Sweet potato, Apple, Bacon Sage Brown Butter Risotto

That was a mouth full, and believe me, it's just as good as it sounds. I apologize that the pictures for this aren't my usual but without natural light food photos do not look as good as they could be. My 2 month old was also tired of me cooking so that is what you get pictures wise. Pictures are still good to show an example.

Today was crazy, full of coding the new look for the blog, and seriously enjoying the name!

I've made a Lobster white truffle oil quinoa risotto almost a year ago in the Fall, and it seems to be a trend with me. I love a nice risotto, one that goes with my fall obsession is even better. Who doesn't love warm apples, sweet potatoes and bacon? Lets get started and hopefully this will be as much of a hit in your home as it was mine.

Don't skip on the water towards the end as if you add too much stock, you will end up with very salty risotto because remember, you're adding bacon as well!

Ingredients: 

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
yellow onion (amount of your choosing)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cup dry white wine (cooking wine if that's all you have)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
water as needed to the rice

Brown butter: 

3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 pink lady apples, sliced and chopped well
pinch of cinnamon and cardamom to taste
1/4 tablespoon sage
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C), cut sweet potato into large slices, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, pepper, nutmeg and whatever other seasonings you would like to it and toss well. Place on foiled baking sheet and cook for about 30 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and mash until almost pureed.

(You could cook the bacon in the oven or on the stove top now. Place bacon in food processor and once in fine pieces set aside)

Heat a saucepan and on medium-low heat add vegetable stock and heat until hot. If it boils turn it down.

In another saucepan, add olive oil, and butter (not the brown butter) then add onions, and cook until soft, then add minced garlic and cook for a few seconds. Increase heat slightly and add rice, stirring to combine. Cook for about 4 minutes, continuing to stir as the rice begins to toast. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in wine. Stir until most of the wine is absorbed into rice. Add in 1/3 cup of the warm vegetable stock and repeat the process and stir until the stock is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. Towards the end, you will add water to cover the brown rice and cook until desired consistency. My rice took about 50 minutes total as normal for brown rice to cook. Add more liquid if needed.

Once the rice is cooked, reduce heat to low and stir in the mashed sweet potato. Really stir so that it is well combined. Now, add butter to a small pan, along with the sage and cook until the butter is beginning to brown - cook on low and add apples until soft, combine this to the risotto.

Finally, add bacon and serve while warm!

We had this dish with pan seared pork chops and it was delicious! What is your favorite fall meal? If you made this, what would you add or change?

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes + Fruit Syrup

I've never made poppy seed anything before so this was a trial and error attempt in itself. I was planning on making lemon poppy seed donuts, or a lemon poppy seed yogurt tart, but I said 'You know what?' What if I put these into pancakes?! I talked it over with my husband, who tends to never object to anything I have the urge to make. So that, was that, it was game on once morning arrived.

These came out fluffy, not too sweet and definitely not tangy either. It was delicious and I have left over batter to make these again tomorrow morning along with some cheddar, bacon scones. If you don't have a zester, you can use a cheese grater. Not exactly the same but you got to use what you got.

*I tend to make everything from scratch, feel free to use pancake mix if you'd like. You'd have to adjust the recipe of course. It should still turn out the same.

Ingredients - Fruit syrup recipe below:

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour   
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• Lemon Zest
• 1 & 1/2 cup Milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Exstract
• 3 tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Fruit Syrup:

• Blackberries or blueberries
• Pinch of Cardamom Spice
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Water

In a bowl, combine the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt together. Now, zest the lemon making sure you do not zest the white of the lemon, just the yellow or it will be bitter. Once you have your desired amount of lemon zest, as there is no wrong and no right (I used two whole lemons), add the sugar to it. Mixing well, it will almost make a paste. Add lemon zest/sugar mixture to the dry mix and set aside.

If you do not have buttermilk, you can make it yourself. I always do, there truly isn't much of a difference. Take the milk, add it into a bowl, add the lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring as you go, slowly add the vanilla. Sometimes it will curdle, this is time. Add to dry mixture, it will be a little thick, do not worry. Add the melted butter you set to the side, and finally add the poppy seeds. Make sure it is all well mixed together. Place on a hot skillet or griddle pan and cook until bubbles form, then flip. I like my pancakes a lighter color so I flip them early, but cook as desired. 

I added a pinch of fresh lemon juice to my pancakes after buttering them, and then added fresh black berries on top with a hint of honey. It was so delicious, my husband finished all 4 pancakes and wanted more! Serve with your favorite fruit OR make a fruit syrup. For the fruit syrup, put berries, water, and sugar into a pan on medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. Once it dissolves, bring the heat down a bit and let cook for 20-30 mins or until fruit is soft, add the pinch of cardamom -- at this point you can either strain the big pieces out of the syrup or you can leave it together and drizzle over your pancakes. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Upcoming:

Cheddar Bacon Scones

S'mores, Blackberry White Chocolate, and Caramel Apple Creme Brûlée 

S'mores Cupcakes

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Trifle

Spiced Pumpkin Trifle

Chicken in a Bacon Apple Cider sauce

Bourbon Bacon Grilled Cheese

Poppy Seed, Lemon & Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Pumpkin Puree

Peppermint Creme Brûlée 

Honey Orange Chicken Wings

Sweet Potato Hash, with Sausage, Egg and Onions

Firecracker Shrimp

more to come, but here is a list for now. As you can see, I'm obsessing over Fall, as I always do. It's my favorite time of the year. Almost all of these will be coming back to back, so keep your eye on the blog, or subscribe! Have a great day everyone.

Apple Freakin' Pie Cupcakes.

 Now, I can't take credit for this recipe. I can say that I did change a lot around from the original and that is where my own creativity, and experimentation comes into play. Her original recipe: Original Recipes .

Here is what you'll need for the cinnamon cupcakes:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Add flour mixture and beat on low just until incorporated. Add milk mixture and vanilla, and beat until blended.

Divide evenly among baking tins. Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

I did not follow everything that she did. I used pure sugar cane. Added one more egg for it to be more cake like, and moist. I added as much cinnamon as I wanted -- I'm a total rebel. Haha, and I also added as much vanilla extract as I saw fit.
Now, I did make my own apples. I think canned apple filling just doesn't add the feel that you'd need for something like this. I sliced gala apples up, and soaked them for 2 minutes, in apple cider vinegar. Lemons to me are too bitter. I, then chopped them and put them into a pan on my stove top. I added honey, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and let it cook until soft. Stir occasionally.

No caramel in my recipe. Of course, you can add to this however you wish. I like the keep things simple. Very easy, very simple and just in time for Fall.

Hope you enjoy my pictures of mine that I included. I got lazy with the frosting.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Apples and Bacon

This recipe is one I'd recommend for a special family dinner, or for a romantic date with that special someone that you can easily make at home. However you choose to serve it, I promise it will be a hit. Here is what you will need:

Large Sea Scallops - Pat Dry
2. tbsp Apple Cider
Golden Delicious and Gala Apples
Onions
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Butter
Panko Bread Crumbs
Garlic
Bacon

To make the Apple Topping:
On medium, to medium low heat in a large skillet or frying pan, warm olive oil. Add onions (optional) stir often until soft. Add the chopped apples to the onions until the onions are brown and the apples are softened. Add 2. tbsp apple cider - salt, pepper, and then remove from the heat until later.

Now, you will need to cook the bacon. I prefer to cook bacon in the oven, less fatty and extremely easy clean up. For oven bacon, preheat the oven on 400 for thin bacon and 375 thick bacon. Place bacon on foil for easier clean up. Cook thin bacon for 12-14 mins, turn over half way through, and for thick bacon, bake for 10 mins and turn bacon over half way through as well. Once done, also set this aside.

In a bowl, add Panko bread crumbs to patted dry scallops. Transfer over to a hot, smaller skillet or frying pan, already coated with olive oil and butter, then sprinkle a little garlic and pepper over the scallops. Cook for 3-4 mins on each side until brown. Add a little Parmesan cheese on top. You should use medium high heat. Once done, add to a plate with a nice side.

Reheat the apples, just a bit and either add under, beside, or on top of scallops. However you prefer. Last, add the bacon and make into small pieces and place on top of scallops. Serve and Enjoy! Hope this is a hit at your home.