Sunday Cooking: Caramel Apple BakeOver

Good apple pies are a considerable part of domestic happiness. ~Jane Austen

Today's Sunday Cooking was inspired by a statement from my dear husband who said "If apples in an apple pie were cooked as much as the carrots you make, I might like it more." Hmmm...I didn't know he didn't like apple pie.  I knew he preferred cherry or pumpkin but in the twenty years I have known him, this nugget of knowledge eluded me.  Guess there remains some things to learn about him ;)  

The only way to get him to eat carrots is to cook them until they are extremely soft and candy them with butter and brown sugar.  So, this recipe is for him.  It will be warm and ready when he gets home from work tonight and I'll top it with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream - love in a warm and melt-y, sweet sort of way...

It is the way cooking goes in my home.  I cook food the way my family will eat it.  It makes no sense to firmly assert that cooking carrots or apples longer than is recommended is the wrong way to do it. No tender-crisp green beans either...I want them to eat what I cook so that is not the battle I will pick.  I don't feed food critics in this house - I feed those whom I love and they love me right back.  

Here are my favorite BakeOver dessert recipes.  I hope you enjoy them.  

Caramel Apple BakeOver

Ingredients: 

4 cups peeled and sliced apples

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash salt

1 sheet puff pastry 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a BakeOver pan or a deep non-stick skillet that can go in the oven, place apples, water, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat until apples are soft and sauce has thickened. 
• Cover the fruit with the sheet of puff pastry, folding corners toward the inside of the pan. 
• Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, place plate over pan and invert onto the plate.  I like to serve this with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. 

Blueberry Vanilla BakeOver

Ingredients:

4 cups blueberries

2 Tablespoons water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash salt

1 sheet puff pastry

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a BakeOver pan or a deep non-stick skillet that can go in the oven, place blueberries and sprinkle flour evenly over them.  Add water, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat until blueberries are soft and sauce has thickened. 
• Cover the fruit with the sheet of puff pastry, folding corners towards the middle 
• Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, place plate over pan and invert onto the plate.  I like to serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

My kitchen smells lovely of cinnamon and apples right now and that brings me domestic happiness.  Time to settle down with a bowl of potato soup and enjoy the football game.  Half-time will be dessert time!  I'm so glad you came by to visit :) 

Tomorrow we Make Every Monday Matter.  I hope to see you then!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

 

Sunday Cooking: Leftover MakeOvers with BakeOvers

It's not leftovers that are wasteful, but those who either don't know what to do with them or can't be bothered. 

Julian Baggini

I think that most home cooks like me love it when you can get a hot, one-pot meal on the table when it seems like there is little in the refrigerator and pantry to work with.  The BakeOver is one great solution to use the little bits of leftovers to make a warm plate of comfort food for cold days like this. 

We are expecting an ice storm this afternoon and I certainly have no plans for going out.  My pantry is stocked of course - when you live out in the sticks like we do that is important.  But when I looked in the refrigerator today, there were leftovers that needed to be dealt with before the week of cooking begins again.  

The BakeOver comes to the rescue again.  The BakeOver is a concept of cooking from MaryJanesFarm that encourages stretching your food dollar and can be as unique as your imagination will allow.  You can make a BakeOver with eggs for breakfast, meat and vegetables for lunch or dinner and even fruit for dessert.  

The basic method is this:  

Basic BakeOver from MaryJanesFarm 

4 cups of filling - can be meat, cheese, eggs, vegetables or even fruit if you are making dessert

topping - can be biscuit dough, pie crust, corn bread batter or for dessert use brownie dough, sweetened biscuit dough or even cookie dough if you have some in the freezer

 There is a skillet that is sold from MaryJanesFarm and you can see it here. You do not have to have that skillet but it is perfect for the task (I love mine) - just get a deep, non-stick surface one that can go in the oven (that is important). 

Saute your filling in the skillet adding what ever seasoning you like.  Cover the filling with the topping you have chosen.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the topping is done.  Now for the BakeOver part: Place a plate over the skillet and flip it over.  Ta-Da!  You have a great BakeOver! 

Today, my BakeOver was made from leftovers:  chicken, mashed potatoes, pepper jack cheese and a biscuit topping.  I served it at 2:00pm and by 2:20 it was completely gone and so those leftovers were put to great use.  You do not have to use just leftovers either. You can actually plan a meal to be a BakeOver.  It is a perfect method too for those meatless meals during Lent when you are looking for something different. 

Think about what flavor profiles your family enjoys.  Do they like pizza?  Make a Pizza BakeOver or a cheeseburger one or maybe a Spanish omelette or jambalaya...it is this kind of cooking that gives you confidence in the kitchen.  Trust your instincts - you do not have to have a written recipe for everything you make.  ;)   

For those classically trained cooks, you may be thinking this sounds just like a Tarte Tian.  It is.  LOL   Personally, I like the more rustic sounding BakeOver.  What is in your refrigerator right now that could be included?  Let me know in the comments...

Thank you so much for visiting today.  Tomorrow is our #BeIntentional day and to Make Every Monday Matter.  We will visit the topic of helping the hungry in your community.  I hope to see you then.  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!