It has been an exciting week for us here on Haute Apple Pie, in addition to our Outpost Exchange cover, we’ve also been featured on MilwaukeeMoms.com for this fun Mother’s Day recipe.
Check out our rainbow pancakes recipe! Note: while this was written for kids to make for their moms, adults can have fun with it too!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Spring and summer will bring fresh salads to many dinner tables and making your own salad dressing is surprisingly easy. When you make dressing, you are able to tailor it to your taste and control the ingredients, making it a healthier option. It all comes down to 4 main components: base, oil, acid and seasoning. Here is a breakdown of each ingredient and how to use them.
Base
First give your dressing a base. A base will give the dressing flavor and will also help to emulsify the dressing and hold it together. The amount of base you need will depend on your taste and the amount of dressing you are making. I usually start with 1-2 tablespoons. Some bases to try include:
Dijon Mustard
Raspberry jam
Mayonnaise
Honey
Oil
Oil will be the foundation for your dressing. When you add your oil to the base, you will want to stream it in slowly while you whisk. Most people go directly to Olive Oil, but there are a variety of oils you can choose from and each will give you a different flavor. Here are some examples of oils to try in your dressing:
G rapeseed Oil
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Sunflower Seed oil
Acid
Adding an acid to your dressing will further emulsify it and will help balance the flavor of the oil. Vinegars make a great acid for salad dressing, but any kind of citrus such as lemon, grapefruit or lime will work as well. Here are some acids to try:
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Grapefruit Juice
Champagne vinegar
Seasoning
Finally, seasoning your dressing to taste will help to refine the flavor. It can be something as simple as salt and pepper or something as fresh and chopped herbs. Here are some examples of seasonings to try:
Fresh chopped basil
dried tarragon
Garlic powder
dried dill
When you are making your dressing, be sure to whisk while you add each ingredient and don’t be afraid to taste as you go and experiment with new flavors! Making your own dressing is one of the best ways to try new things while cooking.
Filed under Cook
Thanks to Liz, Janet and the wonderful folks at Outpost Natural Foods who featured HAP in the May issue of Outpost Exchange! We’re happy to see other people are as excited as we are about the “rebirth of the domestic goddess” and all the benefits that come with it. Check out the preview on the Outpost Blog or the full article on Third Coast Digest and if you’re in Milwaukee, head over to Outpost and pick up a free copy!
PS: Thanks as always to Michael Coates for providing us with a cover-worthy photo!
Filed under Interviews
To all brides, brides-to-be, bridesmaids, mothers-of-the-bride, mothers of the groom, grooms, groomsmen, wedding officiants, wedding photographers, wedding crashers or just lovers of all things wedding:
Haute Apple Pie is happy to announce that next month is wedding month! For the entire month of June, we will be featuring everything wedding – from inspiration boards, to guest bloggers, to bridal party gifts, wedding showers, bachelorette parties, plus highlights from HAP weddings and HAP readers weddings!
That is where you come in.
We are asking our readers who are interested in having their wedding in the spotlight to submit photos and descriptions of your very own wedding. It doesn’t matter to us if your wedding was yesterday or 40 years ago, in the church or on the beach, as long as it was done in style.
Please submit 8-12 photos that highlight the style of your wedding, from your dress, to flowers, centerpieces, invitations, programs, venue, etc. Also, send us a few words about your wedding and your wedding style. If selected, we will contact you for some more details!
Submit your wedding to hauteapplepie@hotmail.com by Wednesday, May 26. We look forward to hearing about your haute weddings!
Filed under Weddings
Confession: I’m a peanut butter addict. Which is why I looove recipes full of peanut-buttery goodness…especially this slightly spicy and super versatile Thai Peanut Sauce.
Thai Peanut Sauce is lovely as a simple chicken satay dipping sauce but you can easily make it the star of your dish and make your supporting ingredients do double-duty at the same time. Thai Peanut Noodles and Thai Chicken Pizza are two healthy, flavor-packed and weeknight-friendly recipes that center around this tasty sauce.
Thai Peanut Sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ piece of ginger, grated
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C water
1/4 C lite coconut milk
1/2 lime
2/3+ C chunky peanut butter
2 tsp sriracha
In a small saucepan, combine garlic, ginger and oil. Cook over medium-low heat until aromas start to release. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and coconut milk. Whisk in brown sugar and peanut butter, letting peanut butter melt into sauce. Add sriracha sauce to taste.
If you’re making both dishes in the same week, you may want to double the recipe. Sauce can be saved for 1-2 weeks and reheated to serve.
Thai Peanut Noodles
1 pkg soba noodles (or whole wheat noodles if you can’t find soba noodles)
1 lb chicken or beef, cubed
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
3 green onions, sliced
sm handful of cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
Thai Peanut Sauce
Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt well. Add soba noodles and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, season meat with ginger, garlic, pepper and soy sauce. Saute until meat is cooked through. Drain noodles. Top noodles with meat and Thai Peanut Sauce. Add green onions, cilantro and carrots and serve.
Thai Chicken Pizza
whole wheat pizza crust (I like Boboli)
1 pkg chicken tenders
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
2 handfuls sugar snap pea pods
mung bean sprouts
sm handful cilantro, chopped
dry roasted peanuts
Thai Peanut Sauce
Preheat oven to 425. Cover pizza crust in peanut sauce. Grill or saute chicken tenders and slice into chunks. Shred or julienne carrots and cut pea pods in half. Top pizza crust with carrots, pea pods, bean sprouts, chicken and peanuts. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve.
I love spring! No more boots, no more sweaters and as much as I love chili…no more chili for awhile! I am always inspired this time of year to make new salad creations. This Southwestern BBQ Ranch Salad is one of my favorites. The black beans and corn give it a great texture and the cilantro gives that burst of flavor that other boring salads lack. This is super easy and healthy!
Ingredients:
Mix ranch dressing and BBQ sauce, set aside. Mix together all ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve!
This salad is great with grilled chicken breast or shrimp. I grilled up my chicken with a rub of paprika, cumin, cracked black pepper and garlic salt. Add avocado to this salad for some extra flavor!
Filed under Cook, Main Dish, Quick & Easy
While looking forward to the spring and summer cooking that lies ahead, there is a part of me that will mourn the soups and stews of winter. Something is so comforting about the perfect bowl of soup. This Potato Corn Chowder recipe is a great soup for cool spring nights. It is still hearty like a winter soup, but uses ingredients that speak of the summer months ahead.
Potato Corn Chowder
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup diced onions
3 scallions (green onions), white bulbs and 3 inches green, diced
2 Tbsp. unbleached, all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup half-and-half
4 cups cooked corn kernels, drained
3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4″ dice
Cook the bacon in a large soup pot over low heat until fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted, then add the onions and scallions and cook over low heat until transparent or for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Next, mix in the stock and potatoes. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, corn, pepper, and salt. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finally, add the bell pepper and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.
Serve with your favorite cheese on top and warm crusty bread.
Filed under Main Dish
Last weekend I went to LA to visit my good friend Catherine from The Life Styled just for a little getaway. We spent the weekend catching up over coffee and strolling in and out of eclectic boutiques and cafes.
The change in scenery provided me with tons of new inspiration, including ideas for this collection of sweet, LA-inspired gifts for Mother’s Day! Tell mom how much you love her with one of these personal treats to suit her style:
1. Perfect for the eco-minded mom on the go: I Am Not A Paper Cup Thermal To-Go Mug.
2. I stalked the web to find this adorable Godinger Beehive Honey Pot that we saw at rustic-chic Tavern cafe.
3. I picked up one of these fun personalized Paperwink Return Address Stamps at Urbanic in Venice. Mom will love it for all those birthday cards she’s always is so good about sending!
4. Give mom new inspiration with Shabby Chic Interiors by Rachel Ashwell.
5. Comfy Birks with an upgraded gladiator style keep mom looking haute: Birkenstock Birki-Flor Sparta Sandals
6. Nothing says LA like a chic beach tote. This Liberty of London for Target Tote keeps it affordable too.
7. A pretty new serving piece like this Fleur de Lys Teapot inspired by a visit to Pom Pom will be perfect for the Mom’s chats with the ladies.
8. My new obsession: Plump, exotic and low-maintenance succulents. Just right for a mom with a green thumb.
9. Pamper Mom with a luxe Kiehl’s Creme de la Corps Set.
10. Capture the effortless LA casual style with an open cardi like the JCrew Always Cardigan.
11. Mom can mix her own Pinkberry with a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (see recipe below!).
12. Help Mom relax with some heavenly Teavana Earl Grey Creme Tea. She deserves it!
After being initiated into the Pinkberry cult, I remembered seeing this fun copycat recipe in Food Network Magazine a few months ago. If Pinkberry hasn’t hit your streets yet, now you can make your own!
Almost-Famous Frozen Yogurt
from Food Network Magazine
2 C plain whole-milk yogurt
2 C plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 C sugar
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
toppings
Whisk together yogurts, sugar and corn syrup in a bowl until well combined. Pour into ice cream maker. Churn and freeze according to instructions. Serve immediately or freeze for up to 2 hours. Serve with assorted toppings like cheesecake chunks, fresh fruit, chocolate crispies, toasted almonds and honey!
Filed under Fab Finds
The winner of the Organic, Shaken and Stirred Cocktail book, written by Paul Abercrombie, is HAP reader Deb! Read Deb’s comments on how she lives a green life:
i love that everyone is posting ways to be more green! very inspiring….
– last week we installed two rain barrels, and have them positioned at both the front and rear of our house to (hopefully) provide summer watering for all of our plants.
– i always use canvas bags when grocery shopping.
– have spent the good part of motherhood drilling into the kids’ heads the importance of turning off a light when leaving a room, as well as turning off the faucet when brushing their teeth.
– composting in the yard
– planting a veggie garden with the kids. not only do they help out, but they love eating their own grown stuff!
– walk with kids to school and other local businesses, and bike if they’re a bit farther away.
– reduce, reuse and recycle!!
Happy Earth Week everyone!
Filed under Giveaway
Happy Earth Day! We’ve compiled a slew of easy ways to be more eco-conscious this year, along with our favorite tips and products to help you do it. Don’t be overwhelmed by the long list – a lot of the ideas are very doable with a little extra effort. Bonus: many of these simple switches are budget-friendly too!
Also, don’t forget to check out more tips from our readers in the giveaway comments from Monday’s post and leave your own comment as an entry to win. We’re thrilled to hear that a lot of you are pretty green already and we’ll be picking one lucky green winner tomorrow.
33 Ways to Go Green Today
1. Switch to reusable bags and stash one in your purse or car. (our faves: Envirosax…find your style here)
2. Make your own baby food.
3. Use biodegradable pet poo bags.
4. Start a compost pile.
5. Join a CSA.
6. Support your local farmer’s market.
7. Switch to eco-friendly cleaning products or make your own!
8. Consider a hybrid car.
9. Walk or bike more .
10. Turn the lights off or switch to energy star bulbs.
11.Start switching to organic produce. Start by spending just $10 a week on organic.
12. Plant a garden. Don’t have a yard? Try a windowsill herb garden!
13. Switch to chemical-free/organic bath & beauty products (our faves: Alba Sea Plus Renewal Cream, Burt’s Bees Deep Pore Scrub, Method hand soaps)
14. Recycle! Toss a bin in your kitchen or pantry to make it easier.
15. Use fans instead of air conditioning.
16. Know a hunter/fisherman? Live with one? Eat and share sustainably-caught fish or grass-fed, organic meat (bet you never thought about sportsman that way!).
17. Use cloth diapers.
18. Redo that room using low VOC paints.
19. Eat at least 1 meatless meal per week. (try this pizza)
20. Discontinue unnecessary mail such as bills that you pay online or spam.
21. Use rechargeable batteries.
22. Replace paper napkins with a stack of cheap cloth napkins & dishrags. Buy enough for your family for at least a week.
23. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste.
24. Turn off appliances like TVs & computers when you’re not using them.
25. Plan your meals so you don’t waste food!
26. Create a rain barrel in your yard for watering your garden.
27. Carpool or take public transportation.
28. Switch to energy star rated appliances. (bonus: you’ll get a tax credit!)
29. Donate gently used items to Goodwill, consignment shops or other charitable organizations.
30. Hang your laundry outside to dry.
31. Use a man-powered lawn mower.
32. Fill up your own water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
33. Skip the to-go coffee cup and buy a reusable travel mug. (bonus: most places will give you a discount for using one)
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