Apple Crisp

A quick, easy and tasty dessert adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook (1972 edition)

4 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium)
2/3 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, softened

Heat oven to 375.
Grease square pan or baking dish (8x8x2 inches or thereabouts)
Place apple slices in pan.
Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly.
Sprinkle the mix over the apples.
Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
Serve warm and, if desired, with light cream or ice cream (non-dairy to be cruelty free)

Variation: Use 1 can (1 pound 5 ounces) of cherry pie filling instead of apples and less sugar.

Chuff's Dal

Adapted from various recipes in Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi, mostly her Simple Mung Dal Soup/Sada Moong Dal with the chaunk based upon her various other dal recipes.

Sort, wash and drain until you wash off most of the bubbly, mineral oil:

• 1 cup split beans of your choice (red lentils are nice and cook quickly)

Combine these in a nice soup pot with:

• 7-8 cups water (Or less, depends upon how thin you like it.  I like a lot of broth)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder or minced fresh turmeric or combination (fresh turmeric is great)
• 2 tsp ground coriander (fresh is best)
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger root (more or less as you like)
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic (optional and more or less as you like, it tastes a good bit different and good without garlic)
• 1 tsp minced seeded hot peppers (2,3,4 or more to whatever heat you like)
• 1 or more dried red peppers (optional and as you like it)
• Pinch or more of hot red pepper powder (optional and as you like it)

Stirring occasionally, bring to a full boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to moderately low, cover and simmer gently for about an hour or until dal is soft and fully cooked.

Remove from heat, uncover and add:

• 1/2 tsp salt (You may like more, but you would be wrong.)

Now, we make the chaunk.

Heat to medium high heat in a small frying pan or kadhai:

• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 1 Tbs butter

Add all at once:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 or more dried red peppers, whole

Stir fry until mustard seeds just begin to pop.
Quickly add:

• Pinch or more of asefetida (We like about 1/8 tsp)
• 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds,  crushed
• 4-6 small fresh curry leaves or 1 bay leaf

Within a few seconds, remove from heat and add chaunk to the dal.
Add to dal (optional):

• 1 Tbs fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped (or just provide for diners to add as desired)

Let stand a while so the ingredients get to know each other before serving.

Anchovy, Pepper Jelly and Goat Cheese Crackers

Easy to put together.  Tastes pretty damn good.  Leave off the anchovy if you prefer.

• Anchovy
• Pepper Jelly (Try to find something made with hot peppers and without additives.   For sale at our local Ace Hardware, I found a great batch made by Olivia Handley just up the road from us in Roopville, GA.  Ingredients: Sugar, Jalapeno peppers, Vinegar, Pectin, Butter)
• Soft Goat Cheese (Tastes better than really good cheese cake.)
• Crackers

Select a cracker.

Spread cheese to desired thickness.

Apply jelly to taste.

Lay one or two anchovy across the top.

Roasted Asparagus

• Bunch of fresh asparagus staulks
  
• Olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt

Preheat oven to ? 

Wash asparagus in cold water.

Trim hard parts off the ends of the asparagus staulks.

Lay asparagus on a baking sheet.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the asparagus. Just enough to thinly coat -- too much and it will splatter and fry in the oven.  So, start with less oil.  Roll the asparagus around to coat with oil.

Add cracked black pepper to taste.

Back in oven until browned.

Remove and add salt to taste.