Apple Fritters

This morning I walked outside in the backyard and picked a big basket of apples to make apple fritters...OK I'm kidding.  There is no apple tree in the backyard and these apples came from the grocery store...but no matter where your apples come from they all make great fritters and  apple fritters are one of my favorite desserts.  They are pretty simple to make and everything tastes great when it is deep fried.

 

First whisk together the dry ingredients...flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and CINNAMON!!!

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold in the diced apples.  Be sure your apples are diced pretty small, you don't want big chunks of half cooked apples in your fritters.

Heat the oil to somewhere between 350 and 375 degrees.  Any cooler and your fritters will be greasy and any hotter and your fritters will be raw in the center.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Then roll in cinnamon sugar.  Serve them while they are warm.

Apple Fritters

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tbs melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 granny smith apples, diced

vegetable oil, for frying

cinnamon sugar, recipe follows

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl add the eggs and beat them with a whisk.  Then add the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.  Whisk until combined.  Then add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.  Then fold in the diced apples.  Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to around 350-375 degrees in a heavy bottomed pot.  Drop batter by the teaspoon into the hot oil.  Be sure to flip the fritters so they brown on both sides.  Fry until golden brown, about 2 & 1/2 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Then roll in cinnamon sugar.

For the cinnamon sugar:

Mix together 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.

These are best served warm.

Green Chile Chicken Pasta

Just the other day I was reading about how every blogger needs a fairy blogmother.  You know...another blogger who has always got your back, who believes in you and promotes you. Someone who always offers support and encouragement, and when you feel like calling it quits somehow they make you start believing in yourself again.  I feel very lucky because I have a few fairy blogmothers and even a couple fairy blogfathers.  One of my fairy blogmothers is Linda Burdgett and this is one of Linda's recipes from My Kind of Cooking.  I did make a few modifications only to use up some leftover grilled chicken and avoid a trip to the grocery store. 

When I grill chicken I always grill a few extra pieces to use in recipes like this.  Of course if you don't have any cooked chicken, nearly every grocery store sells cooked rotisserie chickens in the deli.  This would also be a great recipe to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

I don't think there is anything not to love about this recipe.  Pasta, Alfredo, and cheese...Who doesn't love that!  If your not really into spicy food don't worry, the green chiles are very mild.  They just add chile flavor with no heat.

Green Chile Chicken Pasta

adapted from My Kind of Cooking

 

1 lb rotini pasta

2 16 oz jars alfredo sauce

4 grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

2 4.5 oz cans green chiles

2 cups grated monterey jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the pasta about 1 minute less than the package directs.  Drain the pasta.  Then stir in the alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, and green chiles.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden browned.

This a great easy dinner to make for your family.

Linda thanks for this great recipe and all the things you do for me.

So how do you find your own fairy blogmother?...I'm not really sure I think they just find you.

You might also be interested in Baked Angel Hair Pasta with Itaian Sausage and Rosemary Alfredo and Grilled Chicken with Chopped Greek Salad.

Roasted Zucchini Soup - The Silvertron Cafe's Recipe

All the time I see recipes on other blogs that I want to try out and I bookmark them, but it seems like I never get around to trying them.  So over the next few weeks I'm gonna go back and try out some of those recipes.  This recipe comes from The Silvertron Cafe a popular Birmingham restaurant.  I found this recipe over at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking.  While this recipe is seasoned with curry powder.  The soup is sort of like a blank canvas, I think you could substitute any seasoning you wanted and the soup would still taste great.

Slice all the veggies.

Toss the the veggies with oil.  I used olive oil.  It is just my personal preference.  Just be sure not to crowd the the veggies on on the baking pan.  I had to use two pans.

Roasted veggies...Yum...and that sad worn out pot holder, it's homemade so it can't be thrown away.

Puree the roasted veggies.  Looks gross, like baby food.

 

Then in a pot on the stove add the puree, stock, cream.

I think I might have gotten carried away with all the pictures.

The Silvertron Cafe's Roasted Zucchini Soup

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 lbs zucchini, trimmed and sliced

3 & 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp curry powder

salt & pepper

Toss the sliced onion and zucchini with oil.  Then lay the vegetables in a single layer or a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a 400 degree until the vegetables are golden brown.  Puree the the roasted vegetables.  In a pot over a medium heat add the chicken stock and roasted vegetable puree.  Bring to a boil.  Then add the  cream and curry powder.  Lower the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve with tortilla chips.

This soup is perfect for these cool nights we have been having.

Indian Spiced Cranberry Chutney

My mother is what you might call a Thanksgiving traditionalist.  Every Thanksgiving she cooks a big spread of turkey, dressing and all the trimmings.  This year I'm trying to get her to mix it up a little and try some new things.  So Mom what do you think of an Indian themed Thanksgiving dinner this year?  This chutney goes great with papadums, tandoori chicken, or maybe even your Thanksgiving turkey.

Indian Spiced Cranberry Chutney

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 2inch cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 tbs chopped ginger root
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 serrano chiles, chopped
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup brown sugar

In a large sauce pan over a medium flame heat the vegetable oil.  Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick,  and cloves.  Allow them to sizzle until they become fragrant, around 10 to 15 seconds.  Then add the ginger, garlic, and serrano chiles and saute for about 3 minutes.  Then add the cranberries.  Cook until the cranberries start to bust open.  Then add the brown sugar and continue to cook until the sugar is dissolved.

Want more Indian recipes...Try Madras Chicken, Kheema Pav, or Chilli Pakoras.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

It must be written somewhere in the food bloggers handbook that everyone must blog about Neiman Marcus Cookies.  I think have seen this recipe on nearly every blog I read, but I have never tried this recipe.  So now it's my turn.  I will not bore you with the folklore, only the recipe.  This recipe comes from Neiman Marcus' website.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tbs granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 & 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  In the bowl of a mixer cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.  In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.  Then stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by the heaping tablespoon onto a cookie sheet three inches apart.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges are browned.

I would tell you that these were the best chocolate chip cookies, but I say that about every batch I make.  What can I say, I like them all.

You might also be interested in Alabama Cookies.