Sauteed Apples with Crushed Pecans

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Andrea

Sometimes I want a topping for Sunday Morning Pancakes that brings a little more umph than syrup. I want something in addition to syrup.

Since we always have a fruit with breakfast (and lunch!), I decided to make that part of the dish instead of just a side.

Sauteed bites of apple with the sweetness of crushed pecans is a great topping for pancakes.

Andrea’s Sauteed Apples with Crushed Pecans

2 Small – Medium Red Apples, chopped

1/2C Crushed Pecans

2TBSP Butter

1tsp Olive Oil

1/2tsp Cinnamon

In a medium sized skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. When the butter starts sizzling, add in the apples and cinnamon. Sautee for about 3 minutes and then add in the crushed pecans. Sautee for another 3 minutes, remove from heat and serve!

Makes enough topping for 3 servings.

Perfect for pancakes! The apples are warm but stil crisp since they are not cooked for very long. Plus you’re starting you day off with a serving of fruit!

Banana Nut Pancakes

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Andrea

Me: What kind of pancakes do you want this week?

Him: Something with nuts!

Me: What kind of nuts, pecans or walnuts?

Him: What did we just have with the coffee cake?

Me: Pecans.

Him: Then we should have walnuts.

Me: Done

And this is how Banana Nut or what I lovingly call, my favorite pancakes ever, were born.

Andrea’s Banana Nut Pancakes

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1C Buckwheat Flour

1tsp Baking Soda

1tsp Cinnamon

2TBSP Sugar

1C Walnuts, crushed

1 Large banana

1C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (the kind in the dairy section, not from a can)

1C Water

2tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat grilled over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and walnuts and whisk together. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the water, coconut milk, vinegar, extract, and banana. Mash the banana in the liquids as much as possible.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until everything is combined. Grease your griddle with a little oil and drop batter by spoonfuls. The size is up to you! Cook for about three minutes on the first side or until you start seeing several bubbles pop up in the center. Flip and cook for another minute to two minutes. Remove from heat and continue until all the batter has been used.

Bourbon Applesauce

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Andrea

Yesterday, I talked about how much bourbon I’ve been using in baking and cooking lately. One of the things I mentioned was making Bourbon Applesauce.

I had some apples that needed used up and quickly! They weren’t good to eat, kind of mealy, a little too soft, and the skin was wrinkled.

I wasn’t about to toss them because I knew they could be used for something! I thought it over for a couple of days and realized that making applesauce would be the perfect solution!

After cooking the whole thing gets pureed which takes care of the mealy and soft aspects of the less than perfect apples. The skin gets peeled, so that problem is solved as well!

I’ve made applesauce before but I really wanted something a little different this time around. Something a little more spicy and something with a bit more kick. Once I realized that I could use bourbon, well everything just fell into place after that!

Cider and Beer Brined Chops

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Andrea

As promised, this post is all about my most recent experiment with brining; combining cider and beer.

First, you all know that I love to brine. And if you’re eating pork or poultry, my opinion is always to brine that baby first.

I’ve done cider brines and I’ve done beer brines, but I have not combined them.

Last Sunday I decided to do just that. I had some cider that needed used up and I had a fall inspired pecan beer that would pair well with the cider.

I used up the last of the cider so I don’t know exactly how much was left but I’m going to guess about two cups or thereabouts.

Andrea’s Cider and Beer Brined Chops

2 Thick cut, bone-in pork loin chops (Blues Creek)

2C Apple Cider (get fresh and local!)

1 12oz Bottle of Abita Pecan Harvest Ale + 1/4C (more if you make gravy)

1/4C Brown Sugar

Slightly more than 1/4C Kosher Salt

Buzzin Bars

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Andrea

Last week Scott left for a business trip that had him away from the house for about a week. He was flying off to San Francisco to geek out about code and be in his element.

Because I knew that eating times might be odd and because I know Scott, this meant he would need to take some food along with him.

He was taking a carry on which meant that the food had to be small, easy to carry, and not prone to spoilage. And since I knew that these could very well be a meal source, I knew that they had to be jam packed with good stuff. Stuff that could get you through a couple of hours.

I like using soaked dates in bars and coffee cakes because it adds a nice sweetness without being over powering. Plus they are a great source of fiber and potassium.

Plus I wanted to do something fun so I added an extra little kick to these bars.

Blackberry Lemonade

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Andrea

Remember a short while ago we discussed making lemonade at home? I decided to take that lemonade up to another level by making blackberry lemonade!

Earlier this summer I saw a recipe on another blog featuring blackberry lemonade and I was intrigued by this and immediately read the recipe only to be disappointed in the results.

The person used store bought lemonade.

Ugh.

Being that it is so easy to make lemonade, it’s silly to purchase lemonade. I made a mental note that once I mastered making lemonade, that I would then turn my efforts to blackberry lemonade.

This time I was greatly rewarded.

Andrea’s Blackberry Lemonade

5 Lemons

1/2 Pint Blackberries

3/4C Cane Sugar

Follow the basic lemonade recipe, this time add 1/2 a pint of fresh blackberries in with the lemons.

The blackberries are going to get steeped in with the lemons. Blackberries are delicate berries so you can expect them to fade and start to fall apart.

Homemade Lemonade

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Andrea

Lemonade was not something that I grew up drinking. In fact we never had it. Ever. The first time I had lemonade was at some point during my teenage years. My sister and her then boyfriend (now husband), owned a boat and we headed out on the water one day. She brought food and drinks to go with us and one thing she made was lemonade.

It was the basic instant mix kind but one sip on a very hot Western PA summer day and I was hooked. It was amazing.

Sweet and slightly tangy, to me it was perfection.

After that point I started making lemonade on my own using the same instant mix. Then flavors started appearing and raspberry lemonade was about the best thing on earth at that point.

Eventually I realized that instant lemonade is not good for you at all. Much like instant tea, it’s full of icky things we don’t need. I stopped making lemonade for years after that. A few times we’ve purchased lemonade at the store. The kind that’s located next to the OJ in the fridge section. It was alright but I thought to myself, “It can’t be that hard to make lemonade. It’s just lemons, water, and sugar.”

Pina Colda Pancakes

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Andrea

Earlier this week, I discussed how a recent kitchen flop then lead me to create one of the best pancake flavors to date. Happy day!

I had been toying around with making a summery-themed pancake one that tasted like the sun and reminds you of the beach and drinks with little umbrellas in them.

Or tasted like the sun and reminded you of being pool-side with drinks that had little umbrellas in them.

I’m flexible.

Once I trashed the failed pancakes, I got busy making some Pina Colada inspired pancakes. While I don’t like an actual pina colada, the flavors that make one up are fantastic and can be used in other applications (like smoothies!).

I knew that I could use those flavors in a pancake as well!

Andrea’s Pina Colada Pancakes

1C Spelt Flour

1C Buckwheat Flour

Pinch Ground Cinnamon

1/2C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

2TBSP Cane Sugar

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1C Pineapple Juice

1/2C SO Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk

Smoothies and Juices

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Andrea

Smoothies and Juices, both have found a home here at the HQ and we love them equally. Is there a difference between the two? Yes and it’s a pretty big difference but it has nothing to do with nutrition or if one is healthier than the other.

Smoothies:

Are made in a blender typically with a liquid, greens, and some frozen fruit. Smoothies generally have a thicker consistency, think frozen daiquiri style but obviously without the alcohol.

The benefit to smoothies is that you are getting in fruit and veggie servings while also benefiting from the fiber of the ingredients. By putting everything in the blender, the fiber gets broken up making it unnoticeable yet still highly beneficial.

The upside to the fiber is that you are getting in your fiber servings for the day, it helps to keep your digestive tract squeaky clean, and it helps you feel full.

You need fiber in your diet. Even if you don’t think that you need much, YOU DO. Fiber is highly important for colon health and for overall health. Fiber comes in many forms and fruits and veggies have a high amount of it.

And Now For The Juicing

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Andrea

Remember last month when I posted this picture of this interesting little thing? It was a birthday gift from Scott that blew me away. First of all because we don’t normally purchase “big” gifts for birthdays and second of all because he’s been spoiling me like crazy with gifts such as this.

By the title of this post, I’m sure you can now guess that this little guy is a juicer. He’s completely adorable because he honestly looks like a little creature that sits on your counter waiting to take care of all your juicing needs!

He needs a name. I’m working on it.

If you’ve been reading OHC for any length of time, then you probably know how much I love my smoothies. I have one almost everyday with my lunch. Lately I have taken a fondness to juicing as well.

Whenever I found myself at North Market, I would get a juice. Nothing too crazy, orange, carrot, and spinach. It was tasty and sometimes my body just wanted a juice. I had been talking with Scott for a while about how nice a juicer would be to have because then I could juice whenever I wanted. Imagine my surprise when on my birthday I was presented with a juicer!