Apple-Almond Gingerbread

This recipe just showed up today in my inbox in an email from Whole Foods so I haven’t tried it yet. The quantities seem a little fiddly to me – I am always scratching my head over a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup of something plus 2 tablespoons – always figure I can skip the 2 tablespoons and usually it turns out fine. Anyway – I liked the idea of apples and gingerbread, so I’m going to give this a try. But probably with a little more apple and with regular whole wheat flour rather than the pastry flour called for.

Lemongrass Pork Sandwich

And finally, my plan for the daikon is to adapt this recipe. I was introduced to Lee’s Bakery on Buford Highway which the New York Times once declared had Atlanta’s best banh mi sandwiches. I don’t know about that, but I do know they sell their crusty rolls for 30 cents each. I bought a bag full. I’ve been growing lemongrass in a container and so will finally harvest my first stalk.

Tangy Apple and Beet Salad

This very simple salad comes from Fine Cooking magazine. The simplest way to “roast” a beet is to cut off the leaves, leaving about an inch of stem, scrub the beet and put it into some covered container in your microwave, making sure the beet is still wet. Steam for as long as it takes it to get tender, which is going to vary by the size of the beet. 10 minutes? 20 minutes? Depends. Carefully remove from the microwave and let it cool. Properly done, the skin just peels right off. No muss, no fuss.

Apple and Cheddar Penne Pie

Is there anyone who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Ok, vegans. But otherwise ….? Here’s a version with apples. It came from Better Homes and Gardens. I always love the combination of cheddar and apples. Now here it is baked into comfort food. The springform pan is just to make for a pretty presentation. Bake it in a casserole and spoon it out if there’s no 10-inch springform pan in your cupboard.