Apple Dumplings

Fall is in the air, or so everyone keeps telling me. I live in Florida, and this past week the temperature has been in the nineties.  So I have to live vicariously through my northern friends who brag about the cooler weather and having to put on a sweater. Michael would say we are the lucky ones since we are still running around in shorts and flip flops, but I miss autumn. I miss the cooler weather, the leaves changing colors and the briskness in the air.  The only reason I really know it is fall is because the fall TV season has begun. My old friends are back and I get to check out some new ones. We are television junkies in my home.  My favorite show is Bones, but that is starting later in the season. Sarah Michelle Gellar is back in a new show called Ringer. Buffy is one of my all time favorite TV shows, so it is great to have her back on TV.

Anyway, you didn't come here to have me ramble on about TV. I'm sorry I am easily distracted. Don't ever wave anything shiny in front of me.

Apples are the fruit of fall and today is National Apple Dumpling Day so I thought I would try to make some.  Most of the easy recipes I found online used crescent rolls, I decided to used cinnamon rolls. They are a little bit messier to work with, but I think the extra cinnamon flavor really works for the apple dumplings. Plus the scent of them baking is better than any potpourri.

Ingredients
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Butter
1 can Cinnamon Rolls (5 count)
3 - 4 Apples
3-4 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg



Directions

Add the sugar, butter, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small saucepan.



Bring to a boil.



Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl combine 3-4 teaspoons of sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of nutmeg.



Peel, core and chop apples. I love my apple peeler that removes the core at the same time.



I placed apples in a bowl with water and a little lemon juice to keep from turning brown.



Next it is time to prepare the dough.

Take a cinnamon roll and flatten it out. I started out using the rolling pin, but I decided it was much easier to use my fingers.




Add apple pieces and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.



Fold up sides and seal.



Drizzle sauce over dumplings.



Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

I had extra sauce and apples, so I added apples to the sauce and let it simmer while the dumplings baked.



Serve warm. It tastes great with vanilla ice cream.



I poured the extra sauce and apples over the vanilla ice cream.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini

TGIF! I love Fridays. After a a long stressful week at work I can't wait to pick up some dinner and head home to Michael, put my feet up and relax.  In my younger single days, Friday evening meant one thing, Happy Hour.  I have so many memories of going out after work with co-workers who were more like friends. I'd share some stories, but I pinky swore I would never tell and I'd really hate for all of my hair to fall out. Now that I am older and wiser, going out to Happy Hour isn't in the cards anymore.  But there isn't anything stopping me from having Happy Hour at home.  The best thing about Happy Hour at home? There isn't a need for a designated driver.  This recipe makes one drink.

Ingredients
1 oz Pinnacle Cake Flavored Vodka
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 Maraschino Cherry
Brown Sugar



Dip rim of martini glass with brown sugar and place cherry in the bottom of the glass.





Shake pineapple juice and vodka with ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into glass and enjoy responsibly.

Glamour's 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Get Him to Clean the Apartment Burgers

Right before my surgery I was looking around my apartment and wondered when did the gnomes move in and why are they so messy. I mean it had to be gnomes right?  So I decided to check out my new cookbook and see if there was a magical recipe to inspire people to clean. Lucky for me I found this recipe.  It was really simple to make and very tasty.  The smokiness from the grill and the addition of cumin added a new layer of flavor that my burgers had been missing.  Unfortunately, it did not inspire Michael to clean, even after I told him the name of the burger, but he did declare it was the best burger he ever ate.  He did wake up the next morning asking for the leftovers.

The only change I made to the recipe was to add garlic powder,  It is impossible for me to cook beef without garlic.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (80 - 20 meat to fat ratio)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 to 4 pats butter
2 to 4 slices cheddar cheese (optional)
2 to 4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted



Mix ingredients



Form burgers and place butter in the center of the burger.



Grill





Enjoy

Mom's Potato Salad

I am back from my hiatus.  Thank you for all of the well wishes as I was recovering from surgery.  I thought this would be a good recipe for Labor Day weekend. I love eating potato salad along side a good grilled burger.  This is another one of my mom's recipes. Most of my favorite recipes come from my mom.  I have many happy memories of my mom preparing potato salad and having her call me into the kitchen to be her official taste tester.  Of course I had to taste it multiple times to make sure it was just right.  I am the only person in my house who likes potato salad so I only make it to take to potlucks. Unfortunately, I am stuck being my own taste tester. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

I used my mom's recipe and a shortcut I learned from Christy Jordan over on her website http://www.southernplate.com/.  Be sure to stop over and say hi and let her know I sent you.

The recipe in my mom's handwriting.



Ingredients

5-6 medium potatoes (boiled & unpeeled) or 1 bag of Southern Style Hash Brown Potatoes
1 medium onion finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp crushed celery flakes
2 boiled eggs (chopped)
2 -3 tbsp of vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 -1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp sweet or dill relish
Hot Sauce to taste
Salt & Pepper to Taste



Directions
If you are using whole potatoes, boil until fork tender. If you are using the hash brown potatoes, boil for 2 -3 minutes and drain in a colander.



Boil, peel and chop eggs.



Mix mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, relish, celery and onions until well blended.



Fold in eggs.



Add peeled and chopped potatoes or the hash brown potatoes that have cooled. Mix thouroughly and add any needed seasonings to your personal taste.




A few tips
1. If you use the hash brown potatoes make sure to only boil for 2-3 minutes, any longer and the potatoes will become too soggy.
2. I personally hate the texture of raw onions, so I usually grate the onions. You can also chop the onions and add to the boiling potatoes for 2-3 minutes.
3. The first time I read the recipe I thought it said to use both sweet and dill relish at the same time and I loved the combination of flavors.