Cranberry Rhubarb Apple Pie

My farm delivery box allows me the liberty to be creative with recipes- it's always fun to think up recipes (outside of soup, pasta or risotto!) with whatever comes in it. This week I received my delivery right before Thanksgiving and even though I was totally inspired, I was also so busy and swamped!  But today inspiration and time were finally on my side!  Mind you that my hubs doesn't like either ingredient in the title aside from "Apple" and "Pie" but I'm going to make him try it out anyways!  I just had my first slice and it was D-lish!



(2) pre-made refrigerated pie crusts- room temp
1 pint of fresh cranberries
1 bunch of rhubarb (approximately 1/4 cup finely chopped)
4 medium apples- preferrable Fuji or other sweet apple- coursely chopped
1 orange- zest and then squeeze the juice and reserve
cinnamon
vanilla
1 c. of splenda or sugar, plus 1/4 cup
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 stick of butter

Heat oven to 425.  Coursely chop the cranberries and rhubarb and place in a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to cover.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar or splenda to the mixture, along with 2/3 of the fresh juice.  Microwave on high 5 minutes or until tender.  Set aside to cool.
Place one pie crust in a deep-dish pie plate and form against sides.
Strain cranberry mixture and add apples, mix and then spread into formed pie crust.  Sprinkle with your preferred amount of cinnamon and vanilla. Mix together the remaining sugar and flour and add over filling.  Dot filling with butter and pour remaining orange juice prior to covering with top crust.  Add top crust, pinch edges to seal.  Cut slits into crust and brush with a little melted butter.  Sprinkle with some sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crusts are brown and mixture is bubbly.  Enjoy with some ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

Commentary: What to do with leftover Halloween candy?

http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_16462558?nclick_check=1

Well, this is sure a sweet idea, in more ways than one.




Just as I was getting ready to head to Safeway last weekend to pick up the Halloween candy for the load of trick-of-treaters we expect in our neighborhood on Oct. 31, I checked my e-mail to find a short note from my son's girlfriend, Kelly, wanting all of our leftover candy.



No, Kelly didn't suddenly develop an insatiable sweet tooth. She has a higher purpose.



Kelly is collecting leftover Halloween candy to donate to Operation: Care and Comfort, a local organization dedicated to supporting our troops overseas.



What a great idea, I thought. So I figured that just to be sure we'd have some leftover candy, I'd buy a couple of extra bags.



"Oh, right!" said my wife. "Like you need an excuse to buy more candy."



"No, really," I said. "This sounds like a great cause. We'll give Kelly all of our leftover candy this year."



"Yeah," said Natalie. "Like we ever end up with any extra candy with you in the house."



"OK," I said, "so maybe in the past I've had a couple of pieces of candy when I was passing it out to the kids."



"A couple?" she screeched. "I think 'a couple' means two. You have more like two dozen! If you want to make sure we have some leftovers, you'd better change your 'one for you, one for me' method of handing out the treats."



"Very funny," I said, somewhat offended. "I don't do that "... at least, not anymore. Dr. Oba





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won't let me. He's watching my weight closer than a dog eyeballing a pork chop!"



"Well, if that's the case, you might want to get your weight checked before this weekend," she suggested. "Because with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I think it will be more than just the goose getting fat through the holidays."



"OK, I get it," I said. "We'll just make sure we have candy left after this weekend to give to Kelly to donate to Operation: Care and Comfort. I'm going to get the kinds of candy that she says the soldiers like the best--Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, Skittles, Life Savers, Sweet Tarts, lollipops, Tootsie Pops "... "



"Why do I think that you added Tootsie Pops because that's what you like best?" said Natalie.



"No, seriously," I explained. "That's what she said. And they also like chewing and bubble gym, mints and breath strips."



Kelly knows something about this. Her brother served in Iraq and she said, "He loved the care packages he received from friends, family and Operation: Care Comfort."



So Kelly, sweet as the candy she's collecting, said, "I'd like to keep the positive feeling going for the troops serving overseas and I appreciate your help in doing so by donating your goodies."



In addition to the other items, she added, "Bring on the chocolate as it can only be sent October through February due to the extreme heat in the summer months."



Chocolate? Now, giving up our leftover chocolate may be a little more complicated.



"Oh, yeah," said Natalie. "What would Dr. Oba have to say about that?"



You know, she's right. I'll make an appointment to get my weight checked this Friday.



Anyone interested in donating items for our troops, check out the "shopping list" at www.operationcareandcomfort.org/occshoplist/index.html.

Overdosing on Chocolate Bunnies

**Thank you East-ah Bunnie**  (for the 4 pounds of chocolate that you left in your wake!) So, what to do with all of that leftover candy?   Yes, in my household (so far) there is leftover candy (grandma gave BabyK a bunny the same size as her- and I think weighs as much too!)

• 1 Peep + a choice bunny part + 2 crunchy graham crackers = mmmm s'mores!
• Put in a resealable bag and crush and add to brownies, cake batter, or cookie dough as an extra "homemade" touch
• Got milk?  Pour melted bunny into your milk for yummy choc-milk or hot cocoa, or even your morning java jolt
• Random mini bunnies make for a great cordial- cut of the tip of the ear(s), pour in a shot of your fave liquor and make a toast to EB Bunny
• Melt down the chocolate in a double boiler and use for:
• chocolate covered strawberries (they're in season right now!)
• chocolate covered Peeps (umm, I like those nasty marshmallow-y things!)
• chocolate covered pretzels (heck, sprinkle these with any other leftover candy- perfect salty/ sweet snack!)
• dip plastic spoons into melted chocolate, wrap with plastic and save for your morning mochas! 
• 're-purpose' your chocolate and pour into plastic candy molds and 're-gift!'
• Fondue- who says you can't have chocolate for dinner (forget the cheese!)
• ice cream topping
• ... need I go on?  What DOESN'T chocolate go yummy with?

I was thinking that I should do an entry for the leftover eggs, but that's so not as much fun!  Besides, the picture of the cute baby and two dozen eggs isn't as cute as the one above!

Enjoy your chocolate!

Bread Bowl Artichoke Dip

2- 16 oz (450 g) sourdough bread rounds (about 6-in./15-cm diameter), divided
Vegetable oil
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
1 can (14 oz or 398 mL) artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 1.4-oz (40-g) envelope or one 1.8-oz (51-g) box (2 envelopes) vegetable soup mix
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 lemon
8 oz (250 g) sour cream
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Using Color Coated Bread Knife, slice off top of one bread round to create a lid; set lid aside. Carefully remove center of bread round to form a 4 1/2-inch-wide (12-cm) and 2-inch-deep (5-cm) well for dip. Slice center of first and entire second bread round into 1-in. (2.5-cm) cubes. Place bread bowl on center of Large Round Stone with Handles. Arrange bread cubes around bowl; spray with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer.


In Classic Batter Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth using Stainless Whisk. Add milk to cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Chop artichokes using Food Chopper. Add artichokes, soup mix and garlic pressed with Garlic Press to batter bowl; mix well using Small Mix 'N Scraper®. Microwave on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until hot (do not boil). Juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp (30 mL) juice. Stir juice and sour cream into artichoke mixture; pour into bread bowl.


If desired, grate Parmesan cheese over bread bowl and bread cubes using Rotary Grater. Lean lid against bread bowl. Bake 13-15 minutes or until bread cubes and top of dip are golden brown. Remove from oven; serve immediately.


Yield: 12 servings (about 2 cups/500 mL dip)


Nutrients per serving: (about 2 tbsp dip/30 mL and 4 bread cubes): Calories 220, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 29 g, Protein 7 g, Sodium 610 mg, Fiber 2 g


Cook's Tip: To soften cream cheese, microwave on HIGH 15-30 seconds or until very soft. Whisk until smooth.

Chilaquiles with Homemade Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

12 tomatillos, husks removed and washed

8 serrano chilies, stemmed

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 large white onion

1/2 cup chopped epazote or cilantro

Salt to taste

Chilaquiles and Toppings

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

6 cups tortilla chips

2 cups cooked shredded chicken (optional)

1/3 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

4 ounces queso fresco or feta cheese, grated

For salsa verde, cut tomatillos in half using Utility Knife. Cook tomatillos in (10-in.) Skillet over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until blackened around edges. Add serranos and garlic; cook 6-8 minutes or until caramelized. Remove Skillet from heat; cool slightly. Meanwhile, finely chop onion and epazote using Food Chopper.

Finely chop tomatillo mixture using Food Chopper. Combine tomatillo mixture, onion, epazote and salt in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well using Mix ‘N Scraper®. To make chilaquiles, place salsa verde and chicken broth into Skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with Nylon Spoon. Reduce heat and simmer 5-8 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add tortilla chips. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes or until chips are slightly softened.

Divide chilaquiles evenly among serving dishes; top with chicken, if desired, and sour cream. Grate queso fresco over chilaquiles using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 270, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 29 g, Protein 6 g, Sodium 580 mg, Fiber 4 g

Cook's Tip: If desired, 4 cups of your favorite store-bought salsa verde can be substituted for the homemade salsa verde.

The Magical Frittata!!!

It's like a sandwich without bread.... but better- lots of protein and yummy fabulousness cracked into a pan! Since it does require a little bit of 'oven' time, it might not be exactly suitable for the HOT summers, but it's such a great meal, how can you resist???

Gather your main ingredients and then Preheat oven to 350°F. You can vary your fritatta depending on your mood (or what you have in your pantry and fridge at the time!) so feel free to be creative!

The basic foundation is:

4- ounces cream cheese, softened
6 to 8 eggs
1/3 cup of milk, cream or even some sour cream diluted with water
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk all of the above ingredients together until blended and then set aside while you get the "fillings" together and set aside. You'll also need potatoes- either 1 to 2 cups of hash browns, thinly sliced potatoes (any variety) or even tater tots!

Whatever filling you decide (about 1-1/2 cups total) to use will have to be cooked or sauteed prior to adding the egg mixture, so you can use leftovers from dinner, or saute up some fresh veggies! Make sure that all of the fillings are diced fairly small. The potatoes can be thrown in towards the end of the cooking process (until slightly transparent) and then remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg mixture over the top and bake in the oven until done.

I love a vegetarian version myself- artichokes, feta cheese, sauteed red pepper and some lemon zest- you can add herbs to taste and then serve with some fresh lemon wedges.

Other variations:

• Denver- ham, bell peppers, cheddar cheese and onion
• Farmer's Market- broccoli, sliced red potato, zucchini, peppers
• Brunch- ham, sausage, onion, bacon, cheese
• Italian- peppers, sliced tomato, Parmesan, basil and lots of garlic- you could even substitute cooked pasta or rice for the potatoes
• Pesto- asparagus, garlic, pesto sauce, Parmesan

Place in oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until egg mixture is set in center. Remove from oven; serve warm. ENJOY!!!

The leftovers make a great lunch or snack!

WHOA- totally neglected BLOG!

Sorry little Dinner blog- we've been busy posting about our impending arrival!!!! ( :

I'm doing a new post now!

( :

RIP Little BooBoo Kitty: 10/24/2000 - 03/04/2009

My 8-year old beautiful and sweet kitty, BooBoo died unexpectedly on Wednesday. He went outside with the rest of the fur-critters when I let them out Tuesday before work and didn’t come back in when the others did. I didn’t really think anything of it- on occasion they stay out longer, but always come back at ‘dinner’ time. When I got home from my dad’s later that evening, Jason said he hadn’t seen him- this cat is like a dog and usually always comes when he is called or when you shake the ‘crunchy’ bag (their treats). We searched for him and called but no BooBoo; I didn’t sleep very well last night thinking about him and came downstairs around 3 a.m., but still no kitty. So on Thursday when I let the dogs out around 7 a.m., I walked out into the yard and when I turned around I saw him lying on the patio but he already was gone. I don’t know what happened; since he didn’t come in for his crunchies in the morning, I am assuming that he died suddenly right after I let them out on Tuesday even. He looked as if he just died in mid-step and just fell over- we did some research on the internet and found that there are many cases where a cat can die suddenly of cardiomyopathy, heartworm disease, aneurysms or toxin exposure. Since he wasn’t showing any signs of poisoning, it was definitely something internal; unfortunately we aren’t in the financial position to be able to afford a necropsy.
I knew that there was a strong possibility that something bad had happened, but when I found him it was still such a shock: I started to hyperventilate and tried to go upstairs to find my husband. I barely made it down the hall but I just couldn’t fight through the tears anymore and laid down on the floor in the hallway. I can’t really remember another time that I’ve felt so grief-stricken- not sure if it is the pregnancy hormones or the fact that I raised this kitty from birth; we had his mom and dad both- and she was kind of psycho and didn’t take so well to motherhood, so Baby Boo was my baby in that respect.
BooBoo (named because he was born right before Halloween) was part Siamese and tabby; his beautiful black coat would shine in the light- and you could see faint tabby stripes even. When he was a kitten, he would jump on me when I was in the bathtub and lay right on my stomach- and when he got too big, he would just lay on the edge of the tub curled on a towel to keep me company. Every where I was, he followed and utilized me as his human pillow.Every night he slept with us- usually curled up on my legs, or even when I was on my side, he hugged me and rested his little chin right on me. Always had to be touching me in some way, either sleeping directly on me or with his head or a paw in my hand- like a living cuddly stuffed animal. He was very un-cat-like in this respect as he liked to be near you. He also loved to be under the covers- I think he got cold easily. (His most recent favorite spot was to wrap himself around the space heater in the living room- surprised he never burned himself!)
He did have his psycho Siamese moments though- he would randomly swat at you for no reason- not a nice little “love pat” when his sharp claws were extended; but we blame that on the psycho mom. The first Christmas that we had him, he singlepawedly took down the tree at least three times, crushing every bulb on it! (Fishing line and an eye-hook fixed that!) Thankfully his dad has two speeds- eat and sleep- and mellowed that kid out a bit.
I even tried to have him ‘altered’ (yes, that’s the euphemism that they use to cut off their little boy parts) twice. Apparently prior to moving into our first house, I had him fixed but forgot about it when I found out one of the three cats had been spraying in the house- so I took BooBoo in to solve the problem. I got to work and they called me to come pick him up- I stated that was fast and they said that they wished all pet owners were as responsible as I and had their cats double-fixed! Anyways I had to take him back to work with me in his carrier and he yowled. I let him out and proceeded to then ‘lose’ him in the office. He was actually tucked under my desk deep in the corner, sleeping and since he is black, blended into the shadow perfectly. Come to find out that it was actually the female (psycho Siamese) that was spraying… I witnessed it! Ugh.
When we moved into our current house four years ago, BooBoo had a field day catching mice at night- we would open the door to go to work and there would be 10-20 mice (often not in one piece…. Ewww) waiting for us- some were even placed strategically near the cars as a going away present. We were going to get little mouse stickers and start a kill wall for the cat. After that summer, we didn’t find too many rodents running around; actually once we heard the coyotes hunting we nixed the nighttime field trips. (Speaking of, I have to say that I’m relieved that he wasn’t killed by the coyotes and went suddenly and I assume with little pain…..) That didn’t prevent him from licking his chops everytime he walked by the hamster cage
So, he wasn’t exactly as much of an angel as his mommy thought- number one, he preferred to go pee in the bathroom sink- eww, I know gross- but turn on the hot water and it’s fixed- so better than the carpet! The funny thing was watching him try to bury it! Speaking of carpet… He also shredded two large holes (2 feet?) on either side of our bed- I think it was a separation anxiety thing…. One still hasn’t been fixed and the other will not be the same! I’m considering laminate flooring! He also came very close to his 5th or 6th life when he scratched me in the face- nearly my eye. I’ve never been so mad at him! My face recovered, but I knew when he had this little scowl to just push him down.
And he had a hate-hate relationship with our rescue dog- when we got Cinnamyn, it took him nearly two years to even come downstairs; and up until yesterday he was still very apprehensive of the big mean dog (oh, he loved our dalmation- they were buds) and hissed like a devil cat. Then he would proceed to run, and of course, Cinny proceeded to chase- reminded me of an old cartoon with the RoadRunner and Wil E Coyote.
This morning, I half-expected him to follow me into the bathroom and take his place on the rug outside the shower…. It’s amazing how a little critter can become such a part of your family and leaves a void when gone. I’m glad I know that he didn’t suffer, but will yearn for some more time to pet him. This cat will always mean so much to me; there are many people who may think it crazy to be so devastated over the loss of a pet, but in essence they are really a part of the family- there for you, day in and day out. So BooBoo: may you always have a large spot of sunshine to lay in; may you be blessed with a bottomless supply of crunchies and an endless supply of mice to catch; a catscratch post that never goes threadbare; a forever-clean litterbox and a comfy bed to rest your precious little head at night. Just know that you were loved very, very much. GodSpeed little guy.