Cast Iron Apple Crisp

October 4, 2014 / Share A Bit Of Love

I’ve officially given in to autumn! It has been such an unbelievably beautiful summer in the PNW, it is hard to think we have to trade it all in for our grey and rainy usual. Today was sunny and crisp, so I thought I would honor the idea of autumn with a fresh apple crisp. I recently stopped by one of my favorite produce stands in Yakima Valley- Imperial’s Garden to pick up a few fall items this week and stumbled upon some lovely left alone apples for pennies on the dollar. They were just asking to be made into a delicious treat.

Here is what you’ll need:

Cast Iron Skillet

For Filling:

6 medium apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon salt

For Topping:

1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter (cold/firm)
3 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in skillet on medium low on cook top, adding sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, & salt. Once combined, add apples and allow to cook on medium for about 8 minutes or until apples show signs of softening.

Mix together topping ingredients using a food processor or a knife. Take skillet off cook top, sprinkle topping mix evenly over the apple mix.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Serve hot or cold- preferably with a caramel sauce or vanilla ice cream.

Plum Fresh

September 18, 2014 / Share A Bit Of Love

Or should it be more appropriate to call it “Fresh Plum” today?

I obtained a large basket of perfectly ripened Italian Plums this week from a colleague. To avoid the inevitable fruit flies that have run havoc around my kitchen this summer, I opted to make plum sauce.

Plum jam was really on my mind, but then I realized I was plum (ha!) out of my main canning staples. Enter Plum Sauce. It just sounds decadent over vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, scones, goat cheese toast, or even as a glaze on a slow roasted turkey breast- doesn’t it?

Here is what is needed:

4 cups of washed & halved Italian Plums
1 1/2 cup Sugar
3 tablespoons of lemon/lime juice
2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice

In a large non reactive sauce pan, pour plums, sugar, spices and lemon juice. Simmer on low-medium for about an hour and a half while stopping to stir and to make sure the mixture doesn’t over boil. 220 (f) degrees should probably do the trick. Your house will smell amazing. Meanwhile, prepare your jars for canning. While the jars are still hot, spoon the sauce into each jar, and process using a water bath. Lick the delicious leftovers off the spoon and swoon at the late summer taste of beautiful Italian Plums.

In the Garden

July 16, 2014 / Share A Bit Of Love

I have this little piece of paradise. It happens to be in my very own backyard. It is so peaceful and calm- in the middle of the Suburban west. Slug destruction aside, this is a quiet little delicious sanctuary that I take pride in every time I clip a leaf of kale for salad or pull a carrot fresh from the soil.

Market Finds

July 8, 2014 / Share A Bit Of Love

Oh, sweet Pacific Northwest Summer. I love you.

The Olympia Farmer’s Market is currently packed with the most amazing produce- local farmers are really delivering the goods this year. I picked up a few ingredients from three of my favorite vendors (Smoked Chicken from Johnson’s Smokehouse, Beets/Carrots from Kirsop Farm, Walla Walla Sweet Onions from The Fresh Approach, rosemary garlic bread from the San Francisco Street Bakery this week to throw together some smoked chicken stew.

Sweet Tooth

May 22, 2014May 26, 2014 / Share A Bit Of Love

Our house has always embraced the old fashioned, outdated qualities that slow living provides. I love technology in so many ways, but really admire the classics and the quality and pride of making something for yourself.

I recently had an ice cream making experience with my favorite ginger that was so successful we were trying to figure out ways to bring the “left overs” home more than a few hours away. Afterwards, I scoured the web for my own little piece of ice cream history. I found my very own antique maker thanks to In the Top Drawer via etsy. After gathering my favorite (and locally sourced) ingredients, we were on to our frozen kitchen adventure.