Apple and Sharp Cheddar Paninis

Something about living somewhere where actual seasons happen, after spending your whole life in a place where the only two settings are sunny and sunnier, makes you realize how much you’ve missed in life.

Up until I lived in Philadelphia I had never owned a proper winter coat. I had never experienced what it was like to have your whole body be uncomfortably warm from the extensive scarf-hoodie-boots bundling and yet have your face still completely frozen off from the wind.

I never knew what real fall was. Or real spring. I didn’t know how different each season could smell. I didn’t know how much one person could grow to hate that stupid awful horrible month of February where you can’t understand why winter was ever invented and why in the heck it JUST KEEPS GOING ON AND ON AND ON.

Among all these things I never knew or did, there was apple picking.

Now, some people may think that apple picking is for children. Well… Okay, it is.

BUT. It can also be for adults. I swear. A totally acceptable activity for a 20 something year old to do with their parents.  

When my parent’s came to visit me one fall weekend Senior year, I made this very argument. They gave in without too much of a fight—the power of being an only child I suppose—and we drove about an hour outside of Philly until we found ourselves surrounded by orchards and fields of oranges and reds and yellows.

The apple orchard we finally stopped in was filled with people, mostly children. 

I chose to ignore this.

We have a vegetable garden at home, this was nothing like that. It was enormous and foreign. Rows and rows of trees, all marked with the different apple varieties. In my little California world there were ever only two kinds—the red ones and the green ones. So this was news to me.

There was just something amazing about picking one right off the tree, wiping it off with the hem of my dress, and hearing that crisp crunch as I bit into it. There’s nothing like standing in an endless row of green with apples trampled into the ground, fermenting into the grass all around you. 

And yes, kids like it too. Mostly because they could climb the trees, which, fair play kids, I would too if I wasn’t clearly way past the age where apple picking is still socially acceptable, let alone tree climbing.

There is also nothing like coming home to an apartment warmed by a slightly busted radiator, standing in the kitchen in your fall sweater and socks peeling apples for a pie or slicing them for a Panini like this.

I’m not standing next to a slightly busted radiator. Nor am I wrapped up in a fall sweater. I did not pick these apples—not this time anyway. I’m in my sun-warmed kitchen in the middle of a warm California October wearing my torn off denim shorts.

But, it’s okay folks. It doesn’t matter where you are. This Panini will still taste darn delicious. 

Apple and Sharp Cheddar Paninis

Serves 2

1 apple (I used a granny smith green apple), cored and sliced

3-4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

4 thick-cut slices of good bread

butter

Butter the outsides of each slice of bread. Assemble sandwiches—lay shredded cheddar on the unbuttered side, then layer the apple on top. Close sandwich so that both buttered sides face out.

Place in a Panini maker or in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and bread is golden in color. Serve immediately. 

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

I'm a fan of being up front.

That's why I have to tell you right now that this macaroni and cheese is not made with macaroni.

I'm pretty sure that one of the few rules, one of the only rules of mac and cheese actually, is that it should be made with macaroni. And, you know, cheese, obviously.

Well, I'm a rule breaker.

Actually, that is completely untrue. Let's be honest here. 

Picture the most rule-breakery person of all the rule-breakery people you know. Then totally disregard that image.

Now, picture the least rule-breakery person you know. Then take it down a notch and maybe about 15 steps back. There, that's about right. Maybe one more step back. Yeah, there we go.

I'm fairly certain the only time I ever broke a rule was that one day in elementary school when all the kids decided it would be a brilliant idea to get out of P.E. with "notes from our parents." I think a beep test may have been involved, so in retrospect, not the worst idea ever.

That day, like the rest of the kids, I wrote a fake note from my parents trying to get me out of my 4th grade gym class.

It didn't work.

For one, I doubt my teachers would have believed my parents had handwriting like... well, like that.

That's not why it didn't work though.

It didn't work because I never gave it to the gym teacher. I never even took it out of my pocket, which is how my mom found it when she went to do the laundry that night. I didn't even get punished, I just got the "disappointed in you" bit and then locked myself in my room and cried. Yes, that's right, I punished myself. If there was some kind of class in Rule Breaking I'm pretty sure I would have just flunked it.

But today I'm going to prove everyone wrong. Because today I used SHELLS instead of MACARONI. That's right, mull that one over folks.

It was partly because I think shells are just so perfect for scooping up all that creamy, cheesy, butternutty goodness. But also because that was what I had on hand.

So it's up to you really.

You can be a boring rule follower and use macaroni noodles or you can be a daredevil like me and break the mold for a minute or two.... or three. No, that might be excessive. Let's stick to two.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Serves 6

1 lb butternut squash (about 3 cups), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes—frozen or pre-cut squash are great alternatives if you can find them since butternut squash can be hard to work with

1 ½  cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 ½ cups milk

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound pasta (shells or macaroni work best)

5 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided

3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot or saucepan, combine the butternut squash, broth, and milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, this should take about 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat. With a potato masher or other tool, mash contents of saucepan until smooth. Add the nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and butter. Stir until combined.

Meanwhile, while the butternut squash mixture is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions, this usually takes about 7-8 minutes.  You don’t want the pasta to be cooked too much; otherwise, it will be soft and mushy once baked. Drain, and add to the completed butternut squash mixture. Add cheddar and half (2 ounces) of the Parmesan cheese, stir until combined.

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Transfer pasta mixture into dish. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 ounces parmesan, the breadcrumbs, and oil; sprinkle evenly on top of pasta mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until warmed throughout and crisp and lightly browned on top. Serve hot.

Orange Coconut Cupcakes

There's nothing like a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning. 

Especially if you're not much of a coffee person. 

See, I've always "liked coffee," but I didn't really like coffee until about senior year in high school. 

Before then, like a true middle school girl, I was the typical adolescent masquerading as a faux-adult. You know, the kind of obnoxious kid that pretends to like coffee and enjoy watching the evening news and fakes engagement in conversations about politics or, even better, the economy.

This also is the phase where suddenly going to a movie with your parents couldn't be more mortifying and where coffee, despite being this gross, bitter, unappealing dark liquid, still has a reputation as possibly the only thing separating you from simultaneously reaching adulthood and the pinnacle of awesomeness at the same time. 

Nothing, and I mean nothing, ever seemed as cool as those seniors who'd come back from having lunch off campus, wearing their skirts rolled up, walking around in their out-of-uniform shoes with a Starbucks cup and set of car keys. 

Thankfully--until my taste buds finally caught up with my deep-seated desire to look sophisticated and spend excessive amounts of money just to walk around with one of those coveted Starbucks cups--there was always good old orange juice to keep me company.

Orange juice, especially if it's fresh, is one of the best ways to start the day--whether you're a coffee lover or not. 

If only I'd have thought to pour it into a Starbucks cup and walk around like that, back in my middle school days, I could have had the best of both worlds. 


So if you want to start your day off right, pour yourself a glass of orange juice or just go straight for an orange coconut cupcake (I won't tell). 

You could even have a cup of coffee too, you know, if you're feeling extra grown up today. 


Orange Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from How Sweet It Is

4 cups all purpose flour (substitute with gluten free flour, if making GF)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (add ¼ cup buttermilk if making GF)
3/4 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
zest of 5 oranges
1 cup coconut, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line cupcake pans with liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat together with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, then blend in the vanilla. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches. Add orange juice and zest, mixing until combined.

Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool, then frost.


Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter

2 blocks of cream cheese (8oz each)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

zest of 2 oranges

1 – 1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

Whip butter and cream cheese together with mixer. Add 1/2 of powdered sugar, mixing until blended. Add the orange juice and zest. Add the remaining powdered sugar.

Top with shredded coconut.

Corn and Vegetable Chowder

I love a good chowder.

It's just like soup's slightly more indulgent cousin.

It's so warm and delicious. And you get to have all those vegetables, all that hearty, healthy goodness that soup offers--but then you get that little hint of cream (or milk if that's how you roll) that just makes the whole thing a bit richer, creamier, fuller in flavor.

And let me tell you, there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

What's weird though, is that I've never been the kind of girl to sit down with a glass of milk and just... drink it. Maybe if a cookie or two were involved it would seem slightly more appealing, but not always.

I've just never been that big of a fan.

But when milk is added to turn what was once deemed a soup into what is now called a chowder, mmm. Now that I can get on board with.

Corn, Leek, and Sweet Potato Chowder

Serves 6

4 large ears of corn, kernels removed and cobs reserved

3 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 ½ cups leeks, sliced (about 4 medium sized leeks)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup dry sherry

4 cups water

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, diced

2 cups green beans, ends removed and cut into bite sized pieces

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Place corn kernels, cobs, and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then, keeping the pan covered, remove from heat and set aside.

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks, sautéing for about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, and sherry and cook for another 4-5 minutes.  Add the water and remove from heat.

In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the Sweet potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add green beans and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Potatoes should be softened and brown.

Remove cobs from the milk mixture and add the remaining kernels and milk into the Dutch oven. Add potatoes and beans to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.