One of the true joys about living near the mountains is picking apples. We actually picked apples in Canada on our honeymoon. So fun to do something you enjoy with the man you enjoy most in the world.
Picking apples is great exercise and you get healthy food out of it – just don’t get most of your exercise from doing squats to pick up the ones from the ground. Worm eaten apples aren’t worth it.
I also remember crab apples. My grandparent’s dirt road used to be lined with apple trees and we would run up and down the roads, getting dirty and eating sour apples. Ah, the joys of childhood.
I can’t wait to take my boys apple picking – to see their joy when they can hold what they pick in their little bitty hands and hold it up as if to say This is my apple! They love wandering around with anything in their hands, so apples will be just the treat for them!
This recipe is topped with some delicious additions to make it even better. First, I most give a shout out to the Mister. He said he would like this cake better with a caramel sauce. I’ll work on that babe. Talenti Gelato is amazing and their containers make great desk accessories – and its made right here in Marietta where we live. Their Tahitian Vanilla Bean is rich and deep. (Side note to any Talenti people reading this: can my boys and I come do a tour and taste testing?) Then I tried my hand at melting down red hots in apple juice – and it worked as a chewy magic shell. It basically made the dish pretty.
Apple Scone Cake ala mode with Red Hot Drizzle
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Author: The Charming South Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted chilled butter (cut into pieces)
1 egg
1/2 cup (minus 2 tbsp) milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
3 tbsp sugar
cinnamon to taste
Instructions
Mix the dry with the butter and run it in your food processor till you get coarse crumbs.
Add in the liquid and combine.
Put half of the mixture on the bottom and side of a deep dish pie pan (that’s been sprayed). Dough will be sticky.
Thinly slice two apples and arrange on top of the dough.
Then drop the rest of the dough on top like drop biscuits. Top with cinnamon and sugar.
When I was growing up, August and September meant two things: going back to school and scuppernong grapes.
My grandparents, Granny and Papa, who lived across the pasture from us, had grape vines. I loved going over there and picking the grapes once Papa told us they were in. When I was smaller, he would climb the ladder and I would hold the bowl or brown paper sack to put them in. But, as I got older and taller, I would take the sack up the ladder with me and drop them in. I loved them so much I would break out around my mouth – somehow allergic to them, but only in large doses.
Those days are long gone, but I still love scuppernongs. I remember buying them in the store for the first time. I couldn’t imagine paying 5$ for grapes that I used to get for free. But, the smell brought back so many memories, that the 5$ didn’t matter anymore.
I just got some at the Dekalb Farmers Market (along with the greens used on this wrap) and these grapes still make me break out if I have too many, and my older son doesn’t care much for them – but I still love them, and fondly remember my Papa.
To begin a new series here on the blog: I want to create some easy lunches that you can have too. Currently in our home, my lunch is usually leftovers of what my boys don’t eat, or a taco from Taco Bell, or CFA salad with nuggets. Sometimes it may be leftovers. I don’t usually prepare gourmet foods just for myself. I’d rather go out all the time – but the budget doesn’t allow for that.
This wrap was healthy, under 3 minutes to put together, and delicious.
Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Wrap
Recipe Type: Sandwich
Cuisine: Lunch
Author: The Charming South Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Bacon Chicken and Avocado for an easy lunch win
Ingredients
1 whole wheat tortilla
1/2 cup shredded chicken
2 T shredded colby jack cheese
1 strip cooked bacon
mayonnaise and honey mustard
greens
avocado
Instructions
Put tortilla down on microwave safe plate
Fill with chicken, cheese, bacon – heat for 45 seconds
I wish every week we could go on a honeymoon. My husband and I love to travel and I can’t wait to show our boys the world (as much as our budget will allow). Early on in our courtship, my husband and I knew we had a mutual love of food and roads. So, naturally when we got married, he was a master at planning our “secret” honeymoon. I could never have planned a better trip.
After a brief stay at our favorite place in Durham we ventured up to Washington DC for a few days as the first leg on a two week road trip. He had bought us tickets to the Taste of DC – a huge foodie tasting tour in front of the Capital Building. Even though I was sick, I still enjoyed it – in spirit at least.
Oh and a brief, unpaid plug. My husband loves Duke’s. Yes, the mayonnaise. I’d tried it once before and I stuck to my regular brand, but now have tried it again – and it really has made me fall in love with mayonnaise again.
Roasted Mexican Street Corn & Chicken Frittata
Recipe Type: Frittata
Cuisine: Eggs
Author: The Charming South Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Corn chicken and eggs with a kick
Ingredients
2 ears of corn
2 T mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)
cayenne pepper to taste
chili powder to taste
2 c shredded chicken
1/2 cup sauteed onion
7 eggs
1 1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cup mont jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450. On two pieces of foil, squirt equal amounts of mayonnaise, lay the shucked corn on top, roll around, and sprinkle cayenne and chili powder.
Close up the foil.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
Remove and cool.
Cut the corn off the cob.
Lower temperature to 350.
Spray a deep dish 9 inch pie plate with Pam.
Mix the eggs, half and half, and cheese (and more seasonings if you want).
Mix the corn, chicken, onion
Combine the two and pour into pan.
Bake for about an hour or until set.
Let cool and enjoy!
3.2.2802
One of the favorite things I tasted was Mexican Street Corn: mayo, cheese, cayenne, corn – what’s not to love? So, I wanted to recreate the corn and turn it in to a frittata. It turned out great! Here you go. If you like corn casserole and quiche – you will love this. Its like a cross between a spicy corn casserole and a quiche. And if you have little ones eating it, just lay off the cayenne.
Yes, Fall has officially begun because we are now passed Labor Day! Do you still wear white? Just curious!?
Well, I’m definitely cranking out some warmer meals this week. The only thing that has been different about the Atlanta weather for the past week is we’ve had a lot more rain. I love the big storm clouds. I don’t love the fact that the storms seems to come during my boys’ nap time. They aren’t fans of constant thunder! Oh, well, I will train them right!
Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions
Beef Tips over Basmati
Chili (from a friend through a freezer meal exchange that I will be sharing) and cornbread
And i’m baking some soft batch cookies with fall candies. Can’t wait to show you finished product! And share them with a mom who is about to have another baby!
Bring on the Fall! The weather hasn’t changed that much from last week, but the feel in my kitchen certainly has. Earlier this week I made some of these: some friends and some little misters in our home devoured these.
They are all gone.
I had never made a snickerdoodle until I lived with one of the girls I discipled (while she was in college). She loved snickerdoodles. And the fun thing is – that as I read the directions, I read them wrong, and it turned out I like it better and now this recipe is my tried and true snickerdoodle. Snickerdoodles are so easy and if done right they are perfectly soft and chewy for days. We just had the last of these at lunch and they were still chewy. Success!
And seriously – one of the things that can make any bad day better for me is buttercream. I love it – a true Hero! 🙂 But, it is also a bear to get perfect. If you get your butter too soft – forget it. I think I added too much pumpkin to mine trying to achieve the perfect pumpkin flavor – but below I’ve changed the recipe some. I hope yours turns out better than mine.
Having children in the house, I have a love relationship with Dr. Seuss. The whimsical poet author master who is unlock any other. We have the books and there is a clock in our younger sons room with the Oh the Places You’ll Go Theme. Now, the theme has entered my kitchen.
We had some of Eric’s family stop by for a visit on Friday afternoon and I wanted to make something low-key but delicious and filling, because who wants to send away house guests with an empty stomach – about the brave ATL Labor Day Wknd traffic and the ATL airport. Not me!
Green Eggs & Ham Quiche
Recipe Type: Brunch
Cuisine: Eggs
Author: The Charming South Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Colorful and savory quiche
Ingredients
2 T evoo
1 onion, chopped,
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup quartered zucchini
1/4 lb chopped black forest ham
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cup whole milk
7 eggs
1 deep dish pie crust
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake the pie crust for about 15 minutes in the oven. Set aside to cool.
Saute the onion, ham, and vegetables for about 5 minutes in the evoo.
Add seasonings.
In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and cheese.
Combine with vegetable mixture.
Pour in pie crust. You’ll have extra and with that I make mini frittatas (and bake for 35 minutes)
Bake quiche for about 45-50 minutes or until middle of quiche is set.
