Crazy Englishwoman Cooks!

Since the holidays are approaching all too quickly, next week Crazy Englishwoman Cooks will be featuring a variety of gift ideas for the cook or food lover in your life.

Each day, I'll be giving five suggestions.

Categories will be:

1. Cookbooks
2. Gifts under $25
3. Gifts under $50
4. Splurge items
5. Gourmet food ideas.

So come back each day next week for some great gift ideas.

There are so many wonderful things to do with pumpkin but I had never tried them with blueberries before...until now.

Last night's dinner may sound odd but trust me, try it and you'll like it.

Recipe courtesy of Delish.com.

Apple and Sauerkraut Quesadillas (makes 2)

1 cup sauerkraut, rinsed 
1/2 cup water 
2  9-to-10-inch (burrito-size) flour tortillas 
1 1/3 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese 
1  small apple, peeled and very thinly sliced - the original recipe called for a tart apple such as a Granny Smith. I used a Fuji with delicious results. 

Put sauerkraut and water in nonreactive pan. Gently heat until the liquid has evaporated but not so much that the sauerkraut begins to stick to the pan. Remove from heat. 

Gradually heat large skillet over medium heat. Put one tortilla in the pan and sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over half of it. Quickly arrange about half the apple slices over the cheese, then top with half the sauerkraut, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup cheese. 

Fold the tortilla over and press gently on it with a spatula to seal. Heat the quesadilla until the bottom is golden, about 2 minutes, then carefully flip and lightly brown the other side. Slide the quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut it into halves or quarters.

We ate ours with some fat free sour cream and Newman's Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa.

The sweet apple and creamy Cheddar really complemented the tangy sauerkraut. The salsa was a good addition. There was also a slight crunch to the apple slices. 


Very unusual, but a very tasty supper.

Today's recipe comes courtesy of my mum. She sent me this last week while I was wondering what to do with some of the many apples currently in the fridge.

Head over to VisitSouth to see what's coming to Lexington in just over a week.

I love to use squash to make soup in the fall, and this has to be one of the best recipes I've found so far. Before making the soup, you roast the squash, onions, and garlic for an hour. The process really brings out the flavor and aromas of the veggies in a way that simple boiling could never do. I used a butternut squash but you could also use acorn or pumpkin.

I did it!

I boldly grabbed that bull by the horns and wrestled it to the floor.

OK, I made my own pastry, but admit it, the bull wrestling sounded pretty cool!

After a weekend trip to a local orchard, I've been cooking up a storm, and although it is slowly dawning on Nic that these meals contain very little (ie. no) meat, he is enjoying them nonetheless.

Yesterday, I found a recipe for an autumn galette and decided to play with it a little bit. The result was a very nice Apple and Butternut Squash Tart, made in my trusty PamperedChef stoneware pie plate. And yes, I made the pastry crust all by myself.

Apple and Butternut Squash Tart:

1 sheet store-bought pastry, or if you're feeling adventurous...

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 8 tbs cold butter, diced
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 apple - preferably a variety that keeps its shape during cooking. I used a Fiji.
• about 3/4 lb butternut squash, halved, seeded, and skin on
• 1 small onion, peeled,
• 3 tbs butter, melted
• 2-3 tsp herbs (see below)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs whole-grain mustard (my good old Guinness mustard)
• 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used Gorgonzola but go with what you like)
• some grated Parmesan or Romano

If using store-bought pastry, line your pie tin.

If making your own crust, put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse again. I then put my dough in a bowl so I could handle it more easily. Add 1 tbs of very cold water, if it seems too dry. You want to shape the dough into a lump, then wrap in clingfilm and stick in the fridge for at least an hour.

When you are ready to use the dough, roll it out to fit your pie dish. I found my dough seemed a little crumbly at first but once I handled it a bit more, it became firmer in texture and more workable.

Cut your apple in half and remove the core. I left the peel on for some nice color, but you can peel it if you like. Cut each half into wedges.
Same goes for the squash - peel or leave it on, whichever you prefer. Remove any seeds, and cut into slices, about the same thickness as the apple wedges.
Toss the apple, squash, and onion wedges in a bowl with the melted butter, salt, pepper and herbs. The herbs are your choice - I had planned to use rosemary and thyme but then found (to my shame) that I am out of both! I used savory and a little basil, with delicious results.

Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Brush your pastry lined pie dish with the mustard.

Now it's time to put the filling in. Since you have some nice slices and fabulous fall colors, try to put them in a pretty circle, each slice overlapping the other.



Cover with foil and put in the oven for 30 minutes. This lets the vegetables steam so they're nice and tender.
Remove the foil and cook for another 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Enjoy with a side salad.


And for the record - the pastry held up perfectly!