Apple, Arugula & Endive Salad (Curly Endive)

Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A and K and folate -- plus it's a great source of fiber.  It's a slightly bitter green.

This salad packs a punch of flavor with the endive and the peppery arugula, sweetness of the dressing and fruit, and the tangy goat cheese.


Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

Dash of salt

1/4 cup pecans

2 heads of curly endive, chopped

1 cup arugula

1 apple, sliced thin
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional)


Directions:

To make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, juice and honey. Season with salt.

In a small sauté pan, toast the pecans over medium heat. Allow to cool.

Mix together the endive, arugula, apple and cherries (or cranberries) in a medium-size bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Top with the pecans and goat cheese (optional).

Out of This World Apple Preserves

The lemon keeps this sweet, chunky jam fresh-tasting.  It reminds me of apple pie or applesauce.  It's really just perfect, and seriously out of this world good!

I made mine with Honey Crisp Apples, but you can use any kind. 

6 c. chopped, peeled & cored apples
1 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
1 package pectin
4 c. sugar
1/2 c. thinly sliced lemon
2 t. nutmeg

Combine apples, water, and lemon juice in a large non-reactive pot.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Add in 1 package of pectin.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Add sugar and lemon.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg.

Ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Process 10 minutes in hot water bath.  Makes 6-7 half pints.

New to canning?  You CAN do it!  Ball makes it really easy -- go here to learn more.

Fabulous Fail-Proof Dutch Apple Pie

Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this.  It makes a fantastic gift, bake sale item, potluck dish - or just plain family dessert.  This pie is always a hit.

If you're a sucker for rave reviews, you'll want to serve this pie asap!




INGREDIENTS

1 unbaked pie shell

Filling
1/2 c sugar (adjust as needed for tartness of apples)
1 t cinnamon
6-8 baking (or "pie") apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Topping
3/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c margarine

For filling, mix sugar, cinnamon and apples. Stir until well mixed. Place apple mixture in unbaked pie shell. Make Dutch apple topping by mixing flour, sugar and margarine with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of apples.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 45 minutes or longer, until apples are tender and crust is lightly browned.

Notes:

Good apple choices are firm apples, like Northern Spies. Mushy apples apples and crunchy Dutch Topping don't mix!

Should be eaten in two or three days, or topping will get mushy. Not that it will last that long anyways!

Can be frozen! Double wrap with plastic wrap, put in ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Does not have to be thawed to bake. Simply follow baking directions above and adjust time at 350 as needed. This is usually method, since I love to make a bunch of pies in the fall and enjoy them through the year.

Makes a very nice gift! You can get pie boxes at stores that sell Wilton products and other retailers.

Honeyed Applesauce

Dark with spices, this applesauce freezes well. Makes about 2 pint jars.

8 cups (about 3 lbs) apples cored, peeled, and quartered
1 cup clover or mild honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp lemon juice

1. In a large saucepan, combine the apples with 1/2 cup of the honey; cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. For chunky applesauce, just mash the apples in the saucepan. For a smoother sauce, press the apples through a conical sieve or a food mill (or use your blender). Add enough of the remaining honey to sweeten to taste. Stir in the spices, salt and lemon juice. Enjoy just-made or freeze in pint jars for up to six months.