Apple Galette

Evey and I stepped out of the car to wander into the shop of a local orchard to pick up some apples and any other delectable pieces of fruit we could find. We were immediately caught off guard by the delicious smell of cinnamon and spice wafting from the kitchen. This particular place knows how to draw their customers. When sweet smells of the season hit my nose, I cannot walk away.

It took everything in my will power not to purchase one of their pies hot off the shelf. They prominently display them in the bakery window where you can easily see the warm steam rising off their golden crust and smell the treasure hidden within.

I wanted to wait and enjoy one alongside my husband. So, as dinner cooked in the oven, I quickly whipped up this galette. Perfect when you're pressed for time (due to a lovely toddler who is pulling every last thing out of every cupboard and off every shelf...or for any other reason). Easier than apple pie (which is pretty easy), roll your dough out into a circle, fashion your sweetened and spiced apples in the middle, and roll up the edges. Prep is about 20 minutes flat from start to finish.

Apple Galette

3-4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3 T. brown sugar (or more, if you like)

1 t. cinnamon

half a lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and juice of the half lemon. Let it sit and mingle while you prepare your crust.

For crust:

1 1/2 c. flour (I used all-purpose, but whole wheat would be great too.)

1 T. sugar

1/4 t. salt

8 T. cold, unsalted butter

1/2 c. or so of ice cold water

Place all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Cut butter into dough and mix together with your fingers until chunks are about pea size. Mix water in by the tablespoon, until there is just enough to hold dough together. Try not to overmix. 

Place some flour on your work surface, and roll your dough out to about 12 inches in diameter. Place dough onto a baking sheet by rolling it carefully onto your pin and unrolling it onto the sheet.

Arrange apple mixture onto the middle of the dough, allowing about one inch around the perimeter of the dough for folding. Once you've artistically arranged your apples ;), fold and pinch the dough around the apples. 

Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, until crust is a golden brown. (Check after 30 minutes and place foil on top if apples are beginning to brown.)

Summer Reading : Cookbook-Style

The theme of the adult summer reading program at our local library this year is Reading is SOOOOO Delicious -- a theme I can always get on board with.

My average check-out per week is somewhere in the range of 10-15 books. Although I could try and claim many of them are for my daughter, truth is, the majority are definitely mine. And always heavy in the food category. Big surprise there. Hey, I'm just trying to follow the summer prompt! ;)

We've been attempting to do a little cleaner eating around here {which I hope to blog about at some point in the near future} so I've been snatching up cookbooks that will aid us in that department.

A great find has been Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen by Jennifer Perillo. As of yet, I haven't made any of the recipes, but I have several in queue for meals this week. {Including those mouth-watering lemon buttermilk donuts on the cover!} I've been itching to try my hand at homemade pizza dough, and she's got a recipe in here that seems rather foolproof. Also, the chicken pot pie with drop biscuits is sure to lift my husband's spirits at the end of a long day. {And we've been having too many of those lately.} Jennie's wholesome meals are easy for the most amateur of cooks and budget-friendly.

Another unexpected, great find has been Gwenyth Paltrow's It's All Good. I didn't expect to be learning some fantastic cooking tips from an actress, but good ideas come often in unexpected places. ;) The photography for her book is rather beautiful as well. There is a photo nestled in there of her cooking a whole fish over a campfire. It looks absolutely amazing. I told my husband that I wanted to cook that fish and I wanted to cook it just like that, in that exact setting. Anyone have a beach we could borrow for an evening?

We're not vegetarian but we're loving every recipe we've tried from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day. A Bay area blogger, she has the benefit of great farmers' markets, but even without that selection, she makes it easy-peasy with various substitutions in every recipe. We've done her tortellini dish about half a dozen times, but with a different variety of fresh veggies and nuts each time. So adaptable. Her baked oatmeal has been on the breakfast table a few times too, again with different fruits and nuts every time. I'm inches away from making a purchase for our permanent collection of this one. 

Is your summer reading list cookbook-heavy too? Please share some of your current favorites!!

Happy Distractions.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it ;)), I'm not able to give the same attention to this blog as I used to. There is a little person who has absolutely captured my attention and heart, and she requires most of my time these days. I hope to get more posts up on here in the near future (I would like to shoot for once a week), but I'm not promising anything....

If you'd like to follow our family adventures, I'm posting over at http://muffindome.com, our family's little piece of the Internets. Would love to have you follow!

And if you have any recipes you'd like to see posted on here in the future, please comment below!! :)

Peach Green Iced Tea

The thermometer has been over 100 degrees for the past week. Although relief is on the horizon, it still seems miles away. Even then, we will merely move into the high 90s. 

Fortunately, the season of peaches is upon us. And just mentioning those sweet orbs of juiciness, makes me feel a bit cooler. If that doesn't do it for you, this drink certainly will.

This iced tea is a perfect thirst quencher with a tad pick me up (slightly caffeinated). You may want to fill one of those 5-gallon jugs with this to keep on hand in the heat.

Peach Green Iced Tea

2 tablespoons of green tea (or two bags)

1 quart of boiling water

1 lemon, sliced

3-4 white peaches, sliced

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. ginger beer or ale (depending on how strong you like the ginger flavor -- beer is stronger)

a handful of fresh mint leaves

8 c. of ice

Pour boiling water over tea leaves in a heat-resistant container. Let steep 2-3 minutes. (Green tea should be steeped a shorter time than black tea, otherwise the taste becomes bitter.) 

Place peaches and sugar in a blender or food processor. Blend until liquified and mixed. 

Place lemons with half the ice in a pitcher. Pour tea over lemons and ice. Mix in peaches and sugar. Add ginger beer. Pour in the remainder of ice. Sprinkle mint leaves on top. Stir with a spoon. 

Serve with slices of peach, if desired.

Roasted Red Pepper and Fennel Quiche with Goat Cheese

Well, it's about time.

I've had so many requests for more recipes, more blog posts, it seems I can no longer neglect this little corner of the world wide web. My posts won't be frequent and they won't be regular, but at least I can offer a little something every once and a while. :)

I concocted this recipe the other day when I was searching for a tasty quiche recipe for a breakfast date with a friend. It ended up making enough for two, so I sent one off with my husband for his weekly work Saturday brunch potluck. If you don't want two, it is easy to half the recipe.

And it's a wonderful meatless Lenten recipe, something I'm always searching for more of.

Enjoy. :)

Roasted Red Pepper and Fennel Quiche with Goat Cheese

2 pie crusts

2 large red peppers

1 head of Fennel, green part removed

1 large yellow onion

8 oz. goat cheese

A dozen eggs

1 c. milk

2 t. thyme (I used dried, but it would be great with fresh)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place your red peppers on a baking sheet, whole and entire. Roast for 30 minutes, turning about every 10 minutes. Keep them in the oven until their skins are completely blackened. Once black, remove from oven and immediately wrap in foil. Leave inside for at least 30 minutes. Once cool, remove stem and seeds, and carefully peel off skin. Cut into thin strips.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Chop onion and fennel. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and fennel for about 10 minutes, until softened. Place in bottom of pie crust along with roasted red peppers, split evenly between two pies. Sprinkle 4 oz. of cheese in each crust. 

In a small bowl, crack 6 eggs. Whisk eggs. Mix in a 1/2 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Pour into pie crust on top of vegetables and cheese. Repeat with second crust.

Place in oven for one hour, or until inserted knife comes out clean. 

Allow to cool for at least a half hour. Delicious hot or cold!