Trav's Apple-Brandy Cobbler

The apple tree in my backyard is overloaded with fruit, and it's all starting to ripen. Which can only mean two things: one, summer is giving way to autumn, and two, it is high time for some fresh apple cobbler.

Trav's Apple-Brandy Cobbler

4 C. apples, peeled and diced
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 T. butter (divided use)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 C. milk
1/3 C. boiling water
1/2 C. sugar*
1/4 C. brandy

*Taste the apples as you are chopping them. If they are very tart, increase sugar to 3/4 C.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl, stir until evenly coated. Pour into an 8x12 casserole dish, and dot with 1 T. butter. Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in the remaining 3 T. of butter, then stir in the milk to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a pastry cloth and knead only until smooth (do not overknead.) Roll the dough out into a rectangle, barely smaller than the casserole dish. Cover with a damp towel and refrigerate until the apples finish cooking.

After 30 minutes, remove the apples from the oven and discard the foil. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees.

Stir the sugar, water, and brandy together in a small bowl, and pour over the apples. Lay the crust over the top, and cut a few slits in it to allow steam to escape. Return to the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is browned and the apples are tender.

Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve hot, possibly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or a slice of cheddar cheese if you prefer.

Fresh Strawberry Limeade

Here's one of my favorite summertime recipes. Give it a try this weekend, and let me know what you think.

Fresh Strawberry Limeade

1/2 C. fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
1 t. fresh lime peel, grated (from those same limes)
1 C. fresh strawberries
1 C. water
1 C. sugar
Ice
Club soda (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of water, the sugar, and the lime peel. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.

Puree the lime juice, syrup, and strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a chilled glass pitcher, and add water (or club soda) to make 2 quarts. Stir well, then adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar or lime juice to taste. Serve over ice.

VARIATIONS
Try it with frozen strawberries instead of ice cubes.
Try it with lemons instead of limes.
Try it with raspberries instead of strawberries.
Try it with a splash of light rum.

Simple Cornbread Recipe

Whenever I am making a pot of chili, or cooking up a batch of pintos or blackeyed peas, I like to have some piping-hot cornbread to set next to it. I don't want anything funky or fancy, I don't want it sugared-down or spiced-up; I just want some damn cornbread.

This recipe is is exactly that: a simple, delicious cornbread that will go perfectly with your favorite stew, chili, or steak.

Trav's Homemade Cornbread

1 T. corn oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/4 c melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
Milk

Preaheat oven to 425 degrees. Add the corn oil to a cast iron skillet, and put the skillet into the oven to warm while you mix the batter.

Sift all the dry ingredients together, then stir in the eggs, butter, and milk, using enough milk to make a thin batter (it should be slightly thicker than cake batter...think "cold gravy.")

Remove the skillet from the oven, and immediately pour in the batter. Return to the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is dark brown and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Slice and serve.

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Not that there is anything wrong with funky cornbread, mind you.

For sweet cornbread and corn muffins, increase the sugar to about 1/2 cup...more or less to taste.

For spicy cornbread, add a teaspoon of chili powder and a small can of chopped green chilis. Use mild chilis for mild bread, hot for hot bread, etc.

For cheesy cornbread, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. As delicious as it is, be advised: it will stick to the skillet like crazy when it cools...so it is best to slice and serve it while warm, right out of the pan.

Brats and Cabbage II

This is the "grill version" of my first recipe. Not only does the smoky, woody taste make this recipe a thousand times more delicious, but this recipe also uses a lot less beer...which lets you save those delicious longnecks for drinking.

This recipe assumes you are using a real, honest-to-God charcoal grill. If you use a clean-burning propane grill instead, you will just have to improvise.

Trav's Brats and Cabbage (No. 2)

1 lb. fresh bratwurst
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green cabbage, shredded
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 whole peppercorns, crushed
3 whole juniper berries, crushed
about 1/4 cup dark beer

Light the grill. When the charcoals are ashed over, move them all to one side of the grill (to create a "hot side" and a "cool side.") Add a few well-soaked chunks of wood if desired; I recommend apple or hickory.

Grill the bratwurst on the hot side of the grill, turning frequently, until evenly browned and cooked through. Move the bratwurst to the cool side of the grill.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet, on the hot side of the grill. Add the onions, garlic, peppercorns, and juniper berries. Cook until the onions are lightly browned and the spices are fragrant. Add the cabbage and continue to cook, stirring constantly with a metal spatula, until the cabbage is limp.

Add the bratwurst to the skillet, and add a generous splash of beer. Mix well, cover tightly, and cook until the cabbage is tender. Serve with some spicy mustard, a fresh potato salad, and plenty of cold beer.

Snickerdoodles

On my list of favorite cookies, the humble snickerdoodle is in the top three (just under oatmeal-rasin and peanut butter). They are so bad for you...infused with butter and encrusted with sugar...but I figure that if you are eating cookies in the first place, you arent' too terribly worried about nutrition.

Go on, you know you love them. You know you want them. Why not whip up a batch this weekend?

Trav's Snickerdoodles

• 1 stick of butter (not margarine)
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and blend until smooth.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add to the butter/egg mixture. Stir until completely blended (dough will be very stiff).

Mix the remaining 2 T. of sugar with the 1 t. of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and roll gently in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Makes 2 dozen.

TIPS:

Do not use margarine or shortening. This recipe needs (repeat, needs) real, creamery butter.

Do not use artificial vanilla, either. It will work, I suppose, but you won't get that wonderful fragrence while they are cooking.