September 27, 2012

Acute How-To: 10 Ways to Eat Apples

September is pretty much the one time of year apples are exciting. Apples are the second most consumed fruit in the United States, and in my opinion, they can be pretty boring….except during autumn. When summer comes to a close I, all of a sudden, have a craving for all things apple.

Last weekend I went apple picking and had apples for days. I got a little sick of just eating them, so I came up with lots of different ways to consume this quintessential fall fruit – including a simple crock pot apple butter recipe.

10 Ways to Eat Apples

  1. Bake with them (such as this Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby recipe or this Apple Spice Muffin recipe).
  2. Chop them up and throw them in a salad. I like leafy greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped apples, and a little parmesan cheese.
  3. Make an apple and cheese appetizer or snack. Simply core the apples, slice them into thick rounds, top them with a nice nutty cheese, spread them out on a baking sheet lined with foil and stick in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
  4. Add them to your favorite chicken salad recipe.
  5. Take “pork chops and applesauce” to a new level by roasting pork tenderloin on a bed of apples and sweet onions.
  6. Baked Apples – Core a few apples and fill each with a mixture of oats, a little brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in a 350 degree oven until tender (about 20 minutes). Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have little apple pies without the crust.
  7. Make apple chips – Slice the apples thin, spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake at a very low temperature (around 150 degrees) for about an hour.  Check the apples after 45 minutes. If your slices are super thin, they will dry relatively fast.
  8. Dip apple slices in nutella or a peanut butter for a sweet (and a little bit healthy) snack.
  9. Make an apple cinnamon smoothie for breakfast. Blend together one diced apple, 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup apple cider, and a few pieces of ice. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon before drinking.
  10. Make my crockpot apple butter recipe (below).

Crockpot Apple Butter

Step One:

Chop up about two pounds of apples (leave the peel on but remove and discard the core).

Step Two:

Rinse the apple pieces and toss in the slow cooker. Cover the apples with 2-3 tablespoons of honey, a teaspoon of nutmeg, three teaspoons of cinnamon, the zest from one lemon, and 1/3 cup of water. Stir all together, set the crockpot on low, and cook for about five hours.

Depending on how large or small you chopped your apples, it might take more or less time. Check here and there and give the mixture a stir so it doesn’t scorch.

Step Three:

Once the apples are cooked and cooled, dump the mixture into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. If you prefer lots of texture, skip this step.

Store the apple butter in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

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September 14, 2012

Acute How-To: Color Dipped Flower Pots

I have really been into the color dipped look lately so I decided to create a small kitchen window garden with a few color dipped pots.

I figured it would be so simple and all I would have to do is put some blue painters tape around a pot and paint.

I tried that and it didn’t really work. Due to the shape of the pots, it was hard to secure the tape in a straight line and the end result was uneven, jagged, and not at all what I was attempting to create.

I also tried using paper, which was a mess. So, I gave up and walked away from the project.

A few hours later I was cleaning out a drawer and found a bag of thick rubber bands. It was a total “light bulb” moment and I returned to my flower pot project. The rubber bands were perfect and gave me the look I wanted.

Supplies Needed

  • Rubber bands
  • Flower pots (I bought mine for less than a dollar)
  • Acrylic paint and paint brushes (can be found at a craft store for about a dollar a bottle)
  • Plants

All you have to do for this simple project is secure the rubber bands around the pots and paint. I did about three coats per pot and even fixed my failed pink pot. Wait about a day for the paint to dry and carefully remove the rubber bands.

Now my biggest challenge will be keeping my little plants alive!

Filed Under: Acute How-To, The Setting 2 Comments
August 29, 2012

Acute How-To: Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby Pancake

It was a lot cooler this weekend than it has been in a while and it totally got me in the mood for fall. One of my favorite fall activities is baking, especially with fresh apples.

Sunday morning I made an Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby Pancake (giant oven-baked pancake). I love Dutch Baby Pancakes because they produce big results, yet they are so simple to make. Anyone can do it – no culinary skills required!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extra
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup milk (I used fat free but any type works)
  • one apple chopped
  • a teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • a little powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees and pour the melted butter in a pie dish. Twirl the dish around so that the butter coats the bottom and place the dish in the oven for about 10 minutes.

2. While the pie dish is heating in the oven, whisk together the milk and eggs until fluffy. Add in all the other ingredients and whisk until combined and fluffy (about a minute).

3. Remove the pie dish from the oven (the butter should be bubbling and starting to brown) and pour the batter into the dish. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges have puffed up and the center is set.

4. Remove from oven and dust with a little powdered sugar. Serve immediately for the “dramatic” effect of the puffed up edges. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Enjoy!

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August 2, 2012

acute how-to: guacamole 3 ways

Today’s post is all about guacamole because….who doesn’t love it?

Try my basic recipe; lighten it up by reducing the amount of avocado and adding in green peas, or go in a different direction all together with guacamole hummus.

All three recipes have the same basic ingredients and can be easily changed based on your personal preferences. If you like things spicy, add some jalapeno. Or, if you prefer a stronger onion flavor, use red onion rather than green.

If you use fresh ingredients, it’s really hard to go wrong with guacamole!

Ingredients:

  • avocados
  • limes
  • fresh cilantro
  • sea salt
  • green onions
  • green peas
  • Greek yogurt
  • white beans

Basic Recipe

In a large bowl, mash together a few avocados, a large handful of chopped fresh cilantro, the juice from 2-3 limes, and about 1/3 cup of chopped green onions. Mix in a little sea salt to taste and serve.

I like to eat mine with fresh chopped tomatoes on top.

Low-Fat Recipe

Microwave or steam one cup of green peas until tender. Put the peas in a small food processor and process until they no longer resemble peas. Add in one large avocado, a large handful of shopped fresh cilantro, the juice from 2-3 limes, and about 1/3 cup of chopped green onions. Mix in sea salt to taste and serve with fresh tomatoes on top.

Guacamole Hummus

In a food processor add 2/3 cup Greek yogurt, one cup of white beans, one avocado, one garlic clove, a large handful of chopped fresh cilantro, the juice from 2-3 limes, and about 1/3 cup of chopped green onions.

Process until smooth and enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers, or chopped veggies.

 Enjoy!

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July 19, 2012

Acute How-To: Instagram Canvases

Ever since Instagram opened its application up to Android users such as myself, I have been seriously addicted. If you follow me (@AcuteDesigns) you will see daily pictures of my food, my dogs, myself, and everything in between.

Rather than leaving those photos in my phone or cyberspace, I decided to print a few of my favorites and transform them into canvases.

Supplies:

  • Mod Podge (I used the glossy kind)
  • Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium (I found mine at the craft store, in the same aisle as the Mod Podge)
  • Sponge brushes and paint brushes
  • Square artist canvases (I used ones that were 6”x6”)
  • Printed Instagram photos

Method One:

  1. Grab your favorite photos from your Instagram account. You can do this by emailing yourself the photos. Or, if you post them to Twitter or Facebook, you can grab them that way.
  2. Insert the photos into a Word Document and size them so that they are the same size as the canvases (in my case this was 6”x6”), then print.
  3. Cut out the photos and discard the excess paper.
  4. Use a paint brush to drop a few tiny globs of  Mod Podge on a blank canvas. Carefully set a photo on top of the canvas (right side up) and paint over the entire thing with a lot of Mod Podge.
  5. Smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles with your fingers and allow the glue to dry (about an hour). If need be, add a second coat.

Method Two:

  1. Follow Steps 1-3 from Method One.
  2. Using the Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium, paint all over your photograph with a heavy coat.
  3. Flip the paper over and carefully press onto a blank canvas so that the photograph side of the paper is touching the canvas.
  4. Smooth down any wrinkles with your fingers and flip the canvas over. Place a heavy book on top of the back of the canvas in order to press the photo onto the canvas.
  5. Let the Photo Transfer Medium dry for at least 24 hours. Once dry, wet a clean sponge brush and rub the paper off of the canvas. I started in the middle of the photo and went in slow circular motions with the sponge. I had to re-wet my sponge at least once for each canvas, but be careful to not add too much water.
  6. Once all the paper is free from the canvas you will have a nice, vintage-looking image.

Hang your canvases or display on bookshelves.


Tips:

**When removing the paper from the canvas in Method Two, you might find it easier to rub away the paper with your fingers once it has been dampened. Note, Method Two takes a little patience in order to get all of the paper from the photo. The end result is worth it, but try not to “rush” by saturating the canvas with water – you will only end up with a mess!

**Parts of the photo might wear away with the paper in Method Two, but that is ok. Each one will be unique and I think small blotches give it character!

**I found it really hard to remove all the air bubbles and wrinkles in Method One, so I gave up trying to do so. In the end, I liked the way the photos had a slightly wrinkled look. The texture gives them more depth.

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