peeled if you like) cut up into bite sized chunks
3 cups fresh strawberries, cut into slightly bigger pieces
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp almond extract

Crumble Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup cold butter

Because both strawberries and rhubarb give off a lot of water, I toss them with two tablespoons of sugar and let them sit for about 15 minutes. Drain the liquid that comes out. This helps the pie from being too watery.

Mix the egg, sugar, corn starch, and almond extract. Toss the strawberry and rhubarb with this mixture. Spoon the strawberries and rhubarb into the pie shell, being careful not to include too much extra liquid.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, and oats in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly, and sprinkle it over the pie. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, and the filling bubbling.

Now the hard part - allow the pie to cool completely before cutting. Great alone, or served with ice cream, whipped cream, or a little drizzle of warm maple syrup.