I have had this recipe for over 45 years. My sister-in-law, Joan Minich, gave me this recipe. I have no clue where she got it - her daughter, Holly, says that my mother-in-law gave it to her. Out of the many meals I have eaten at my mother-in-law's house, she never served me pork chops! This recipe is outstanding - I never make pork chops any other way now.

Pork Chops Clemence

·        Lemon Juice (I usually use at least 1 T, but sometimes I use more – depending on how many and the size of the pork chops I am making)

·        1 egg beaten (I also use more than 1 egg – depends on how many pork chops I am making)

·        Salt & Pepper (I prefer to use freshly ground or coarse grind pepper, but it doesn’t matter)

·        4-6 pork chops (of course increase all the ingredients if you make more than 6 pork chops figure at least 1 pork chop per person) Bone-in or boneless – your preference.

·        Breadcrumbs

·        1 large onion, sliced

·        Butter (I generally use salted butter for this and I am generous in my use of it, but unsalted is fine too. But then, I don't think of butter as bad for you.)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix beaten egg with lemon juice and salt & pepper. Dip each pork chop in the egg mixture and cover the pork chop completely and then cover completely with breadcrumbs. Brown them gently in melted butter. Put sliced onionin the bottom of a casserole or baking dish. I also generally generously butter the baking dish and I might also add slivers of butter around the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the pork chops on top of the onions in a single layer and then I pour the rest of the melted butter and browned crumbs left in the skillet over top the top of the pork chops. Cover with a lid or foil and put in the preheated oven to bake. I generally pre-heat the oven to 375 and then lower to 350 when I put the pork chops into the oven. Bake for 1 hour or until done. It can take thick pork chops longer to get done. These pork chops are never dry – always moist! This recipe supposedly works for veal chops, but I never make those. When you serve, make sure to put some of the buttery cooked onions on top!! SOOOOOO good! I also like to make mashed potatoes and use the buttery cooked onions on top of the potatoes too. This is definitely comfort food!!!!

Sometimes I use my own breadcrumbs that I make from stale bread (well before it gets moldy!). I put the bread pieces like bread crusts, etc (any kind of bread or rolls, like rye, whole wheat or even sour dough and mix them all up) in my food processor to process into crumbs and then into a ziploc freezer bag that I store in my freezer. I can measure out what I need when I need bread crumbs. Sometimes I toast the breadcrumbs before using, but it is not necessary for these pork chops. You can also use store bought bread crumbs and when I do, I, use either the plain or herbed kind. It makes no difference. Sometimes I also add a bit of salt to the breadcrumbs, but that’s a taste preference.

Bake-Sale Brownies or Donna's Double-Baked Brownies -- Mmmm good!

I messed up.  I was making brownies (from scratch, of course -- NEVER from a mix) and got distracted.  I've made this recipe lots of times -- it's a winner every time.  Everyone always wants the recipe and I freely share it.  It comes from my America's Test Kitchen, "Family Cookbook" and the recipe is called "Bake-Sale Brownies".  I embellish it a bit -- I generally add some espresso powder to make it an even richer and deeper chocolate. For a brownie recipe, this one is top notch and so easy to make, I can't understand why anyone would ever bake from a boxed brownie mix!!!...but anyway, back to my mistake.  I am writing about my mistake and am now calling the recipe "Donna's Double-Baked Brownies"  As I said, I got distracted...

My 5 year old grandson, Jonah and my daughter, Jonah's mom, Jaimie, were at the house for the weekend. That alone always adds a bit of chaos and confusion and distraction.  Plus I was also thinking about trying out a recipe for ground turkey meatballs and trying to figure out the timing of these things -- make the brownies first, so they can cool and while they are baking and then cooling, put together the meatballs, then frost the brownies, do I have everything I need, etc, etc, etc -- don't forget to get the parsley out of the fridge and chop it up  -- oh wait that's for the meatballs, don't need parsley in the brownies, ya dah! ya dah!  So I mixed up the brownies but I had something distract me after each ingredient I added, but fortunately, I got it all mixed up and placed it in the oven to bake.  It was supposed to bake for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  I set the timer for 20 minutes -- the timer went off and the brownies were rising nicely, and looked great, but they were still way too liquid.. set the timer for another 5 minutes and this time when the timer dinged and I saw that the brownies were still way too liquid, it dawned on me -- I NEVER ADDED THE FLOUR!  On the way to getting the flour, I got sidetracked and never measured it out and added it to the brownie batter!  There were a lot of expensive ingredients in these brownies and I didn't want to simply throw them out -- so how do I salvage my brownies?  I then decided to add the flour and try baking some more.  I mixed the flour into the brownies, and sort of pressed it into the pan to make the brownies level.  then I put back into the oven and baked another 25 minutes. the toothpick came out clean.  the worst that could happen is that the brownies would be hard as rocks and I still would have to throw them out.

I let the brownies cool as I finished up the ground turkey meatballs (which by the way turned out to be wonderful and I will have to write about them too -- they were pretty awesome and I am generally not too impressed with using ground turkey in stead of ground beef!).  When the brownies were cool, I discovered they were not hard as rocks and I cut a little tiny piece out of the corner of the baking dish and found they were quite tender and tasty!.  They didn't rise much and were sort of flat, but in an acceptable way.  So I made the chocolate espresso butter cream frosting and spread it over the brownies and decided to take them to work and test them out.  They were  HUGE hit!  Everyone loved my mistake and told me that I better write about this.  So here goes and here is the recipe for "Bake-Sale Brownies" or if you forget to add the flour, "Donna's Double-Baked Brownies"!

Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
(NOTE: -- I NEVER use squares of unsweetened chocolate anymore.  I use 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder -- generally fair traded organic cacao powder and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter -- I melt the cacao powder and the butter together to make my chocolate concoction -- I also add about 1/2 Tablespoon espresso powder)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
(Keep in mind, I only use organic, fairly traded, freshly churned, free-range, aluminum free, unbleached w/germ added ingredients -- totally!)
(BTW - this recipe doubles very nicely to make an 8"X13" pan size of brownies)

I also add about 1/2 cup either toasted, chopped pecan or walnut pieces to the batter and add another 1/4 - 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top after the brownies are frosted. If you don't plan to frost, then just sprinkle the nuts over the top of the brownie batter in the pan before putting in the oven.
Directions:
1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8" square pan ( I use glass/Pyrex) with butter flavored spray oil (I use Wildtree  http://www.wildtree.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=149 and put it in my Pampered Chef oil spritzer http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=610&words=spray -- I don't like to use aerosol spray cans if I can avoid it!) -- make sure to lightly coat the corners and the sides, as well as the entire bottom of the baking dish.
2.  Melt the butter and the chocolate (and espresso powder, if using) together in the microwave, stirring often, 1-3 minutes.  Let the mixture cool slightly.
3.  Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined.  whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
4,  Stir in the flour until streaks remain -- unless you want Donna's doubled Baked Brownies -- then you skip this step! :-) But you could stir in the roasted chopped nuts at this point, if you choose to add nuts.
5.  Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes.
6.  Let cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, before either icing the brownies or removing the brownies from the pan.

Icing Ingredients:
Okay, I have to tell you here, that I simply do not measure to make icing.  I do it by taste, look and consistency and quantity.  It's gotta taste creamy & buttery, it's gotta look chocolaty and not runny, but not too stiff either and there's got to be enough to give a good 1/4 - 3/8" at least, deep of icing all over the brownies!
Here's what i use:
Confectioners sugar (it helps to sift it, but not necessary -- just be sure to beat out the lumps!)
Cocoa powder & 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
lots of butter -- softened (I use salted butter here)
mix that up real good, add about a teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of salt if needed and then enough milk to make the consistency right.  Add more sugar if needed and more milk to get the consistency & quantity right -- it doesn't hurt to add a bit more butter, if you think it is not tasting buttery enough -- Voila!  a very, very creamy and tasty frosting!

Eat the brownies as is, but a scoop of homemade vanilla Blue Bell ice cream is not a bad addition at all!!!

Expectations

This is not a cooking from scratch food post. I guess you could call it a getting-married-from-scratch blog post. My husband, David, & I got married 40 years ago on June 14, 1975. It was very definitely a do-it-ourselves event. Our wedding was a very extraordinary event that I would like to share.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

                                      Matthew 7: 24-25

Expectations. The American Heritage dictionary defines expectations as prospects, especially of success or gain or eager anticipation of something. There are expectations, high expectations, in every niche and corner of life. However, expectations need to be managed and based on a secure foundation. The loftier and more daring the expectation or dream, the stronger the foundation needs to be. Some of us have high expectations -- others of us have lowered our expectations so that we are prepared in case of a fall or so we can be pleasantly surprised if it turns out better than expected. Some of us are in the position to manage the expectations of others. If we manage those expectations well, we can head off disappointment and complaints and disillusionment. All of us have expectations for just about every facet of our lives. We have expectations for our children or spouse or our friends. Setting our expectations so that they are just right can be risky.

  When David and I made our wedding plans 40 years ago in 1975, we each had many expectations about what the wedding day itself would be like and what we each expected from our marriage to each other. I had expectations of a perfect wedding day that would begin a wonderful life of perfect love. The wedding would take place at 3:00 PM on a beautiful June day in Illinois. The day would be not too hot, but sunny and bright with a slight hint of a breeze. We would be married on the lovely, green, expansive lawn at my parents’ Illinois farm. Of course if the weather didn’t cooperate, we would be married in the quaint little church that my parents attended and in which I grew up located about 5 miles away in town. I would be wearing a wreath of flowers in my hair and the simple cream colored gown that I had sewn myself. David would wear his new light blue suit. There would be a harpsichord playing Baroque music as my father led me to the front to meet David where he would be standing with my bridesmaid, the best man, and the minister. Jim, a very talented, childhood & lifelong friend of mine would play his guitar and sing "If Not For You" by Bob Dylan and then two special songs by Tom Paxton, my college room-mate’s uncle. We obtained special permission to use these songs, since they were not yet released on Tom’s latest album. All of the bridal party would be standing next to the sapling tree that David and I planted to symbolize the beginning of our life together. The minister would give a profound and touching homily comparing our marriage to that of the tree growing taller and stronger -- with roots firmly securing the tree and the branches growing and stretching and sprouting leaves as it experienced the seasons of life. Then David and I would look into each other’s eyes and recite from memory the special vows we had written. Afterwards there would be a joyful reception of a small group of relatives and close friends. There would be a lovely buffet of delicious food that my mother, sisters and I lovingly prepared. My father was arranging for some strolling musicians to play at the reception. The musicians would stroll from table to table while some of our guests danced to the music. It was a very romantic vision. It would be a day that all would remember for years to come. David and I would leave the reception hand in hand and drive off into the sunset together starting our lives together in wedded bliss...

...Now let me tell you what really happened. I can start by saying that it indeed was an event that all who attended still vividly remembers – even 40 years later. We almost didn’t get married -- at least legally, because the bureaucracy in the state of Illinois had a problem with the form from New York state with David’s blood test results. Our marriage license was issued, finally, at the last minute after a flurry of phone calls, tears and arguments. The night before the wedding, at our rehearsal dinner, my tee-totaling parents met David’s family for the first time as the Minich boys proceeded to get very drunk. David’s brother managed to wait until he got into the car before throwing up! I laid awake almost all night going over last minute details and just being nervous. The next morning as my mother, sisters, several girlfriends and I finished the food preparations, one of my sisters, in a rather unloving tone, informed me that she was not pleased with all the work it took to prepare the food and that I was truly selfish for insisting that all the food be homemade – and maybe I was being selfish.  One thing that I simply do not remember about the wedding was exactly what it was that we ate!

It was a perfect sunny day as I had visualized. We set up the several hundred chairs on the front lawn -- quite a few more than the intimate group of family and friends that I imagined. My father got a bit carried away with inviting his friends and some relatives that I barely knew. I was not able to get a harpsichordist and harpsichord as I had hoped, since an outdoor wedding would be too much for the delicate instrument. But that was okay, since my friend with the voice and guitar came through beautifully.

An hour before the wedding, suddenly the beautiful blue skies opened up and rain began to pour. There were 11 tornadoes spotted that day, touching down in various near-by places in the county. It was too late to move the flowers, chairs and everything to the church, so the decision was made to hold the wedding in my father’s tool shed – a large aluminum pole barn that he recently built to house his large farm equipment. I was not accepting the rain at all and kept insisting, “It will blow over”! I wanted the chairs left outside. However, a consensus was reached -- without me -- and the tractors and farm equipment were moved out and the chairs & flowers were moved into the pole barn. My cousin was sent to the church to tell people to come out to the farm for the wedding. At the motel where David’s family was staying, the rain was so intense, that they could not get to their cars. Finally, they were able to get to their cars during a brief lull and drove to the church. There was one problem with this. When the Minichs’ finally arrived at the church, it was after 3:00 and my cousin was no longer posted there. This was a pre-cell phone era. They were very confused as to what to do -- they had no idea how to get to the farm from the church!!! They took off driving anyway and got lost in the torrential rain on the rural Illinois back roads.

Back at the farm, we were all ready to start the wedding, but none of David’s family was there.  So we waited...and waited...and waited -- about 1 hour’s worth. I stood in my parents' kitchen and looked out the window at the tool shed and could see David and his friends opening beer and starting the reception. The phone rang. I answered. It was Janice; a former girlfriend of David’s who wanted directions to the wedding. One of David’s friends invited her. I introduced myself -- she hung up.

Finally David’s parents, brothers and relatives arrived -- very frazzled. David’s mother fit right into the farm scene -- she was madder than a wet hen. Someone got an umbrella for me and my father led me out into the rain into the pole barn and then up through the aisle of chairs to the front of the room.  

Jim’s singing was perfect, but right in the middle of one of the songs; the door of the shed flew open and in marched Janice, David’s former girlfriend. (By the way, her nickname was Fred.)  She found the wedding just fine all by herself.  She sashayed across the room to her seat while all heads and eyes diverted in unison from Jim to watch Janice make her entrance.

The minister did give his homily about the tree and David and I did look into each other’s eyes and recited our vows.  It was very romantic -- but no one heard anything since the rain picked up again and thundered down on the aluminum roof.  Incidentally, 2 months later, when we returned to Illinois for my sister’s wedding, we went out to look at our tree -- it was dead!

.

The strolling musicians that my German, farmer father hired, consisted of an accordion and a string bass.  Imagine strolling and playing a string bass?! They played polkas. They also had a sense of humor. The musicians insisted that David and I dance the first dance together. They played “Please Release Me, Let Me Go”.  Very appropriately (and also prophetically), David was no where to be found.  So, with everyone watching, there I stood in the middle of the room --alone

David disappeared a lot during the day -- Janice kept dragging him outside exclaiming she just couldn’t believe he was actually married.  When David and I finally found each other and got a chance to eat, almost all of the food was gone.  I was told it was absolutely delicious.

At one point during the day, one of our "city" friends went outside to look at my father’s “cute” cows.  Sandy opened the gate, looked at the cows and then walked away leaving the gate open.  It was finally time for David and me to depart.  After another search, he was found and we went out to the car.  There were cows everywhere wandering among the cars.  The lightening had knocked out an electric fence and there were other cattle roaming around on the road too.  We all began to round up cows tromping around in the mud and rain in our wedding finery.

After a bit, Dad told David and me to be on our way and not to worry about the cows.  We got into the car that David’s brother loaned us -- the one the other brother threw-up in the night before.  We drove off into the sunset, gagging at the smell, and in stony silence.  I refused to speak to David.  I was sure I had made the biggest mistake of my life.  I was wondering what to do about the wedding gifts, but mostly I was trying to figure out how to tell my parents -- I could not stand this man driving the car that I had gone to so much trouble to marry!  When we pulled into the hotel in Chicago Heights and got checked into our room, not only was I angry, but I was very hungry and very, very tired.  David, very wisely, determined that I needed rest and food, so again he left -- this time in search of food.  By the time he drove around Chicago Heights -- many times -- and returned with a pizza, I had napped and was definitely in a much better mood.  I always end this story saying a pizza saved our marriage and if you ever see David wandering around Americus carrying a pizza, you’ll know he’s making a peace offering.  No doubt, we will likely celebrate our anniversary in high style befitting a Minich 40^th anniversary – we’ll probably go to Pat’s Place and eat pizza together!

My father, the German farmer, did a couple things out of which, as the years have passed, we have continually gleaned wisdom.  Of all the wedding gifts we got, my father’s to us was the most unusual.  It was a large rock, with a card taped to it with a hand-written message that said, “May your marriage be as smooth and solid as this stone.”  He found it out in his field as he was working.  He decided it was a perfect gift for us, cleaned it up, put it into a box and wrapped it up.  As I picked up the nicely wrapped box that weighed a lot, my imagination soared wondering what could possibly be inside.  Again, this rock did not meet my expectations, yet it has been a true indicator of our marriage.

Although the rock is basically smooth, there are pits, discolorations, rough places and imperfections in it -- and, it did not meet our expectations of a proper wedding gift.  There is nothing outstanding about it.  It is just solid and true and made by God -- I think it is beautiful.  I keep this rock in our foyer by the fireplace.  It is the first thing anyone sees upon entering our house.  For me, every time I walk in the front door of my home, it serves as a constant reminder of my expectations.  We should try to keep our expectations as solid and true as possible and then be flexible to alter our expectations if they are not met.

Dad also gave us some advice the day after the wedding.  We returned to the farm to get our gifts and my belongings to leave for our new home together in Buffalo, NY.  Dad said, “Don’t leave God out of your lives.”  At the time, it sounded hoakie, since we were not really strong in our faith – we were young and full of ourselves.  Yet, the words stuck and we were reminded of them every time we looked at that rock.  Sometime later we both came to truly know the Lord and decided to commit our lives in obedience to God where ever God should call us to serve.  That rock now represents a mission statement, if you will, for David & me.  That little lesson about expectations on my wedding day opened the floodgates for an amazing life that took us around the world and back and has surpassed anything that I ever dared to dream.

Many times my experiences and people I know have fallen short of my expectations for them.  I have fallen short of my expectations for myself.  An earthly life is full of disillusion and disappointment and pain.  Things happen that are out of our control.  A life lived with God in it is still out of our control, but it always surpasses expectations and frees us to dream and to have a lofty vision --  a God-centered life is as smooth and solid as that rock, in spite of the pits, discolorations and rough places.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Matthew 7: 24-25

                                                    

Apple Pie Slices

I actually started this blog post about a year ago.  I have been  looking for a picture of myself   that my mother cut out from the front page of the Joliet Herald News many, many years ago when I was still in high school -- but I have not been successful in finding it. It's a picture of me holding up my first place blue ribbon winning apple pie.  I entered this pie in the 4-H county fair.  I was mortified at the time because I knew the true story behind that pie.  My original plan had been to get apples from our apple orchard to make the filling for the pie. I had been in a pretty serious car accident earlier in the same day that I was supposed to make the pie.  Even though I wasn't hurt too badly it was still a major accomplishment that I was able to make my special "Never-Fail" pie crust completely from scratch, much less go out and climb an apple tree, pick a bunch of apples, peel them, core them and then slice them to put into a filling.  My mother and one of my sisters convinced me to use canned pie filling.  I still remember the brand... Anyway, the pie crust was melt in your mouth, tasty and flaky perfect.  The judges liked the crust and gave it high marks -- but they absolutely loved the pie filling!!!  That was a long time ago and I have since learned that it is the crust that makes the pie -- put the same wonderful filling in a tough, cardboard like crust and the pie is not quite so wonderful.

The recipe for these pie slices do not use my "Never-Fail" pie crust recipe, but there is a secret to making a flavorful pastry crust -- lard.  Before you dismiss this idea, please refer to my blog post about my defense of lard and the health benefits. http://artofcookingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2010/04/in-defense-of-lard.html

I got this recipe for apple pie slices from my mother. These slices are always a big hit and perfect for taking to a pot-luck dinner, because they are made in a  10"X15.5" cookie baking pan and you can get 24 decent sized slices in one recipe.  Although this is not my "Never-Fail" pie crust recipe, the recipe for the pastry crust for these pie slices is a good one -- it is not quite the same as a regular pie crust, because it uses egg yolks and milk.  I have also modified it a bit from when my mother used to make these slices, but I think my modifications make a really good recipe into a GREAT recipe.  The filling is a fairly standard and simple old fashioned apple pie recipe.  You can also make cherry pie slices or peach pie slices or even pumpkin pie slices (only you don't need the top crust & glaze) -- my mother did all of these, except the pumpkin. Pumpkin pie slices was another successful experiment of mine.  Since it is fall and it is apple season, we are going to make apple pie slices today.

Here is the recipe for the Crust (with my modifications):

4 cups organic unbleached flour (I use King Arthur) or use 3 cups unbleached flour and then add

1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour (the combination of both flours should equal about 4 cups)

2 teaspoons salt (I use Kosher sea salt or Himalayan Pink) 

1 1/2  cup shortening (I use 1 cup of my home-rendered lard & 1/2 cup unsalted butter. If you use vegetable shortening (Crisco), you will not get as good of a quality & flavorful crust. Use 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter if you do not have lard.)

3/4+ cup very cold milk

2 eggs, separated

Mix/sift the flour & salt together. Add the shortening and using a fork or pastry blender (I use my food processor using the dough blade). Mix the flour & butter until it takes on a small pebbly texture. Mix the 2 egg yolks and the cold milk together. Set the egg whites aside to use later.  Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour, salt & shortening mixture and mix together.  Do not over mix, but just enough to form a soft dough.  if the dough is still too sticky, add a bit more of unbleached flour, until it forms a soft dough.  Divide the dough into 2 parts and shape into 2 disks - 1 slightly larger. Wrap each disk individually in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill.
Now is a good time to pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.


Apple Filling

8 cups or so peeled, cored & sliced apples (about 5 pounds) - sprinkle and stir in some lemon juice over the sliced apples, so that they don't turn brown.
In a small bowl, mix together:

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour (may use whole wheat pastry flour)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (you may also add 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ground cloves - optional)
1/4 cup Boiled Apple Cider (This is optional - I buy my boiled cider from King Arthur. It adds depth to the apple flavor and also helps to solidify the juice, so the slices do not turn out too runny)
Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and stir into the apples, then stir in the boiled apple cider1/4+ cup butter - set aside

Get the larger one of the dough disks out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic and set the disk on a floured surface. Take a rolling pin and roll the dough out to be a rectangle that is 3/4 inch larger than the 1/2 sheet sized cookie sheet all the way around. Carefully fold the dough in half and then in quarters, and place it in the center of the cookie sheet.  Unfold it so that it fits exactly in the cookie sheet and goes up the 4 sides too. If you need to trim off some of the dough from the top sides of the pan, now is the time to do that. Pour the sliced apple mixture into the center of the crust and spread out evenly. Finally dot the top with thin slices of the butter.  Get the other dough disk out of the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface to make a rectangle that fits exactly over top of the apple filling to the edges of the cookie sheet.  It is okay to press the crust coming up the sides to the top crust all of the way around the pan. Make several slashes in the top crust in various sections, so that there are slashes evenly distributed over the top crust..  Then brush the entire top of the crust with the egg whites (slightly beaten) that you set aside earlier.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes -- until nicely browned and the apple filling is bubbling.

While the apple slices are baking, it is a good time to make the vanilla glaze icing.

Vanilla Glaze Icing

Powdered Sugar - about 1 cup

butter, softened - about 3-4 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

milk - about 1+ tablespoon

Mix the powdered sugar and the butter together so that it forms a pasty sort of consistency.  Add the vanilla and milk.  Mix this up so that it is slightly runny, but not too thin -- add more sugar, butter, or milk as needed.

When the apple slices are finished baking, take them out of the oven and set them on a heat protected surface. Let cool just a bit and then spread the vanilla glaze over the entire top of the apple slices. Let sit so the icing sets a bit and then cut into 24 pieces.

The apple slices can be eaten warm -- they taste great with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream!  Or the apple slices can be eaten cold.



Salsa Cruda & Soft Flour Tortillas

Salsa Cruda or translated as Raw Sauce is super tasty when summer veggies are at their freshest! I actually found this recipe at the King Arthur Flour website and I tried it. It is easy and quick to make and easy & quick to eat up too! A great way to use fresh produce from the garden. The fresh taste of cilantro adds just the right taste touch.

SALSA CRUDA

1 1/2 cups diced Roma or plum tomato -- I used small, plum shaped tomatoes called salad tomatoes, that I bought at our local market -- see in the pic above. I just pulsed them several times in my food processor and they came out just right!

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup diced green bell pepper

2+ peeled garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or to taste; optional (I don't really think that this is really optional -- the fresh taste of cilantro makes it in my view!)

1) Mix together all of the ingredients, tossing until thoroughly combined.

2) Taste for seasoning, adjusting with additional salt or cumin if desired.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups chunky salsa

The vegetables listed above are traditional, but feel free to substitute or add drained black beans; fresh corn kernels (or thawed frozen kernels); celery, cucumbers, or the crunchy vegetable of your choice.  Add a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice; or a touch of hot sauce.

You can use this as a dip for chips.  I made the tortillas (really more like a flat bread) below and it was pretty tasty with slices of avocado on it too.  I did not have any hot sauce or anything on it, but a little bit of zing would also taste good. I think it might even be good on grilled hot dogs and you could wrap the soft flour tortilla around it like a bun!

I first started making my own tortillas -- both corn & flour and my own hard taco & tostada shells when we lived in Papua New Guinea.  We lived in a remote mountain village, with no electricity or indoor plumbing.  This was in Morobe Province on the western side of the country and the nearest city (town) was Lae -- it took 3 hours to drive down the mountain road to get there.  When the rains were especially torrential, sometimes our road fell off the mountain and we would have to stay home, until we and the villagers dug out a new road!  Obviously there were no fast food places or any restaurant of any kind in proximity. In order to combat our cravings for some of our favorite restaurant foods -- like Mexican food, I learned to make them myself.  I could buy almost every ingredient I needed to make a very decent imitation.  This tortilla recipe is NOT a recipe that I used in PNG, but It sounded interesting because of the barley flour in it -- it sounded sort of Biblical to me -- I'd never used barley flour before.  I don't understand the yeast in it and may get brave enough to try it without the yeast someday, but this recipe is definitely a keeper!

SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS

2 cups Unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole grain barley flour*

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil, but olive oil might taste good too)

1 cup warm milk

1 teaspoon instant yeast (I cannot figure out why this is in this recipe -- I have never used yeast in flat breads or chapatis ever, but I always do what I am told!)

*Substitute 1/2 cup unbleached flour if desired -- I am thinking that whole wheat flour could be used as well.

1) Combine all the ingredients, then beat at high speed for about 1 minute to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. I used my KitchenAid mixer -- my dough was not really sticky, but I started to use a little bit of oil to keep it pliable and not dry.

2) Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.

3) Place the dough on a greased work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces -- each piece about the size of a walnut -- weighing about 1.7 ounces.

4) Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls and let rest for 15 minutes.

5) Use a tortilla press, a rolling pin, or your hands to pat each ball of dough into a thin, 4" to 5" circle.  I used my tortilla press that I got as a gift from a former student who was from Mexico.

6) Let these rest 15 minutes (they'll shrink a little bit), then roll each circle into a thin 6" to 8" round. Keep rolled out dough rounds covered to prevent drying out.

7) Heat an ungreased heavy cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat. Cook tortillas one at a time (I did 2 at a time as you can see), until small dark spots form and the dough is set, about 30-40+ seconds per side.

8) Stack finished tortillas in a napkin, or wrap in foil to keep warm until ready to serve.

9) Tortillas may be rewarmed in the microwave, or wrapped in foil and heated in a 350F oven.

These are soft and tasty tortillas or flat bread that includes a touch of high-fiber barley flour. I think I might use some flaxseed meal the next time that I make these.  A really tasty meal!