October 22, 2015

Apple fritters

Glazed apple fritters on parchment paper.

Apple fritters have long been one of my favorite doughnuts (just behind the peanut stick really). I will admit though that we rarely eat doughnuts and through my whole life they were more of a treat than a regular thing (and that's probably a good thing and how it should be). In my quest to try and make more apple recipes though, fritters have been on that list for a while now. Now I can happily check them off! Apple picking always inspires me to use apples in new ways each autumn. Golden fritters that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and filled with fresh apple chunks, apple cider, spices, and then topped with an apple cider-spiced glaze. I mean, come on! Who can resist??!! I made these fritters on a Sunday night to eat while we watched some Halloween specials. They were a perfect treat with a cup of decaf coffee!

Apples on an apple tree.

I slightly adapted these from a recipe I found over at The Pajama Chef. I made a few minor changes and my batch ended up making 10 fritters. One big change I made was cutting back on the glaze -- I think there was still more than enough. Apple fritters aren't the most pretty thing to look at or photograph, but they are super tasty!! These fritters are best enjoyed on the first day. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container, but they won't be as crisp the next day. 

Inside of an apple fritter.

October 19, 2015

Mulligatawny soup


Mulligatawny soup is something I've been intrigued about since the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld many years ago. I recently decided it was time to do a little research and give this intriguing sounding soup a try. I learned that Mulligatawny is an English soup based on an Indian soup. I read a lot of recipes and not one was the same... some used chicken, some used lentils, some used cream, some used coconut milk... but a lot of the basics were the same - onions, carrots, celery, apples, curry powder, bay, and something creamy. 

The soup turned our terrific. My only complaint is that it was terrible to photograph. All the apples floated to the top and all the other stuff fell to the bottom. So, it just looks like a curry broth of apples! But trust me, there are a lot of other goodies hiding and swimming below the rich curried broth. This is a soup absolutely fit for a chilly fall or winter evening. It will serve about four people.

October 5, 2015

Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

Platter of chocolate chip pumpkin cookies with half semi-sweet chocolate and half white chocolate.

Well it's now officially fall for me because we have gone apple picking. Apple picking at Lynoaken Farms has become an early October tradition since my husband and I got married. We go with a bunch of family members from both sides of our family and it's always a good time. Another part of this tradition is that I always bring a post-picking treat for everyone. This year I went with these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I was inspired by a recipe from the amazing Sally of Sally's Baking Addiction for these cookies. I only changed it up a little. I doubled the below recipe and put semi-sweet chocolate chips in one batch and white chocolate chips in the other batch. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the ones with the white chocolate in them. They really complimented the pumpkin flavor and didn't overwhelm it. Even my mom who was resistant to try those claiming she didn't like white chocolate, also agreed after reluctantly giving one a try (and then a couple more). Don't get me wrong, the semi-sweet chocolate ones were also delicious, but I highly recommend giving the white chocolate a try.

I love the tip from Sally to press in a few extra chips into the top of cookies after taking them out of the oven. It really makes them look a lot prettier! I've made them a couple times now and they are best enjoyed a day after they are baked so that the pumpkin and spice flavors really come through. This recipe will make about 2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies on a platter.