This And That

For the second week in a row, I was asked what I'd be writing about in my next column.

And for the second week in a row my answer was, "I don't know." This speaks to my mastery of the art of procrastination. I should start jotting daily notes: "What did I do today? Is it something that might remotely relate to gardening?" But I probably won't do that, either. I'll stick with my bad habits. I'll suddenly realize it's Sunday afternoon/evening, and the column still hasn't been written, and I'll scramble.

Thanksgiving has come and gone once again. We enjoyed the day with our daughter (your favorite sports editor), her guy (your favorite local photographer), his parents, and a couple of newly met friends. Everyone contributed to the feast. There was turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sugared ham, honeyed carrots, maple-glazed sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon, sweet rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and flan. If anyone went hungry, it was their own fault.

I'll be cooking with lots of leftover ham for a while. I plan to freeze some, including the bone, for later. So far I've only prepared sandwiches and reheated slices with hash browns (and a fresh, raw, carrot for myself). Ham is great in omelets, although my attempts at that end up being glorified scrambled eggs. I can do a decent ham and bean soup, or toss cubed ham into potato soup.

Since Christmas is on its way (no one can stop it, or slow down its arrival) I'm thinking of holiday treats. I know I've shared various spiced nut recipes before. And recipes for those abound in magazines and online around now.

You might try this pie filling recipe. It makes enough for a couple pies. Or you can eat it as is. It's good over ice cream or frozen yogurt. You can peel the apples or not. Just be sure to remove the core. It makes the house smell wonderful.

Slow Cooker

Apple Pie Filling

9 C diced red tart apple, sliced

2 Tbl lemon juice

1 1/2 C water

1/4 C cornstarch

3 Tbl maple syrup

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Add apples to slow cooker insert, toss with lemon juice. Whisk all the rest in a medium pot, stirring to dissolve cornstarch. Stir over medium heat 5-8 minutes, until thickened and reduced by a third. Pour over apples. Stir to coat. Cover and heat on high 3 1/2 hours, stirring gently every hour. Cool to room temperature before transferring to jars.

For those of us limiting our consumption of sugars, you might prefer this one:

Sugar-free Gooey

Apple Pie Filling

1 Tbl butter

2 sweet apples, cut 1/8" thick

Dash sea salt

1/2 C cold water

2 tsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp vanilla

Pie spice* to taste

Heat butter in a medium non-stick pan. Add apples and salt. Sauté over medium heat until soft, 5-7 minutes. In a small cup, whisk water, arrowroot, and vanilla. Add to apples. Raise heat a little and stir until thickened. Remove from heat, add cinnamon and pie spice as desired.

*Apple pie spices: store each air tight

#1: combine 1 1/2 Tbl cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice

#2: combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cardamom

#3: combine 4 Tbl cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cardamom

#4: combine 4 Tbl cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 1/2 tsp cardamom

And if your philosophy is "full speed ahead, I'm not going to worry about sugars during the holidays: that's for New Years Resolutions! Knock yourself out with this recipe:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 (8 oz) pkg semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 9" pie crust

2 Tbl butter

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 C brown sugar

1 C karo syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C pecan halves

Heat oven to 350°. Coarsely chop 4 squares of the chocolate and set aside. Microwave the remaining chocolate with the butter, 1-2 minutes. Do this in short increments, stirring after each zap, until melted and smooth. Brush bottom of crust with a small amount of the beaten egg. Stir sugar, syrup, eggs, and vanilla into the melted chocolate until well blended. Stir in the nuts and chopped chocolate. Pour into crust. Bake 55 minutes or until knife inserted 2" from the edge comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

You can use either light or dark syrup. Walnuts can be used in place of pecans.