How do I love thee...many ways

Kathy, my niece loves these little cabbages as much as I do.  I try to please her with different renditions, but I actually think she would even like them raw.  We eat them like popcorn.  I can't say I have ever made them the same way twice, but balsamic vinegar is always involved. Those little critters sigh as their vinegar bath covers their leafy globular blooms. Poetic. No?

Today at the Lechlers: Corn beef and brussels sprout medley. (Eat your heart out, Kathy.)

Applesauce from the red fleshed apples.

It looks like a tomato, but it's an apple~

Deceptive: It may look like a tomato, but this is the world's first red-fleshed apple that has gone on sale in Britain and now America. (And the Lechlers don't like it.)

You know about our fun trip to Lynd's fruit market that has turned into such an arena that people come to spend the day.  There are hayrides, jams, jellies and apple butters to name but a few items.  Fancy cars leaving with corn stalks and straw spilling out the back to carry it all home to the front door for decoration and into the kitchen for delicious pies and tarts and jams, oh my. Then there is the red-fleshed apple of which we bought way too many. We didn't care for them at all it seemed.

So today was find a way to use this fruit without gagging and applesauce seemed to be the answer.  I made all of the apples into a sauce that refused to get sweet so I thought cake and the cake saved their little red -fleshed lives. I had no spice cake mix and the other colors would have been odd looking because you cannot cook the red out of these apples; so it is hidden in this new-fangaled chocolate cake which has yet to be tasted...but it's pretty. Stay tuned for the tasting as everyone gets home for dinner. Note: Mike liked the tart from yesterday and ate half of it, he liked the applesauce and I imagine he will like the cake.  Beth and Andy liked the applesauce and the cake.  But I don't see any of them eating this apple on its own.

Oh my, yes, it works.  Very moist, light and delicious.

TV notes:
Love (evening) TV. I enjoy The Voice very much and last night I discovered Blackish. I then went back to on Demand and watch the ones I had missed of this new comedy which comes on right after Modern Family. Also on Demand is the movie CHEF. That was a good 'food truck' movie.

Lynd's Fruit Farm

         

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After a Sunday afternoon of take out Chinese food while putting together two major items like the coffee station (successful) and a new router (which was NOT successful), we decided to go to Lynd's market in the country to pick apples--well, not pick -pick, but to buy picked apples.  Well it was a hootenanny that greeted us. The one- counter simple outdoor/indoor market had been replaced and a new large arena greeted us.  Lines of people every where (and they said this was not a busy Sunday...we just don't know busy at Lynd's.) People sitting at tables and eating and picnicking on the small hills of still green grass.  Kettle corn a-poppin, and apples of every kind.  Have you ever seen a red fleshed apple, well here it is!

The apple peeled and unpeeled.  It is sharp and crisp.  I've just put it in a tart, with walnuts and yellow delicious apples to see how it turns out. The suggestion is to use it for candied apples. Note:  My family does not care for these red fleshed apples.  The tart was only half gone.  I will make applesauce from the rest of the apples and use that in cakes.  I would not buy them again.

 Also, in this picture is a squash a bit like the acorn but with another name, which I forget, and a subtle difference in taste.

 Ahh, the mustard shown here (new product too) which I get at Stalin's in Cincinnati for $7.29 a tube but now I have found it on line for around $5. to $5.95 a tube.(Never mind, with shipping it comes out more than the cost from Stalin's) Love these tubes of this very spicy mustard that we are now craving on everything and which is inserted in many of our hearty dishes. Spelled: Superscharfer senf.   Delicious.  And, look at the peppers.  We thought we were good at growing peppers, but, really...these are peppers!

Our new marble topped coffee station.  Beth put it together.  Thank you, Beth.

LikeTake soft white bread, cut off the crusts.  Roll out each slice to make it very thin.  Lay a slice of cheese on each piece of bread and roll up tightly.  Smush down the end of the roll to keep it in place or use a bit of egg wash or water to keep it sealed,  Use a skillet to make these rolls the same way you would normally make grilled cheese.  Think of the possibilities: use with salads, chili, tomato soups...endless.

Seasonings, jams, and girdles all at TJ MAXX

 Here is my coffee station.

Beth and I have been shopping for a coffee station for the kitchen.  We didn't find one at the stores where we shopped (but I have one coming from on line) but good old TJ Maxx had several selections of seasonings and imported jams and jellies.  I went nuts.  I have been using Victoria V Taylor's products for some time, buying on line.  Very expensive.  When I spotted the same items from the same place at more than half the price, I grabbed several to try and I like every single one of them very much.  On line directly from the dealer a 3.6 oz jar is $9.50 plus tax and shipping.  At TJ Maxx a 6.2 oz jar  is $4.99 and many had additional savings.  In the seasoning line I have: Sicilian seasoning for pizza and tomato sauce, herbs de Provence, sesame teriyaki toasted sesame ginger, 7 seed crust, honey aleppo pepper (great) zesty lemon herbs seasoning (great in egg salad with avocados on brick bread from Carfagna's.) We had just gone to the Penzey's shop last week and the prices there are out of sight too. (Frankly, I don't know how that store stays open, but it does.) So do try TJ Maxx or Home Goods where you can get 15 oz of Braswell's fig preserves for $4.99.)

  The Jams and jellies come from different countries and are simply delicious.  I use the fig jelly with apples for a tart.  Here are some others: Habunero pepper jelly, Braswell's peach, apricot preserves, the same company's fig preserves, Favorite Swiss peach and mango, Sarabeth's raspberry orange marmalade.

Andy's brother, Jim, is coming for the football game today.  He and Andy are making a day of it.  But first, brat patty sandwiches with hot German mustard and bread pudding. 

A couple of blogs ago I showed a cute picture of a coffee station for the home cook's kitchen.  We entertain so much that I need two or three kinds of coffee makers to suit the occasions.  Beth and I are working on a station set up beside the French baker's rack in my kitchen and if it turns out well, I will picture it.  This 'cart' has a wire drawer where the K cups for the single brew tea or coffee can live, a tray that can be removed or used as a second shelf for cups, saucers, sugar creamers, and another shelf for coffee or tea related items.  It has a marble top which would be good when we are doing baking that needs a cool top on which to work.  I bought an interesting coffee sign to go over the set up.  Any way, when it comes someone is going to be busy  putting it together... I hope it will all be functioning by Thanksgiving when we have a large group coming for the night before and for the day.  

This is so delicious that I've made it two days in a row:  Egg salad with fresh herbs, avocados on brick bread.



Coffee stations for the home:

An old dry sink refinished and made into a coffee station.

coffee station

Coffee station.

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