Nov 9 2011

Ozark Apple Pudding

Posted by Amber {Sprinkled With Flour} in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

Here in the Missouri Ozarks, the leaves have just passed their colorful prime, scattering across the ground leaving their tell-tale message. Winter is coming. “Boo!” I say! If I lived in a perfect world, it would be fall every day of the year, except for one snowy day on Christmas.

I do not like to be cold, and I do not like to be hot. (Is it just me or am I starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book?) So fall is just right for me. The only thing that makes the colder weather redeemable is getting to enjoy all the cozy, warm seasonal desserts. When I came across this recipe submitted by Tasty Kitchen member novakgirls, I was immediately drawn by the name.

Naturally, a dessert named after the area I live in was something I had to try.

I can’t believe I’ve never tried Ozark Apple Pudding before. Rustic is a great way to describe this yummy treat. The batter is so thick and packed with fresh, chopped apples and walnuts, you just know it will be perfectly comforting on a cold day. When you add a generous helping of cinnamon-infused whipped cream, it’s sinful.

Let’s begin shall we?

This is a simple recipe—my favorite kind. You’ll need flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, oil, eggs, apples, and walnuts (optional).

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, oil and eggs. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Now add your sugar mixture to the dry ingredients. Your dough will be very thick and shaggy and it will actually resemble cookie dough rather than cake batter. That’s okay.

Stir in the chopped apples and nuts (if using). Use your elbow grease for this part. I used my ultra high tech manual mixing equipment, a.k.a my hands.

Spread the dough into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.

Remove cake when top is golden brown and resembles what I don’t want to look like in 20 years.

This cake is wonderful served warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I actually had a tub of cinnamon-flavored whipped topping in the fridge. It went PERFECTLY with the warm, soft cake. I could even imagine cinnamon ice cream would be great with this too. Once the cake has cooled, it becomes even more moist and the flavors really come out.

Special thanks to novakgirls for sharing this wonderful recipe!

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Ozark Apple Pudding

by novakgirls on March 5, 2011 in Brownies and Bars, Desserts

4.90 Mitt(s) 11 Rating(s) 11 votes, average: 4.90 out of 5

Description

My mother-in-law calls this a pudding, but we call it apple cake. It’s yummy and goes great after dinner, or with a cup of coffee for breakfast. Great use for apples that are close to being too ripe.

Ingredients

2 cups Sugar
1-¼ cup Oil
2 whole Eggs
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 cups Diced Apple
½ cups Chopped Nuts

Preparation Instructions

Mix together sugar, oil and eggs.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients, then add to the sugar mixture. Stir in apples and nuts.

Spread in a greased and floured 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.

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Amber is a stay at home mom who lives in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. It’s a long way from where she grew up, in Wales (yes, way over in the U.K.). The recipes in her blog Sprinkled with Flour include her original creations as well as her family recipes. Go check them out!

Nov 7 2011

Zuppa di Gnocchi e Pesto

Posted by cookincanuck in Step-by-Step Recipes

If I had an Italian grandmother, I am sure this is the chicken soup she would make for my seven brothers and sisters and me. Okay, I don’t actually have seven siblings. In fact, I’m an only child. However, I always imagine Italian meals as large family affairs, so I have to conjure up some additional characters to set the scene. My pleasantly plump nonna would be standing by the stove, ladling out the steaming soup into large earthenware bowls, exclaiming “Mangia, mangia!” (Incidentally, “Nonna” is what my kids call my mum. We obviously have a deep-seated yearning for some Italian blood in our veins. And yet, nary a drop.)

When I spotted this recipe by Tasty Kitchen member Melanie, I knew it was likely to become a family favorite. The broth is rich with the taste of roasted onions and garlic, pesto and chicken broth pureed together (be sure to read about my broth mishap below and learn from my mistake so you can avoid green-colored blinds and carpet). The gnocchi is gently boiled in the broth until tender and plump and the savory mixture is ladled over simply roasted, shredded chicken. It is comfort in a bowl. I swear I can feel my fictitious nonna’s hug as I take each bite.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to get started. Roasting chicken breasts can sound intimidating, but it’s one of the easiest things to do. Stay with me here.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts—skin, bones and all—into a roasting pan. Separate the onion quarters and scatter the pieces, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves, over and around the chicken breasts.

Drizzle over some olive oil. I promise it’s not going to get any harder than this.

Season with salt and pepper and slide those babies into the oven. You’re well on your way.

Roast the chicken for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board to cool. Remove the onion and garlic and peel the garlic. The cloves will be soft and buttery.

In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, combine the chicken broth, roasted onion pieces and peeled, roasted garlic. Add 3 tablespoons of pesto and pulse until smooth.

Now, let me give you a little tip here to save you some cleanup time. Do not—I repeat, DO NOT—try to do this all in one batch. I was feeling a little over-confident in my blender’s ability to hold mass quantities of liquid. Since I take all of my food photos in the living room (for the best light), that is where the blending took place. That is also where the combination of chicken broth, pesto, onions and garlic blew out the side of the blender lid and all over my carpet, blinds and furniture. It’s a good thing my kids weren’t home at the time or they would have learned some unsavory words to add to their vocabularies. Moral of the story: puree the mixture in two batches—in the kitchen!

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces, removing and discarding the skin and bones. I like to use my hands to do this, but two forks would work well, too.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and stir in the rest of the pesto until the chicken is coated.

Transfer the chicken broth mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until the little guys pop up to the surface.

Place some of the chicken in each bowl and ladle over the broth and gnocchi.

Garnish with chopped Roma tomatoes and serve. “Mangia, mangia!”

Thank you, Melanie, for sharing your incredible recipe. Melanie’s site The Coupon Goddess is not only filled with tips on saving money at the grocery store, but has loads of mouthwatering recipes. Be sure to check it out.

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