A neighbor of mine qualifies for the local food bank and he gets farm grown items. He doesn't cook so he decided to give me some potatoes and apples. He gave me ten pounds of apples and thirty pounds of potatoes. It was a very generous gesture but I have no idea what I should do with this largess.
Anybody have any recipes that would work for this?
I have a microwave, oven grill, and an oven. I don't have much in the way of kitchen items. I do have a skillet, a Pyrex pot that is usable for microwave and grill top use. I don't have hot pads or an oven suitable pan although I could purchase them.
Ingredients are not a problem as I could buy them but you must realize I am not a chef.
Help?
SORT-OF APPLE PIE -- With the Pyrex, you can make a dish apple pie -- Just wash, peel, and slice the apples. Toss them with plenty of sugar, some cinnamon, and a small amount of flour (1/4 cup-ish). Lay that mix in the pyrex, put dots of butter across the top of the mixture, and then top it with a store-bought roll-out crust (Pillsbury makes a good one -- roll it out, trim it, and seal it to the edges by pinching). Cut slits in the pie crust for steam to escape. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour (until golden brown). If you want, you can try it with a bottom crust, too (the roll-out package usually comes with two pieces to roll out), but I would think the glass might make it muddy.
Alternately, you can make APPLE CRESCENTS with the roll-out pie crust. Slice the pie crust into quarters, spoon mixture into center, fold over and seal the edges with a fork. Cut a hole in the center for steam, and bake on a tray (or a sheet of Aluminum foil placed on the rack). Might need more pie crusts
The pyrex can also make you some POTATOES AU GRATIN! Clean, peel and slice the potatoes (some people don't peel, but if you don't peel, you have to wash the potatoes super-duper clean). Layer potatoes in the dish -- keep layering up and up until you have the dish mostly full. Top with dots of butter and plenty of cheese. Bake at 350 until the potatoes are tender and the top is bubbly and golden brown -- probably about 45 mins-1 hr.
BAKED POTATOES -- You can "bake" individual potatoes in the microwave -- wash and poke all over with a fork or knife (for steam to escape the skin. Wrap in plastic wrap and nuke for about 6-8 minutes, depending on size. Voila! -- baked potato! You can bake in the oven for authentic baked flavor -- no hole-poking, wrap in aluminum foil, and bake for about 45 mins to an 1 hr (at the magic 350!).
HOBO DINNERS -- need potatoes, onions and hamburger. Shape hamburger patties and season your way. Place on a large piece of aluminum foil. Slice potato and onion and top the burger. Wrap the foil loosely around the burger (you want some airspace to create steam), but fold the edges so nothing escapes. Bake at 350 for about an hour. If you have an oven-safe tray (like a cookie sheet), that will help in case of drips. If not, place a sheet of Aluminum foil on the rack!
Aluminum foil is like magic when you have no pots and pans!
Do you have a ceramic dish in which you can bake something? The pyrex dish might be an option (although I don't know for certain, but I'll let you decide). If so, then this is a popular recipe that I used to make when I was quite young because I couldn't screw it up and we always had the ingredients in the kitchen.
Apple crumble:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed, so squish it down until you have the right amount)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinammon
melted - 1/3 cup butter or margarine
Mix all the dry ingredients together, adding the melted butter last. Cut up apples into slices (always the most time-consuming part), do enough to maybe fill the dish 1/2 full or whatever makes sense. Put some lemon juice over the apples to keep them from going brown, unless you have the topping done first and don't need to wait. If the apples are tart, or if you put lemon juice on them, then sprinkle a bit of white sugar over them. Mostly you want to be able to eat one of the apple slices and not pucker up! Then put the crumble mixture over the apples and cook for 30 minutes at 350F.
This tastes just as good warmed up in the microwave, which is an advantage.
If you have any questions then please let me know!
P.S. I'm tempted to try that Potatoes au Gratin myself... mmmmm cheese.
Mashed potatoes with canned gravy or just butter is fun. Just peel the potatos, cut them up and boil them until they are soft. Drain the water, and mash them up with a masher or a fork or whatever and add salt, milk (if you like), butter.
Mmmm!
We make applesauce after we go apple picking. Slice and core the apples, put them in a little water and boil them down, mushing with a potato masher as you go along. It takes a while but eventually you have delicious home made applesauce!
(09-20-2009 08:16 PM)catsnotkids Wrote: [ -> ]We make applesauce after we go apple picking. Slice and core the apples, put them in a little water and boil them down, mushing with a potato masher as you go along. It takes a while but eventually you have delicious home made applesauce!
I was just visiting my sister-in-law in Vermont and she has apple trees. She made applesauce. Yum!
I also like making apple crisp, like apple crumble, but you add some oatmeal in the topping. Really easy to make, easier than pie!