Spiced Applesauce Biscuits

Generally speaking, most items stored in a deep freezer stay fresh for about 12 months. (New to freezing? Here's how to do it.) When I found this guy -- a batch of 15-minute Applesauce -- hanging out behind some chili I made last October, I remembered it was nearing it's 1-year birthday.

What to do?

I love applesauce, but my favorite texture is smooth. This jar was extra chunky, likely made for Stephen. Not that I couldn't deal. However, we also had a guy over doing some routine maintenance on our furnace. When he told us we'd need to buy a new one before the chilly temps set in, I needed a distraction.

So, I mixed together these delicious biscuits. The house smelled "like breakfast" (words of the heating/cooling tech, not mine) in no time at all.


SPICED APPLESAUCE BISCUITS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup bread flour 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup 
• 1 heaping tablespoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves 
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
• Pinch tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup chunky applesauce 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup almond milk or water

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spritz olive oil onto a baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 
3. Add all the wet ingredients into that bowl, then mix with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
4. Scoop onto baking sheet in heaping 1/4-cup-fuls. 
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Inhale the spices as they fill your kitchen. Biscuits done when they're lightly browned. 
6. Let cool before serving with Earth Balance or extra applesauce . . . or just on their own.

Yeah. Baking is my coping mechanism. This batch did the trick. (Though, I think Stephen ate most of them already.) And on the bright side, a new furnace means a toasty winter. Right?

Check out today's post on Writing Chapter Three. Some tips on saving where we can on baby (toddler?!) clothes.

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12 Cookies of X-Mas: Clove-Spiced Shortbread

These wedges are based on a recipe that appears in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. And they turned out so well, in fact, that I actually brought them into work. My coworkers were apprehensive at first -- because they know I often bake with "strange" ingredients.

But they were happy to learn that these treats are pretty traditional. Real butter. Real sugar. White flour. But they are somewhat healthier. I cut the butter with some oil. I used some whole wheat flour. Little substitutions here and there that didn't impact the flavor, just the nutritional value.

Oh, yeah! And I got my new lens this weekend -- a 50mm. It's working out wonderfully so far. Great for food photography. Great for portraits. I can't wait to get some more time to play around!


CLOVE-SPICED SHORTBREAD
Print this Recipe!

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Set out a springform or tart pan (with a removable bottom).
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, oil, and brown sugar. Beat until well combined.
3. Then whisk together the flours, pecans, cloves, and salt in another bowl and add to the wet to form a soft dough.
4. Then turn this dough into the prepared pan and press to fill it uniformly.
5. Place in the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees F. Let bake for 30 minutes.
6. Then remove from the oven, cut into wedges, and prick with a fork (if you wish, it's only to make a design). Return to oven for another 15 minutes.
7. Bake until lightly browned. And then let cool before removing from pan.

And before you know it, you have a delicious shortbread that EVERYONE will enjoy!


JOY TO THE EARTH -- eBook!

Amy (from be.you.ti.fully a.musing) has written a super awesome eBook for the holiday season called Joy to the Earth. It's all about having a "Meaning -Filled, Eco- Conscious and Thriftastic Holiday" -- click here to learn more on Amy's site.


Of course, we're really into the whole concept of an eco-conscious holiday. We, too, have been more and more thoughtful this season, simplifying, saving money, etc. And Amy was nice enough to give us a sneak peek of the book. I must say -- there are some great ideas inside!

From gifts to wrapping to gathering to the tree (more contents info here)!

12 COOKIES OF X-MAS

• Day 1 (Salted Cornmeal Sugar Cookies)
• Day 2 (Mexican Hot Chocolate Chippers)
• Day 3 (Festivus Bars)
• Day 4 (Julie's Chocolate Chai Tea Cakes)
• Day 5 (Chocolate Chunk Oaties)
• Day 6 (Fudge-Topped Chai Bars)
• Yes. We're behind! But we'll catch up later today . . .

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Quinoa Ginger Snaps

The Matcha-Sunflower Seedsters were actually my second experiment of the day on Sunday. First came the Quinoa Ginger Snaps. Spicy. Warm. The slightest bit crisp. They have a hearty dose of coriander in them, too.

Makes this cookie a unique and healthy holiday treat -- and the recipe is super easy!


What's the secret? Well, it's basically the same stuff that I use to make the Matcha cookies . . . but with different spices. If you compare the two side-by-side . . . you start to see how easy it is to manipulate recipes. I try to make different flavor combinations whenever I bake. Not only because we like to have fresh content on the blog, but also because it's just plain fun.

Of all my experiments, though, I'm particularly happy with how these turned out.


You may be wondering about the quinoa. Why include it? Uh. I don't really know. I just got the urge. We have baked quinoa into bread before, and I love its nutrition profile, so I figured: Why not?


QUINOA GINGER SNAPS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or substitute)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 to 1 cup red and/or white quinoa (not cooked, just rinsed)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, ginger, coriander, and cloves.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, molasses, almond milk, and sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until incorporated. Stir in the quinoa (again -- use it dry, not cooked -- and rinse before adding it in!).
5. Spoon tablespoon- sized amounts of dough onto the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. (They will expand somewhat during baking, so keep about 1-1/2 inches between cookies.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
7. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store for a week in an air-tight container (we like ours in the fridge!).

This recipe makes 24-ish cookies (if you abide by the 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie instructions). I made a half batch at first, but these will disappear faster than you'd think. Plus, you'll want to send 'em to your friends.


Photography trick-o-the-day: Buy a few cheap-o swatches of fabric at the store (I got this one at WalMart for $1.99). Then, use them as backdrops/settings of your photos. If you use a light colored weave -- it can help with bouncing light. Overall, though, it adds interest to your shot.

And stay tuned for our light box tutorial later today. I took the following photo in the dark. So, though I don't like using the light box as much as I love snapping pics in natural light, I'll take it over the alternative!


On an unrelated note: I PAID OFF MY CAR TODAY! Five. Long. Years. I just slipped the bill in the mail, so its on its way. She's all mine. One major financial burden down. Student loans and a mortgage to go . . .

What's something GOOD that's happened to you lately? Between the blogiversary, 3,000 awesome subscribers, and paying off my car -- I am trying to focus on the positives in my life versus the bad stuff. Like my knee. Ugh. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Apple and Pumpkin Spice Stew

What do I do when I'm down in the dumps? I tie on my apron and cook. Yesterday afternoon, I was in the mood for slow-cooker soup. I was also feeling adventurous and full of autumnal spirit, Naturally, I put my feelings to good use and got creative with some of my favorite fall ingredients.

Putting apples in soup is nothing new. In fact, I just came across a freshly posted recipe for Butternut Squash, Apple, and Sage Soup on The Kitchn today. Ours is more of a stew. Almost chili-like. And it's oh-so easy. You'll want to make it again and again.


APPLE AND PUMPKIN SPICE STEW

What you'll need . . .

• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 can vegetable broth
• 1 can's worth of almond milk
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small cooking onion, diced
• 1 large honey crisp (or other type of apple), peeled and chopped
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (depending on your desired intensity)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Basil to garnish

Method . . .

1. Prepare all your fruits and veggies. Drain and rinse all your cans of beans and tomatoes.
2. Pour the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, and almond milk into the pot of a slow cooker. Stir until well incorporated.
3. Then toss in everything else. Mix. And season a bit with your cloves, salt, and pepper. (But you can always season more later on).
4. Put you slow cooker on the high setting for between 3 and 4 hours. Stir every hour or so.
5. It's done when the green peppers and apples aren't crisp, but they also shouldn't be too mushy.
6. Store in your fridge. Keeps 5 to 7 days in airtight container.

What I like about this stew is that it's a unique mix of ingredients. The garbanzos were a nice change from kidney beans (that I typically throw into slow cooker stews). The apples release their juices into the broth, but still retain some sweetness and texture. The cloves give you a feeling of warmth. Almost like it's the holidays.

And, well. It IS almost the holidays! Speaking of feeling warm and fuzzy, when I was taking the photos of this stew, Stephen brought in the day's mail. Ashley had sent me a postcard to see how the race went. It was a nice pick-me-up on a cold, rainy, and internally dreary afternoon!


Are there any particular foods that send you into holiday-mode? For me, molasses in ANYTHING makes me think of Christmas. I like to eat pumpkin year-round, so I guess that doesn't have a huge association for me, but today I had my very first pumpkin spice soy latte . . . and that definitely had me pining away for Halloween. Oh, and cinnamon and sugar toast always remind me of snow days!

And pssssst: If you're looking for a great side to go with this soup, look no further. The wasabi dinner rolls we posted the other day work perfectly!

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Ginger Gold Applesauce

It seems like this year, the leaves are changing really early. I mean REALLY early. Maybe two weeks ahead of the normal schedule. Of course, we're now on full fall mode . . . and since we're tapering till our marathon (on Sunday, October 3rd!), we had a lot of time to soak in all the colors and spices.

Yesterday, I spent the majority of the day in the kitchen. It was glorious.

We don't have many family recipes. However, every fall, my mom makes applesauce. I remember thinking it was remarkable that she was able to create such an item at home when I was small. As I grew into my own kitchen, I discovered how easy this recipe is. I make applesauce several times over the season -- always trying out new apples and spice combinations. This mapled version is made with cardamom to give it some extra punch. It may be my favorite experiment so far!



All you need are apples, a dash of sugar and spice, and a slow cooker. That's it. Then, just watch a movie. Go for a long run. Or, at least in my case, bake bread and make peanut butter . . . and three hours later, you're done! This particular applesauce is best served warm, but I also bring it to work for snacks . . . and cold is pretty great, too.

GINGER GOLD APPLESAUCE

What you'll need . . .

• 10 large apples (we used ginger golds)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method . . .

1. Peel all your apples. Then slice them into chunks (do not include the cores, discard them). Throw them all into the pot of a slow cooker.
2. Add the maple syrup, lemon juice, and spices. Mix with a spatula to get everything coated.
3. Turn slow cooker onto high and cook for three hours. Mash with a potato masher or process in a blender to achieve your desired smoothness.

And for the first time this weekend, Stephen and I found our way through a corn maze! With a little help from our friends, of course. These photos are courtesy of Lindsey and John:


Do you have a special family recipe that you make specifically for fall? Maybe even something you've come up with all on your own that you now want to make tradition? Tell us all about 'em! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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