In-Season Eats: Apple Cranberry Crisp

Written on November 28, 2012 at 7:28 am , by Kate Taylor

Hello! I’m Kate of Cookie and Kate, where I share simple, fresh vegetarian recipes. I hope you got your fill of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving because I have a delightfully different cold weather dessert to share. This Apple Cranberry Crisp is neither too sweet nor too heavy. If you get a hankering for a lighter dessert to tide you over until the decadent Christmas desserts arrive, this is it.

To tell you the truth, I’m not much of a baker. The sheer thought of attempting pie crust and layered cakes makes me whimper. I do, however, love crisps and crumbles, because they are genuinely foolproof and don’t require any special equipment. Although they may not be as beautiful as their pie cousins, the truth is that they taste just as good.

I couldn’t resist this crisp recipe in particular because it contains fresh cranberries. I adore cranberries for their tart yet sweet flavor, and because they add vibrant pops of color to otherwise drab dishes. Unlike summer berries, which are wonderful in their raw state, cranberries need to be cooked in order to develop their irresistible sweetness. I am always looking for an excuse to fire up the stove or oven during the winter, so I appreciate cranberries for obliging. I really have no desire for strawberries and blueberries in the winter; it’s all about the cranberries!

I made a few simple modifications to this recipe to enhance its flavor and nutrition profile. For starters, I sweetened the apple and cranberry mixture with honey instead of granulated sugar and added two tablespoons of chopped candied ginger for extra kick. I also used old-fashioned oats instead of quick-cooking oats (since that’s what I had on hand) and whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour.

I used real butter in place of margarine, but next time, I’ll add an extra tablespoon or two. The recipe calls for very little butter as it is and I probably just didn’t cut it in well enough, but I felt like the crisp would have benefitted from a bit more fat and moisture. Regardless, this crisp was absolutely delicious, especially for breakfast the next day! I served mine with Greek yogurt, but if I had had ice cream in the freezer, I would have reached for that instead. Some cold, creamy ice cream would balance out the tart cranberries nicely.

If you happen to have apples and cranberries on hand, you could enjoy this crisp in just under an hour. If you’re wondering how many apples yields 5 cups of chopped apples, you’ll only need 2 large to 3 medium. Here’s the recipe!

in-season eats: cranberry sauce with persimmons

Written on November 21, 2012 at 9:00 pm , by Delish Dish Editor

Happy Thanksgiving! Erin from The Forest Feast here, sending greetings from my family’s annual celebration in Santa Barbara, CA. My husband Jonathan and I left the woods and headed for the beach where we’re spending the weekend cooking, eating, and surfing with lots of relatives at my aunt and uncle’s beach house. This is my absolute favorite holiday! We spend all day cooking in their dreamy kitchen overlooking the ocean while the turkey cooks on the BBQ outside.

This year, we are shaking up the menu a bit with this New Cranberry Sauce, which includes persimmons, my favorite autumn treat. Trees full of these ripe, orange fruits are everywhere near where we live  right now! A friend was kind enough to let me come and pick some off his tree, and I was excited to be able to use them in this Thanksgiving dish. It’s a fun, seasonal twist on the traditional recipe and adds color and sweetness to the cranberry sauce.

We eat around sunset, and I always take a picture of the turkey as it comes off the grill.

in-season eats: fall and winter squash

Written on November 14, 2012 at 8:30 am , by Kristin Porter

Hi, BHG.com readers!  My name is Kristin Porter and I’m the blogger behind IowaGirlEats.com, where I share mostly-healthy, quick-fix, seasonal recipes, with the occasional decadent dessert thrown in. Because what’s life without a little dessert? That’s another post, though, as today I want to talk to you about squash.

I know, I know. Don’t everyone get too excited at once!

Seriously though, while the squash I remember eating growing up was that of the boiled and mushy variety, over the past several years I’ve learned just how mouthwatering and versatile squash can be. In-season, inexpensive, and currently in every grocery store across the country, there’s nearly no limit to the number of ways you can incorporate everything from butternut and acorn squash, to spaghetti and buttercup squash into your weekly menu.

• Enhance the natural sweetness of acorn squash by roasting then glazing squash halves with a decadent cinnamon-drizzle, like in Caramelized Acorn Squash.
• Swap carb-filled pasta for nutritious, crisp-tender strands of spaghetti squash then pair it with hearty chili, like in Spaghetti Squash with Chili.
• Puree slowly simmered buttercup squash with zingy ginger then top with crisp, chopped apples for a creamy and unique fall soup, like in Ginger-Squash Soup.

One of the most popular varieties of fall and winter squash, which also happens to be my favorite, is butternut squash. Sweet and luxurious when roasted or steamed, and extremely high in vitamins and minerals to boot, butternut squash can be used in everything from silky soups and sweet tarts, to smoothed over Shepherd’s Pie or swirled into spaghetti.

Recently I bought a gorgeous organic butternut squash at the market, and used it to whip up Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, which my husband and I enjoyed on a cozy Sunday afternoon before the start of a crazy week.

Mac and Cheese is a fall and winter staple at my house, and I love finding new and different ways to jazz it up.

This recipe, which combines hearty rigatoni pasta with velvety butternut squash, smoked gruyere cheese, salty bacon, and sweet onions, is one of the most unique Mac and Cheeses I have ever tried, and will totally tickle and satisfy your taste buds.

A little sweet, a little salty, crunchy, creamy, and over-the-top decadent, I hope you’re able to enjoy this dish, and all the wonderful varieties of fall and winter squash sometime this season!

Don’t Miss:

Click here for the Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe >

Click here for tips on selecting, preparing, and cooking fall and winter squash >