Sweet Love and Ginger

Fall

A Warm Fall Cocktail thats Great for a Crowd

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I’m getting a little behind on the times here.

I have a cocktail recipe that I have wanted to share all
fall long, and now I’m running out of time. I came up with it in college after
an apple picking trip with my roommates. It was frigid and we wanted a warm  cocktail to help us get into the baking mood.

Sigh, I miss those days and those girls. I don’t ever get to
see them enough. We had so much fun living together. The nights that we stayed
in and ate cheese, fruit and full boxes of wine for dinner were easily some of
my best memories.

Spiked Warm Mulled Cider

½ gallon of fresh cider

4 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp whole cloves

1 ½  cups of spiced
rum

1 apple sliced thin


In a large sauce pan add the cider and spices bring to a
simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant. Be careful not to let it boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add the rum. Serve warm with apple slice garnish. If
you are bringing it to a large party you may want to strain it first for ease
of serving.

Apple Spice Cake

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Anyone else feel this overwhelming rush toward the holidays?

I know that people get excited for them to come and start
pulling out decorations the day after Halloween, but I simply cannot do that.

I love fall! And thanksgiving should not be lumped in with Christmas.
It is its own holiday, with its own meaning and I want to celebrate it on its
own damnet!
So I’m keeping it fall themed around here and sharing my
Apple Spice Cake Recipe.
You see every first Friday of the month someone brings a
cake into work. November 1st was my day, and after some googling I came
across this recipe from Martha Stewart. You see I am not really the baker type.
I like to stir things while they cook. I also like to fiddle with recipes (surprised?)
but you can’t really do a whole lot of that with baking, or you get a huge
mess.

In other words I followed
the recipe pretty closely, except my lazy butt is not about to dirty so many
dishes so I changed around the method, oh and added a pinch of nutmeg, because I
just felt like it was needed. Oh and I used store baught caramel because I have yet to make a caramel that even touches the wonder that is Vermont Candy Dish (sorry I douldnt find their website, but I’ve seen them at a number of farmers markets). One day maybe I’ll find some patience and figure it out.

Apple Spice Cake

1 1/3 Cups vegetable oil

2 Cups Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups all purpose flour

3-4 tart apples, cored, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 tsp vanilla extract

One container prepared caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend together oil, sugar,
and eggs. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt, mixing well. Slowly add
in the flour while continuously mixing the batter. Gently stir in the vanilla
and apples. Pour batter into a large, greased bunt pan and bake for 75 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10- 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving
tray and drizzling with caramel sauce. Serve warm.

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Classic Venison Stew

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Hunting season is/has been in full swing around these parts.
That basically means that I don’t see hide nor hair from Chuck, my father, my
brother, and many of the other men in my life. I like this time of year because
I get a lot done, I get to have girly dates, and it means that venison is/will
be in the house soon.

I know a number of people have varying feeling on hunting,
its ramifications, and ethics, but I love it. I grew up with it as an
integral part of my life, and couldn’t imagine my life without it. No it is not
necessary for my personal survival, but it holds a place in my heart from the tradition
and the ties to my Native American ancestors. Another bonus is that I really
love most meats. I have eaten elk, pheasant, turkey, deer, rabbit, squirrel, a
plethora of fish and I’m sure a few other animals that I or someone close to me
has killed, and it doesn’t bother me one bit. We are careful with the food that
we catch, and are sure to use as much of it as possible, even saving some of
the furs.

I hope that this honesty doesn’t turn any of you off, but it’s
a part of me, my heritage and is no different from any of the other things I share
on this blog.

This recipe is a basic stew recipe that showcases the
natural flavor of the venison. I know that many people think that the meat can
be gamey, so for those people I suggest adding a little more thyme and just a
teaspoon or two of Worcestershire sauce, while the vegetables are sautéing. In
my experience these little tweaks really change the flavor, and help with the
gaminess. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, I’d love to
hear them!

Classic Venison Stew

2 tbsp butter

2 large leeks, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 large celery stalks, chopped

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp pepper

2 cups potatoes peeled and chopped

1 lb venison, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

3 cups low sodium beef or vegetable broth

In a large thick bottomed sauce pan melt butter and sauté
leeks, carrots, parsnip, and celery for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to
soften. Stir in flour, thyme, pepper and cook for an additional minute before adding
venison meat, potatoes, and broth. Stir well to combine then bring to a boil,
before reducing to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust
seasonings and serve warm. (Serves 4-6)




How do you feel about hunting? I’m interested to know.

Chicken with Apples and Fennel

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I have really enjoyed cooking with apples
this season, and not just in my traditional deserts, sauces and butters but I
like finding ways to add them to more savory dishes also. This particular
recipe I found while looking for a new chicken thigh recipe and it was
delicious. I usually gravitate to more salty dishes so this vinegar based dish
was a little different than what I was used to and a fun change to our week day
dinners.

You can find the original recipe here. Mine has a few small changes based on our own personal tastes, mainly
less vinegar, I didn’t want it to be too strong, although we do enjoy those
flavors, we prefer them in smaller doses, but those are just our personal
tastes. 

Braised  Chicken with Apples
and Fennel

4 bone in chicken thighs (with skin)

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup apple cider

1 large tart apple, cored and sliced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil
in a large skillet and place the chicken skin side down in the pan. Cook
without flipping until the skin is golden and separates from the pan easily,
roughly 9-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan. You may want to also
drain some of the juices from the pan, though leave some to sauté the
vegetables in.  Add onions, garlic, and
fennel to the skillet and cook, stirring regularly until the onions begin to caramelize,
roughly 5-7 minutes. Deglaze with the wine and then add the cider, allowing it
to simmer and reduce to half. Add the chicken skin side up, apples, thyme and
bay leaves to the pan, cover and allow it to simmer until the chicken is cooked
through, roughly 30 minutes. Remove the cover and increase the heat for 5-10 minutes
or until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. Then stir gently and serve warm.
(Serves 4)

Apple Picking & Apple Pork Chops

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Apple Pork Chops


I love apple picking season, the act of apple picking and the goodies that follow, namely candy apples, apple butter, cider, and pie. This time of year I do whatever I can to add apples to our daily meals, usually because we have so many of them, but also because they are delicious. This is one of my favorite recipes that I think I have made a couple hundred times. I don’t know why I haven’t shared it with you before, it’s a shame that I haven’t.

Apple Picking & Apple Pork Chops
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 lb boneless pork chops
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 1 large apple, cored and sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ cup white wine
Instructions
  1. Heat oil over medium high heat while seasoning the porkchops with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  2. Place the pork chops in the hot pan andsear for 4-5 minutes per side, or until it begins to turn golden.
  3. Remove the chops and set aside.
  4. Add butter, onion and apple to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown and caramelize.
  5. Stir in the brown sugar, before adding the wine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and allow the wine to reduce slightly.
  6. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Apple Pork Chops