Apple Week - The Entrees

So last week was an unofficial Apple Week here at the Vernon household. It all started when my October edition of Parents magazine arrived; they had a whole little section about apples, including recipes. I picked out a couple that I really wanted to try...afterall, apples were way on sale at HEB at the time. Then my sister Amy went to an activity about how to make perfect caramel apples and I wanted to try that too!

So first up was Harvest Soup. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of this one, but it was a beautiful pumpkin color and was really quite tasty. Best of all, it was super easy- a bunch of chopping but then the soup did its thing while Leo and I played.

Harvest Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 c chopped carrot

1/2 c chopped celery

1/3 c chopped onion

1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

(I used Gala...supposedly they are easier to puree along with

Golden Delicious and Northern Spy because of their thin skin)

4 c low-sodium chicken broth

ground pepper to taste

croutons

In a big pot, heat oil on medium. Add carrots, celery, and onion.

Cook, stiring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.

Add squash, apples, and broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly.

Puree soup, in multiple batches if necessary, in a blender or food processor.

(I just did mine in the pot with a hand blender!)

Add pepper and croutons to serve.

Super delicious and fed us for a few nights! My next apple entree was Savory Sausage Stuffed Apples...what a mouthful, huh? These were a bit more work and while they were yummy, they may have been more work than they were worth to me. Don't get me wrong, they were good- the sweet apple compliments the little zing/spice/whatever of the sausage- they were just more work than I normally do for a random Wednesday night.

Savory Sausage Stuffed Apples

4 large apples

6 oz sweet pork or turkey sausage

1/3 c chopped onion

1/2 c cooked brown rice

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used dried)

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)

1 Tbsp olive oil

dash of black pepper

3/4 c apple juice

Preheat oven to 375*.

Slice the tops off apples and a thin slice from the bottom to allow them to sit flat. Core apples, starting from the stem end going to but not through the bottom of the apple.

(I used a grapefruit spoon but you could use a small spoon or melon baller.)

Continue scraping leaving a 1/4 inch apple shell. Save the apple flesh. (But not the core part!)

Cook sausage and onion, drain.

Combine in bowl with rice, rosemary, thyme, oil, pepper, and 1/2 c of apple flesh.

Place apples in a square baking dish and fill with mixture. Pour apple juice into baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes.

Serve warm, drizzled with the cooking liquid.

So there you have it! Two very yummy apple recipes for you to try. They both tasted like fall and got me very excited for my favorite time of year. And it was good for me to try new recipes...I so often get burnt out on making dinner and it was a nice way to be excited by the chore. And stay tuned...my next post will be about the desserts of Apple Week- yum!