TV Dinner

Ok, so I totally meant to do some posting last week, but didn't get around to it. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the Thanksgiving feast that my sister-in-law cooked. So for today, we'll settle for a good old fashioned TV dinner updated.

This is Salisbury Steak with Pesto Creamed Spinach, Mashed Potatoes and Apple Turnovers with Ice Cream. Skip the compartment trays that you stick in the microwave. We did most likely eat this in front of the TV though. Have to keep some sort of tradition alive, right?

The recipes are a mish mash. The Apple Turnovers are from Ina Garten, Salisbury Steak from Rachael Ray, Pesto Creamed Spinach from some cookbook (recipe below) and the mashed potatoes are just homemade.

Pesto Creamed Spinach - Bon Appetit Cookbook
1-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 TB. purchased pesto
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese

Drain spinach and squeeze dry. Heat heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pesto, then spinach, stir until heated through. Add cream and stir until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Mix in cheese. Season to taste with pepper.

Overall, a pretty decent meal. Although, since I left the mushrooms out of the salisbury steak, Wes did make a pretty accurate comment in that it was basically just a hamburger patty. I do like my creamed spinach a little creamier, but did enjoy the pesto addition to mix it up some.

The apple turnovers were pretty yummy and easy to make. Although, I wish I could have stuffed them a little more. Served warm with vanilla ice cream and I was pretty happy.

A fun, nostalgic little meal. Could make it even more fun if you did have some trays with compartments, so it could be served like those TV dinners from the 50s.

Enjoy!

S'Mores

It's basically winter. So let's reminisce about summer...

Back when Wes's sister and her family of five, plus husband, came out to visit, we took the opportunity to roast some marshmallows in the backyard. It's ok. We had a contained fire for the kids to play with. There was no shortage of sticky fingers and chocolate mustaches on everyone. But it's all worth it to have some s'mores on a summer's night!

Bailey and Wes roasting marshmallows.
Eli enjoying a s'more. Don't worry, he didn't cook his own marshmallow.

Brown Butter Apple Pie

One of my favorite apple pies is a Julian Dutch Apple Pie from a bakery out in Julian, California. Those dutch apple pies always had a streusel topping, which I like much more than a regular pie crust. This pie reminds me of those pies growing up. This recipe is courtesy of Pillsbury. It's a little more involved than a regular apple pie, but it has a lot more flavors going on.

Brown Butter Apple Pie

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tb. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples (approx. 5 apples)

Streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (can use light or dark)
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1 frozen pie crust

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned. (I would suggest cutting the apples while the butter is melting.) Once melted, cool completely, about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup sugar and the egg with wire whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into crust-lined pie plate.

In medium bowl, stir together all streusel ingredients except butter. With pastry cutter or fork, cut 1/4 cup cup butter into mixture until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples.

Place pie on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent a brunt crust. Bake 40-50 minutes longer until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool for 2 hours before serving.

Mmm... Look at that golden streusel on top.

The hardest part is waiting the two hours for the pie to cool. This definitely needs to be served warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.

The mixture with the apples gives the pie a nice creaminess to the pie. And depending on how thin you slice your apples, it could cause the filling to be a bit soggy. So don't cut your apples too thin. Nice chunky apples is what apple pie is all about anyway, right? The filling is a nice contrast to the crunch of the streusel on top. And then you have the buttery crust on the bottom. So good!

The recipe seems involved, but it's not that hard. Just a lot of steps. Give it a try. You'll love it.

Enjoy!