Resolution Recipe: Apple Easy Turnover

I really should change the name of my blog to Super Easy Food You Can Make Without Trying Too Hard And Probably Not Screw Up Too Badly.  Maybe some day I'll tell you why it's called "Oh really? How nice..."

*grin*

I've been wanting to make this for awhile, and this week the local supermarket (oxymoron??) had premade pie crust on sale, so I kinda felt like I had run out of excuses. It's very easy to make, and even easier to eat!

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups thinly sliced apples (2 medium)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pie crust (I used the refrigerated ready-made kind)
1 egg
a sprinkle of ground ginger, and of allspice

I used an apple corer, then sliced the wedges to be a little thiner, so in the end I had pretty thin wedges.  After wedging with the corer, I scooped out any bits of core that was left.  If you choose to peel the apples first, well, I guess that's your right, but you're missing out.  So there.

Use a medium sized saucepan and put the apples, 3 Tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and the quarter cup of packed brown sugar into the pan.  Put it on a medium heat and stir until it's nice a bubbley, then turn it to low.  Add your spices, then let it simmer on low for 5-7 minutes, until the apples are soft.

While the apples simmer, get a small bowl and mix the flour, raw sugar and salt together.  Once the apples are soft, you'll want to slowly (spoon at a time) add this flour mixture to the apple mixture in the pan, mixing and cooking until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture it the pan is thick.

Take the thickened apple mixture off the heat.  I put it in a bowl so it would cool more quickly.  Here's a picture.  You'll want it to be pretty cool before placing it on the dough.





Take the pie crust out of the fridge and set it out to warm up a little.  Set the timer for 15 minutes.  Now si the time to start preheating the ove. to 375 degrees (f).  You'll also want to take this time to rinse out the pan you cooked the apple in, otherwise it will turn to apple glue!

Once the pie crust has been sitting out for 15 minutes (or so), un-roll it onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  I was so eager to get this made, I neglected to take a picture of this step.  I made you a picture of it in Paint.  I'm really sorry. (it's harder than it looks!)

Place the cooled apple mixture filling 1/2 of the crust, leaving about 1/2 inch on the edges. 
Beat the egg, mix in 1 Tablespoon water, then brush the egg wash over the edge that you left oncovered.

Fold over the half of the crust that is bereft of apples.  Using a fork, crimp the edges together.  Brush more of the eggwash over the entire thing.

Using a knife, cut some vent holes on the top.  Be creative, make a design or a picture.  I was going for a half sunburst.

Bake in your 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with a delicious cup of fresh coffee and enjoy!

Resolution Recipe: Split Pea Soup

One of my all-time favorite soups, but oddly enough I have never made it myself!  Since warmer weather is on the way here in New England, this will probably be the last time I make it for awhile.  This recipe was inspired by seeing Paula Deen's husband enjoying her split pea soup so much, and with a nod to Alton Brown's recipe.

2 Cups of Split Peas (I used 1c. each of yellow and green)

4 Cups Chicken Stock

2-3 Cups Water (depending on how soupy you want it)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Keilbasa sausage or ham (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 Cup Carrots (grated or chopped small)

2 Tablespoons curry powder

Sage or other savory herbs of your choice

small shake of ground ginger, nutmeg and cinammon

**This recipe doesn't call for salt because you're using chicken broth and cooking with sausage or ham, all of which have plenty of salt. If you're doing a vegetarian version of this dish, you'll need to add salt at the beginning of the cooking process, and then check it again at the end.

Before cooking, shake the split peas onto a cookie sheet (or other clean, flat surface) and sift through them for small rocks. I only found 1, but man you do NOT want to find that the hard way (with your teeth!). Measure out desired amount (for our purposes, 2 cups) then set aside.




For optimal cooking, we (yeah, that's the royal we) recommend a heavy-bottomed pot.

Melt your butter in the pot, then add the chopped onion (you may also add a clove of garlic if you are so inclined, and who isn't??). You really only want to sweat the onion, so cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, and watch carefully so the onion doesn't brown. I add the curry powder and other spices and herbs to the onions (mostly because I love the way it smells!)



Once the onion is cooked, add in your split peas, your chicken broth and the water. Increase the heat to bring to a boil.

While it's heating up, grate or shred the carrots and chop up the sausage or ham (or both, heck why not??), then drop them in as well. After it reaches a nice rollicky boil, turn it down to simmer and cover it.

Cooking time should be about an hour and a half, but watch to add more water if needed, and stir occasionally.

I served this with a little cheese sprinkled on top and some French bread on the side. You could also serve it over rice (since peas are a legume, they are really good friends with grains like rice, and your body will get more nutrition out of both of them if you serve them together!).