Stuffed Apples

Sasha posted about our Thanksgiving meal on her blog http://iamthebee.blogspot.com/ on the 25th. We made the meal this year. I probably won't blog it even though I took pictures; so please feel free to check it out on her blog.

I made up some stuffed apples on Monday and will post a usable recipe here. :)

Preheat oven to 350 F.



In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup dried cranberries...



1/4 cup sugar (I used sucanot. Brown sugar would work well.)...



and 1/4 cup sliced almonds.



I used 4 nice, big Michigan apples.



Slice off a small amount of the base so that the apple will sit upright.



If you don't have an apple corer (I don't.) take a knife and make 4 slits around the core in the shape of a square. Repeat on the bottom; then push the core out from the base through the top. Make additional cuts, if necessary, to make the core come out. :)



Place the apples in a baking dish. Stuff with the filling; then put a pat of butter on top of each apple.



Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F. Check for doneness. If the apple feels slightly "squashy" to the touch take them out of the oven.




Serve them with ice cream (such as vanilla or a fall-type flavor), whipped cream (flavored with vanilla, cinnamon + sweeter would be good), or drizzled with cream as I did.

Preparation & radishes

I started prepping food for my ethnic meal and thought I would post some photos. I also made supper for my dad. This is not an exhaustive gallery of what I've done, but shows a good bit. :)

Apple and Pear sauce



Beautiful Radishes



Hungarian Cold Plate (In this case casserole dish.)



I layered farmers' cheese, smoked provolone, and hard salami. This dish also contains ham, turkey, cucumber, red and yellow bell pepper, and radishes.



As part of our supper I made a little hash. We'll call it "Hungarian Hash". :)



First, I cooked some ham, turkey, hard salami, and bell pepper in olive oil/salt&pepper; then I added a bit of leftovers consisting mainly of roasted potatoes. I did a bit of chopping and further cooking; and that was all.

West Africa: Meal #4

I based my dishes off of "Cooking the West African Way" by Bertha Vining Montgomery and Constance Nabwire.



I used roses from our garden.




Coconut Crisps






Jollof Rice



Fruit Salad





Recipe for Fruit Salad:

4 to 6 large, ripe mangoes

4 medium bananas

1 large tomato (optional)

1 c. cubed pineapple

juice from one medium lime

1 c. water

1/2 c. suger

1/2 c. shredded coconut for garnish

Note: I wanted to mention a few things here. I reduced the water to 3/4 c. and the sugar to 1/4 c. roughly. This salad already uses sweet fruit and doesn't need all of that extra sugar. Also, I used raw cane sugar. The crystals are larger and are the color of brown sugar. This a an excellent substitute for white sugar. It's so much better for you.

1. Wash and peel mangoes. Cut into bite-sized cubes. Peel and slice bananas. Cut tomato in half, remove the seeds by squeezing each half over the sink, and cut into cubes.

2. Combine mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, and pineapple in a large bowl and toss, being careful not to mash fruit.

3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, 1 c. water, and sugar. Stir well.

4. Pour dressing over fruit, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Toss well before serving. Garnish with shredded coconut.

This salad is sooo good! I enjoyed everything in this meal. I'm not sure where I'm going next. Maybe Malta?