Cinnamon Apple Cake

Remember when I said I struggle with what I am going to make with the apples from the orchard?  Well, there is one exception.  It is this cake, the Ultimate Apple-Cinnamon Cake. It is so good.  I have been making this cake for years and it never fails to disappoint. The cream cheese in the batter makes for an incredibly moist crumb.  The original recipe calls for fat free cream cheese.  Although I usually go full fat when baking, I do use the fat free cream cheese.  Why?  Once you have the first piece, then the second, and then a sliver for the third time around, you'll be glad you opted for the fat free cream cheese.  

This cake is great for dessert and just perfect for breakfast.  However, I must warn you that if you make this cake with the windows open, you will have neighbors stopping by unexpectedly.  Go ahead invite them in and share the whole cake.  It'll give you a reason to make it again!

P.S.  Happy Birthday, Sis!  This one is for you!

Applesauce

Applesauce is so easy to make and its versatility from ingredients to uses is endless. For the apples, you can use Golden Delicious, MacIntosh, Pippin, Northern Spy or any good cooking apple.  For the sweetner, you can use white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or even apple juice.  For the spices, you can use cinnamon, ginger, lemon, mace, or nutmeg.  I have even made applesauce with strawberries and cranberries. 


Other than the obvious side or snack, how about applesauce for breakfast, over yogurt or granola?  Pack a container for your child's lunch.  Serve as a side to roast meats or potato pancakes.   Don't forget to use it in your baked goods.  But do you want to know my favorite way to eat it?  I love it while it is still warm with a scoop of  vanilla ice cream.  Yummy!  Applesauce also freezes beautifully, but mine never lasts that long in our house.

Broccoli Pesto

As much as I love spending the entire day in the kitchen on Sunday preparing our Sunday dinner, I just don't have the time during the week.  Most weeknights are spent driving to and from practices, lessons and playdates for my three children.  So, I need a dinner that can come together quickly.  


It is easy to pick up the phone and order pizza delivery, but when you can put together a meal that is healthy and satisfying with just a few ingredients-- that's the way I want to go.   This pesto is the answer.   It is great on pasta, but it is also delicious with fish and chicken.  I have even made it in the summertime with cold pasta and poached shrimp  to take on picnics.  The extra credit-- it is a great way for your kids to eat their veggies!

Roast Chicken

                             

Do you ever think of your last meal?  What would it be?  Where would it be?  And who it would be with?  Well, I know one thing for sure.  At my last meal, there would be a roast chicken.  


Oh, how I love roast chicken.  It is family food in our house.  We could eat it every week for our Sunday dinners.  So moist, so juicy, so tender, and that smell-- it is the next best thing to bread baking in the oven.  And there is always that sense of pride when I take it out of the oven and we all admire the perfectly browned and crispy skin.  


Next, comes trying to figure out who got to snap the wishbone last time and make a wish.  Then we wait while the chicken rests (Glass of wine, anyone?).  Carving... I think I could do this blind folded.  It is my favorite part.  Why is it my favorite part?  Because I get to sneak the succulent oysters off the backbone.  One for me and the other for my husband.  I don't even think my children know about this part of the chicken.  Maybe, I will let them in on this secret one day.  Maybe.  


Of course,  we all have our preferences for light or dark meat.  My girls enjoy the light, the boys enjoy the dark and me-- all of the above, please!  


Wait, back to my last meal.  Not only would there be a roast chicken, but I would be surrounded with my family in my home and it would never ever end.