It's FALL!!!!

Wow, it really has been awhile. I try to avoid getting obsessed with internet stuff, limiting my reading of my favorite blogs to once daily, in the attempt to stay connected with the real world and the real people in my life. At the same time, most of the important people in my life happen to be hours away, so I suppose cyberspace isn't always a horrible thing. Really, though, I'd prefer to talk on the phone while clunking around doing dishes (wearing my headset for my cell phone, which was purchased for exactly this purpose--multi-tasking). The person on the other end might not be so amenable to that noisy scenario, though.

The past two weekends have been immersion in quintessential autumn regalia. My favorite days include farmer's market trips and consequent cooking of meals laden with fresh veggies and fruits. After lugging our produce finds around the square, then lugging 25 lbs. of apples through the pick-your-own orchard (with plans to make applesauce), last Saturday night's menu included pork chops with apples, onion, and bacon; broccoli sauteed with red pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes of the spicy variety; aacorn squash with just enough butter and brown sugar; and apple crisp (lovingly known in our family as "crips") with homemade cinnamon ice cream (courtesy of my new mixer attachment--a gift from my thoughtful BF). The next morning we had a cheddar cheese, spinach, and apple fritatta. The beauty of so much bountiful produce is its inherent lack of gluten.

Even aside from food, fall is most favoritest :) time of the year--the bright oranges and deep reds and brilliant yellows, spending time in the crisp outdoor weather, eating any and all pumpkin-containing desserts, listening to Badger football on the radio and seeing all of the red-clad people at the farmer's market, smelling leaves and hearing them crunch underfoot. Yum.

Pork Chops with Bacon, Apples, and Onion
(adapted from 30 Minute Meals)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium to large yellow onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 apple, cored and diced
3 butterflied pork chops
1 cup chicken broth (or beer)

Heat oil over medium high. Add chopped bacon. When the bacon renders its fat, add onions and pepper. Saute 3 to 5 minutes, then add apples and saute mixture another 2 or 3 minutes. Remove apple mixture from pan. Add pork chops to the pan and caramelize meat on both sides, 2 or 3 minutes. Remove chops to a plate and cover. Deglaze the pan with broth, then return apple mixture to pan and simmer.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.
Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.


P.S. It really helps to have a whisk for this. Not that I was disappointed with my second time when there were a few little clumps that I refuse to strain out, but it's just smoother. Simple as that. I'm not really sure how I could have survived this long cooking and not own a whisk!

Apple "Crips"

~6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (enough to fill 9x9 pan almost to top)
3/4 c white rice flour
3/4 c brown sugar
3 T butter

Cream together flour, sugar, and butter with fork or pastry blender to create crumbly topping. Top apples with topping and bake about 40 min at 350 deg F.