Pictures of Apple Kugel Muffins tonight!

I picked up some apples today at the farmers' market. I went with a new variety that I hadn't seen before - opalescent. I picked them up from market regular Keown Orchards. Check them out at http://www.keownorchards.com/varieties.html.

They told me that the apples are good for baking - so I'm going to whip up a batch of apple kugel muffins tonight after dinner! Stay tuned!

Almost time for the Holidays! Apple Kugel Muffins

I don't have any photos for this recipe, but it is a fall favorite at my house. This recipe is from a cookbook I got as a wedding gift - Kosher by Design by Susie Fishbein. It's easy, delicious, and great for using up a lot of fall apples. You can make it as muffins or in a springform pan. Either way it won't last long! I typically use a mix of apples and leave out the nuts (you can use walnuts or pecans on top if you'd like).

Apple Kugel Muffins (or Cake)
Adapted from Kosher by Design

3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling on the top
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces (I have used golden delicious, McIntosh, granny smith, and other local baking apples)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease 12 muffin regular muffin tins or springform pan
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the apples
Using a mixer (or hand mixer), beat at medium speed until just smooth (don't over mix it)
Place a small amount of apples in each muffin tin (or cover the bottom of the springform with the apples)
Spoon the batter evenly into each tin to cover the apples (pour batter evenly over the springform)
Sprinkle with extra cinnamon
Bake 20-30 minutes for muffins (30-40 for the springform)
At the low end of the time, check for doneness

Enjoy!

Take Out At Home - Egg Drop Soup and Egg Rolls

The hubby offered to go grocery shopping this week while I was in class. I ran out of time and didn't get a chance to send him a shopping list - I told him to get whatever looked good and we could pretend it was an iron chef competition when it came time to make dinner.

I had bought some egg roll wrappers and they had been sitting in the fridge unused for about a week. I kept saying, I'll make something tomorrow... Finally tomorrow came and I decided to just come up with something with the ingredients that the hubby brought home.

For a light dinner, I threw together some chicken egg rolls and egg drop soup. This was my first try at egg drop soup - it sounded fun to make. For the egg rolls, I used some assorted veggies that we had left in the fridge - carrots, red pepper, and onion. I would have loved to add in water chestnuts but we finished off our supply. Instead of frying the egg rolls I baked them. While they were baking I had time to make the soup. You can adjust the ingredients to your taste - all veggie, ground turkey/chicken, etc.

Chicken Egg Rolls
Egg roll wrappers (I used the Nasoya brand)
About 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
5-7 baby carrots cut into small coins
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 of a white onion, diced
Toasted sesame oil
Tamari (or soy sauce)
A few shakes of ground ginger
Toasted sesame seeds

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Take out a cookie sheet (or baking sheet) to put the egg rolls on
Cut chicken tenders into small pieces
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken until just cooked through
In a skillet over medium heat, saute the carrots, red pepper and onions in a small amount of olive oil until just softened (3-5 minutes)
Pour about a tablespoon of tamari on the veggies and stir
Remove from heat and set aside for assembly
Set up an assembly line with the veggies, chicken, wrappers, and a small bowl with sesame oil
On a wrapper put a small amount of veggies and chicken in the middle
Follow the rolling directions on the wrapper package and roll it up
Place the egg roll seam side down on the cookie sheet, repeat until you use up all the filling
Brush the top of the rolls with the sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds
Bake for about 5-7 minutes and then turn the rolls over
Bake for another 5-7 minutes until crispy and brown

Quick Egg Drop Soup
I did a quick Food Blog search for egg drop soup and read a few recipes for tips on making it. I knew there had to be more to it than just drizzling eggs into chicken broth. So here is my version adapted from various sources.

4 cups chicken stock
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in water

Bring stock to a boil
Add in dissolved cornstarch and stir
Reduce heat so that the stock is at a gentle boil
Slowly stir in the beaten egg, making ribbons
I had a little extra sesame oil leftover from brushing the egg rolls, so I added it in to the soup before serving

This would rival any soup in a take-out restaurant. Perfectly salted to my taste!