Sweet Potato and Apple casserole

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Every Thanksgiving I try to mix things up a bit. The same old things get boring.  I do my best to keep a balance between the healthy and the decadent, and when the healthy becomes the decadent I consider it a win. My husband is old school. He likes his canned cranberries and stove top stuffing (ummm….YUK)

So as to please everyone, I make what everyone likes the way they like it and try to keep a budget.  Since he is not a fan of sweet potatoes, unless they are mashed and topped with marshmallows, he won’t eat them. Even then, when I made them this way, he only ate one serving them leftovers were never touched.  So I decided to start making that MY dish. One that I love and will eat the leftovers for days and without feeling like I will need to spend two hours a day in the gym to work off.

Last year I just baked 3 sweet potatoes for my Mom, Sister and I, but this year I wanted to get a little creative.  I have many kitchen gadgets, and love to use them as much as possible, so for this one I pulled out my under-utilized mandolin.

* Now you don’t need a mandolin to make this recipe, but it sure does help. Either way, watch those fingers.

Ingredients:

·         3 lbs. (3-4 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

·         2 granny smith apples, sliced thinly

·         1 orange, juiced (Do not use concentrate)

·         3 Tablespoons butter, melted

·         3 Tablespoons olive oil

·         Sliced almonds to top

·         Cinnamon (I don’t say how much because I think it should be a preference.  I like A LOT, but others may want just a little.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine melted butter, olive oil and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of butter-oil mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Arrange potato slices vertically in the dish. Add a sliver of apple between every few slices of potato. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, pour juice of orange on top, and then brush top with remaining butter-oil mixture. Season generously cinnamon.

Cover dish with foil and roast for 1 hour, covered, until potatoes are tender (If your potato slices are thicker, you may need to increase cooking time). Increase oven heat to 450 degrees F. Remove foil and roast another 10-15 minutes, until tops of potatoes are browned and crisp.

Summer Salsa

"Where did summer go?!?!"  

I know, I know, it's not over yet. But some kids are already going back to school. If you're like me, you didn't do everything on your "Summer Bucket List".  I guess we do still have a few weeks left; and it will be warm till late October here in Michigan, so I may still have time to check a few off yet.

The great thing about this time of year is the bountiful harvest of veggies.  

This past weekend I went to a dinner party with a Taco theme. And since the Local Farm Market (LFM) had 1/2 pecks and bushels of tomatoes were in I decided to bring my famous salsa.  I love salsa on everything!! Chips, tacos, fajitas, eggs......

And after 33 years of marriage I made a double batch to leave some at home so as not to start a war with my Honey for making and taking and not leaving any. 

So if you have an abundance of tomatoes, or have a LFM, like I do that sells 1/2 pecks, this is my favorite recipe for salsa.  It requires no stock pots, no cooking, no mason jars; unless that is what you use to store it in.

Ingredients:

1/2 peck tomatoes (About 12)
1 large sweet Vidalia onion, or sweet onion of choice
1-2 large green peppers
1 large jalapeno
1 bunch of cilantro
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 Lemon
1 Lime
Salt/Pepper

Directions: 

This salsa will be done in small batches. I have a 4 cup food processor and it took 4 batches of ingredients. Blend in a large bowl to combine all batches and divided into 2 large mason jars.

In a food processor add: 
Cube tomatoes, diced onion, diced green pepper, small handful of Cilantro per batch- roughly 3 tablespoons; 1/2 clove of garlic per batch. (for less garlic, add to first & last batch); Juice of 1 lemon for entire batch; Juice of 1 lime for entire batch

Jalapeno's can be difficult to work with if you are not careful.  I use plastic cooking gloves.
For Hot salsa, dice and add whole pepper in 1st & last batch.
For Medium, take all the seeds and veins out and it should still have some heat to it. Add in 1st & last batch.
For Mild salsa, omit Jalapeno.

Salt/Pepper to taste

Notes:
* All ingredients will be to taste, so make it the way you like it - have fun with it!
* If you like a chunky salsa; save a few diced or an additional tomato, green pepper and onion to add     to finished product
* If you like garlic, add both cloves
* If you like a lot of cilantro, add a lot