Welcome Autumn with Fall Fruit Bread

Welcoming in cooler weather with a baking spree.

Welcome to Autumn! 

While the first day of autumn is technically not until next week Tuesday, everyone else seems to already be on the fall flavors bandwagon. We're getting tired of lagging behind. If The-Big-Coffee-Chain-We-Cannot-Name can start offering pumpkin spice lattes in AUGUST, we’re sure we can give you a recipe based on in-season fall fruits a few days ahead of schedule.

We haven't offered you fine readers anything sweet lately in the recipe posts, and the collective sweet tooth is starting to make some noise around here. So this week's recipe is a fruit based dessert. Or maybe breakfast; we certainly won't tell anyone how or when to eat their baked goods.

If you're lucky enough to have an orchard nearby, head out and grab some fresh apples or pears! They're both in season right now, as are cranberries (which, unfortunately, only make their appearance in their dried form in this recipe). You might make it an adventure in cooking with the family. If not, it's fine to just pick up a few fresh fruits at the farmer's market or local grocery store. You can even get away with using canned goods for this recipe if you're short on time. But whichever kind of fruit you start with, you'll find yourself needing a food processor or blender.

This is a big batch recipe; it'll make a loaf for you and a loaf to give to your neighbor! Alternatively, keep it all for yourself - and if you and the family don't eat it all up right away, you can wrap the second loaf in foil and plastic and put it in the freezer for later.

Fall Fruit Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup pureed apple (or unsweetened applesauce) *

2 cups pureed pear **

1/4 cup dried cranberries

* 2 large apples, or 3 medium apples

** 5 average pears, or two 14-oz cans of pear halves in juice or syrup, drained and rinsed

Let's start with the scariest part of this recipe: the purees. If you've started with fresh apples and pears, you'll have more steps than the folks who've opted for canned goods - but this is all part of the fun.

Bonus: if you're baking with kids, this can be a good teaching opportunity for fractions and conversions. Measure out your cut fruit to track your progress as you go.

Readers who have chosen to use canned goods should skip down to Step 4.

Step One:

Wash all of your fresh produce, please! Apples and pears sold in grocery stores often have a layer of food-grade wax that can complicate this recipe.

Step Two:

Core and slice your fresh apples and pears. Thinner slices will cook up quicker, but thicker slices are good for a chunkier texture. Whether or not you peel the fruit is also up to you - keep all the nutrients by leaving peels intact, or create a finer texture and uniform color by removing skin.

Step Three:

Toss all of your cut fruit into a pan and add just enough water to cover. Cook over medium heat 10-20 minutes, until pieces are tender.

Step Four:

Drain your fruit, either from the pan you've cooked it in or from the can it arrived in. Put all the apples (or applesauce) and pears into a blender or food processor. Blend until you've reached your desired consistency.

Step Five:

Sift together all of your dry ingredients. Whisk your eggs in a separate dish and add the eggs, fruit and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients slowly. Try to avoid over-mixing; an over-mixed batter makes a tougher, chewy cake. If your batter looks heavy, dense, or dry, you can add a tablespoon of water or milk at a time until it reaches normal cake batter consistency. Fold in your dried cranberries.

Step Six:

Grease two loaf pans and fill each to about 2/3 full. Avoid overfilling - an overfull loaf pan can create a nasty mess in your oven if the batter overflows while cooking. If you still have batter left over after filling two loaf pans, consider making a few muffins or a mini loaf.

Step Seven:

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. You should not need to make any time or temperature adjustments for dark/nonstick pans versus glass or aluminum. Just make sure to test with the toothpick trick before removing the loaf pans from the oven - some loaves are a little picky and need slightly more time than others.

Make sure to let them cool at least ten minutes before attempting to turn them out. If you're working with silicone pans, you may need to let them cool completely before the loaves will release without crumbling.

Serve as it is, still warm from the oven - fresh baked goods are tough to resist. On the second day, we prefer to cut it into slabs, toast for a few minutes in the toaster oven and add a pat of butter and a dollop of jelly.

A warm kitchen, and the smell of something you've made at home, and the chance to share with people you care about are the best autumn memories you'll fall back on when the weather changes... But we'll probably still dream about the pumpkin spice drinks from big chain shops, too.

Don't forget if your current washer is giving you trouble and you don't want to replace it you can always give us a call and we'll help you get it back and running. You can place an appointment on our web page or give us a call at (214) 599-0055.

Taking Proper Care Of Your Blender

Why they’re more like pets than you might think.

We've all heard 'how is a raven like a writing desk', but have you ever thought 'how is a blender like a pet?' Blenders, much like our pets are finicky and need care. Also like our pets, they give back even more than we give them. Read on to learn all about caring for your blender to keep it going for a long time.

Let’s work up to a full run. 

Just like you work up to an all out run with your dog, your blender needs to warm up. Even if you’re only using it for a few minutes, start at low and work your way up too high.  This not only is easier on the gears, it also protects your kitchen. Think about it, how many times have you hit high, only to end up with something spattered on the walls? 

All of their shapes have a purpose. 

It’s like a lab’s webbed toes, or a blood hound’s nose, the ridges of a blender have a purpose. They’re there to fold the contents of the mixture back into the center rather than leaving the same food at the same levels. 

If it gets too upset, it starts to gnash its teeth. 

Just like many dogs, if your blender gets too stressed out, it starts to grind and ruin its teeth. 

To prevent this, follow these 3 tips: 

-Always make sure the top of the blender is properly seated in teh base. 

-Don’t rock the blender while its blending. 

-Make sure the blender has fully come to rest before you take off the top. 

It’s louder than your dog… 

Or your other appliances for that matter. 

A blender, on standard anyway, emits 92 decibels. That’s louder than any other (properly working) appliance. It’s even louder than many outdoor appliances. The only things that are louder are an electric garbage disposal, an electric drill, a leaf blower and a chainsaw. 

Hot temps and blenders don’t always mix! (Some blenders love the heat, others are more like huskies and need to avoid them.) 

Before you go pouring in hot liquids, check if its safe.  Two go-to places are the manual and the blender’s lid. If a blender can handle hot temps it will have a feeding hole in the lid that allows steam to escape. The manual will also tell you in the warning section if it isn’t made to handle the heat. 

Sometimes it gets stuck. 

Just like your dog, cat, or cow, (yp we’ve seen it happen) your blender can get stuck. Unlike your pet, the issue is an air bubble, and  not it climbing somewhere it shouldn’t. If you still have the blender on, but the mixture isn’t moving, an air bubble might be trapped around the lbande. 

To fix this, turn the blender off and grap a rubber spatula. Use it to scrape down the sides and push the blade around a few times. If it happens again, your mixture might need more liquid. 

Give it a bath regularly. (No one wants a smelly blender.) 

Even though many of today’s blenders say that they can go into the dishwasher, they really shouldn’t. Just like knives, a blender is better served being washed by hand. 

Most of the time that just means pouring in 2 cups of water (or ½ the container’s max volume), a few drops of dish soap and running the blender on high for a minute. 

It needs to breathe too! 

That max fill line isn’t just for looks! Fill a blender beyond that point and one of two things will happen. Either your blender won’t work. Or you’re going to have food and liquids everywhere. The space that’s at the top makes sure that your blender can create a vortex. This brings the whole ingredients down to the blade and pushes liquids up. 

Make its pulse race! 

What’s the best button on a blender and the least used? The pulse button. 

Whether you’re making smoothies or salsas, milk shakes or just dicing up fruits,. This your best friend. It’s able to use small powerful bursts to chop foods down to a uniform size and handle ice. So you can make chunky salsas or creamy milkshakes with ease. 

So, what do you think? Did we cover all the ways they're alike? Did we miss any? Do you have any idea why a raven is like a writing desk? Let us know over in our Facebook.

If you're having issues with your larger appliances, we're more than happy to help. Just give us a call or set up an appointment on our site. 

Rainbow Save-Your-Tail Frittata

Also Known as “Oh shoot, I don’t have anything to make and I need to at least pretend I eat healthy!”

We're sure it's happened to you: you're home late, the kids are clamoring for dinner, and you need a quick and easy idea before they start gnawing on you. Or maybe you've got some unexpected company on the way; a friend called and they'll be coming over on short notice. Perhaps it's your turn to bring the main course at the church potluck, or you're hosting a holiday meal for extended family, or even preparing meals you can freeze for someone who's bereaved or expecting?

All of these potentially stressful situations can share one simple, flexible solution. Better yet, the dishes are minimal; one cast iron pan can handle the job alone. And as another added bonus, this recipe can even work if you're serving special diets, like vegetarian or gluten free.

Allow us to introduce you to your new favorite dish: the frittata.

It's like an omelette, but fluffier. Or like a quiche, but gluten free. Or maybe it's whatever you make it. You could do a pizza frittata for the kids, a roasted vegetable frittata for your friend, Mediterranean for church and Mexican inspired to freeze as a make-ahead meal for someone else. No matter what you choose to do with it, the Italians knew what they were doing when they invented this dish.

So please, take the basic recipe from this post and make something amazing. And maybe leave a note in the comments section so we can hear about it, too.

Property of The Kitchn

Ingredients

Rainbow Vegetable Frittata

(Serves 2)

4 Large eggs

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 mini orange sweet peppers, chopped

1 small blue* potato, finely diced

1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 small red onion, diced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter, for sauteeing vegetables

*The blue potato is optional; please feel free to omit it entirely, or to substitute a baby red or small Idaho potato if heirloom produce isn't available in your area.

Instructions:

Before you do anything else, preheat the broiler on your oven. You'll need it briefly at the end.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, drop a pat or two of butter and bring it up to medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the potato (if you're using one) and let it cook slowly while you prepare your eggs. We find it helpful to cover the pan for this step if possible.

Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk the eggs up with the spices. Set to the side for now.

Add your remaining vegetables to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, until potatoes are soft and onion is nearing translucency. This should take you about 5 minutes, but don't worry if you need extra time - better an extra two minutes here than a par-cooked potato ruining the meal. Be mindful of the fact spinach wilts quickly, and consider adding it last.

Once your vegetables are ready, pour the egg mixture over top. Keep the heat no higher than medium.

As your egg begins to set, resist the urge to stir! Instead, take a thin spatula and gently pry it away from the edges of the pan and up from the bottom. The goal here is to let the raw egg slip into the opened space. Repeat this process as each layer sets.

Cook in this manner for about 7 minutes. You want the bottom portion to be completely set and the top portion to be soft-set.

Spread your shredded cheese in a thin layer over the top of the eggs.

Move the pan from the stove top to under the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes.

Now the fun part! Cut into whatever shape you want, and enjoy!

Let us know what you think over on our Facebook page! We’d love to hear from you and how your meal turned out! 

If this isn’t your thing, we have something completely different coming out in two weeks, so be sure to check back then. 

Remember, if your appliances are giving you trouble, or if you just want someone to give them a once over, give us a call. We want to help keep your home running in tip top shape. 

Call ((214) 599-0055) 

Set an appointment online.

Notes

As we said in the beginning, this is a flexible recipe. Use whatever herbs, spices, meats, vegetables and cheeses speak to you. We love the combinations of chorizo, garlic, cilantro, tomato and sweet onion topped with queso fresco, or of spinach, artichoke hearts, rosemary and feta, or hot Italian sausage with sun dried tomato, zucchini and provolone cheese. We've even heard tell of Cajun-inspired shrimp and Andouille sausage frittatas with red beans, onions, peppers and hot sauce.

A good rule of thumb to work with is two eggs per person. For every serving of eggs, you'll want half a cup of "filling" (meats, vegetables, etc.) and 2 tablespoons of cheese. (Unless you're like our family, which would gladly put half a pound of cheese into eight eggs and call it a frittata. We're not sure if the recipe is really flexible enough for this interpretation, but... We're not judging your fritatta, so be nice about ours.)

Courtesy of Nature Farms

2020 Design Trends: Big or Bust?

How did the predictions hold up?

Every year interior designers predict what will be popular in the coming year. We thought it would be more interesting to see how this year’s trends were holding up. Although dozens of trends are suggested every year, we selected 9. We’ve taken a look at different ways to see how a trend is doing and sorted them accordingly.  

Rattan & Wicker Indoor Furniture

While these have been an outdoor staple for years, they’re moving indoor. Sadly, we only see this trend, hanging on for another year or so. It’s already proliferated through many different catalogs and big box stores. That is usually the dying knell for a trend. 

Birds and Botanicals 

The beautiful plumage of birds or the old school illustrations of plants of all types that’s what is ‘all the rage’ according to designers for 2020. Both are making a boom (and often together) from wall art, to fabrics and wallpapers. Although this one scored the same as the rattan and wicker furniture, we’re torn. On one hand, it’s already spread everywhere. You can find it across multiple industries, and price points, which are major signs that a trend is going to die. On the other hand, there’s enough variety in the concept of ‘birds and botanicals that it could easily continue for ages. 

Daybeds

Although there isn’t much difference between a daybed and a normal bed, other than the frame, this is a trend. More people are making their guest rooms serve multiple purposes as offices, but still need a bed or seating, just in case. Although daybeds have been found in many big box stores, we haven’t seen them at a variety of price points, nor have they ended up in discount stores yet.  We expect this trend to continue for another two years. We look forward to seeing how the different makers will differentiate themselves and their designs. 

Gallery Wall TV

When we saw this suggestion at the end of last year we were shocked. Gallery walls have been a thing for years! How had we not thought to frame our TVs as part of that? Given how seamlessly this can slip into part of your existing decor, we expect this trend to be around for several years. At least until we switch to fully holographic entertainment anyway. 

Orangeries

Raise your hand if you saw orangeries becoming a thing again. We certainly didn’t. But as of this year, perhaps because of Covid-19, perhaps because of other factors, growing citrus trees indoors has become very popular again. It’s hard to see how this one will work as a trend in terms of sales, unless we start seeing a large number of kits or fake plants. We think this one will stick around for another few years, but only those with a green thumb will keep it beyond that. Citrus plants are finicky after all. 

Layered Patterns 

For years you were told to try and match one pattern throughout a room or even your house. As of 2020 we are free though! Finally people are realizing it’s much more fun to layer patterns that work well or compliment one another into a room. Much like orangeries, this one goes beyond just selling an individual item the way some of our other trends have. It’s a matter of personal taste, mixing and matching, and we think it going to result in a greater number of thrift store finds as well.  This one could go either way. However after how long neutrals and all white rooms survived, we think it will be a long while before people give up this trend. 

Mending 

Photo courtesy of Carson Downing

This one is a continuation of the hand crafting trend that has been building for the last decade. While it is also prevalent in clothes at the moment , we still think it’s going to stick around. The idea is that instead of throwing a piece of decor, or furniture out because it's torn or damaged somehow, you repair it. Not simply to return it to its former state, but to bring beauty to it on an entirely new level. The ideas and art of Japanese sashiko and kintsukuroi are both prominent here. We expect to see a lot of this as time goes forward. 

Bold Colors Throughout 

With Pantone’s color of the year being navy, we feel comfortable saying bold colors are taking over our homes. Whether you’re choosing to do it with textiles, paint or furniture, we expect this trend to stick for a very long time. After all,  many people are spending more time inside their homes right now and are tired of the neutrals, greys and dusty colors of the past 5 years. 

Curved Furniture 

From couches to chairs, tables to mirrors, the more curved and organic shapes are in this year. Out of all the trends we looked at, this is the one we feel is barely in its infancy, but is indeed going to stay. 

What do you think? Did we get these wrong? Are they going to hang on for longer than we thought? Or do you think these trends will die with the end of 2020?  Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you. 

Don’t forget that if you have any trouble with your appliances, we are happy to help. We want to help keep your home running in tip top shape. Whether that’s a repair or a  maintenance check up, all you need is to set an appointment over on our page. 

Ravioli Alla Caprese

 Proving that delicious pasta is absolutely possible to make at home.

This week’s recipe is all about Italy.  Delicious ravioli is a comfort food when many of us need a little comfort. What are you supposed to do though if you can’t get out to the store? It’s a really complicated thing to make right? Well actually, no. The only thing that’s complicated about the dough is the need to balance ‘enough’ mixing versus ‘not enough.’ Once you’ve got that, the rest is easy. 

Ingredients

For The Dough: 

1 cup water

¼ tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

2 ½ cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting 

For The Filling

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained

¾ cup finely grated mozzarella or mild sheep’s milk cheese

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

½ tsp dried oregano

1 large egg

½ tsp kosher salt

For The Sauce

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 25-ounce jar tomato puree

3 springs basil, plus torn leaves for topping

1 4-inch piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind, plus grated cheese for garnish

¼ tsp kosher salt 

To make the dough: Grab a small saucepan and put in on high heat, bring the water and ¼ teaspoon salt to a simmer.  Place your flour in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over the flour and mix together using a  silicone spatula or a wooden spoon. Continue mixing until it becomes a shaggy dough. Dump the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Wrap your dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter. 

While that’s resting, let's make the filling.  In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano, oregano, egg and salt. 

To make the sauce: Take a clean pot and heat it over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly browned and aromatic. Pour in the tomato puree, the basil springs, the cheese rind and a bit of salt. Let the sauce simmer for 12 minutes, stirring often. When the sauce has thickened slightly, remove and discard both the basil and the cheese rind.  

Roll your pasta dough out on a lightly floured surface to a ⅛ rectangle 6 inches by 36 inches. Place little mounds of the filling (roughly 2 teaspoons each) of the filling at an inch apart on the long edge of the dough. Fold the dough in half long ways, covering the filling and carefully press around the filling sealing the dough. 

Cutting apart the dough can done in two different ways. You can use a glass or a cookie cutter if you want round ravioli.Or you can cut them apart using a knife if you want square ravioli. Remove any scraps and repeat. You should end up with roughly 30 ravioli at the end of the process. 

Put a large pot of water on high heat and season liberally with salt.  Once it’s boiling, it’s time to start cooking. Add the ravioli in batches and simmer for about 3 minutes, or till they float. At that point you’ll know they’re cooked through. Using either a ladle or a slotted spoon, remove them from the pot. To serve, ladle spoonfuls of sauce to the center of a plate and position the ravioli on top.  Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and torn basil. 

Notes: 

Let’s start with this “what the heck does ‘alla Caprese’ mean??” In this case it means in the style of Capri, which is an island off the western coast of Italy. The style of Capri is (almost) anything made with tomato, basil, olive oil and mozzarella.  

Now, if you want to make this process even easier you can go into your freezer and grab out an empty ice cube tray. Next, lay the dough over the tray and carefully push the filling into each of the wells. Fold the other half of the dough over the top, as in the original instructions and use the walls between the wells to press together the two layers of the dough. Finally, flip the tray over onto a lightly floured surface and using a sharp knife cut about the cubes. If you want to get really nifty you can even take a fork and press down the edges both to make sure they’re firmly attached and also to make them look nice. 

Additions to the filling- You most definitely can add to the filling, but make sure that if you do that the additions are small in size.

Some good examples for additions might be: mushrooms, ground beef, Italian sausage, crab, prosciutto, chicken, or sweet potatoes. 

Let us know how it goes! We want to hear about your attempts and how they turn out, either here in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

Don’t forget, if you want to schedule a check up for your appliances, that is something we do! You can also count on us to help fix them if they’ve been rude enough to break on you. We don’t stop until the job is done right. You can reach us by phone ((214) 599-0055)or by making an appointment on our website.