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Apple Waldorf Salad

4 medium apples
1 T. lemon juice
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 c. grapes (red or green), halved.
1/2 c. walnuts or pecans
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 T. sugar or other sweetener
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. whipping cream
(nutmeg)

Dice apples.  In a large bowl, sprinkle apples with the 1 T. lemon juice.  Add chopped celery, grapes, nuts and raisins.  For the dressing, ina small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sweetener and 1/2 t. lemon juice. Whip cream just until soft peaks form.  Fold cream into mayonnaise mixture and spoon over apple mixture.  Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.  Cover and chill.  Just before serving, fold the dressing into the fruit.
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Apple Pancake

1 c. flour
5 eggs
3 T. fructose or sugar
1/8 t. vanilla
1/2 c.whipping cream
1/2 c. water
2-3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
Butter

Whisk together flour, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, cream and water.  Stir thinly sliced apples into mixture.  In a heavy skillet (nonstick is best) melt enough butter to coat the pan.  Pour batter into skillet and cook pancake over medium heat until it begins to set. Lift the edges to allow uncooked batter to run underneath, like you would with an omelette.  Preheat your broiler.  When the pancake begins to brown and is getting firm, place entire skillet under the broiler until the top puffs and browns.  Sprinkle with vanilla powder or sugar, cut into wedges and serve.   (Remember not to use a skillet that has a wooden handle, btw!)

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Apple Salads & Entrees    Apple Desserts   Other Apple Recipes   Mushrooms

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Apple Pizza

We used to have an old orchard up at the back of our place, the trees had been planted in the early 1900's and went on bearing apples until about three years ago. One variety was called Winter Banana, a pretty pale yellow apple with a blush of pink. It wasn't much good to eat out of hand, and made only mediocre pies, but it made the BEST juice. I had an apple press and used to put up dozens and dozens of quarts of juice.

We had to cut down what was left of the orchard about three years ago, the trees were falling and breaking. And, sadly, what fruit there was usually fell on the ground as I no longer do all that canning and juicing. We would tell people they could help themselves, but it seems they thought we'd pick the apples for them!!! I miss the orchard, but now that part of the pasture is easier for the hay mower to navigate.

One fun thing to do with an apple pie is to use a pizza pan. Roll out your pastry to fit a pizza pan, then fill it with VERY thinly sliced apples. You can make a pattern with the slices if you want, but it's not necessary.
Sweeten the pie with sugar and a bit of cinnamon. Put your favourite crumb topping on, and bake. Presto, Apple Pizza.
The original instructions called for you to then put Caramel syrup on it, but I think that's a bit over the top. Kids like it, cuz kids like pizza!
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Caramel Apple Cake

4 cups of apples (Sliced and peeled)
2 cups of sugar (pour over apples and let stand for an hour)
to this mix add:
2 cups flour,
1 1/2 1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 scant cup of vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped Pecans

Bake at 325 in a 13x9 pan for 45-50 minutes.

Poke holes in the cake when it comes out of the oven, and drizzle (Sides to center) with Caramel Glaze

Glaze:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 Tbsp Corn starch
1 cup Light Brown sugar
3/4 cup water

Melt butter, add others. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook 3-5 mins stirring constantly.

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Orange-Glazed Apple Pie

¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups peeled, sliced tart apples
Pastry for double 9 inch crust
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons orange juice

Glaze
½ cup confectioners sugar
4-½ teaspoons orange juice
½ teaspoon grated orange peel

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Add apples, toss to coat.
Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry.  Spoon apple mixture into crust.
Dot with butter and sprinkle with orange juice. Top with pie crust.
Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients together. Spread over top of pie.
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Super Stuffed Baked Apples

4 large McIntosh or Empire apples, cored
1 Tbsp lemon juice
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ tsp nutmeg, a healthy grating
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces, 1/8 cup, golden raisins, chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle cored apples with lemon juice. Mix next 7 ingredients and over-stuff apples. Bake 20 minutes in a small oven safe dish.

Transfer apples to small bowls with a spoon. Top with ice cream and/or whipped cream, if desired.

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Other Apple Pips... er, Tips:

Have you ever tried apple jam? Spice it up with some ground ginger or cinnamon, or mix in a banana or a pear or some rhubarb. It's apple-licious!!! - Indis

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Apple Salads & Entrees    Apple Desserts   Other Apple Recipes   Mushrooms

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Mushrooms

There was beer in plenty and a mighty dish of mushrooms and bacon, besides much other solid farmhouse fare. - FotR

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms (about a pound)
4-5 slices of bacon, diced.
1/2 c. minced onion, or part regular onion, part scallions
3 T. minced green or red pepper
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. hot water

Clean the mushrooms, take off the stems and chop them, setting them aside.
Fry up the bacon in a skillet, drain on paper towers.  In the drippings, saute the onion, pepper and chopped up mushroom stems.  Drain, season with salt and pepper.
Soften the cream cheeese and blend it in with the bacon and vegetables.  Press this mixture into the mushroom caps, making little mounds.  Put bread crumbs in a small bowl and gently press each mushroom-top into the crumbs to coat them.  Put them all in a 9 x 13 x 2" casserole dish.  Add the 1/4 c. hot water to the pan and bake it, uncovered, about 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees.  Makes about 2 dozen stuffed mushrooms.

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Where I work we have a small grill/cafeteria and every day they have a different soup. The past couple of weeks they've started having one I hadn't seen before ... ... ... Wild Mushroom Bisque ... ... ... so I tried it (hobbit that I am), and it was delicious!

So, wanting to make it at home, I started searching for a recipe that I thought was close to it ... ... multiple types of mushrooms, a few veggies, a rich beefy broth with a touch of cream ... ... ... and, after a little research and experimentation, I have it. And I thought I'd share it with all my friends here. Enjoy!

Brandybuck's Wild Mushroom Bisque
(The Old Forest had to be a wonderous place to find mushrooms and I'd bet the Brandybucks took full advantage!)

1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup sliced celery
2 tsp minced garlic
1-1/4 cup diced onion
1 lb Button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
6 - 8 oz Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
6 - 8 oz Crimini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
6 - 8 oz Oyster mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 cup dry Sherry
4 cups beef broth
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup half-and-half
1-1/2 - 2 tsp salt, or to taste
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water

Place Porcini in medium bowl. Pour boiling water over. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Strain soaking liquid through cheesecloth (or paper towels) to remove any dirt. Coarsely chop Porcini.

Melt butter and olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium high heat. Add celery, garlic and onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add all mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are tender and most liquid cooks out, about 10-15 minutes. Add Sherry and cook until almost all liquid evaporates. Add reserved soaking liquid, beef and chicken broths, dried thyme and pepper. Simmer soup 30 minutes to blend flavors. Add half-and-half and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt. Mix cornstarch and water together. Pour cornstarch mixture slowly into soup, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.
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Mrs. Maggot's Rib-sticker

A hearty mushroom, bacon and potato dish to fill those hungry farm-hands.

12 potatoes, peeled and quartered.
10 slices of bacon
about 20 mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
4 T. butter
4 T. ranch dressing (optional)

Put potatoes in a large pot of water and boil.  Cook until soft, about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, cook the bacon slices in a large skillet until crisp.  Take them out to drain on paper towers.  In the drippings, cook the mushrooms and onion until onion is soft and translucent - add a touch of vegetable oil if needed.  When the potatoes are done, drain them and put them in a large bowl.  Mash in the butter and dressing, keep mashing until they are smooth.  Stir in the mushrooms, onions and crumbled bacon.

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Merry’s Mushrooms

“They’re mine! Mrs. Maggot gave them to me- A Queen among farmers’ wives!” -Frodo, Fellowship of the Ring.

I onion, small dice
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 c. small mushrooms, washed (can also use large mushrooms sliced in half or quarters)
3 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. thyme
2 c. water
2 tbsp. arrowroot
Salt&Pepper

In a medium pot or a deep pan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for two more minutes.
Add 1 1/2 c. water and simmer uncovered for 15 min. Mix the arrowroot with the remaining 1/2 c. of water, and add to pot. Cook until thickened, approx. one minute. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately to hungry Hobbits (Or eat them all yourself :) )

Enjoy!
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Mushrooms ala Gandalf

This is an old British recipe with a few modifications of my own:

~ Fill up a pan with cut mushrooms (portabella if you have them).
~ Add a 1/2 stick of butter.
~ Enough cooking wine (your choice) to cover the bottom of the pan.
~ Add pepper generously with a grinder.
~ Several shakes of nutmeg.
~ Add Worchestershire Sauce till everything turns black.
~ Cover and cook on medium. Cook them to death.  Use your staff if you have to.
~ Reduce heat to warm when mushrooms have absorbed most of the liquid in the pan.
~ For the best taste, leave in pan and serve.

Great with steak or on burgers. Makes good leftovers too.
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Mushroom Jello

2 envelopes unflavored knox gelatin
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 Tbsp. dry onion flakes
1/2 c. tarragon vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. drained chopped pimentos
2 c. canned green beans, drained
1 can (4 to 6 oz.) mushrooms, drained

Sprinkle gelatin and onion flakes over 1/4 cup of the water in a saucepan.  Stir in and hear over low hear until gelatin dissolves (about 3 minutes). Stir in remaining 2 cups of water, vinegar, salt and sugar. Remove from heat and stir until all is dissolved.  Chill until it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.  Add vegetables and mix, pour into a large flat pan that has been rinsed with cold water.  Adapts well to artificial sweeteners.