The Sassy Apron

Indian Butter Chicken

2010-10-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have found a wonderfully addicting alternative to "going out"... it's called "cooking in". Imagine that! We attempt to make our favorite dishes that we love to have when eating out. Hey... we're all saving pennies these days, and although it's not as nice as having an evening out of the kitchen, it's fun to have our favorite restaurant's famous fare (well, almost!). A few

Apple Muffins with Crisp Topping

2010-10-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here's another great use for all those Fall apples you're picking this month. These muffins are extraordinarily moist, perfectly spicy, and the crumbly topping is a nice sweet addition that makes you want to save the top for last! Without going on and on and on about how good these are, I will simply say... make these muffins! You won't be sorry! (My husband has offed four all by himself

Apple Crisp

2010-09-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season... to pick your own apples! If you are lucky enough to live near a fruit orchard, you know that local fruit that is in season tastes ten-times better than anything you can buy in a grocery market. It's not had long storage times in containers and in temperatures that nature didn't intend... and it hasn't had to journey from far distances or even from another country. And if

"Wings" with Orange Chipotle BBQ Sauce

2010-09-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Confession: this isn't the recipe that I really wanted to be making tonight. You see, ever since I sat down for dinner at a Stone Harbor, NJ seafood shack called Quahogs and took a bite of their Pacu fish ribs (Yes... FISH ribs), I've been thinking about the meal ever since. Let me repeat... FISH ribs. They looked just like pork ribs, but were cut from the belly of a Brazilian fish that

Vegan/Veggie Burger

2010-08-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a good friend tell me that she and her husband were making the switch to veganism. They went from being meat eaters to vegan over-night... and all because of having read a book called The China Study. I have not read the book yet. But I've heard about it and have read about others making changes in their diets because of it. (Perhaps it should be on my must-read list?) Then

Roasted Beets with Feta

2010-08-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finally took the purple plunge. I've always enjoyed beets, but thought that preparing them seemed a pretty daunting task and just too much work. I'm here to report that it really wasn't that big of a deal. I found a recipe that was pretty easy, simple ingredients, and not all that messy. And my inspiration? My neighbor brought us a "welcome to the neighborhood" bushel of

Garden Lunch

2010-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

Step 1:Step 2:Step 3:Do you juice? What are your favorite combinations?

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

2010-07-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

Wondering what to do with all of that zucchini that is over-flowing your garden at the moment? This is a great way to use up some of the extras (or maybe one that got too big!). It is usually around the end of July that home gardeners start pulling out their really "creative" recipes to use up the extra bounty from their vegetable patches. My Mom always used to make us zucchini pancakes and

"Baking Bread" on Momversation.com

2010-07-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I was invited to help tell "my story" on an episode of HerStory, located on the website www.momversation.com. I chose to talk about the challenge of finding and feeding my family foods without all the chemicals and additives they now add to make food last longer... and most particularly in bread! We've been making all of our own bread for about 7 months now. I was initially amazed at

Zucchini Casserole

2010-07-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

This little creation was a "fridge clean-up" for me last night... But I think I'll keep it in the current round of awesome summer side-dishes, just for how yummy it turned out. It was light and healthy, but flavorful. And it used all of the vegetables that are pouring out of people's gardens right now, so it shouldn't cost you that much to throw together!Zucchini Casserole6-8 side servings (or

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Nuts

2010-07-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Making chicken salad is one of my favorite ways to use up grilled chicken from dinner the night before. Perhaps I'm just partial to my own, but I'm never happy with the chicken salad that I get at restaurants or in the store. The chicken is either minced so small that it resembles tuna salad, or cut so thick that it's hard to eat. The trick to making a good textured chicken salad is taking the

Easy Fruit Tart

2010-07-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe that strays from the traditional French version of a fruit tart. Most tarts you'll find call for a custard base, that although taste wonderful, are higher in fat and calories and are much more time consuming to make. This recipe is simple and easy and contains little more than fresh fruit! If you don't own a tart pan, this will give you a reason to buy one. It is not an

Lemon, Raspberry, and Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is one more "red, white, and blue" treat for you this weekend. We've been enjoying the fresh berries that we picked all week, but I needed to use up the last ones before we (hopefully) go and pick more tomorrow. My best intention is to pick enough to freeze so we can enjoy fresh local berries in baked goods and smoothies this winter. We'll see if I can pick enough... it's often hard with

Red, White, and Blue Frozen Yogurt Pops

2010-07-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!This is my take on the nostalgic "firecracker" ice pops. My daughter has two great loves in her life. And although I know she loves her Momma and Daddy, the two things she goes gaga for right now are 1) FRUIT and 2) YOGURT. I've been making her blended fruit and yogurt pops (with plain yogurt, sweetened lightly with honey), and I can honestly say it's a treat that I don't

Horseradish Cheese Dip

2010-06-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

"You're welcome"! This will be my response to your "Thank You" after you try this easy and tasty dip. There are oodles of horseradish cheese dip recipes out there on the internet. This particular version was thrown together by a good family friend. And her instructions to me? To use it as a base and build from there... try adding diced sun dried tomatoes, or perhaps artichoke hearts one time

Chocolate Crisp Ice-Cream Sandwiches

2010-06-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

Ice-Cream... isn't it one of life's most simple pleasures? And especially wonderful and refreshing during an unusually hot month of June (at least here in Eastern PA)! I recently tried this chocolate wafer recipe posted by Joy Of Baking. I love a crisp cookie... ginger snaps, lemon snaps, anything with big flavor and a nice crunch! These certainly fit the bill - especially if you leave them

Hamburger Buns

2010-06-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've tried quite a few hamburger bun recipes, but none I have felt were worthy of re-posting. Finally I have found one I feel I must share! It is a simple recipe, simple steps, and pretty easy to throw together the afternoon before a BBQ. This recipe makes 6 generous sized burger buns. You could easily double or triple the recipe. I did change a few things (I guess that is just my M.O., as

Almost up and running again...

2010-05-27T18:49:00.001-07:00

The Sassy Apron has a new kitchen, and I am so excited to get started making and baking again. It's amazing how many boxes it takes to pack up all those tools and appliances... and how long it takes to unpack it all again! I'm hoping to post again by June. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

The Issue of Food Additives

2010-05-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons that I started to bake all of my own bread at home was the fact that I was bothered by what I was reading on the bags' labels. I'm sure each of you have read a label at some point while shopping and thought... "what IS this stuff and why can't I even pronounce it?" Ever since my bread making venture first started, I've become more curious about reading all labels while

CousCous and Vegetable Stir Fry

2010-05-17T16:17:00.001-07:00

This is an easy and healthy meal that takes less then 30 minutes to prep and prepare. It came into being one summer when my garden was overflowing with wonderful vegetables and we needed a quick dinner option. And nothing cooks more quickly than couscous! It recently made another blogger's "Top 25 in under 20 minutes" meal list. This is a versatile dish and can easily be tweaked to fit your

Thin Crust Whole-Wheat Pizza

2010-05-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love pizza? This is such a great recipe and is really easy to make. You'll be able to make and bake two pizzas in about an hour - or chill the second half of the dough and have pizza again later in the week!You have choices with your ingredients here... if you want organic, use organic! If you want Pizza Margherita, use fresh mozzarella sliced thin with fresh basil. Meat lover?

On the move...

2010-05-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Sassy Apron is moving! No worries... the blog address won't change a bit, but my family and I are in the process of moving from one house to another. So my apologies... my intention was to post at least once a day, which I'm finding it is very difficult to do when your life is being packed up into boxes all around you! But one thing is for sure... we are still baking bread, still cooking

Another reason to feel Sassy about that apron!

2010-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Aprons: Go ahead and tie one onThe garment no longer symbolizes women's relegation to the kitchen but their delight in being there.May 06, 2010|By Rene Lynch, Los Angeles TimesKirk McKoy, Los Angeles TimesIs there another kitchen object that carries as much baggage as the apron?A whisk and a wooden spoon are, after all, tools to get the job done. But an apron?For years, aprons were commonplace

Easy Kettle Corn

2010-05-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

OK - so this is not the greatest photo. But let me assure you that what is in this blue bowl is something you will crave after tasting it. I LOVE kettle corn. And this is a really nice (and healthier) option than the carnival crafted stuff. Not to mention, you will avoid all the chemicals associated with the microwave variety.Kettle CornIt is easy to double this recipe!Ingredients:2 TBSP

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

2010-05-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

My family and I have been frequenting our indoor farmer's market on the weekends. It has such a wonderful selection of locally grown/made items, including; (often organic) vegetables, leafy greens, meats, cheeses, eggs, and sometimes even ice-cream! We've been lucky to find a local source for free-range, grass-fed, antibiotic-free hen-laid eggs. You open the cartons to find eggs in such a

Fresh Pasta with Butternut Squash

2010-05-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! If you live on the East Coast like me, you spent the day braving chilly temperatures and unusually gusty winds. After over-enjoying an incredible gourmet Mother's Day brunch buffet, sleeping it all off with an hour long nap, I woke up craving some chilly weather comfort food. I didn't want anything too heavy, so I turned to this old favorite... Butternut

My Favorite Guacamole

2010-05-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know what you're going to say... I totally missed the boat on posting this for Cinco de Mayo. But here is my theory... EVERY day is a great day for guacamole. Thanks to the fact that our grocery stores pretty much carry avocados year round, you can make this yummy and nutritious treat any time the craving hits! The trick is keeping Avocados on hand in order to allow them to properly ripen.

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

2010-05-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you not familiar with this wonderful rice and pasta alternative, Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is a grain-like plant grown for it's edible seeds. Quinoa originated in South America where it had been an important part of the Inca diet 6,000 years ago. It is prized for it's high-protein content, which makes it a great staple for the vegetarian diet. It is also gluten-free, for those

Shortbread with Strawberries

2010-05-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this dessert by accident, and I am so very glad that I did. I was looking for a good shortcake recipe to have with some strawberries - a perfect dessert to greet these early summer temperatures we've been having! But instead, I stumbled upon recipes for shortbread. I Decided to give it a go. If it didn't work, I figured I would crumble it up and serve it over the strawberries

Coconut Oil... "Sticks and Stones"

2010-05-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

"Unhealthy!" "Hydrogenated!" "You're a bad, bad, naughty fat... shame on you!"It's funny... since sharing my bread recipe, I've had three people question or comment to me on the health pros and cons of Coconut Oil. I had the same ponderings awhile ago, but after purchasing a baked good that was made with it (and liking it) I did some research on the stuff. Turns out, it got a pretty bad rap

Simple (really!) Sandwich Bread

2010-05-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

I always knew that when I finally got around to blogging that my first post would be about bread. Bread is my favorite comfort food. There is nothing better than fresh warm bread with butter and honey - I could eat it for dessert! And no lie, when it bakes it makes your entire house smell heavenly. Recently, I've become intent on making all of our own bread at home... Sandwich bread,

Genesis of The Sassy Apron

2010-04-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

This blog has been a long time coming. It is being created for all my (Facebook) friends and family who ask me if I could “repost that recipe” … and now I can do it (with pictures!) without annoying the other members who couldn't give a hoot about what’s for dinner tonight. The Sassy Apron will be a melting pot of what goes on in my life. Yes, it will be largely about