The Apple of My Eye

Fall has been dubbed as the time of year for all things apple and I have to say I'm a big fan. A long long time ago, before Alex and I were even engaged (okay, two falls ago) we had a weekend adventure in Indiana to go apple picking (about a 20 minute drive from where Alex was living in Louisville). It was my first apple picking date and maybe even my first time at an apple orchard to boot. Alex had his first encounter with a caramel apple which was quite hilarious. It was a beautiful fall day and definitely reaffirmed why I already loved Alex - because he's always up for adventure and a little exploration. One of my favorite pictures of us from that day:

Given the fact that we were a little busy this time last year (a wedding, honeymoon, moving - nothing big!) we didn't have the opportunity to build upon this tradition in Lexington until this past weekend. We used our empty bags of Starbucks coffee to score us some free cups of freshly brewed coffee for the road and we were off to Versailles, KY which is SW of the city. Once again, we were blessed with perfect weather and a sunny day (gosh it certainly is sunny often in Lexington). We pulled up and were directed by a few high school boys. Seeing that they had people directing traffic I immediately knew we had made a good choice for two reasons: they were clearly organized, and second they had enough traffic to require directing! 

They had a market area with apples ready for purchase, lots of jams, preserves, fall decorations and baked goods. Out back they had live music, fresh food and lots of activities for the younger ones. They even had a giant slide that you go down in a burlap sack. I was disappointed to read the sign next to it that said "absolutely no adults." Boo. 

Alex I continued our exploration by saying hi to the farm animals and then giving our legs some exercise by walking the orchard and pumpkin patch. After about an hour or two we ended up with a couple small pumpkins, a bag of apples, a jar of apple butter and a half gallon apple cider (darn... I know now that we should've gone with the gallon). After you visiting an apple orchard most people end up with a load of apples that they now have to figure out what they'll do with all of them... 

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use apples in the kitchen: 

1. Appetizer: Caramelized Onion with Apples

Caramelized Onion Tarts with Apples from Real Simple

I decided to do the entree version of this appetizer, so I did a little searching and voila, found a recipe: Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza with Goat Cheese & Walnuts. (If you feel extra enthusiastic you can also make the pizza dough yourself. I used this homemade crust recipe, but used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of regular flour).

For extra flavor, drizzle the pizza with a little balsamic vinegar before popping it in to broil. 

2. Side Dish: Sauteed Apples

Peel and cut up the remainder of your apples into slices. Throw them in a pan and saute them with butter. Add a little cinnamon and sugar on top. Let them cook until you're satisfied with the consistency. These make a great "baked apple" like side dish, but it's super easy! I also throw them on top of waffles,  pancakes or oatmeal to make breakfast a little more interesting. These would also work well over top of ice cream for a healthier dessert topping. 

If you want to use apples in a side dish, but don't have time to waste on the stove, cut them (skip the peeling) in the same manner, and then throw on top of some spinach with dried cranberries and walnuts. 

3. Entree: An Apple Today

(from the book: the Abs Diet, 6-Minute Meals for 6-Pack Abs). This recipe is super healthy, Alex lives for these cookbooks/diet. 

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 2 thin-cut boneless pork chops
• 1 small soft red apple
• 2 teaspoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine oil and garlic in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to center of skillet. Toss apple with vinegar and bourbon, then add apple mixture to the skillet between the pork and the edges of the pan. Cook for 6 minutes, turning pork once and turning apple pieces a few times. 

When ready to serve, top pork with mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: Grainy mustard is not the same as the regular mustard you may have in the fridge and I wouldn't suggest trying that one...)

4. Dessert: Faux Apple Pie
(or my adaptation on a peach crisp recipe from the book: The Best 1001 Short, Easy Recipes That Everyone Should Have!)

• 4 cups peeled apple slices
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-3 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the apples in a 9" pie baking dish and sprinkle the lemon juice over top. Mix flour, sugar, egg and a dash of salt. Spread mixture over top of apples and dot with a little butter (I used approximately 2 tablespoons). Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

This recipe is way easier than throwing together an apple pie and tastes just as delicious without all of the pie crust and unnecessary calories! 

Welcome to the Janeszes

One of the things that Alex and I love about Lexington is that it has an identity. There are certain things most people associate with Lexington such as UK, bourbon, and Keeneland just to name our favorites. When our friends and family come to visit we usually like to participate in an activity that features one of these items. This weekend we had friends in from Cleveland and Chicago for the opening weekend of the Keeneland Fall Meet. 

The horse racing occurs from October 7th-29th and this year marks the 75th anniversary. Horse racing was something Alex and I hadn't experienced before living in Kentucky and many of our friends hadn't before this weekend either. It's a honor to be able to share the experience with them. The more that we play host and hostess to friends and family the more that Lexington really starts to feel like home. It's wonderful to be able to have pride in the city we call home. 

The weather was in the 70's and sunny this weekend. So beyond perfect for a day spent outside. We headed over to Keeneland with coolers full of food and beverages for tailgating Saturday morning. 

Here's my quick recipe for a really easy gourmet pasta salad that was perfect for tailgating: 
Cook a box of farfalle (bow tie) pasta according to the package. Rinse it with cold water and then coat with basil pesto (for an entire box of pasta I used one container of pesto). Add a small container of grape tomatoes, half a container of crumbled feta cheese and sprinkle on some pine nuts. The amounts are generic, but you really can't go wrong!

We staked out a spot by some friends of ours and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours before heading in. We also made the decision to buy seats in the grandstand which turned out to be a really smart one! The rest of the day everyone was able to move about, bet, grab food and drinks, see the races and just relax in the shade. It was nice to have a home base away from the crowds. 

Here's the view from our seats:

Although nobody won big I don't think anyone was disappointed when we left. I can't speak for all of our friends, but after a day like that I think most of us where thinking that we were lucky to have such great friends and the opportunity to live such full and joyous lives. What else can you really ask for?

Weekends like this one always seem to fly by. This morning I couldn't believe that it was already time for our friends to pack up and head their separate directions. Alex and I are so grateful for the effort that our friends put into seeing us and we can't wait to have everyone back again. The theme that seems to be popping up lately in my posts is just how precious our friends and family are to us. The people in our lives really effect our overall quality of life. (Thanks to God for blessing us in that particular area!)

For anyone that is ever interested in a weekend trip to Lexington, you'll always be met with a big welcome. 

A Church to Call Our Own

When Alex and I first moved to Lexington one of our tasks was to find a new church. Since both of us have gone to the same church since birth (not the same as one another obviously!) it was a rather daunting task to find a new church together, especially considering we come from different backgrounds and have different preferences as well. After a little research we found a church nearby and after going for a few Sundays we decided to officially join. We loved the area where it was located, appreciated the fact that it was a large established church as well as the fact that it had a school attached which meant lots of activities and families.

We continue went to church every Sunday that we were in town, although it felt like the majority of weekends we were traveling. Due to all the traveling, including my work travel, it made it difficult to really immerse ourselves in the community of the Church. Recently the traveling has decreased a little bit so along with joining the Women's Guild, and attending yoga at the church, Alex and I were also able to volunteer together for Oktoberfest. This is a weekend festival held in the fall on the church grounds. It includes live bands, games, bingo, a casino, beer and wine, food etc. It's one of the largest fundraisers every year.

We volunteered to assist with the set up of the tents, tables and chairs etc. We went over to the church around 5 p.m. when we were "scheduled" to work. We didn't truly get started working until about 5:45 p.m. but we ended up staying until almost 8 p.m.. I happened to be the only female helping this particular day. I guess Alex and I didn't realize exactly what we were signing up for, but it was great exercise and we met quite a few people during the process. It felt so nice to be able to give some of our time and help out as well as finally meet some more people within the church.

As part of Oktoberfest they're incorporating and cake wheel and they needed submissions! I gladly grabbed a container because I love any excuse to bake. Alex and I will drop off the cake this evening on the way to our date (Wendy's and a play - first date style!) and I'm looking forward to seeing how much progress has been made since we were there on Tuesday. It seems that whenever you take a risk and put yourself outside your comfort zone you end up winning big. I'm excited at the prospect of now seeing some familiar faces on Sundays and seeing how we can get even more involved.

As we hit our one year anniversary of marriage and our one year anniversary of living in Lexington it's starting to finally feel like home. What a great feeling.

For the cake wheel I made a Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! Yummm... It's a shame I can't eat a whole piece but I stole a few tastes just to make sure it was edible (wink wink!).

Pumpkin Spice Cake: 
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix 
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Whisk together the pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and oil. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

[I chose to bake this cake in two round cake pans for 30 minutes]

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:This frosting is a combination of a few different recipes that I found.

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 
  In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use. 

The frosting comes out really nice with the speckles of cinnamon! You could even add a little bit of yellow and red food coloring to make it more of a tan frosting if you like to experiment with food coloring.

To add some visual interest and camouflage imperfections take the back of a spoon and swirl the frosting in a circular motion. Works like a charm!