Pork loin was purchased a few days ago with the lazy intent of throwing it into a crockpot with some low sugar BBQ sauce for an all day simmer. I decided I wanted to roast it tonight instead. First stop, of course, was RecipeZaar where I did a search for pork loin recipes. Organized the results by rating and snagged the top rated recipe. This process is rarely a let down if you’re in need of ideas. http://www.recipezaar.com/Honey-Roasted-Pork-Loin-29493

I tweaked it a little.  Mine looked like this:

Ingredients
2.25 lbs pork loin, boneless
salt and pepper
1/4 cup sugar free breakfast syrup
2 tablespoons Simply Orange w/ Pineapple
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

I was even lazier with the directions…

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Set the pork loin in a roasting pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the syrup, juice, oil and thyme. Drizzle over pork.
• Add the broth to the pan.
• Bake 60-75 min. (Recommend internal temp of 150 to be safe.)
• Baste frequently. The more you baste, the better. I basted two or three times, and it was good ’nuff, but I think it could have been better had I been a little less lazy.
• I didn’t bother to reduce the sauce down. A thinner consistency went a longer way at probably less calories. The leftovers are also marinading in it.We didn’t have any fresh produce to speak of (ok maybe an onion, but did I mention I was trying to be lazy lol) so I cheated with some canned goods. I brought 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth to a simmer, quickly stirred in 1 cup of dry Couscous, removed from heat and let that sit for 5 min or so. Then, I stirred in some chopped tomatoes from a can. It was one of those “made for chili” varieties that sported a few green chilies and a little kick.
• I layered the pork over the Couscous mixture, drizzled some pork baste over the whole thing, and served it just like that. If I use the leftover couscous mix for anything other than to serve with the pork leftovers, I’ll probably add a tsp of olive oil to moisten it up a bit.

It has been a wonderful weekend.

My small plate.

My husband's plate.

Tomato Laden Couscous!

Very tasty for not much work!

Feel free to question me about the extent of my experience with particular sites, recipes, products, etc.

A note about recipes: I love to take traditional recipes and lighten them up or at least make them sugar free. Do not assume that I make a recipe AS IS nor that it is safe for you to do so. Be wise and wary, as always!

If you see a site that is owned by you or contributed by you and you would like some sort of credit or plug, by all means let me know. If you see unacceptable content I somehow overlooked, please let me know that too!

Enjoy!

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Ingredients
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
tons of fresh ground pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
2/3 cups milk
about 2 cups of cooked turkey
about 2 cups of veggies* (see notes)
2 unroll & bake pie crusts

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line pie plate with one of the crusts.
• Heat butter over low heat until melted.
• Blend in flour, onion, salt and pepper.
• Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth and bubbling.
• Stir in broth and milk.
• Stirring constantly, heat to boiling and boil for one minute.
• Lower heat and stir in turkey and vegetables.
• Pour filling into lined pie plate.
• Top plate with second crust. Cut slits in top crust to allow venting. Press together the edges of top and bottom pie crust to seal.
• Put tin foil around just the edges of the pie so edges don’t burn during cooking.
• Bake in oven for about 35 minutes until crust is brown. Remove tin foil 5 or 10 minutes before pie is done.

How can we healthify this pie?  Well, to be clear, this decadent pie is a starchy comfort food.  I don’t think there is a way to eat it without guilt… other than to call it a holiday treat and don’t make another until next year!  There are some things you can do to make it a little less damaging… I always use Morton Lite Salt in place of regular table salt.  I did cook my vegetables in margarine, and I used low fat milk.  You can also opt for vegetables that are much lower in carbs and starch than the ones I picked.  I used Swanson chicken stock which actually had less sodium than their reduced sodium broth.  I reckon you could forget the bottom crust, put the filling right into the pie pan, then top it… making it a one-crust pie.  You can probably google low fat pot pie, or something similar, to find an all-around better recipe.  I desired to give my husband a full-on decadent real pot pie, for a change.  I’ve been picking from the middle, myself.  Still a lot starchier than what I normally eat, but avoiding the crust is an option to which I’m adhering.

Moving on…

The crust.  Lining a pie plate doesn’t come easy to some people, but don’t worry.  Just rip dough from here and patch it up there, as needed, until you have an evenly covered plate.  No one is going to see or care about the bottom.  Full coverage is all that matters!

Nobody knew the bottom looked silly!

The meat.  Of course, you can use chicken or just about any other meat with this recipe… but for our purposes, we’re using leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  Make sure whatever you use is fully cooked or just shy of done.  The overall 35 minute cooking time of the pie will not sufficiently cook raw meat.

The vegetables.  You have several options for vegetables here. I had some fresh shredded carrots and 3 or 4 baby red potatoes in the veggie drawer. Before I started cooking the pie filling base, I sauteed them in a little margarine… with lots of fresh ground pepper… then set them aside.  (We love fresh ground pepper!)

Red potatoes, carrots, and lots of fresh ground pepper!

If you don’t have fresh ones, you can use cooked leftovers or even a bag of frozen veggies.  Simply toss them in when the recipe calls for the meat and veggies.  Anything will work… peas, corn, peppers…  Whatever sounds good to you, toss them in!

Bubbly base!

In goes the filling. Time to add the top crust!

I tried to cut out a heart-shaped vent, but it wound up looking like someone dug a hole out of my pie with their fist. Bummer. So, I repaired it with a little leftover dough. Not the prettiest thing, but it is the best tasting pot pie we’ve ever had in this house. This just goes to show that even if you don’t have the skills of Martha Stewart when it comes to presentation, WHO GIVES A #$%* ??? Get in there, and cook anyway!

Six little vents and a last minute repair!

I got the base recipe from this Chicken Pot Pie recipe at RecipeZaar.

If you need more ideas for what to do with all those leftovers, check out Turkey Day, Take Two on RecipeZaar.

Often overlooked, yet wonderful cranberries!

Ingredients
12 ounces (one standard bag) unsweetened fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup Splenda
1 packet Crystal Light Orange Sunrise powder
1 packet sugar free strawberry jello powder (.3 oz)

• Rinse cranberries.  Place cranberries in 2-quart saucepan with 1 cup water.
• Stir in Splenda, drink mix, and jello powder.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Turn heat to medium-low and simmer, smashing and stirring every few minutes until cranberries have all popped and sauce has thickened.
• Serve warm, or place into covered container and refrigerate.

When I went into the kitchen to clean up for the night, I basically dumped all the ingredients into a pan and monitored them as I filled up the dishwasher and wiped down the counters.  I turned the stove off just shy of the desired thickness and stirred once in awhile as it cooled down right on the burner.   That’s how quick and easy this is to make.  In fact, once I make it for Thanksgiving, I remember just how tasty it is and continue to make it weekly throughout the winter.  It is WONDERFUL stirred into greek yogurt or just eaten by itself as a snack.  You can certainly freeze some bags of cranberries to make this throughout the year.  I like to leave it as a seasonal treat.

Fall scented simmer!

You can play with this recipe a bit.  The original recipe calls for raspberry gelatin, but I already had strawberry on hand.  It turned out great.  I am trying out peach on a friend a bit later.  Can’t wait to see how that comes out!  You can also swap out Crystal Light flavors.  The original recipe calls for orange.  I had Orange Sunrise on hand, so in it went.  Yes, I “went rogue” by swapping out Orange for Orange “Sunrise”.   By the way…  one of the new style long Orange Sunrise packets, intended for a 2 quart pitcher of Crystal Light, comes out to exactly 1 tablespoon.

Suzy’s recipe calls for cinnamon.  A pinch of cinnamon is a fantastic addition.  Be sure you don’t overdo it.  A pinch will do.  Not everyone in my house likes cinnamon, so I leave it out most of the time.  Suzy’s recipe also says you can make this in a crock pot.  How I overlooked that, I have no idea.  What a wonderful recipe to have simmering on the counter all day.  I just love recipes that double as holiday potpourri.  You can bet I will try that soon.  I will probably need to double the ingredients to make it in my slow cooker effectively.

Also, I have never tried, but I am betting this cranberry sauce could make a wonderful top layer for some sort of cheesecake or cream cheese based pie.  It is so easy and has many many uses.  I recommend you try it at least once, even if you don’t care for traditional cranberry sauce.

Ready for Snackin'

There it is in all its saucy glory.  It’s still pretty warm there, but it continued to thicken in the refrigerator overnight.  I just had some, mixed into Fage Total, for my breakfast.

This recipe was given to me years ago by a good friend. Unfortunately, we’ve fallen out of touch. Still, I remember her each year when I make this. It’s become a Thanksgiving staple. Here is the recipe in its original form…

Ingredients
One 18 ounce can sweet potatoes, drained
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon margarine or unsalted butter
1/4-1/2 cup miniature marshmallow (not colored)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
One 8 3/4 ounce can peach slices

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In one bowl, stir ginger into brown sugar.
• Cut the butter up into tiny little squares on a separate plate.
• Drain and slice sweet potatoes into their own bowl.
• Drain and place peaches into yet another bowl.
• In a 1 quart casserole dish, layer half the potatoes, half the brown sugar mixture, and half the peaches.
• Repeat layering to use up remaining ingredients.
• Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven. Spoon liquid from bottom of dish over top of potatoes once or twice during cooking. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are glazed.

To start with, I usually double this recipe into a 2 quart dish and use an equivalent amount of fresh boiled sweet potatoes cut into chunks. I also use Splenda brown in lieu of regular brown sugar. This year, I might try Whey Low Gold. Typically, I can find a can of peaches with a Splenda base instead of heavy syrup. Fresh sliced peaches also work. I never use the marshmallow option. In spite of them still being in the list of ingredients… what to do with them has disappeared from my archives. I assume you would just throw the marshmallows on top during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Honestly, though, I think marshmallows would just wreck the unique and subtle peachy ginger taste.   This year, I also may try an earlier suggestion from NanaLinda to swap out a portion of sweet potatoes with butternut squash.

This recipe is not in my SparkRecipes database yet. It is in my RecipeZaar repertoire though. I just put in a request to have it made public. Check back later for the URL! I will also be creating my own Thanksgiving menu on there and will make that URL public. In the meantime, here are 220 other public Thanksgiving menus on RecipeZaar. Remember to sort by rating. THESE ARE FULL THANKSGIVING MENUS… not individual recipes. If you don’t already have a set of favorites, have a look through these. It may save you immeasurable amounts of time.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN COOK?!

The contest will be hosted by the Arundel Middle School PTA on Sunday, November 15 @ 12pm.

Click the pic for more info!

What will YOU be bringing??

Sweet Potato Puree. More orange stuff!

I purchased 5 medium to large sweet potatoes.  I scrubbed them clean under running water with a vegetable scrubber then dried them off with a paper towel and tossed them on a foil lined cookie sheet.  I did pull off some obvious strands, but I didn’t fool with cutting off the “woody” bits and all this.  I take care of that later.  Meanwhile, the oven was preheating to 350 degrees.  Once I had them all clean, into the oven they went.

Ready to be baked!

I let them bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes until I could slide a knife easily into the center.  While this was sufficient, I think next time I will bake them to that point + 15 more minutes.

Next, I took them out of the oven and moved them to a plate where they cooled down until I could comfortably maneuver them in my bare hands.  Then, one at a time, I cut a little bit off each end and sliced them in half vertically (the long way).

Isn't that just lovely?

What you do from here depends on the recipe in which you intend to use them. At this point, if you so desire, you could simply serve up a half to each guest for a perfectly sufficient side dish.  Cut a shallow criss-cross into each half, then pinch them up a bit like you would with a regular potato… or mash slightly in the jacket with a fork… and top with a little butter or margarine and some cinnamon & Splenda / Truvia / sweetener of your choice.

If you wish to use them in a casserole or souffle, go ahead and slide them out of their jackets.  When cooked sufficiently, the flesh should basically slide right out when you gently squeeze the skin.  From there, cut each half into 6 or so cubes and place into a medium to large bowl.  If you plan to use these in a basic casserole, just trim off any bits that look inedible as you’re cutting the cubes and you’re now good to go.

If you have a souffle in mind, or any recipe calling for mashed or pureed sweet potatoes, start mashing a bit with a big fork.  As you mash, inedible pieces will become apparent and can be picked out.  At this point you could add a little milk or butter, beat them with a hand mixer, and serve mashed sweet potatoes.  Nothing like a good slab of nut meal or panko crusted chicken served atop mashed & peppered sweet potatoes.   I plan to use these in a souffle, so I pressed on…

I started to process them a little at a time in a small food processor which didn’t work too well.  I don’t have a full size food processor which would probably work very well.  I put all my cubes in a regular blender, added just a couple tablespoons of water, and began to pulse and scrape.  This didn’t work too well, either.  In fact, I tried several settings to no avail.  I should have had faith, you see, for I finally said !%#$ it… set my crappy cheap blender to the timed “ice crush” setting… and went to check my email.  When I came back, I had near perfect puree.  I had been trying too hard!  I think it would have been perfect had I left them in the oven for that extra 15 minutes.  In any case, here is what I wound up with…

Just over 5.7 cups.

My souffle recipe only calls for 3 cups of sweet potato, so I will have about 2.7 cups to play with in something else.  Anyone got ideas??  The average sweet potato pie calls for about 2 cups, so I am thinking about toying with a reduced sugar pie recipe that would use a nut meal based crust.  I have hazelnut meal in the cabinet I think I could mash nicely into a crust with some butter and Splenda.  Another option might be sweet potato custard, but I think that might be pretty similar to the souffle.  The souffle recipe is probably more like custard than real souffle anyway.

I think I would estimate about 1 cup puree per average sized potato when buying them at the store.  I overestimated, though I have learned over time that this is much better than underestimating.  Duh.

So, you can prepare your own sweet potatoes in a number of ways.  One year I boiled them.  Just make sure you get them really tender before you slip the skin out of the jacket, and you’ll be ok.  It really is easy.  And now you will know what you are working with…  some fresh, clean sweet potatoes with no added sugar nor unfamiliar preservatives.  Splendid!

Stay tuned for the reduced sugar Sweet Potato Souffle!

PLENTY ! And in the Food for Thought series this week, I shall elaborate.  For today, the subject will be aromas.  We already know that aromas can influence our moods.  For instance, the smell of Lavender is known for having a calming effect.  In day spas and hotels, where relaxation is the order of the day, you will often find lavender candles and lavender scented products.

So, the other day I gathered up my coupons and went on a minor holiday preparation spree.  My first stop was The Yankee Candle Company.  I am a Yankee Candle snob.  I’m hard pressed to find candles that smell as good as a Yankee Candle.  (When determining whether a candle company  merits my hard earned dollars, I follow my mother’s rule… smell the vanilla candle first.)  Last year, I burned a lot of Autumn Wreath scented candles.  This year I stocked up on…

• Vanilla Pumpkin… burning right now and smells divine.
• Be Thankful… has all the fine scents of a productive holiday kitchen and is next to be sacrificed at the altar.
• Holiday Wreath… stashed for December and reminds me of a blue fir tree.
• Jack Frost… also stashed for December / January and smells like a candy cane.

Food for thought.... or not!

I have learned to appreciate the smell of food as much as the taste, as that was the only way to defeat Aunt Annie’s Pretzels on my way home from work every day.  (Dammit if those pretzel franchises don’t come equipped by default with a giant fan to waft the pretzel aroma the entire length of the train station.)  If you are easily tempted to eat by the smell of food, there are plenty of non-food scented candles to be had that smell equally as wonderful.  Being a member of their mailing list, I had a coupon which knocked down the cost substantially.  I also had the opportunity to purchase an additional large Macintosh Apple scented candle for just $5, which I gladly took them up on with the intention of giving it as a gift.  Guess I can’t really do that now, can I?  :)   Oh well.  I’m forced to burn it.  If you don’t want to sign up to the Yankee Candle mailing list, you can also buy them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond using their seemingly ever present coupons.

Now that we’ve covered candles, let’s move on to body scents.  If I had to choose, I’d give up everything to retain my scented soaps and creams when it comes to my beauty regimen (after eyeliner!)  I usually prefer Victoria’s Secret when it comes to these… Lord knows none of the clothes in there fit me right.  (I have concerns about any undergarment referred to as a “balconette” !!)  However, to slather myself with the traditional smells of the holiday season, I turn to Bath & Body Works.  Being a little short on cash, I opted to purchase disinfecting moisturizing hand soaps this time.  On sale, they didn’t cost much more than what I normally buy in Walmart…  and anyone who washes their hands in my house can now smell lovely and be moisturized & germ free.  (No, I don’t get paid to say that.  Wish I did!)   I picked Frosted Orange Spice for Autumn, and Vanilla Bean Noel and Festive Vanilla Fig for Winter.  (Are you sensing a theme here?  If only there were chocolate candles that actually smelled like chocolate..)

Finally, since money is tight these days and the holidays aren’t necessarily about spending money either, let’s talk about stuff you can do for free.  You can cut pieces from a pine tree and fashion your own homemade wreath or potpourri.  You can make a dainty little sachet with material from an old blouse, thread, cotton and the spices and oils in your cupboards.  You can make a fire in the fireplace.  You can put vanilla extract and water into a pan on the stove and let it simmer.  You can add spices to coffee or water or to just about anything you already drink every day.  Drop some cinnamon and orange rind into the coffee beans before you grind them.  (I have a whole post planned pertaining to wise warm winter beverages.  Stay tuned this week!)

In a nutshell… your home is truly your castle.  Whether you live alone or with a crew, you can go crazy and make whatever fantasy out of it that you wish… however you wish.  These things that smell so attractive also make the house look festive.   Not to mention, while you’re shopping or crafting… you’re not eating.

The pumpkin has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Touch of Autumn.

Ingredients
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar free maple maltitol based syrup
1/4 cup erythritol
1/2 cup Whey Low
2 Tbsp Splenda Brown
2/3 cup carrot juice
1 cup VERY finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

• In medium (non-reactive) bowl, whisk yolks and whole eggs until combined.
• Add erythritol, Whey Low, Splenda Brown, and maltitol syrup.  Once again, whisk until combined.
• Add carrot juice and a pinch of salt.  Whisk, whisk, whisk-a-go-go.
• Put mixture in (non-reactive) pan. Cut butter into 4 pieces, and add to pan. Cook over medium to low heat stirring CONSTANTLY with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens into a thin sauce-like consistency.

Combining eggs, carrots, juice, and a veritable cocktail of sweeteners.

The recipe says to stir constantly, and it means CONSTANTLY! There is a very fine line here between creating a sauce and creating sweet scrambled eggs with carrots… at least the way I did it.  Maybe the next few paragraphs will allow me to blame something besides my own ineptitude.

I had a lot of curiosity to satisfy by the time I was done with this recipe.  First of all, what in blazes is a curd?   Indeed, it’s a byproduct of cheesemaking, but according to Wikipedia…

“The word can also refer to a non-dairy substance of similar appearance or consistency, though in these cases a modifier or the word curdled is generally used (e.g., bean curds, lemon curd, or curdled eggs).”

Silly me.  I know what curdled eggs are.  Nevertheless, I pulled up one or two more definitions to satisfy my obsessive curiosity.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary says…

1 : to form curds; also : to congeal as if by forming curds [a scream curdled in her throat]

Ahhh… the plot thickens!  lolz.  See what I did there??  And I think curdled screaming is very Halloween appropriate, so we’ll leave that there.  Finally, dictionary.net says…

1. To change into curd; to cause to coagulate. “To curdle whites of eggs” –Boyle. [1913 Webster]
2. To congeal or thicken. [1913 Webster]

Ok, I’m more than satisfied.  Was it good for you, too?

That spoon should be stirring!@~

Alrighty.  Next course of action was to find out a little more about non-reactive pans and bowls.  I knew it had something to do with acid and metal, but my cookware is limited.  I went with what I had.  Turns out, I was ok with the non-stick pan.  Might be that the non-stick pan only worked because it’s cheap and all the non-stick coating has worn off.

Recipe Tips had this to say on the subject of non-reactive crap…

A pan or bowl made of non-porous material the does not alter or add a flavor to or change the color of a food being prepared. Stainless steel, glass, enamel, and glazed ceramic are examples of non-porous materials that do not adversely affect the taste and appearance of foods such tomatoes or citrus fruits that are high in acidic content and may react with absorb components of porous substances. [sic]

The jist of my research was:  Avoid aluminum.

Perhaps my noxious plastic storage container isn't ideal either.

Of course, the first thing I did with this was add it to Greek yogurt.  I like to make sweet snacks with Greek yogurt as the base, but I usually wind up adding an extra packet or two of sweetener to the concoction.  This was the first thing I ever added that required no enhancement.  It didn’t take much.  It is SUPER sweet.  You might opt to cut back on the sweeteners a bit, depending upon what you plan to do with it.  I never seem to remember that you need only 1/2 as much Splenda Brown as brown sugar called for in a recipe.  Not sure that had much of a bearing here, all told…

I might have to go ahead and make a low sugar version of the pumpkin bread featured in the original recipe, just so I can drizzle this on top!  So, I really don’t know what a serving size is.  I reckon I had about 4 cups when all was said and done… and I think I used about 1/8 cup on my Greek yogurt, if that.  If you can MODERATE the amount you use, this can be enjoyed as part of a reduced sugar / reduced carb program.  Having said that, Whey Low provided a large portion of the sweetener.  Whey Low claims to be low impact.  Nevertheless, it’s still a form of sugar.  Make of that what you will.  This was the first time I cooked with Whey Low.  It worked out pretty well, but I will still moderate my usage of the stuff.  I really wanted to wait until I found some Whey Low gold, but I gave up.  I should have ordered some from the good ole information superhighway when I first thought about it, but I was wrastlin’ with my inner moppet over that sugar issue.

Pathetic and lazy, I bought a Pumpkin Pal. What's with the teeth?

My husband has a link for everything!

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes recipe box.
For the full-on real thing, visit Anatomy of a Dinner Party.

Cheesy Pork Stuffed Apples

Ingredients
2 apples
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 tsp lite salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp cider vinegar (optional)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

Directions

• Cut apples in half horizontally. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove core and inner flesh until you are left with a wall about 1/2″ thick. Chop and set aside 1/2 cup of inner flesh.
• Set apples, hollow side up, into a baking dish just big enough to leave about an inch of space around each apple.
• In medium to large pan, saute onions in margarine until slightly tender. Add thyme, pepper, and salt. Saute another minute. Add pork, the reserved 1/2 cup apple flesh, and vinegar. Saute until pork is just shy of done and apple flesh is tender.
• Remove pan from heat. Let pork mixture cool a minute or two then stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
• Scoop pork mixture evenly into the four hollowed out apple halves. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and some more fresh ground pepper.
• Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
• Bake about 25 minutes until cheese on top is lightly browned and apples are tender..
• Serve as soon as possible.

Fruity meat!

This turned out to be pretty tangy. If tangy isn’t your scene, you might opt to leave out the cider vinegar or even use a less tart kind of apple. Personally, I really enjoyed the strong flavor that resulted.

Melon ballers aren't just for balling melons anymore! Or something...

As you can see by my apples, you don’t need to worry about perfection when it comes to coring. If you care, you can cover up uneven coring and other imperfections with the stuffing for a better presentation. I often find that people are afraid to experiment in the kitchen because they’re not very good at the finer details of preparation. Be aware that even the finest gourmet chefs (which I’m clearly not) are not always perfectionists. What they are is good at creatively covering up their mistakes. If you’ve ever repaired a torn or uneven cake with extra frosting, you know what I’m talking about.

Are you going to Scarborough Faire?

If you make a hole in your apple when removing the stem or with the slip of your utensil, simply plug it up with some of the flesh.  This trick doesn’t really make for a better presentation, but it does keep your apple from being useless.

When I am stuffing smaller objects, such as mushrooms, I find an ice cream scoop… or even a cookie dough scoop… comes in very handy.   The cavities of apples are big enough, though, that a spoon worked well enough.

Stuff your stuffed stuff into the oven.

Obligatory artsy froo froo pic.

Unflattering composition? Fork it!

This was a fine alternative to the typical hearty Autumn dishes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes recipe box.