I was obsessing over a packet of coconut flakes I mistakenly bought yesterday (long story). I searched for a recipe, tweaked it a bit by halving the sugar, using the unsweetened flakes instead of sweetened, upped the butter and added milk instead of water (who adds water when baking?). It turned out like coconut macaroons without all the sugar. Jackie just kept asking for more 
Archive for July, 2005
Coconutty Bread
Apple Streusel Pie
I’m a bit of an impulse baker. The problem with that is that I have to make do with what I have on hand. I scoured through the fridge, I noticed that we had a bunch of apples… an apple pie, of course! Well, I’ve never tried baking any kind of pie before; they’re pretty, homey and delectable, but just seemed too complicated. But I was up for a challenge anyway so what the heck.
Since hubby claims to hate even the smell of cinnamon, I didn’t put any. I reduced the sugar but it certainly is still sweet enough. Ultimately, its flavor will depend on the kind of apples used (I used tart apples to offset the sweetness). I decided on a cheese crust, but expect only a subtle salty cheese flavor. And the topping is crumbly and crunchy. All in all, I think it’s the variety of the flavors and textures that makes this pie really good (you won’t have to serve it a la mode! )
For the Crust:
1 1/4 C flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 C shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
3 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 C cheddar cheese
about 2-3 T ice water
1) Combine dry ingredients in food processor.
2) Add and cut in shortening and butter.
3) Add cheese and cut in until mixture forms small pea-sized clumps.
4) Sprinkle water and add enough until soft moist clumps form.
5) Gather dough, wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour.
For the Filling:
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3 1/2 T apple juice
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/4 C light brown sugar
3 t dark brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter
1) Dissolve the cornstarch and sugar in the juice. Add all other ingredients and make sure that apples are well coated. I prefer to prepare the filling last, otherwise the mixture gets a bit soupy.
For the Topping:
1/4 C flour
1/4 C rolled oats
3 T walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 C light brown sugar
1 t dark brown sugar
1/4 t salt
3 T unsalted butter
1) Combine all ingredients and cut in until butter has been well integrated. The texture will be a bit moist but crumbly.
Making the Apple Pie:
1) Position dough onto your pan and trim/decorate edges as desired.
2) Heap filling onto dough, piling onto center.
3) Sprinkle topping evenly. It will seem like there’s too much topping but pile on anyway, as this will compress and become a beautiful crunchy cover for the pie.
4) Bake in pre-heated oven at 400F for first 40 minutes, then lower to 350F and bake for another 35 minutes. Your kitchen will fill with a yummy apple aroma just before your pie is done.
Cool down pie and serve as soon as it’s warm enough to eat. Enjoy!
Stir-fried Veggies
I’ve been walking and exercising for the past 2 weeks now and I can actually feel the difference. There’s a lake just a block from our apartment that was designed as a jogger’s path as well. It’s actually a pretty long lake, but was sort of “divided” into 3 to accommodate roads. The first time we made a serious intent to exercise, my hubby and I (and Jackie on the pram) rounded the first lake twice. The next time we included the second lake, then the next we rounded all three. Jim estimates it to be around 4km. I never thought I’d be able to say “Hey, I walked 4km”, and I’m pretty amazed and impressed with myself (haha…).
Anyway, here’s a flexible veggie dish (I can substitute most leftover veggies I have in the fridge!) that I cooked up to celebrate a new, healthier and fit me!
Sweet & Sour Fish
During the first spurt of our first walking/jogging activities, my hubby and I have been thinking up new dishes to do to complement our healthier lifestyle. Of course, our “healthy” shopping spree was not complete without fish. But now, a couple of fish have been lying in our freezer for a bit. I’ve been thinking about having them for dinner for the past few days but I couldn’t decide what to do with them. We haven’t had fish in a long time and I wanted to do something other than fry it. I remembered the last time I made meatballs, my hubby suggested I make it the sweet & sour way. So why not with fish?
