Jazz Apple Love

I must tell you, I have a new love...Jazz Apples.

Have you tried them yet?

If you haven't you are missing out on one of the most crisp and tasty apples you will ever eat!

I know they are grown in New Zealand and in Washington State, Australia, Austria, France, Italy, Chile and Switzerland. 

Jazz Apples are a cross between a Royal Gala Apple and a Braeburn Apple.

I eat apples daily and until I found Jazz to be the perfect eating apple and baking apple .

This recipe I am going to share with you came from the Jazz Apple website http://www.jazzapples.com/sitemap.

The next time you are in the market, do yourself a favour and purchase some Jazz apples, if your store does not carry Jazz apples ask them to order some!

JAZZ Apple Pound Cake Stack

Ingredients:

·        4 ounces cream cheese, softened

·        2 tablespoons sour cream

·        1 tablespoon honey

·        1 teaspoon grated orange zest

·        12 thin slices of pound cake

·        1 thinly sliced JAZZ™ apple

·        3/4 cup of finely sliced strawberries

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, honey and orange zest with hand mixer. Spread each pound cake slice evenly with the cream cheese mixture. Core and slice the apple. To assemble the sandwiches, lay the apple slices on 4 of the cake slices, dividing equally.

Top with 4 more cake slices and then layer on strawberries. Cover with the remaining cake slices. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and secure each half with a decorative sandwich pick. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

  

Halloween Fun

The other day I went to my son's house and spent some time visiting with him, his significant other Kate and my beautiful granddaughter Gretchen.
When I got there Ryan and Gretchen were going to use Mr. Potato Head  parts to make a Mr. Pumpkin Head!
I stopped by to bring her a little something for Halloween as I figured I wouldn't see her until after Halloween.
I got a few nice pictures while my Mom and I were there.

This picture is of Gretchen and my Mom playing.

Gretchen and I playing with her halloween snow globe a black cat that looks like my son's cat Lydia Deets standing on top of a pumpkin with it's back arched.

Me sneaking in some cuddle time with Gretchen between playing

Gretchen and I  laughing at her Daddy being silly

Ryan and Kate laughing at Ryan's silliness

Gretchen and her Daddy having fun with the pumpkin-head

Stopped for a snuggle with her Nanny

Hamming it up with Daddy

                                   Cuddling up with me before I had to leave.
                                   We had a great visit!

Sunbathing and Tea!

Around mid-day I went outside and while I was taking in the beauty of the day I spied a little black squirrel that fell asleep while sunbathing.
I managed to get a couple of shots of him out there before he left the yard.

He is just too cute!

The tea I ordered came today and  enjoyed a cup of it straight away!

I have a love for different kinds of teas and often go to tea tastings at tea houses.
My very favourite is a tea that is from Ahmad Tea in London England.
The tea's name is English Afternoon Tea.
I have recently tried David's Tea and the name of the tea I like best from there is Cream of Earle Grey.
Do you have a favourite tea? Is it a loose tea or a bagged tea?
Both of the teas I like come in either bags or loose.
Bags are easier if you are going out and if you are at home loose tea is what I use.

English Afternoon

A superb blend of selected Indian, Ceylon and Kenyan teas, English Afternoon brews a wonderful liquor that is sparkling coppery-red. It is ideal tea for those who want to enjoy the muscatel character of Darjeeling with the full bodied strength of an Assam or Kenyan Tea. A touch of bergamot has been added to give a delicately aromatic flavour and a tangy, lemony aftertaste that lingers intriguingly long after each sip. Designed to accompany elegant afternoon teas in refined drawing rooms and summer gardens, this well-mannered and alluring tea pairs perfectly with warm scones fresh from the oven, buttery shortbreads and rich fruit cakes. Brew for 4-5 minutes. Best served without milk. Serve with a lemon to enhance the citrus notes.

 David's Tea  

Cream of Earl Grey

Lovers of Earl Grey adore this creamy alternative to the original blend. You’ll recognize the same high-quality black tea, the same citrus burst of bergamot oil, the same beautiful grey-blue petals. However this version adds a touch of vanilla, and the result is an unexpectedly rich, creamy taste experience. (MK Kosher)

Organic: Black tea, cornflowers. With natural vanilla and bergamot flavouring.

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks today for the neighbour next door.

This morning the neighbour next door and I were chatting and  I mentioned the poor toothache my significant other has and he was nice enough to give him antibiotics he had for the same purpose earlier the summer.
As a rule I wouldn't accept someone else's pills but I figure that having antibiotics is better than none at all as by this time his face is swollen.
So in return I gave him a loaf of rustic olive loaf I just finished baking.
Gotta love bartering, now to see how they work for his mouth.

The wonderful recipe I made is from cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com  http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/no-knead-olive-bread-with-whipped-feta-cream-cheese/

Thank-you Reeni for this recipe it certainly is a keeper.

Teeth That Ache & More

Here in Canada it is the start of the long weekend.
This is our Thanksgiving Weekend and also the weekend of the Norwood Fair!
This has been a tradition I always remember, going to the fair firstly with my parents, then without my parents, with my children, with my children and my parents, without my children and with my granddaughter and alas we still have sickness in the household so will not be attending this year with my little earth angel...next year we will get back to traditions.

Every long weekend it seems someone is ill or something, this year my significant other has a toothache, and of course refuses to sit in the hospital waiting room on a long weekend, we are rinsing with warm salt water and using green tea and Anbesol so let's hope for the best .

Dill Pickle Soup

I don't remember where this recipe came from I am sure it would be from a blog I read...unfortunately I didn't write the source down to be able to give them credit for such a yummy recipe. 

If you recognize this as your recipe, please let us know so we can thank-you and give you credit!

I recall reading this recipe and thinking that sounds terrible but will try it as I do love a good cream soup and I am always keeping my eyes open for new ideas to try in the kitchen...I don't knock things I haven't tried.

Dill Pickle Soup

·                  3 Tablespoons butter

·                  3 oz onions, chopped finely

·                  ½ cup white wine

·                  ½ cup flour

·                  4 cups water

·                  1½ cup dill pickles, chopped

·                  2 teaspoons fresh or dried dill weed

·                  ½ cup whipping cream

·                  Poultry seasoning

·                  salt and pepper

·                  Croutons for garnish

·                  Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add wine and continue cooking until almost all liquid evaporates. Reduce heat and stir in flour. Combine water and pickle marinade and whisk into mixture all at once. Increase heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly until soup thickens. Add pickles and dill. Stir in cream. Garnish with croutons and diced pickles.

I made some wonderful pear and chocolate scones the recipe I got off Smitten Kitchen at smittenkitchen.com

Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones


Tweaked from The Perfect Finish

Makes 6 generous scones; you can absolutely make these a bit smaller and reduce their baking time accordingly

3 firmish pears (about 1 pound or 255 grams)
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated or coarse for sprinkling
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) table salt plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or chips)
2 large eggs, 1 for dough, 1 for glaze

Heat oven to 375°F. Peel and core pears. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pear chunks on parchment and roast until they feel dry to the touch and look a little browned underneath, about 20 minutes. Slide parchment paper with pear chunks onto a cooling rack (or onto a plate in the fridge or freezer to speed this up) and cool to lukewarm. Leave oven on. Line baking sheet with another piece of parchment.

Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Toss in cooled pear chunks, bits of butter, heavy cream and 1 egg. With the paddle attachment, mix the dough on low speed until it just comes together. Don’t overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix for 5 seconds more.

On a very well floured counter, pat out dough into a 6-inch round. Cut into 6 generous wedges and transfer to baking sheet at least two inches apart (do as I say, not as I did here!). Whisk remaining egg in a small dish with 1 teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush each scone with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake scones until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve, and pat yourself on the back for your excellent host skills.

Do ahead: You can get this recipe all the way to the point where you’d bake them, and instead cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap and freeze them overnight. Bake them directly from the freezer in the morning; they should only take a few minutes longer. For longer than overnight, transfer frozen, already shaped, scones to a freezer bag until needed. In both cases, brush the egg wash/sprinkle the sugar on while still frozen, before baking the scones.

I would have posted a picture but alas they went so quickly I didn't have a chance to snap any pictures but if you go to the smitten kitchen she has some beautiful pictures.

Do you like scones? Do you like pears? Do you like chocolate? Well if you answered yes to all three of these questions then you will absolutely love these scones!

Working on week # 3 with this lousy cold/ respiratory infection.
I have drank more hot water with lemon and honey in it than I can ever remember doing at any one time in my life.
It sure helps loosen-up all the mucus.

I have spent the last week watching them set-up for the  Norwood Fair which is always held on Thanksgiving weekend.
They have been busy and what appeared to be a  fairgrounds full  of trailers and big rig trucks has turned into a midway waiting for Thanksgiving weekend and all the families from near and far to attend the last fair of the season.

Have you been to a local fair this year?