Easiest Apple Cake→

Every fall I get massively overwhelmed by the amount of apple recipes thrown at me from all corners of the food blogging world. Not sure what's wrong with me but all apple cake recipes, no matter how elaborate, read to me as "spend 2 hours making apple pie". Despite the popular expression, nothing about apple pie is what I would qualify as easy. When I hear the words "apple pie" I immediately think about crust and filling and blah- I don't feel like spending 2 hours in the kitchen rolling and kneading and stirring... Basically anything apple related is an immediate turn off. That being said, apples do taste insanely delicious when baked. Few kinds of fruit have the ability to so deeply shift flavors when heated. All that ooey gooey warm flavor, nothing tastes as cozy and instantly celebrates the season as a warm, baked all the way through apple. So that was my dilemma last week when I got sucked into buying 9 apples from the street vendor outside my subway station because 3 for $1! Cheap! Seasonal! Sale! Surprise, I have no will power when it comes to discounted fruit. 

In an effort to validate my laziness and make sure that aforementioned apples didn't go rotting away on the counter (nothing annoys a new fiancee more than purchased and unused fruit) I decided to make an apple cake recipe that works for me. As with all my recipes the goal is to spend less than 30 min. doing prep work and no more than 2 hours actually cooking. Minimal effort, maximum flavor. 

If you're like me and are terrified of baking a cake that involves apples because it all seems as labor intensive as apple pie- this is the cake for you. I highly suggest making it as you get ready for a party- I soaked peeled, cut apples in bourbon while I showered, made the batter while my hair dried, and stuck it in the oven while I rimmed my eyes and threw on my dress.

Easiest Apple Cake

Ingredients

sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. 

• 3-4 apples, peeled + chopped into approximately 1 inch pieces. (I used Granny Smith but whatever you have on hand will work. I slice some of the apples horizontally for decoration.)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup orange juice or lemon juice
• 2 cups bourbon (This is optional, the bourbon gives the apples so much flavor but if you don't have any, don't let it stop you from making this. Just mix 1/4 cup sugar with the apples and let them sit to really bring out flavor + juices.)
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• almonds for decorating
• drizzle of honey

For spice mixture: 

• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. clove
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Prep all your ingredients and let them sit while you get ready. 

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Peel and cut apples into 1 inch pieces, place into a bowl. 
2. Pour bourbon over the apples and let soak about 30 min. 
3. Make the spice mix: combine cloves, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg in a cup. Give it a stir. 
4. Thoroughly whisk all the wet ingredients in a bowl (eggs,vegetable oil, orange juice, vanilla).
5. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar). 
6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix well. 
7. Drain the bourbon from the apples, reserving 1 tbsp. 
8. Pour bourbon into the batter give it a good stir. 
9. Spread 1/2 of batter into a cake/pie dish, place apples on top, sprinkle with spice mixture, cover with the remaining batter. 
10. Decorate with apple slices, almonds, drizzle of honey.
11. Bake cake for 1-1.5 hrs or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 

Freezing for the Cold →

All the blankets out for the season. 

It's finally fall.

Let's quickly run down the list of everything associated with the season that I'm supposed to mention as a lifestyle/food blogger before we move along, shall we?

• apples
• pumpkins
• squash
• describing the "chill in the air"
• baked apples
• pumpkins baked with apples
• scarves 
• squash
• falling leaves
• so much squash
• vintage scarves and artisanal coffee, next to apples and pumpkins
• colorful leaves falling on apples and pumpkins while wearing a hand-knit scarf
• pumpkin spice in everything on everything next to everything

Ok now that's out of the way... Listen, I enjoy the aforementioned as much as the next girl writing from her kitchen in Brooklyn.  But sometimes it feels that fall is overplayed with all the focus on pumpkin spice and putting it all through an Instagram filter. There's a focus on the trendy like knitting and canning without any explanation of why these things should be done to prepare for the cooler months. It's certainly not because knitting a scarf is going to be a cathartic experience or the "new moon" phenomenon I keep seeing mentioned on IG will inspire us all to snap out of bad habits.  (I've resigned to the fact that absolutely nothing is going to make me start doing laundry every week instead of just waiting for my clean underwear to run out.) Autumn, for me, is about hitting the refresh button on routines. My apartment is small, my summer recipes are tired and my pantry needs a clean-out. I take the first few weeks of the season to make new meal plans and address what I need/want/have to prepare myself for the colder months. 

I've talked about eating seasonally in previous posts and why I think that it makes more sense for someone living on a budget. Seasonal food is cheaper and more nutrient heavy- it's easier to plan a meal around what's immediately available at the market. When the seasons change I always check what is currently growing in my area on the sites below:

1. Field to Plate 
2. Sustainable Table 
3. Epicurious

Next, I make sure that my pantry is stocked with all the herbs + spices which best compliment the produce growing in my area. In the fall I always make sure to have the following ingredients on hand: 

• canned pumpkin (duh)
• canned corn, sweet and regular
• apple sauce (homemade if you want but there's NO shame in store-bought)
• frozen pie/pizza crust (again, make your own when when you have time but for meal planning pre-made works wonderfully) 
• stocks: chicken, veggie, beef
• nutmeg
• curry powder
• cumin
• thyme
• paprika
• rosemary
• turmeric 
• ginger
• cinnamon 
• clove

The first few weeks of October, when the weather is still warm are the best time to pick up summer produce while it's still available at the market. More than likely it's on sale or reduced in price as farmers want to move product before the end of the season.  In order to get the most out of berries and fruits in the winter months I like to preserve them. Cute ball jars and delicious jam aside the tradition saves money and time when the temperature drops. I can, freeze, and preserve because running out to Whole Foods to pick up $5/pound raspberries, in January, isn't an option when living on a budget. Also, it's cold outside and Netflix, sweatpants, and cuddly dogs are hard to walk away from. 

Canning has become super trendy the last few years and it's certainly a great way to make summer's bounty accessible months after you've bought it. Unfortunately it's incredibly time consuming and the materials required can get pretty pricey. By all means, if you want to invest a few hours of your weekend into preserving your produce in this fashion- go for it. I definitely do when I find myself with some extra glass jars and a free Saturday afternoon. But most days I'm a cook with little time on my hands and efficiency is most important. I usually freeze my produce because it's super fast and takes minimal energy. Also, the materials you need are cheap and can be picked up at almost any grocery store. Berries, peaches, and tomatoes can all be frozen fairly fast and packed away for later use in a myriad of ways during the winter. 

Freezing Produce

Materials: 

• Gallon freezer bags
• Sharpie
• Lemon juice
• Water
• Air tight tupperware
• Cookie sheets/trays

Berries

Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. are the easiest to freeze.

1. Wash the berries.
2. Dry thoroughly. 
3. Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Once the berries are frozen transfer to freezer bag or air tight container and label with the date. 

Peaches

Make sure the peaches are ripe but not too mushy.

-To freeze without the skins just blanch the peaches in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes and the skins should peel right off OR leave skins on.

1. Wash, cut in half along the vein, and remove pit. Slice peaches into cubes or wedges.
2. Lay out in a single layer on cookie sheet and drizzle with 1:4 cup ratio lemon juice and water to prevent browning.
3. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag or air tight container and label with the date.

Tomatoes

1. Wash and freeze cherry tomatoes whole on a cookie sheet then transfer to freezer bags.
2. Heirloom tomatoes can be prepared the same way as peaches. Blanched, peeled, sliced then frozen on cookie sheets. Alternatively just freeze whole or slice and freeze then place in air tight containers. Always label any frozen items with the date to make sure you're eating them while they are well preserved.

The summer produce will keep in your freezer for up to 6 months. Berries can be added directly to smoothies or batters without defrosting. Tomatoes can be thawed in some hot water, peeled, and used for sauces and soups. Honestly, few things brighten up a gloomy, grey February day like a fresh peach smoothie or heirloom tomatoes stirred into pasta. I'll post my favorite recipes for using the frozen summer produce in the coming months. 

Summer Chicken Salad

I've been in NYC for a little over 3 months now and last week found myself in a situation which called for stepping up my lunch packing game. You see, I've been very irresponsible - hitting up the Sweetgreen, Gi-Gi's, Hale & Hearty, insert standard $12 NY lunch place here, for my workday lunches. $12 here and there doesn't seem so bad but a quick glance at my bank account at the end of the month left me red in the face. Lunch, coffee, snacks... it adds up. Big news, I know. 

                                                                                        You see a cityscape, I see temptations for endless $12 salad. 

Getting engaged inevitably means facing the harsh reality that it's time to start saving for a wedding - you only have a year, every cent counts, and no you can't afford that latte anymore. So, in an effort to stop buying lunch I started going through all my standard salad and wrap recipes (my workday meal of choice) and found myself underwhelmed. There are only so many variations of Greek, Caesar, and kale a girl can eat before she gets a wandering eye. My eye wandered into my fridge where it landed on the remains of a chicken I had roasted. 

                                     Roasted chicken, before it's demise. 

Confession: I never know what to do with the remains of roasted chicken. Last week I prepared a gorgeous bird, stuffed with lemons and fruit, topped with an array of spices. We ate it for dinner, followed by sandwiches the next day. What was leftover is what is always leftover - not enough for a full meal, but bits and pieces, hanging out in quiet desperation. To fight my lunch time slump and solve my leftover dilemma, I started looking through recipes online which called for small amounts of chicken. So my goal became two fold, figure out a new meal for lunch and start a collection of recipes for leftover roasted chicken.

For my first installment of repurposed chicken leftovers I landed on chicken salad- an obvious choice for some. For me, for whatever reason, this classic has never really hit the spot. Most of the time it feels too heavy, the mayo makes my stomach hurt, and the grapes add sweetness that tastes out of place. As it turns out, I had very few of the ingredients necessary for the standard chicken salad on hand. So instead, I decided to improvise. The result has become a staple in my lunch repertoire. This salad is modern, crisp, fresh, and super simple to prepare. It doesn't have the heaviness of traditional chicken salad and won't make you feel antiquated in your cooking. I rolled mine up in a spinach wrap but it's good enough to eat on it's own too! (I'll be tripling the recipe and serving it up at our first late summer dinner!)

Summer Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• leftover chicken, diced (about 2-3 cups)
• 2 cups red grapes, sliced
• bunch chopped parsley (about 1 cup)
• 2-3 chopped scallions (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2-1 cup chopped pistachios (almonds would work too!)
• 1/2- 1 cup sliced radish
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 -2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. mayo
• s+ p to taste
• 1 spinach wrap or serve with bread

I am a firm believer that salad recipes don't always have to be exact. It depends on your tastebuds and what you have available in your fridge. Since this salad is about leftovers, keep it simple, use your judgment. It's not like baking a cake. 

1. In a bowl combine sliced chicken, radish, grapes, pistachios, and parsley. 
2. In a cup or bowl whisk together lemon juice, mustard, mayo.
3. Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Wrap like a burrito in a spinach wrap or eat as you would any other salad.