Baked Apples

Baked apples are NOT boring. No, they aren't. I know you are all picturing something your granny served you when you had a cold. It was probably mushy and served with warm milk. Eww. Mine aren't like that. Nope. I love them. I make several variations but the one thing I always keep the same is that I make them in the crock pot. It keeps them moist and non-mushy. Plus, if I'm making dinner in the oven these can be cooking at the same time and served up warm anytime I like.

One of the things that I also do occasionally is slice the apples. My kids have a difficult time eating a whole baked apple with the skin intact so I tried cutting them up and it's the exact same taste. Plus, I can spoon them over waffles, ice cream or yogurt. Mmmmm. I make mine without nuts because of allergies but feel free to add pecans or walnuts to yours. They are sooooooo yummy. Any dried fruit is fine too. I used raisins this time but dates, cherries, apricots would all be good too. I love to substitute. I rarely make a recipe the same way twice. It's a thing I have. I do it with my hair too....but that's another story.

First, slice apples and place in your crock pot.

Next, add your cinnamon, brown sugar, flour, and raisins. Stir.

Dot with butter. Real butter. Not fake stuff. I don't want to see any pictures of Fabio on the packaging! Put the lid on and cook on High for 2-3 hours. When they are soft but still hold a shape they're done.

They look like this. Mmmmmm. Or............with a little whipped cream and toasted pecans. Don't judge me, man. Pick it up and eat it. You'll like it.

Baked Apples

5 gala apples, sliced

2 Tbs. all purpose flour

1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar, I always use less but that's me

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

1 Tbs. butter, sliced

Place apples in crock pot. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Stir. Dot with butter. Cover and cook on High for 2-3 hrs. Serve as is or with whipped cream, nuts, ice cream. It can be spooned over waffles and pancakes too.

Numero Uno

For my first post I'm going to keep it simple. That's the way I like things. Although, now that I think about it, I'm probably the the most complicated person I know. Yeah. But I like my food simple. Now that we've established that, let's move on, shall we?

This blog is going to be focused on getting people to eat well. I try to stay on the healthy side of things, but I try not to get too crazy about it. I mean LIFE is crazy enough let's not sweat the insignificant details. That being said, I will occasionally use a cake mix or a can of soup. My favorite ingredients are:

butter, real vanilla, peanut butter, butter, fresh veggies, shrimp, cocao powder. Did I mention butter? I LOVE it. I like being on the right side of the scale too, so I have learned to share. That's where you come in. I want to share all of my favorite things with you.

If you can't cook, don't be afraid. I'm here to help. Remember that w0rd I used? Simple? It is, I promise. I didn't even know the difference between butter and margarine when I started cooking 15 years ago. I figured it out and so will you.

My first recipe is for green beans. My husband HATES them. He acutally had a physical reaction along with the hate. That is, until I made him these. Now he asks for them. He did a happy dance in the farmer's market the other day when he saw me put them in the cart. Yeah, I know. WOW. So here goes. I hope you like them.

George's Favorite Green Beans

2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends snapped and washed

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lemon, zested and juiced (make sure you only grate the yellow part of the lemon. NO white!)

salt and freshly ground peppper

Fill a large fry pan with an inch of water. Add a large pinch of salt. When it boils add the beans and cover. Cook for three minutes. Drain. Wipe out pan. Add oil and heat for a second. Add drained beans and garlic. Stir fry for two minutes. Add in lemon zest and juice. Salt and pepper to taste.