fresh apple cake

I made this kind of on a whim, and it was sticky-caramelized-sweet on the edges.

fresh apple raisin cake
makes 1 loaf 

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8-1/4 cup milk
2 cups apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup raisins or dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8"x4" loaf pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, egg and oil. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Batter will be dry and paste-like, add milk gradually until batter resembles something like banana bread consistency.

Fold in the apples, nuts and raisins.

Bake for 55-60 mins in the preheated oven or until knife inserted comes out clean.

korean beef bulgogi

I made this on a whim - yum! I looked over at Linus' bowl to see if he was eating his lunch, and he had scraped it completely clean!

korean beef bulgogi
serves 12

4 lbs beef bottom roast
salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth (I only had chicken, so used that)
1/2 cup soy sauce 
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 pear or granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
juice of one large orange or 2 small

Garnishes:
cilantro, chopped
green onions, sliced
sesame seeds


Season the cubed roast liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat Instant Pot to saute. Once the pan is hot, coat the pan with the oil and in batches, brown the meat on all sides. Transfer meat to a plate.

De-glaze the pan with the broth, scraping up all the browned bits.

Pour in the soy sauce and stir to combine.

Return the meat back to the pan and then place the garlic, ginger and apple/pear on top of the meat, stirring lightly to slightly combine.

Finally, add in the orange juice.

Place lid on your Instant Pot and use the manual button on high pressure, set to 45 minutes. Make sure the valve is closed.

Once the pot is done, release the steam and shred the meet using a fork.

Mix in chopped cilantro, green onions, and sesame seeds, if desired.

**To make this recipe in the slow cooker follow all the steps 1-7. Slow cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.

roasted sweet potatoes

the bottoms were nice and caramelized.

roasted sweet potatoes
serves 8

5 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1 cm thick moons
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme)
olive oil
salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss ingredients together.

Place in 1 layer on a baking sheet.

Bake on top rack for 30 mins.

Broil for another 5-10 mins.