Author Archives: Stef

Stef's avatar

About Stef

Family: Husband (Tom) and little man Lincoln James. Dwelling: A 1967 Ranch home that changes every day. Homemaker tip: Don’t be afraid to fail. A bad meal can always be fixed with a frozen pizza, a dead plant can be replaced and paint can cure a room. I consider my style: Contemporary with a vintage flair. I love a sleek piece of furniture with the contrast of an old vase or a stack of old used books. I cannot live without eating: Italian Beef sandwiches. I am Chicago-bred and love a good beef with sweet peppers. Pizza is a close second. Three foods you will always find in my pantry: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Crushed Tomatoes and Chicken Broth. My cooking mantra: Even foods that were destined to be bad for you can be recreated in a healthy way.
by | June 22, 2012 · 8:00 am

{Skinny BBQ Series} Tropical Grilled Chicken with Spicy Strawberry Salsa

Just like Anne, I am no stranger to strawberries. The fam and I went on our second annual strawberry picking excursion out in Cedarburg, WI last weekend. We outdid ourselves this year. With over 20 lbs of strawberries, I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate these delectable juicy berries into every meal possible. I’ve made some less healthy (but delicious) strawberry almond muffins and strawberry rhubarb crisp, but I’ve also incorporated strawberries into fresh salads and this skinny BBQ recipe: tropical grilled chicken with spicy strawberry salsa.

I’ve found pairing strawberries with different flavors (spicy, tangy, etc.) really balances out flavors and brings the strawberries to life in a different way. This strawberry salsa would also be great on grilled fish or fish tacos. Chicken breast is always an alternative for skinny BBQ but so often it comes out over cooked, dry and bland. This simple marinade brings sweet and tropical flavors and keeps the chicken nice and juicy.

Tropical Grilled Chicken with Spicy Strawberry Salsa

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 C low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 C fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 large jalapeño pepper, diced
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
cracked black pepper
salt

In a shallow dish, mix pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin and onion powder. Place chicken breasts in the dish, coating in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat grill to high.

In a small bowl, mix together strawberries, jalapeño and cilantro. Add a pinch of coarse black pepper and salt to taste. Set aside.

Reduce grill to medium high heat. Place chicken breasts on grill. Cook for 7-8 minutes on each side. Do NOT keep moving and turning the chicken. Remove chicken from grill.

Place chicken breast on plate and top with heaping spoonful of strawberry salsa.

2 Comments

Filed under Grill, Healthy

Tagged as , , , ,

by | June 15, 2012 · 8:13 am

And the winner is…

Thanks to everyone for entering our Father’s Day Howling Wolf BBQ giveaway!

The winner of our contest is HAP reader…Bonnita Denson! Bonnita wrote: “I’m definitely with the Blood Mary peeps! My husband, who is a dad and his dad and my own dad like experimenting with different kinds of sauces. We havent tried these!! Also, I’ve “liked” HAP for a while now!! Thank you!!”

We hope you all enjoy your weekends, celebrating dads every where!

Leave a comment

Filed under Giveaway

Tagged as

by | June 11, 2012 · 8:00 am

{GIVEAWAY} Howling Wolf BBQ

This week we are celebrating dads by giving away what dad loves most – BBQ! We have had the honor and privilege of interviewing Ken Wolfe from Howling Wolf Gourmet Foods, who has enlightened us on us culinary BBQ perspective. If reading his story doesn’t make your mouth water for some delicious Father’s Day grilling, we aren’t sure what would! Please take the time to read about Howling Wolf and have the chance to win a BBQ combo pack with a bottle of the Howling Wolf Original BBQ sauce, Land & Sea Rub, and Dry Rub. Giveaway details are below.

Give us the one-minute bio of yourself.

I am a classically trained chef who has always had a passion for sauces, smoked foods, and BBQ. I started my career with a 3 1/2 year culinary apprenticeship in southern California, followed by two years of working as a chef in France. I spent most of my early career as a saucier, before moving up the ranks. Eventually I opened my own restaurant, Cafe Wyoming, in Dubois, Wyoming. At the Cafe, I featured my BBQ sauces and perfected my style of barbecuing. My ribs and sauce were mentioned in Jane & Michael Stern’s Roadfood 2005 edition. After six successful years, I sold the Cafe to focus on my sauces full time. I moved to Wisconsin five years ago and have been in the stores four years.

Tell us a little bit about how Howling Wolf BBQ got started?

I have always had a passion for BBQ growing up and as I progressed in the culinary field I was continually thinking of the possibility of starting a food line to eventually free me from the restaurant business. That line naturally became my own gourmet take on BBQ.

What inspires your BBQ flavors?

I love the diversity of flavors that the spice world offer. Combined with my passion for BBQ, I have been able to create some extra ordinary flavors that are both flavorful and very versatile. For example, My Cranberry Orange BBQ can be used as a glaze for Asian sweet and sour, and my original can be mixed with yogurt and takes on a middle eastern flavor.

Are you a gas or charcoal man?

At times gas is convenient but not only do I prefer charcoal but I prefer to make my own.

Describe your perfect BBQ meal.

I am always happy to devour a rack of perfectly smoked pork spare ribs but nothing beats a beautifully seasoned and smoked pork shoulder sandwich on a homemade roll topped with my homemade aged slaw and a good I.P.A.

How will you be spending your Father’s Day?

I will be doing something outside with my family most likely in the garden and it will most certainly end up with a nice dinner off the grill.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

In order to win the Howling Wolf BBQ Combo Pack, visit the Howling Wolf website and check out the different products and recipes. Leave us a comment on this post telling us how you would like to use a Howling Wolf product to put a smile on dad’s face this Father’s Day.

For an extra vote – like Haute Apple Pie on Facebook and let us know you did!

You must enter your comment by Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 11 p.m. CST. The winner of the giveaway will be announced Friday, June 15, 2012 and will be chosen at random. You must be over the age of 18 to vote and live in the Continental United States.

Happy Father’s Day to all those awesome dads out there!

20 Comments

Filed under Giveaway, Grill

Tagged as , , ,

by | June 8, 2012 · 8:00 am

{Skinny BBQ Series} Tortilla Chicken Brats with Southwestern Sauerkraut

The grills have been rolled out and dusted off. The propane tanks filled. The charcoals are burning. It is grilling season again. Great news for the taste buds, bad news for the waistline. Enjoying a good brat or burger off the grill is a Midwesterners favorite pastime, but it can wreak havoc on your summer weight loss routine. This summer, we are running Skinny BBQ Series, lots of great grilled recipes from apps, to entrees, to desserts that you will not need to feel guilty about.

My good friend from college hails from the great state of New Mexico. If there are two things he has taught me, they are: tortillas and green chilies. We often grilled in college and never seemed to scrape enough money together to have buns lying around, so we would wrap our hot dogs and brats in tortillas. It cuts back on the carbs and calories and is surprisingly delicious! Now the chilies we are able to buy in cans here in the Midwest pale in comparison to the ones mailed straight from New Mexico, but they still get the flavor across.

When the lovely people at Gold’n Plump sent us some of their new chicken sausages, I was excited to create a meal that mixed my Germanic routes with my taste for Southwestern cuisine. Using Gold’n Plump’s new chicken bratwurst, I made a lean and spicy new twist on an old Wisconsin favorite.

Tortilla Chicken Brats with Southwestern Sauerkraut
1 package Gold’n Plump Chicken Bratwurst
5 Flour or Corn Tortillas (Use whole wheat for an added health bonus)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 jar green chilies
1 16 oz. jar of sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 tsp chipolte powder
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
BBQ sauce (optional)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. At a medium-high heat, sauté garlic for one minute, stirring constantly. Add onion and jalapeño. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add green chilies and reduce heat to medium. Stir in sauerkraut. Mix throughly. Add chipolte powder, pepper, paprika and cumin. Simmer at medium to low heat until ready to serve.

Add bratwurst to grill. Grill for 15-18 minutes, turning on all sides to cook evenly at even intervals. In the last 2 minutes of grilling, add tortillas to the grill. Heat until slightly crisp edges form, watching closely to make sure they do not burn.

Lay tortilla flat. Add bratwurst and large spoonful of sauerkraut. Drizzle about 1 TBSP of your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Saz’s!) and wrap.

These chicken brats only have 7 G of fat and 150 calories. If I did not know it was chicken, I would never have guessed. Sauerkraut may add a little extra sodium but no fat and virtually no calories. The extra tablespoon of BBQ sauce may add about 20 calories or so, but I think it is well worth it. This meal tastes sinfully bad for you, but packs in at less than 500 calories! Now that is what I call skinny BBQ!

*Disclaimer: Gold’n Plump provided Haute Apple Pie with the products utilized in this post, however the content, images, recipes and opinions are all our own.

 

3 Comments

Filed under Cook, Grill, Healthy

Tagged as , , , ,

by | June 1, 2012 · 8:00 am

Anniversary Garden

The hubs and I celebrated our fourth anniversary over Memorial Day weekend. We are a sucker for tradition and stick to the classic list of anniversary gifts. Each year it has been fun to come up with something clever to give one another. We’ve conquered paper, cotton, leather and this year fruit or flowers. While I may beam from a dozen roses, surprising my husband with a basket of fruit or homemade jam just didn’t seem good enough. Therefore, we decided to go in on our gift together.

If you remember last year, I talked about planting a shade garden. We worked on ripping up the old ground cover from the side of the house and took out some shrubs. By the time I was motivated to plant, it was too late in the season. This year, we gave each other the gift of beautiful landscaping and had fun picking out flowers and sprucing up the side walkway of our house.

To dedicate the shade garden, I painted a rock I found in our yard with our anniversary date. I freehanded the letters in pencil and painted them in with some leftover paint I had laying around the house. Now, as we walk past our pretty flowers, we both feel a little extra love.

I researched the best flowers to grow with little sunlight in Wisconsin. We already have bunches of purple daylilies whose blooms we have been enjoying lately. We have also mixed in a few varieties of hostsas. I wanted to add some color at other parts of the season, so I added some astilbes and coral bells to the mix to brighten it up. While you may not be able to see them yet, I also placed Northern Sea Oats to give some height and depth to the garden. We fixed up the edging and added some cypress mulch. We couldn’t be happier with the transformation!

I will share more pictures with you later in the season and next year, when our small plants blossom and bloom!

Do you stick with the traditional anniversary gifts? If so, I’d love to hear your clever ideas!

2 Comments

Filed under Garden

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 25, 2012 · 1:24 pm

Honey Almond Frozen Greek Yogurt

Summertime means…ice cream! Or for those a little more health conscious, frozen yogurt! The recent warm weather put me in the mood to whip up my first batch of frozen treats for the summer. I love Greek yogurt and currently use it in everything. So why not try it frozen? This cool concoction is packed with protein for a truly nutritious and heat beating experience.

Honey Almond Greek Frozen Yogurt 
1 32 oz container of vanilla Greek  yogurt
1/2 C 2% or skim milk
1/2 C sugar
1/2 TBSP almond extract
1 TBSP honey
1 C honey roasted sliced almonds

In a large bowl, add greek yogurt, milk and sugar. Stir until blended. Add honey and almond extract. Stir until mixed in. Cover and place in refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.

In a food processor, pulse almonds until roughly chopped. Set aside.

Add yogurt mixture to ice cream maker. Churn on low for about 15 minutes. With about five minutes left, add almonds.

Either place in container to freeze for later use (which will produce a harder consistency) or serve it up soft serve right out of the bowl.

Enjoy!

4 Comments

Filed under Healthy, Treats

Tagged as , ,

by | May 18, 2012 · 8:00 am

Dole Summit Part II & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

Last week I shared my adventures in lettuce from the Dole Salad’tude Summit in Monterey. This week, I want to share some innovative salad ideas that Dole shared with us, plus a fresh greens recipe of my own. The final reception and dinner for our event took place outside at the InterContinental in Monterey. Gorgeous venue for a delicious night of salads. Set up in stations, our night was filled with innovative ways to incorporate greens into your different events. Right up the Haute Apple Pie alley!

First I had to share the perfectly suited centerpiece ideas. This is a cheap, easy and beautiful way to spiff up a table, especially when salads and greens are on the menu. The tall tables were adorned with square wooden boxes with a full head of butter lettuce, surrounded by candles. One of the larger tables had a rustic farmers market quality to it with a large wicker basket filled with different shapes and sizes of greens and artichokes. An edible arrangement – reusable for dinner the next day.

Our salad reception did nothing if not let me know that salad doesn’t have to be in a regular bowl. We were served salad in all shapes, sizes, colors and consistencies. Grilled Romaine for a barbecue, Huevos Rancheros atop a bed of lettuce for brunch, lettuce bruschetta and the one that wins the prize for most intriguing – the salad shooter. The Dole Southwest Salad mix was tossed together and put into a blender to make what basically tasted like a cold tortilla soup shooter. Surprisingly good, great presentation and a great conversation piece.

I have to admit that my salad trip (as well as the emergence of summer and farmer’s markets) has really gotten me into a fresh veggie kind of mood. This week I whipped up this Poppy Seed Chicken Salad in a lettuce wrap. It is great to make ahead of time and eat for lunch or dinner. It is the perfect meal to take to work or on a picnic!

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

1 head butter lettuce
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
2 C chicken stock
4 C water
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 TBSP fresh chopped chives
1 TBSP poppy seeds
2 TBSP Olive Oil Mayo
2 TBSP Plain Greek Yogurt
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

In a large pot, boil chicken stock and water. Add chicken and boil until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from water and thinly slice or shred. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, add chicken, radishes, apples, celery, poppy seeds, chives, mayo and greek yogurt. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Refrigerate or serve immediately.

Tear off large pieces of butter lettuce. Scoop chicken salad onto lettuce leaves and serve.

I’d like to leave you with the names of a few more fabulous blogs to check out!

Bran Appetit
Dana Treat
Closet Cooking
Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Eat the Love
Bella’alimento
She’s Becoming Doughmesstic
Food Loves Writing

4 Comments

Filed under Cook, Healthy

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | May 11, 2012 · 8:00 am

Dole Salad’tude Summit: Part I

Spring is in the air and summer is approaching. The crock pot is about to start collecting dust and the grill will be in full force. Fresh veggies and lettuce at last! What better way to celebrate than go right to the source?

I was lucky enough to be a guest of the Dole Salad’tude Summit last week in Monterey, CA. Mingling amidst bloggers extraordinaire, I learned first hand the field to consumer process of growing, harvesting and selling lettuce. While Dole is often thought of for its pineapple, they are no stranger to lettuce.

The trip began last Wednesday, or at least it was supposed to. I had the unfortunate luck of some bad travel: dents in the plane, deboarding, reboarding, missed connections and a seven hour “layover” in Phoenix, bringing me to Monterey at 10:00 pm. Therefore, the lovely reception and dinner at the Sardine Factory in Monterey, I only saw via Twitter from the other bloggers. But I made it!

The following morning we started bright and early, traveling to Dole headquarters and having a roundtable discussion on new Dole lettuce products, roundtable discussion and salad tastings. We all agreed that kale is all the rage, people are less inclined to use iceberg lettuce and we all like to eat one dish meals. We tasted a variety of their bagged salads. I have to admit that I typically do not buy much bagged lettuce or pre-packaged salads, but this trip may have helped me turn a leaf. These products are fresh and carefully grown and packaged to ensure we are getting the best product possible. Since Wisconsin only allows a small spattering of local produce for about half the year, these are a great alternative.

While Dole is yet to delve into organic agriculture, they use as little pesticides as they can to supply a fresh and crispy product. We were all very pleased to find out that 85% of their lettuce has 0% traceability to pesticide. So if you don’t want to spring for organic lettuce, feel okay about it!

We dined for lunch on an eclectic mix of greens and veggies at La Bicyclette in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carrot risotto was the hit of the meal (look for a recreate from me in the future) as well as butternut squash and lamb sausage wood-fired pizzas.

We toured the lettuce farms and Dole processing plant in Salinas Valley which was a beautiful site to behold. Fields upon fields of fresh greenery. It was wonderful to see where your food comes from, and to feel great about it. The lettuce straight out of the field was delicious.

Next week I will fill you in on our innovative salad party and some ideas for you to try at home!

I met some wonderful people on this trip. A great smattering of food-loving bloggers from all over North America. Check out a few of these great blogs!

Gina’s Skinny Recipes
Coconut and Lime
Two Peas and Their Pod
Recipe Renovator
Baked Bree
A Communal Table

More links and some great recipes to follow next week! An extra special thanks to Dole for such a wonderful event.

Disclaimer: Dole provided transportation, lodging and meals for the Summit, however, all the opinions of the event are completely my own.

8 Comments

Filed under Cook

Tagged as , , ,

by | April 27, 2012 · 8:00 am

{DIY} Playroom Chalkboard Wall

After a couple of years, you get to a point in your young parenting life when you relinquish the ideas of your former self. Last year I converted my old work/workout area into a inspired writer’s nook. A lovely thought, right? Over a year later, I believe I wrote from that spot a total of three times. If I got a chance to work on my writing, it was likely at the dining room table in between making dinner, doing some work and cleaning up crayons. Our once adult basement slowly transformed. With large plastic toys cluttering the basement TV viewing area, the man cave part of the basement was a man cave no more. So I threw up the white flag. Mommy surrender.

My once serene writer’s nook has been transformed into a toddler’s playroom. The sacrifice was worth the reward. We now have friends over to watch a game while the kids quietly (or not so quietly) play right behind us, and we know they are safe. I plan on showing the full playroom in weeks to come when I finish the cute sporty touches, but for now, I wanted to share a little fun art corner addition.

Our toy room is sectioned off by two three foot tall walls that divide the room. I decided it was the perfect height and length to turn it into a chalkboard wall for Lincoln and his friends. Originally, I just planned on painting the wall, until I discovered chalkboard contact paper. Much less fuss, much less smell, much less mess and hopefully easier to clean up if I decide I do not want it anymore.

I ordered the contact paper through Amazon. I needed two rolls to fill our wall space. It is easiest to have someone help you to reduce the amount of bubbles in the paper.

What you need:
Chalkboard contact paper
Scissors
Single edge razor blade or Exacto knife
Credit card
Chalk

The process is pretty simple. Cut your paper to the length of your space (I made mine a little longer and cut it off at the end). Peel of the back of the contact paper. Starting at the top of the wall, press across then down. Continue this until you reach the bottom. Pull downward and a little bit outward with the paper to avoid bubbles. Use a credit card to smooth the paper and adhere it to the wall. Cut the extra edges (if you have any) with a scissors. If you have any small overlaps over molding or at the corners, take an Exacto knife and simply slice off the extra pieces, being careful not to slice the wall. Repeat with as many pieces as you need to fill your space. Make sure to line up your paper and make as few seams as possible.

Lincoln was very excited to get to play on his new chalkboard wall and I am happy as a clam typing with my Mac in my lap or on the table. Life may not be what it used to be, but life is pretty darn good.

I’ve got something cooking for the other side, which I will share in the future. I plan to use the leftover contact paper for some fun projects too. Stay tuned!

2 Comments

Filed under Decorate, DIY, Family

Tagged as , ,

by | April 20, 2012 · 8:00 am

The Perfect Bacon

For my meat-loving readers:

A few years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a tip for cooking bacon that has literally changed my kitchen life. I passed this tip along to family and friends who have, in turn, told me it has changed their lives as well. You may know this or already practice this wonderfully kept secret. If so, feel free to drool over the photos of bacon and move on. If not, pay close attention. Bacon will never be the same.

In the past, I would heat up the old skillet and toss raw bacon into the pan. On most occasions, I would either burn myself on the hot grease, get impatient and end up with soggy bacon and/or spend fifteen minutes scrubbing my stove top and countertop down. Not anymore.

Oven-Cooked Bacon

One package of thick sliced bacon
Aluminum foil

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place 6-8 pieces of thick sliced bacon on the baking sheet. Set your oven to 400 degrees and place the bacon in the oven while it is preheating. Cook for 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and place bacon on a paper towel to remove excess grease.

The bacon will cook as the oven preheats. The grease stays right on the foil which can just be balled up and thrown away. The bacon turns out perfectly crispy, heated evenly throughout. Since you don’t have to wait for the oven to preheat, the bacon will be done before you know it!

Happy bacon eating!

6 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Cook, Quick & Easy

Tagged as , , ,